Counterculture is the term given to the culture of rejecting or questioning dominant norms and conventions for value systems that seem completely radical and scandalous. The term counterculture first picked up in the 60s. It stirred thought and resistance by advocating fearless experimentation, inclusion, acceptance and breaking away from divides and chains that segregate and limit us. Cut to 60 years later, these are ideas that no longer sound outlandish. And yet, the fear of them lives on. Same for the discipline of marketing and brand building.
Brands classically have drawn from and fed into mainstream culture. Picking from dominant norms of what an ideal family, an ideal student, an ideal home and ideal beauty is and then reinforcing them to favor sales and brand-preference. Sexuality and objectification also, of course, is mainstream and brands did not shy away from leveraging and in turn further magnifying it. When counterculture ideas began to gain prominence, giant brands often looked the other way, preferring to continue mirroring mainstream motivations and aspirations. Providing challenger and start-up brands with a nice, big elephant in the room to gain from. Brands that stood for the counterculture began to garner a share of the pie. Understandably, giant established brands tend to be afraid to touch counterculture simply because they had too much at stake. Also, the dominant value system is where the numbers are, at the end of the day.The declining shares of some giant brands along with periodic consumer protests online around advertising messages and labeling, however tell a different story.
Brands need to stay ahead of cultural waves and for that we need to ensure we don’t turn tone-deaf. Examples of brands that have stayed in tune with the times and dared to ride counter cultural nuances effectively to stay connected with evolving culture do exist. Previously inauspicious ideas of a second marriage was boldly represented by Tanishq jewelers two decades ago at a time when jewelry brands would not touch that idea even though second marriages in urban India had begun to rise. Winning the hearts of generations to come as daughters in urban India grow more and more involved in the wedding proceedings. Another example is that of a still severely frowned upon idea of live-in couples being represented by Red Label tea. The ad’s depiction of how young adults and their parents have a strong motivation to eliminate generation gaps was as perfect as the cup of tea it promises. Dove’s smashing of unrealistic beauty standards began as early as 2004 – a bold move that is continuing to help Dove stay relevant in the day of AI manipulated videos. Laundry ads still depict soiled clothes as the prime headache of women alone. Ariel took a stand with the ‘share the load’ campaign owning a share of consumer love for generations to come. Nike deviated from showcasing professional athletes to include anyone who is willing to self-motivate themselves to start their fitness journey, reflecting the brand’s acknowledgement of the growing culture of sports and fitness among non-athletes. The list runs long. The use of counterculture to connect with consumers is not exactly new. What is new is that the fundamental rules of advertising and marketing itself are being demolished as counterculture business is becoming mainstream.
Businesses and brands today are built around consumer needs that need to be served. Attempts to ‘create needs’ and forcing aspirations no longer work as well. No amount of celebrity endorsement can combat poor online reviews from peers. Brands that don’t live out the stand they take are called out. Brands that don’t take a stand at all pale before all the brands that do. Ad scripts need to be able to tell the story in 15 secs. This demands clarity and prioritising of messaging. AI poses the risk of cookie cut communications which we need to use human creativity to fix. As the counterculture of digital marketing becomes the culture of marketing itself, the very foundational textbooks on advertising and branding need to be re-written.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Be the first to comment on "Brands and Counterculture"