How Cultural Resonance Powers Marketing Strategy

By Blair Zimelis

Two topics that have tormented strategists for years are the death of the marketing funnel, and the tug-of-war between brand building and sales efforts. But there is one concept that can free us from these old arguments and show the way forward: Cultural Resonance.

The funnel has evolved into something more cultural and personal with the customer at the center. For people today, particularly Gen Z, shopping is more emotional with an immediate link between inspiration and exploration thanks to social commerce. Marketers must design their brand experiences in new ways to keep up with consumers and reflect how they make purchase decisions. 

That’s what our Cultural Resonance Score™ and framework is all about. The categories – Recognition, Alliance, Engagement and Advocacy – were developed with the consumer needs at the core and are articulated from that perspective.

• Recognition – when your brand’s role in culture is clear in consumer’s minds.
• Alliance – when your brand’s worldview aligns with the consumer’s perspective.
• Engagement – when the consumer willingly spends time with your brand.
• Advocacy – when the consumer actively amplifies your brand’s message.

Any one of these four things can influence consumers at any given time based on how they shop. This is why we believe brands need to balance these four categories in everything they do to connect brand building and sales efforts. 

One brand doing this well is Ikea. They reinforce their brand story, “to create a better everyday life for the many people,” while adapting to changing consumer needs to drive sales. This is done through campaigns that reflect the messiness of real life while highlighting Ikea’s range of affordable products. They also have a captivating retail experience that’s been extended into new spaces like Roblox to recruit employees and shoppable QR codes in everyday places (e.g. restaurants, nail salons and gyms) to reach more people with their collections. 

Cultural Resonance is about creating a timeless connection between consumers and your brand that impacts growth and loyalty.  Aligning brand-building and sales efforts enhances Cultural Resonance, moving consumers closer to choosing your brand.

Blair Zimelis is a strategy director at TMA, based in Chicago.