1.
CULTURAL
TENSION
STRATEGY
Cultural Selling Proposition (CSP)
Brand planning 2.0 – Culture & Movement
By Nigel Rahimpour

2.
GIANT CREDITS TO:
Douglas Holt & Douglas Cameron
for their inspiring work!

3.
Conventional marketing ignores the wider context of culture,
although it is becoming increasingly important for success.
This document focuses on a systematic way to embed culture in
the strategic process and its financial value.
It looks at cultural tension strategy and grassroots marketing
as tools of implementation in a new media world shaped by
consumer activism.
It’s about brands tapping into culture and succeeding.
PREFACE

4.
"We need to
reinvent the way
we market to
consumers. We
need a new
model.”
A.G. Lafley,
Big Kahuna
at P&G

5.
“Marketing theory
is still largely based
on the days when
P&G brands
dominated America.
If they are
making more
noise, it is out of
desperation.”
The Economist

6.
Connect the brand with the consumer
THE CURRENT MODEL
The product
- Delivers a functional benefit
- Delivers an emotional benefit
Henceforth, meets the consumer need

7.
What’s wrong
with that?

8.
IT’S BASED ON FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS
REASON #1
“Tough on stains”

9.
Bears no long term sustainability
1. Product differentiators get quickly copied
2. People are less interested in functionalities
than companies assume
3. Often a justification for an instinctually-
driven decision
THE FUNCTIONAL BENEFIT PITFALL

10.
IT’S BASED ON EMOTIONAL BENEFITS
REASON #2
i.e. ATTRACTION

11.
Many brands talk about the same emotion –
even outside the category
(i.e. “Attraction” used by cars, motorbikes, clothing, etc)
Courtesy
of
Jkakuzin
THE EMOTIONAL BENEFIT PITFALL

12.
What does all of
this mean?

13.
THE OLD MODEL HAS TURNED
BRANDS INTO COMMODITIES
Invites private label brands to participate

14.
The war of the benefits makes people believe
that most brands are the same
THE EMOTIONAL BENEFIT PITFALL
CONSUMER APATHY IS THE RESULT

15.
“When you act like a commodity,
you’ll get treated like one!”
Kevin Roberts, Big Kahuna at Saatchi & Saatchi
THE EMOTIONAL BENEFIT PITFALL

16.
WHY IS THERE A
SEA OF
SAMENESS?

17.
BECAUSE THE OLD MODEL IS SOLELY
ROOTED IN PSYCHOLOGY

18.
THE OLD MODEL DISREGARDS THE
WIDER CONTEXT
Does not look at people & brands through a societal lens
Out-dated
But still in use

19.
IGNORES CULTURE, POLITICS &
ECONOMICS

20.
BECAUSE MARKETING LIKES TO SIMPLIFY
It gets dirty when you consider history,
politics, culture and economics

21.
IF YOU
LIMIT YOUR
VISION…
YOU
CONFINE
YOUR
ACTIONS!

22.
THE OLD MODEL CONFINES BRANDS
TO A VACUUM CALLED “CATEGORY”
Limits brands to the land of faster,
bigger, smaller, cheaper

23.
SUCH BRANDS ARE
UNABLE TO TELL A
BIGGER STORY

24.
If you have any!
SO THE BIG
QUESTION IS …
SO THE BIG
IS…
SO THE BIG
ARE…

25.
HOW DO WE
ENSURE THAT
IT NO LONGER
DEPENDS ON
CREATIVES
TO CREATE A
CULTURALLY
RELEVANT
STORY?
What
the
fuck?
Old Model Positioning Example:
The aroma that puts a grin on your face

26.
HOW DO WE LAY THE STRATEGIC
FOUNDATION FOR BRANDS TO
TELL A BIGGER STORY?
Ideally become…

27.
PART OF POP-CULTURE’S CONVERSATION

28.
… AND TO CREATE INNOVATIONS
BEYOND THE CATEGORY?

29.
PLANNING 2.0

30.
Planning 2.0
Connect the brand with the CULTURE
Brand
Culture

31.
Planning 2.0
Acknowledges the tenets of the old model
- The product’s functional benefit is…
- The product’s emotional benefit is …
But it places a cultural selling proposition
(CSP) at the heart of business

32.
CULTURAL SELLING PROPOSITION
Above functional and emotional benefits
USP
CSP
ESP
Cultural selling
proposition
Emotional selling
proposition
Unique (functional) selling
proposition

33.
WHAT’S A CSP?
CSP (Cultural Selling Proposition) is an
ideology that gives a brand a role in
society, not just the category
(i.e. Apple’s Facilitating Creativity’)

34.
WHY CARE?
Cultural ideology creates
financial value

35.
FINANCIAL REASON #1:
Differentiation
Where competition is limited to the product-level, cultural ideology
provides differentiation lifting the brand above the category

36.
CASE IN POINT:
Method
Method places a cultural added value on top of functionality.
The brand operates in culture, not the category.

37.
FINANCIAL REASON #2:
Culture enhances quality perception
When people buy into a brand’s culture, they like to think its
products are superior, when in fact they are not

38.
FINANCIAL REASON #3:
Culture can charge a premium

39.
FINANCIAL REASON #4:
Culture creates loyalty beyond reason
Cultural brands are anchors of our identity.
In financially tough times, they are the last
place where we cut costs

40.
FINANCIAL REASON #5:
Culture is the more efficient media strategy
Cultural brands don’t chase people,
they attract them
Wholefoods vs. Jewel Osco
Apple vs. Sanyo
Virgin vs. BA

41.
FINANCIAL REASON #6:
Culture creates new market space…
Conventional market definition:
‘Computers’
Cultural market definition:
‘Tools for creative minds’

42.
Traditional market
definition:
Based on products
Expanded market
definition:
Based on culture
ESSENTIALLY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
Operate in the category
Operate in culture

43.
EVERY BRAND CAN TELL
A BIGGER STORY
Twitter is more than a social micro-blogging service
The Economist is more than information
The iPhone is more than a phone
Dove is more than soap
These brands stand for facets of our culture:
modernity, wisdom, creativity, natural beauty

44.
GREAT!
So how do we put all of
that into practice?
GREAT!
So how do we make it work?

45.
CULTURAL TENSION
STRATEGY

46.
STEP 1
Identify the cultural opportunity

47.
Traditional market
definition:
Based on products
Expanded market
definition:
Based on culture
KEY QUESTIONS:
WHAT IDEA OR MOVEMENT IS RISING IN
CULTURE THAT CHALLENGES THE
CURRENT SYSTEM?
CAN I CONNECT
IT WITH MY
BRAND?

48.
Traditional market
definition:
Based on products
Expanded market
definition:
Based on culture
CULTURAL TENSION STRATEGY IS ABOUT
IDEAS OR MOVEMENTS THAT CHALLENGE
THE SYSTEM
Dominant Code
Emerging Code

49.
Traditional market
definition:
Based on products
Expanded market
definition:
Based on culture
WE WANT IDEAS/MOVEMENTS WITH
CRITICAL MASS
Indie-Entrepreneurialism
Conspicuous Cultivation
Experiential travel
Tribal Football
Peer-to-Peer
Open-source
Fair-Trade
Mixology
You can use subcultural and dominant societal codes –
especially if the latter is ignored by the category

50.
UNDERSTAND THE CULTURAL NORM
Oil is cheap.
Credit is cheap.
The bigger the better.
The car as a living room.
The code for the hummer is domination.
America is in love with big cars.

51.
EMERGING CODE: Conspicuous
Cultivation
UNDERSTAND THE EMERGING CODE
Democratization of Style
Look for a structural change in culture, not just a fad

52.
EMERGING CODE: Conspicuous
Cultivation
UNDERSTAND WHAT’S INSIDE
YOUR BRAND
Stylish British Auto Irreverence

53.
"
Link
What’s Inside"
Culture & Brand
To Define Your
Cultural Ideology
Brand
Culture
Consumer
Culture
MERGE
Motoring Fashionista Fun

54.
THIS GIVES YOUR BRAND A ROLE IN
SOCIETY…
LAYING THE SEEDS TO BECOME PART
OF POP CULTURE’S CONVERSATION

55.
LIFTING YOUR BRAND ABOVE THE FRAY
Via a larger and more relevant platform than
solely relying on traditional USPS and ESPS

56.
BUT HOW DO YOU BRING
A CULTURAL IDEOLOGY
TO LIFE?

57.
STEP 2
Activate your consumer base
Don’t just televise

58.
Use grassroots actions and communications to
create authenticity and value, so that people will
rally around your brand, not just purchase it
START A MOVEMENT

59.
WHY IS THIS
IMPORTANT?

60.
CULTURE IS SHIFTING
1990s
Digital
Revolution
Anything goes
As long as you don’t
go to jail
2000s
Consumer
Activism Era
Belief-Driven
Brands need to align
with my values

61.
MEDIA IS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING
Interruption Age
Few channels
Captive audience
Media monologue
Passive consumption
Participation Age
Tons of choices
Elusive audience
Media dialogue
User-generated content

62.
MOVEMENTS ARE SURFACING
Iran

63.
BRANDS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE

64.
MANY WAYS TO GO ABOUT
A MOVEMENT
Spark.
Lead.
Support.
Piggyback.

65.
USE GRASSROOTS TOOLS IN A
2.0 WORLD TO SET IT OFF
More authentic.
More credible.
More efficient.
Remember: The people are the media

66.
FIESTA MOVEMENT
Fiesta Movement:
In 2010, Ford began a grassroots campaign in the U.S. 100
influencers were handed a Fiesta and asked to document/share
their experience via social media.
The campaign spread like wildfire:
- 6.5 million YouTube views
- 50,000 info requests
- 60% pre-launch awareness
- 10,000 units sold in the first 6 days
For a fraction of the costs of a traditional campaign.
Ford finally works with culture, instead of against it

67.
NIKE
Nike’s runner tribe includes over a million people

68.
RED BULL
The classic case: Innovated out of culture. Creates/sponsors
culture. Uses grassroots to stay culturally-relevant
World
Domination
Red Bull has
come a long
way:
From Thai
truckers to the
one & only
energy drink in a
category it
created

69.
THE CULTURAL TENSION
STRATEGY APPROACH

70.
COMBINE
Cultural
Ideology
Grassroots
Marketing
Authentic
Movement
Purpose that
people share
Participatory tools
to attract people
Idea/Brand that
lives in culture
Tools for success in this new era

71.
1. Understand
the
norms
in
your
category
2. Iden;fy
a
cultural
tension
–
a
movement/idea
that
challenges
the
system
and
is
credible
to
link
with
your
brand
3. Define
your
cultural
ideology
–
a
role
for
your
brand
in
society
4. Make
highly
targeted
efforts
to
seed
your
ideology
with
influencers
5. U;lize
grassroots
tools,
ac;ons
and
communica;ons
to
aKract
people,
create/host/connect
with
community
and
spread
the
word
6.
Use
mass
communica;ons
to
magnify
your
ideology
to
the
masses
7.
Use
direct
communica;ons,
tools
and
ac;ons
to
drive
purchase
SEVEN STEPS

72.
Breakthrough insights often come out of culture, which is
why we can’t limit our search to the category.
The old tools are still valid. But they are not the only.
Creating cultural relevance and activation can’t
be the default-product of creative people.
We need a systematic, strategic way.
That’s what this document
intended to show.
AFTER THOUGHT

73.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Douglas Holt
Douglas Cameron
Alex Bragg
Nigel Rahimpour
Planner-Guy
nigel.rahimpour@gmail.com
Chicago & New York