If you win your client on values (culture) they will stay with you forever. Change my mind.

Culture is an exceptionally difficult concept to define.
It manifests in our behaviors, creations, relationships with others, and thoughts.
In a holistic approach, it is seen as a complex system of values, norms, and practices that govern social life and give it meaning.

As Stanisław Pietraszko, founder of the Institute of Cultural Studies at Wrocław University, said: “Culture is a way of life according to values.”

From our perspective, culture is also the material from which strong brands are built.

For a branding studio, the best way to understand, study, and leverage this material is through cultural research, rather than working intuitively or copying patterns.

It is a method for uncovering meanings and values. It is essential because brands are not just products; they are symbols and social practices that co-create the identity of the brand and its fans.

Understanding these processes through cultural research gives brands a chance to be more authentic, develop more effective strategies, and become more deeply embedded in people’s lives.

This involves studying visual and aesthetic codes, cultural narratives and myths, symbols and rituals, language contexts, cultural trends, and above all, social values and norms. It helps reach a point where a brand, like culture itself, can stand out while fitting in. It builds lasting bonds and evokes emotions that make audiences loyal to a brand regardless of its functions or price.

The benefits of cultural research include enhanced credibility, because a brand rooted in culture is more authentic. It inspires greater trust and loyalty by using the same codes and relying on the same emotions and values. The best brands can even become a kind of subculture.

A brand is more than economics. It is cultural significance. Its value does not only come from market position, but from the emotions, associations, and cultural meanings it evokes.

Purpose, which has become very popular recently, is an important element in building a brand identity, but it is not enough. We can have a noble goal but achieve it using unethical tactics. This may quickly gain followers in the short term but will likely create enemies in the long run.

You don’t have to look far for examples of organizations that exploit trends, put on masks, and try to win over new audiences. Until recently, everyone was riding the wave of ecology. Luckily, people are not naive and quickly notice whether someone truly believes in what they do or is just pretending. Such unethical use of trends causes more reputational loss than short-term gain.

The brands that win are built on authentic, universal values and remain loyal to them forever.

Examples? Obvious large brands include Harley Davidson, Jeep, Patagonia, and Fjällräven, which focus on freedom, or Apple with its cult of minimalism and independence. Beyond these giants, a remarkable example is a brand that no longer exists, yet its followers still remember it fondly. Independent, alternative, rebellious, experimental, and with a sense of humor. It was called Viva Zwei and was the younger sister of the popular music channel Viva. It was a station that didn’t try to conform to commercial trends but promoted artists with passion and creativity. Programs often included interviews, reports, and album reviews, creating a deeper musical experience than typical music videos.

It created a space where subcultures could meet, exchange ideas, and inspire one another. For many viewers, it was a “window” into the world of independent music that mainstream media didn’t offer. Visually, the station had an experimental approach to graphics, editing, and content presentation, while presenters and curators were authentic, building closeness and trust with the audience. People still remember it as the best music channel in television history. They create fan pages, host themed events, and even get tattoos of its logo. A phenomenal example of a brand so rooted in values that it created a cult. A cult whose followers remain loyal to this day, twenty-three years after its closure in 2002.

Every brand, regardless of the industry, has the potential to become more than a product. When it understands the culture in which it operates and authentically roots its values within it, it creates a bond that survives trends, campaigns, and changing markets. This is where the strength of brands lies. Those that remain in the memory and hearts of people for years to come.

SM.