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Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Seeing The Generational Divide As A Generational Advantage
Kelly Leonard is the Vice President of Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City. I've been working with folks in their twenties since I was in my twenties. After nearly 40 years of working at The Second City—a comedy theatre that traffics in social and cultural tropes for laughs, I have been provided an unusual perch to witness how each generation mines their experiences and attitudes to critique the past, present and future. I can still recall how Boomers thought Gen-Xers were all slackers, and how Gen-Xers thought Millennials were too privileged, and how Millennials thought Gen-Zers were entitled and too reliant on technology. The only generational trait that seems to exist across the board is that every generation thinks the next generation has it easier than they had it. We like our stories simple: black and white, good or bad. It's easier to sort people into stereotypes than it is to appreciate the gray areas that define how individuals choose to live their lives. In doing just a bit of research on the empirical evidence of generational differences, there is a sizable community of scholars who aren't buying what the popular press is selling. As Cort Rudolph and his colleagues note, "...There is little empirical evidence that generations exist, that people can be reliably classified into generational groups, and, importantly, that there are demonstrable differences between such groups that manifest and affect various work-related processes.' The truth is, we share more than we differ when it comes to generations. The worries about money, love and security are cross-generational. The search for meaningful work and the need to feel connected to a community—these are the problems of being a human, not a generation. As Morgan Housel writes in his book, "Same as Ever," "The ones who thrive long term are those who understand the real world is a never-ending chain of absurdity, confusions, messy relationships, and imperfect people." So why does it feel like such a slog when talking to folks from another generation? Why do companies like ours continually get called on to provide communication workshops for companies that have identified cross-generational collaboration as a chronic problem in the workplace? Because the problem isn't about generations; it's about people. And that's great news—because it means that if we understand just a bit about human behavior, we can use strategies and practices to improve the conversations we've identified as problematic. For three years, we had a partnership with the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago called The Second Science Project, which looked at behavioral science through the lens of improvisation and vice versa. We created bespoke improvisational exercises based on the science of human relationships, communication and decision making. One of my favorite exercises that we developed from that partnership provides a simple yet effective tool by which you can quickly improve your ability to navigate a conversation through differences. It's called, Thank You, Because. In the exercise, we pair two people and ask them to decide upon a low-stakes disagreement: coffee versus tea, cats versus dogs, smooth versus chunky peanut butter. We then ask them to have a conversation in which they each try to convince the other that they are right. I can report that, having run tens of thousands of people through this exercise, not a single person has successfully convinced the other that they are right and the other person is wrong. We then ask them to have the same conversation but to use a simple technique. After each person presents their point of view, they must first respond with the words 'thank you,' and then they must find something they value in what the person just shared. It doesn't matter if it's a small thing, like the fact that they really care about what they feel. The 'because' is making sure the other person knows they are seen and validated, even if the other person doesn't agree. After the second round, the debrief is always the same: 'Well, we found out a lot more about each other,' 'We realized we didn't need to agree to be able to have an interesting conversation' or 'I actually understood more about why they felt the way they felt.' Behavioral science teaches us that gratitude and validation are deeply tied to our identity. And when another person—even someone who doesn't agree with us—expresses gratitude and validation, we have created a space for true human connection. Difficult conversations have always difficult. And it's perfectly understandable why we might want to chalk up inferior communication to factors beyond our control, like generational divides. But we can do better. 'Thank you, because' can turn a generational divide into a generational advantage. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
31 Spoiled, Entitled, Out-Of-Touch People Who Are Surely Too Clueless To Survive A Day Outside Of First-Class
If you've ever had to take the deepest breath in the world because you just heard something almost too privileged to be real, you're in the right place. Recently, people on Reddit shared the most out-of-touch thing they've witnessed a rich person say or do, and I had to lie down for a while after reading through it. Here are some of the top comments: 1."My friend's sister, who is attending medical school, said, 'Did you know some people's parents don't pay for their school?'" —mercfan3 2."'I wish my kids qualified for financial aid.' She thinks financial aid is a benefit everyone else gets that she's losing out on. Said by a woman brought up in an upper-middle-class family and married into another one. I don't know too many 25-year-olds with zero college debt, whose first house is a 4-bed single-family home and immediately put in an inground salt water pool, had two kids, then finished their basement with all the fixings." "No. No, you do not want your kids to actually qualify for financial aid. Give up your giant house, pool, and regularly occurring vacations first. Oh, and you don't HAVE to pay your kids' full college tuition for their D1 schools, but you can easily afford to without eliminating any other discretionary cost in your life This couple easily makes $350k, the husband is a partner." —drunkpickle726 3."'Why don't you just buy a house? This apartment is awfully small for the four of you.' I loved the person who said this very much; he was like family, but my ex and I couldn't believe our ears when he said that. We both wanted to answer in a tone absolutely dripping with sarcasm, 'Gee, we never thought of that! We'll have to go shopping tomorrow. Would you like to write the check for the down payment since it's such a great idea and we don't have any money?'" —Kind_Blackberry3911 "Man, one of the engineers at my office bought a house and then was nonstop pressuring me about when I was going to stop renting. Never mind that I'm an admin assistant, so I make a fraction of what he does. I was finally like, 'When you get our boss to give me a raise to match your salary, I guess?' That finally seemed to shut him up, but Jesus Christ, it was so tone deaf." —ScroochDown 4."Girl I knew in high school was whining about how her parents cancelled their annual ski trip to Switzerland, and they had to settle for Jackson Hole instead. Poor girl, times were tough." —HorrorSmile3088 5."'It's so easy to travel. Just save $100-300 every paycheck. I don't know why people can't do that.' This was right after college when I started paying back my loans while only making $18/hr. I told her, 'Lady, I'm lucky if I have $20 left over.' She looked shocked." —Appropriate_Sky_6571 "Similarly, when people say you should spend your 20s traveling, seeing the world, and getting cultured before settling down. You think I don't want to?? That's expensive, plus, how am I supposed to get that many days off work??" —VanillaMemeIceCream 6."My wife does work for high-profile clients. Often, you'll see a $20,000+ food order barely touched and, due to liability concerns, thrown away. I wish this was sarcasm." —ElonsMuskyFeet "I am a notorious post-event crasher because of this, complete with Tupperware. Walked into a work event after it was over, and the crew was shoveling the food down; one looked at me, nodded, and pointed to the buffet. 'Take the whole tray,' they literally begged, 'cuz otherwise it goes right in the trash." —DopeCharma 7."Someone told me they thought poor people just 'don't try hard enough' and that 'everyone has the same 24 hours.' It was wild how confidently they said it, like generational wealth, health, and safety weren't even factors." —fatherballoons "And just the damn randomness of life, I hate the 'don't try hard enough.' You could work 16 hours a day and give it all, and things just don't work out. Yet the guy who won a gamble will tell you how hard he worked and why everyone is able to achieve the same he did. Survivorship bias is a hell of a drug." —sinjuice 8."My ex once said before a date, 'I won't wear my Rolex so you don't feel poor.'" —leahlo 9."'I don't get why poor people don't just budget better.' Ah, yes, the CEO of life, right here." —Any_Lingonberry_3948 "I know folks who grew up poor, fell into a good-paying job (at least in relation to their upbringing), and adopted this mindset. I'm always like, 'How do you not remember where you came from?' Good budgeting when you are poor is hard as hell. I grew up fairly poor but do okay now, nothing to brag about, but I enjoy luxuries and a comfortable life that I'm quite thankful for — and I never, ever let myself forget where I came from. That's in no small part because all it takes is one catastrophic illness or other bad turn in life to end up back there again. But more importantly, it's because you've got to remind yourself that getting some lucky breaks doesn't make you better or harder working than someone else, it just means that you got lucky enough for your efforts to fall into place. I did work hard, yes, but there was also good fortune involved, too." —bamisdead 10."I once worked for a company where the CEO was used to flying private. The company then opened its first office overseas. For this purpose, he needed to fly commercial for the first time in about 20 years. After the trip his secretary took great pleasure in telling stories after his first trip on how clueless he was about commercial air travel: not knowing how to deal with the security screening, limitations on carry-on luggage, and being much more at the mercy of airlines in terms of scheduling." —thirdtimesdecharm 11."My therapist said I have generational wealth anxiety." —SeaConstant1433 "How can i get that anxiety?" —kosommokom 12."I did private duty home health for an extremely wealthy woman who had round-the-clock home care employees. I came to work one evening and was getting her ready for bed, and I noticed that she had several new yoga pants and casual tops hanging in her closet with the tags still on. I commented how cute they were, and she told me that her day shift worker had taken her shopping at Target, and asked me if I'd ever been there, followed by saying she 'never knew stores like that existed.' (Of course, she didn't know because everything she owned came from Neiman Marcus, Saks, Gucci, Prada, etc.)" "I laughed and said, 'Sweetie, if Target excited you that much, Walmart will blow your mind. You can get new tires on your car while you grocery shop, or get a new TV and even patio furniture.' She said, 'Are you kidding??! Well, then that's where we're going tomorrow!'" —Minimum-Career-9999 "That is actually very endearing. Kinda scary, but I love the attitude of enjoying the new opportunities. She might have been fun if that positive spin continued." —scattywampus 13."I worked my way through college doing housecleaning, babysitting, and retail jobs. Met a girl who laughed at me and said her father wanted her to know about the REAL working world, so every summer he got her hired by one of his client firms in the oil business. Bitch, please. The HARDEST part of the real world is getting a chance. And he hid that from you." —chockerl 14."'I don't know why people need remote work. I just had someone who drove my kids to school, so it didn't interfere with my work schedule.' You really think everyone can do this?" —Electronic-Shower726 15."'I don't understand people who go to Disney World and don't stay in a villa or one of the deluxe resorts! It's just not the same or not even close to worth it to be at the poor-people value resorts!' Said to my husband and I who were on our honeymoon while staying at a value resort. We are both teachers and saved up for YEARS to make that vacation happen." "We were just so grateful to be able to 1) take a honeymoon and 2) go somewhere that we both love but can't go to regularly because of how expensive it is. Opened my eyes to how so many people can't look past their own perspectives and gave me an understanding of where entitlement might come from." —Belle0516 16."A former friend of mine had a fight with her parents about some boy she met on Snapchat. The parents were 100% in the right. Guess what the punishment was. She wasn´t allowed to wear her designer clothes for a week. A week. She was so mad. It was so weird and a big reality check for me. I knew her parents were rich, but then I realised how different our lives were." —Icy-Rule-7248 17."'If you don't like this town, then move.' As if coming up with thousands of dollars to relocate and start over is just readily available. Yes, Priscilla, I would love to just move. How about you slip me about 10 grand so I can?" —meh_alienz 18."My roommate in my freshman year of college asked me, 'So when is the cleaning lady coming to collect our clothes to be washed?' now? She honestly thought that someone came around, picked up dirty laundry, washed and folded it, then returned it to us and thought that was part of our dorm fees." —readingreddit4fun 19."I'm planning a wedding and I've had MULTIPLE people tell me my wedding should be black tie because 'what grown adult doesn't own a tuxedo?'" —atlanduh 20."My ex grew up very wealthy and genuinely thought that when you're shopping for something, you should buy the most expensive item because it's the best. Also, he was so clueless that he thought that silver that tarnishes must be poor quality." —sqplanetarium 21."'I'm so happy to not go on vacation for a bit.' My coworker said this when she went abroad six times in one year. Different countries each time." —Maleficent_Count6205 22."I wasn't spoiled. I had to clean out my horse's stall myself." —DoTheRightThing1953 23."'I work hard, I should be able to travel wherever I want,' in a conversation about Indigenous people who were asking tourists not to come there because they saw it as harmful to their community." —StrawbraryLiberry 24."A girl I met travelling has fallen into an influencer pyramid scheme. I put up with it until she made a post saying the following: 'Unpopular opinion: if you're poor and you have a smartphone, then it's your fault.' Instant unfollow." —maryg1503 25."Refer to a speeding ticket as their 'go-fast license.'" —Trips-Over-Tail 26."'I don't care about politics.' Dude, people's lives and rights depend on this shit." —lifeincolour_ 27."I teach at an upper-middle-class middle school. I had a 7th grader extremely upset because his parents revoked the credit card privilege on his phone. He bought a bunch of designer clothes, and I guess racked up a bill. The kid was so mad, saying, 'It's not even their money! It's a credit card. Get over it, bro.' I tried to explain that you still have to pay the credit card company, it's not free money, but he wasn't hearing it." —SinfullySinless 28."One of my friends was complaining that she and her husband received no help from her parents when they went to buy their first house and that she had to use her trust fund instead." —stablerslut 29."Girl I was dating had a 'rough' month and needed $200 for a car repair. Casually said she'll just take out $5k from a savings account her parents gave her (with $125k in it) to treat herself for all the stress it caused her to bring the car to the workshop 2 miles away." —Groundbreaking-Tax-4 30."A wealthy girl once told me, 'We don't have as much money as everyone thinks. Last year, we barely had enough money to put in the pool house.'" —mattysatty_380 finally, "Having a military parade for your birthday." —wonderererere What's the most ridiculously privileged behavior you've witnessed from a rich person? Tell us what happened in the comments or via the anonymous form below:
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Does everything feel broken but weirdly normal? There's a word for that
In January, the comedian Ashley Bez posted an Instagram video of herself, trying to describe a heavy mood in the air. 'How come everything feels all … ?' she says, trailing off and grimacing exaggeratedly into the camera. Digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush saw the video, and got it immediately. 'Welcome to the hypernormalization club,' Harfoush said in a response video. 'I'm so sorry that you're here.' 'Hypernormalization' is a heady, $10 word, but it captures the weird, dire atmosphere of the US in 2025. First articulated in 2005 by scholar Alexei Yurchak to describe the civilian experience in Soviet Russia, hypernormalization describes life in a society where two main things are happening. The first is people seeing that governing systems and institutions are broken. And the second is that, for reasons including a lack of effective leadership and an inability to imagine how to disrupt the status quo, people carry on with their lives as normal despite systemic dysfunction – give or take a heavy load of fear, dread, denial and dissociation. 'What you are feeling is the disconnect between seeing that systems are failing, that things aren't working … and yet the institutions and the people in power just are, like, ignoring it and pretending everything is going to go on the way that it has,' Harfoush says in her video. Within 48 hours, Harfoush's video accrued millions of views. (It currently has slightly fewer than 9m.) It spread in 'mom groups, friend chat circles, political subreddits, coupon communities, and even dog-walking groups', Harfoush tells me, along with variations of: 'Oh, so that's what I've been feeling!' and 'people tagging their friends with notes like: 'We were just talking about this!'' The increasing instability of the US's democratic norms has prompted these references to hypernormalization. Donald Trump is dismantling government checks and balances in an apparent advance toward a 'unitary executive' doctrine that would grant him near-unlimited authority, driving the US toward autocracy. Billionaire tech moguls like Elon Musk are helping the government consolidate power and aggressively reduce the federal workforce. Institutions like the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, which help keep Americans healthy and informed, are being haphazardly diminished. Globally, once-in-a-lifetime climate disasters, war and the lingering trauma of Covid continue to unfold, while an explosion of generative AI threatens to destabilize how people think, make a living and relate to each other. For many in the US, Trump 2.0 is having a devastating effect on daily life. For others, the routines of life continue, albeit threaded with mind-altering horrors: scrolling past an AI-generated cartoon of Ice officers arresting immigrants before dinner, or hearing about starving Palestinian families while on a school run. Hypernormalization captures this juxtaposition of the dysfunctional and mundane. It's 'the visceral sense of waking up in an alternate timeline with a deep, bodily knowing that something isn't right – but having no clear idea how to fix it', Harfoush tells me. 'It's reading an article about childhood hunger and genocide, only to scroll down to a carefree listicle highlighting the best-dressed celebrities or a whimsical quiz about: 'What Pop-Tart are you?'' In his 2016 documentary HyperNormalisation, the British filmmaker Adam Curtis argued that Yurchak's critique of late-Soviet life applies neatly to the west's decades-long slide into authoritarianism, something more Americans are now confronting head-on. 'Donald Trump is not something new,' Curtis tells me, calling him 'the final pantomime product' of the US government, where the powerful are abandoning any pretense of common, inclusive ideals and instead using their positions to settle scores, reward loyalty and hollow out institutions for personal or political gains. Trump's US is 'just like Yeltsin in Russia in the 1990s – promising a new kind of democracy, but in reality allowing the oligarchs to loot and distort the society', says Curtis. Witnessing large-scale systems slowly unravel in real time can be profoundly surreal and frightening. The hypernormalization framework offers a way to understand what we're feeling and why. Harfoush created her video 'to reassure others that they're not alone' and that 'they aren't misinterpreting the situation or imagining things'. Understanding hypernormalization 'made me feel less isolated', she says. 'It's difficult to act when you're uncertain if you're perceiving reality clearly, but once you know the truth, you can channel that clarity into meaningful action and, ideally, drive positive change.' Naming an experience can be a form of psychological relief. 'The worst thing in the world is to feel that you're the only one who feels this way and that you are going quietly mad and everyone else is in denial,' says Caroline Hickman, a psychotherapist and instructor at the University of Bath specializing in climate anxiety. 'That terrifies people. It traumatizes people.' People who feel the 'wrongness' of current conditions acutely may be experiencing some depression and anxiety, but those feelings can be quite rational – not a symptom of poor mental health, alarmism or a lack of proper perspective, Hickman says. 'What we're really scared of is that the people in power have not got our back and they don't give a shit about whether we survive or not,' she says. Marielle Greguski, 32, a New York City-based retail worker and content creator, posted about everyday life feeling 'inconsequential' in the face of political crisis. Greguski says the outcome of the 2024 election reminded her that she lives in a 'bubble' of progressive values, and that 'there's the other half of people that are not feeling the same energy and frustration and fear'. To Greguski, the US's failings are not only partisan but moral – like the racism and bigotry that Trump's second term has brought out of the shadows and into policy. Greguski is currently planning a wedding. It's hard to compartmentalize 'constant cruelty, things that don't make sense', she says. 'Sometimes I'll be like: 'I have to put aside X amount of money for the wedding next year,' and then I'm like: 'Will this country exist as we know it next year?' It really is crazy.' Confronting systemic collapse can be so disorienting, overwhelming and even humiliating, that many tune it out or find themselves in a state of freeze. Greguski likens this feeling to sleep paralysis: 'basically a waking nightmare where you're like: 'I'm here, I'm aware, but I'm so scared and I can't move.'' In his 1955 book They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933–45, journalist Milton Mayer described a similar state of freeze in German citizens during the rise of the Nazi party: 'You don't want to act, or even talk, alone; you don't want to 'go out of your way to make trouble.' Why not? – Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also genuine uncertainty.' 'People don't shut down because they don't feel anything,' says Hickman. 'They shut down because they feel too much.' Understanding this overwhelm is an important first step in resisting inaction – it helps us see fear as a trap. Curtis points out that governments may intentionally keep their citizens in a vulnerable state of dread and confusion as 'a brilliant way of managing a highly febrile and anxious society', he says. When we feel powerless in the face of bigger problems, we 'turn to the only thing that we do have the power over, to try and change for the better', says Curtis – meaning, typically, ourselves. Anxiety and fear can trap us, leading us to spend more time trying to feel better in small, personal ways, like entertainment and self-care, and less time on activism and community engagement. Progressive commentators have urgently called for moral clarity and mobilization in response to changes like the cuts to USAID funding, which has resulted in an estimated 103 deaths per hour across the globe; the dismantling of the CDC; and Robert F Kennedy's campaign against vaccine science. 'Where is the outrage?' asks the Nation's Gregg Gonsalves. 'Too many lives are at stake to rest in this bizarre moment of frozen agitation.' 'I don't know if there's a massive shift toward racism as much as an expanded indifference toward it,' the historian Robin DG Kelley said in a February interview with New York Magazine. 'People are just kind of like: 'Well, what can we do?'' Experts say action can break the spell. 'Being active politically, in whatever way, I think helps reduce apocalyptic gloom,' says Betsy Hartmann, an activist, scholar and author of The America Syndrome, which explores the importance of resisting apocalyptic thinking. Greguski and a co-worker have been helping distribute multilingual information about legal rights and helpline numbers, to be used in the event of Ice raids. 'It's easy to feel like: 'Oh, I'm in community because I'm on TikTok,'' she says. But genuine community is about 'getting outside and talking to your neighbor and knowing that there's someone out there that can help you if something really bad goes down,' she says. 'You're actually out there talking to people, working with people and realizing there are so many good people in the world, too, and maybe feeling less isolated than before,' says Hartmann. 'But I also think we need a broader vision,' Hartmann notes. She suggests looking to resistance efforts against authoritarianism in countries like Turkey, Hungary and India. 'How might we be in international solidarity? What lessons can we learn in terms of rebuilding sophisticated, complex government infrastructure that's been hacked away at by people like Elon Musk and his minions in a more socially just and sustainable way?' 'We are in a period now when it's absolutely essential to protest,' says Hartmann, citing Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth, who argues that just three-and-a-half percent of a population engaging in peaceful protest can hold back authoritarian movements. What makes dysfunction so dangerous is that we might simply learn to live with it. But understanding hypernormalization gives us language – and permission – to recognize when systems are failing, and clarifies the risk of not taking action when we can. In 2014, Ursula Le Guin accepted the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, saying: 'We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.' Harfoush reflects on this quote often. It underscores the fact that 'this world we've created is ultimately a choice', she says. 'It doesn't have to be like this.' We have the research, technologies and wisdom to create better, more sustainable systems. 'But meaningful change requires collective awakening and decisive action,' says Harfoush. 'And we need to start now.
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
It turns out TikTok's viral clear phone is just plastic. Meet the ‘Methaphone'
A viral clip of a woman scrolling on a completely clear phone with no user interface briefly confused—and amused—the internet. But the truth turned out to be far more literal than most expected. Originally posted to TikTok by user CatGPT, the video quickly racked up over 52.9 million views. In the comments, some speculated it was a Nokia model; others guessed it came from the Nickelodeon show Henry Danger. 'This looks like a social commentary or a walking art exhibit. I'm too uncultured to understand,' one user commented. 'It's from a Black Mirror episode,' another wrote. Turns out, it was none of the above. Just a piece of plastic. The woman seen in line is also the one who uploaded the clip. In a follow-up video posted days later, she shared the 'true story.' 'This is a Methaphone,' she explains. 'It is exactly what it looks like, a clear piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone.' The 'device' was invented by her friend as a response to phone addiction. 'He told me that what he wanted to test was, if we're all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb somebody's addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same?' she continued. 'This little piece of acrylic feels like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension we all feel about how our devices, which are meant to make us more connected, are actually having the exact opposite effect.' A 2023 study by found that nearly 57% of Americans reported feeling addicted to their phones. Some admitted to checking their phones over 100 times a day, and 75% said they feel uneasy when they realize they've left their phone at home. In the comments, many questioned whether pretending to scroll on a chunk of plastic could actually help with phone addiction. 'This sounds like [an] SNL sketch,' one user wrote. 'What stage of capitalism is this?' another asked. Some were simply disappointed it wasn't a real phone. Despite the skepticism, the Methaphone raised $1,100 on Indiegogo. The campaign has since closed, though the creator says more may be produced if demand is high. Priced at $20, with a neon pink version going for $25, the Methaphone 'looks like a simple acrylic slab—and it is,' the page reads. 'But it's also a stand-in, a totem, and an alibi. It's the first step on the road to freedom.'
Entrepreneur
09-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Five Strategy Lessons from The White Lotus to Make Your Brand Culturally Relevant
Three seasons in, The White Lotus has become more than just a TV show: its distinctive aesthetic, sharp social commentary, and layered symbolism make it a cultural moment – something people talk about, memeify, and analyse. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Brands can learn a lot from it. Today, cultural relevance is essential for brands, fuelled by the technology-catalysed shift from passive to active consumerism. Brands today must participate in the same conversations as their audience, with a clearly defined point of view. For brands aiming to embed themselves in culture, The White Lotus offers five essential strategy lessons. 1. Understand what 'culture' actually means Culture can be defined as the shared values, beliefs and behaviours that turn individuals into crowds. The White Lotus' popularity is thanks to the way it centres and dramatises inequality – arguably the issue that people care, worry and talk about more than any other right now. Brands take note: for them to participate in culture means actively highlighting, shaping or accelerating such issues. Take fashion brand MSCHF's disruptively clownish approach to its culture of, as the name suggests, mischief – a timelessly resonant shared behaviour. Veuve Clicquot's less provocative but equally effective approach to culture the sunny optimism forged by combining its compelling backstory and ownable yellow hue – inherently challenges the traditionally male-dominated, frequently old-fashioned worlds of luxury and wine. The White Lotus' culture is independent of its era: its themes – privilege, class, sex, death, spirituality – transcend the zeitgeist. Just as brands should. 2. For brands, culture isn't trends Culture mixes timeless and new. The White Lotus resonates because it taps into our age-old fascination with power, privilege, and moral decay – exposing the fallibility of an elite that's often worse than the rest of us – but presenting this through today's lenses in its fashion, music, and language (dialogue). Culture marries current trends and age-old human truths: the satisfying schadenfreude of watching the elite's downfall is timeless, yet made more acute in 2025, with our ever-increasing awareness of the gulf between the 1% and the 99%. Brands should note this balance of historic and contemporary. Johnnie Walker's "Striding Man" is rooted in history yet continually refreshed through campaigns like its Squid Games collaboration, its AI venture, and Jane Walker, connecting the brand to current cultural narratives while preserving its identity. Like The White Lotus, it balances old and new. Oatly, too, goes beyond dairy-free milk by championing plant-based living; its bold, activist voice aligns with enduring ideological shifts. Like The White Lotus, these brands thrive by honouring timeless themes while adapting to today's world. 3. Show before you tell The White Lotus does more than tell a story: from its sun-drenched landscapes to opulent hotels and perfectly styled wardrobes, every frame draws you in with its sensory allure. It's a show about (inwardly) ugly people doing ugly things, but it wraps its critique of wealth and privilege in a layer of undeniable beauty. It appeals to our eyes first, and later to our hearts and heads, leaving the unflattering exposition of the 1% to linger and resonate. The way to make people care about something is to first seduce them through their eyes – after all, brands need design to 'do culture. In the case of The White Lotus, people come first for the beauty, and stay for the schadenfreude. It taps into desire before anything else. For brands to be culturally relevant and have a point of view, they can't forget the importance of looking great and leading with that first. 4. Familiar but flexible Each episode and season of The White Lotus is simultaneously similar and different. Regular viewers start to recognise patterns in the way the show is shot, choreographed and soundtracked. Likewise, McDonald's golden arches icon is remixed constantly, evolving across generations – even riffing on colloquialisms like 'Maccy Ds' – but with a singular, constant colour palette that's instantly recognisable. By having an identity that can flex over time, brands can be a part of culture as it shifts. After all, culture never stands still – and it's vital that brands keep up. 5. Don't just spectate, participate Many brands show up in culture when it suits them, only to disappear when the moment passes. But cultural engagement must be embedded in a brand's DNA. The White Lotus doesn't just reflect culture: it shapes it. The show meaningfully engages with its audience by building a world we can immerse ourselves in for an hour. All with a plot that encourages conversation long after the closing credits. Like the show, brands shouldn't play it safe: they need to be on the dancefloor, not watching from the wings. Take Nike. It doesn't just sell sportswear – it creates sports culture. As campaigns like Colin Kaepernick's Dream Crazy, or So Win for female athletes show, its entire identity is inextricably tied to the world of movement, ambition, and perseverance. In it for the long haul A brand's approach to culture is most effective if it authentically resonates with the things that people care about, talk about, relate to, and enjoy the most. As The White Lotus' success proves, 'doing culture' is actually the opposite of what many people think it is – chiming with fleeting fads; limited editions, flash-in-the-pan subcultural movements. Cultural relevance isn't a campaign, it's a commitment forged over time.
