Cultural Icebergs: Pepsi, Beyonce and the Shifting Cultural Frame

January 28, 2013

Rob Fields robfields.com

@robfields

The seas of popular culture

can be deadly for brands.

are full of icebergs that

First,

Culture? what is

Culture? what is

Attitudes Values Conventions

Social practices Beliefs

Human knowledge

Behavior Arts

Technology

Culture is context.

Through it, we make sense of the times we live in.

Culture is why. . .

+

. . . sparked a backlash

Food & health advocates were

NOT happy

The pushback spread. . .

nowhere but it didn’t come out of

40+ years of growing awareness

obese

Meanwhile. . .

36% of adults &

17% of kids*

in the U.S. are

*CDC/NCHS report, January 2012 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.pdf

If obesity rates continue on their current track, by 2030 the loss of economic productivity could be as high as

$580B annually*

* 2012 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, F Is For Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future http://bldlv.us/V0NGuL

Michelle Obama’s initiative to combat childhood obesity

Beyonce is a high-profile supporter

Bey did an official video for the effort, “Move Your Body”

Michelle even learned the steps

So this is the story of two brands who did a $50 million deal without fully grasping. . .

. . . how much the cultural frame has shifted.

What’s next?

Brands and consumers

exist within

the context of culture

Behavior

Attitudes

Social Practices

Human Knowledge

Beliefs

Values

Technology

Arts

Communication angle of incidence

C u l t u r e

Attitudes Values

Conventions Behavior

Social Practices

Messages aimed here. . . .

. . .often end up here. The reason? Refraction via the medium of culture!

As well, like light going through any media. . .

Human Knowledge

. . .culture changes how messaging is received & understood.

Beliefs

Communication angle of refraction

Behavior

Attitudes

Social Practices

Human Knowledge

Beliefs

Values

Consumers are not separate from culture

Technology

Arts

Behavior

Attitudes

Social Practices

Human Knowledge

Beliefs

Values

Neither are celebrities.

Technology

Arts

What’s needed is a new approach

that better integrates culture, brands & consumer insights

Until then,

brands attempting to navigate culture

hitting icebergs.

should get used to

About the author

Rob Fields is a cultural curator and an award-winning marketer, who focuses on the intersection of culture, business and marketing. Find out more about him at:

• robfields.com • Follow him on Twitter: @robfields