How Culture Shift Demands an Adaptive Strategy for Brands to Remain Relevant
Brands vie to establish enduring relationships with customers as a long-term strategy. The relationships in turn which are conceived, nurtured and valued by people are often driven by the culture and its intricacies. Culture is defined as the sum total of all the identified beliefs, norms, traditions and values associated with a group. Cultures observed by people often shapes the basis of relationship and what is important or not important for people from that culture in that relationship. For example, in a historically high-context culture (Refer: Hall’s High and Low Context Cultures) like that of India’s, brands have to create a relationship which is warm and based on personal emotional reputation. For example — Tata Namak, Desh ka Namak, Fortune’s Ghar ka Khana, etc.
But India is changing at a breakneck speed. The demographic change coupled with economic gains and global exposure is transforming the country on financial and social metrics. It has gradually, but also on the ground in terms of what was important or unimportant, but isn’t anymore. A big chunk of population which is young and is open to experiences leads the undercurrent towards the modification of the underlying culture. Some of the reasons behind this movement are:
- Changing family structures and subsequent alteration in the family dynamics due to smaller families, kids living away from parents, lesser interactions with families and extended families and, fewer occasions to meet others from similar groups etc have grossly changed the interpersonal relationship
- Literacy and breaking gender stereotypes have further changed the thought process of people which has impacted the long-held values and norms
- Finally, a gradual movement of younger audience towards non-religious beliefs, like spirituality, agnosticism and atheism has done its bit in terms of altering traditional dogmas and beliefs
This is an aspirational generation which doesn’t settle for anything less than they think they deserve. Unlike their predecessors, this generation isn’t afraid to ask what they want and be assertive about it. This behavior has given rise to an individualistic nerve among the youth in the country. A gradual change brought upon by the shifting cultural nuances is quite evident. Does this cultural change in context with how people look at relationships, especially in terms of engagement, also affect the relationship that customers look for with a brand? Brands don’t live in isolation. They can’t survive that way. Brands must co-exist in a symbiotic manner with other brands and the customers. Hence, it is imperative for them to monitor the cultural shifts and the underlying change in the dynamics of relationships that ensue due to this.
Indian culture has historically been a high context (explain by Hall’s High-Low Context Culture), high power distance and collectivism (both explained in Hofstede’s Cultural Typology, Refer: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions) based culture. This has made it necessary for brands to position themselves as emotional entities that promised enduring and personal relationships that would last for eternity. This was projected in multiple ways in various aspects of brand related to the brand promise, brand message, brand communication, and brand identity. Ads like Heera hai Sada ke Liye by De Beers and Naye Bharat ki Nayi Tasveer, Humara Bajaj by Bajaj were more focussed on establishing a warm and long-term relationship with the brand instead of trying to be assertive, objective about their offerings, and more importantly accepting who you are instead of being non-conformist.
Change in cultural dimensions is a very long and slow process, hence it is not possible to see a sudden meaningful change in cultural dimensions in entirety. However, the process begins with small overshoots in certain demographic and geographic segments. This selected segment seems to have been moving from the high-context, high power distance and collectivism based culture to low-context, low power distance, and individualism based culture. Innovative brands must identify these changes in order to ensure that they communicate to, and establish a relationship with, their audience based on the target audience’s newfound beliefs and values, courtesy cultural shifts. This change in culture has led to the selected segments of customers being more discerning, objective and often, calculative.
As it is common in the cultures represented by low context (explained in Hall’s High-Low Context Culture) — crisp, clear and objective information without emotional overtures is highly appreciated. Brands which are trying to appeal to the younger generation who is trailblazing such a cultural transformation, need to define themselves in an unambiguous way which is transparent in an unassuming manner.
Low power distance (explained in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions) reflects the falling differences between people in different strata of work culture. This can also be translated into a contraction of distance between people of different age groups. Unlike past, young people talk to their elders in a much more open way and with much more assertion. Also, women have successfully made their presence felt at workplaces and in the field of education with boundaries on the basis of gender are diminishing by the minute. This reflects a reality which must be appreciated by brands. Any communication that tends to heighten the difference between people due to the difference in age or gender will not be accepted by the younger audience who may find such a representation absurd.
The rising aspiration of the current generation has also led to rising in individualism (explained in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions) which is identified by being more comfortable in what one wants to be without being affected by social norms and groups. This is reflected in various avenues like choices of — clothing, education, interest, sexuality, work preference, belief, etc. A higher propensity towards individualism suggests that the younger generation is not afraid of being themselves and don’t mind being nonconformist. They are also not afraid of asking what they want and aren’t ashamed of putting forth their demands and reservations, unlike the previous generations. Hence, a brand needs to be aspirational and clearly communicate what it stands for. In order to reach out to the target audience which believes in individualism more than collectivism, brands must be able to add to this individualism of the customer, though customization or personalization in its offerings and messages. This could be achieved by laying out unique imagery around the brand and its user. It is not recommended for the brand to be something for everything, but clearly unique to a unique set of people.
Some of the brands have been able to transcend this cultural transformation in a successful way where they not only portrayed a newer aspiration that is reflected in their brand communication, but also ensured that brands are shown in a non-archaic light representing the newer reality of cultural shifts.
For example, American express ad campaign featuring Virat Kohli where the individuality and aspiration of the younger generation are at play. A brand which has played a textbook role in this area is Fastrack. The brand has followed a brilliant strategy to reach out to its innovator target group by being an iconoclast breaking set molds for the ‘right’ behavior, promoting guilt-free individuality and aspiration. The ads touch the right chords with their audience for clicking all the checkboxes for their strategy to tap the younger generation. Its unapologetic youth image syncs well with the demeanor reflected by its target audience, the young and the carefree. Coke’s ad where it shows a father and his son become friends over a coke while traveling in a train tries to tackle the power distance aspect. It does so by showing that the younger generation has started to look at their parents and elders in a different light, where they are still reverent but it doesn’t have to be expressed in the same way as it traditionally has been.
Clearly, many brands have got the memo and are diligently trying to work towards wooing the newer audience. New, because they identify with newer ways of aspects like beliefs, norms, traditions, and values. And what drive these aspects? Culture. Hence, Brands must have a handle on the transformation that happens in the cultural space in order to control the brand narratives and identities in the future. Brands must embrace the culture, wholeheartedly but without being too attached to it, because it shall change. Always.
