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How to Use Cultural Shifts to Stand Out
Read Time: 3 Minutes 42 Seconds
Hey there,
In today's edition:
Why Nike's "Just Do It" strategy is the secret behind today's viral social content
How to identify cultural tensions that create breakthrough marketing opportunities
Examples of brands turning cultural shifts into millions of views
Have you ever wondered why:
Duolingo can post this brainrot and get 1M+ views on their socials:
But your brand's carefully crafted content barely breaks 1,000?
(Also, check out this video explaining that moaning plankton clip you just watched)
The answer isn't better content creators or bigger budgets.
It's understanding something that most marketers miss entirely:
The difference between chasing trends and championing cultural movements.
Today, I'm breaking down how the biggest social media winners are using a strategy that Nike perfected decades ago.
A strategy that's more relevant now than ever before.
1. How Nike Rewrote the Playbook
What does Nike have to do with your TikTok strategy?
Everything.
In 1987, Nike was struggling.
Reebok had overtaken them, their market share was dropping, and their athlete-focused approach wasn't connecting anymore.
Sound familiar?
It's the same problem we all face when our social content underperforms.
Nike's response wasn't to copy their competitors, who were all doing the exact same thing: elite athlete endorsements and aspirational messaging.
They identified something deeper—a fundamental shift in American culture:
In the 80s and 90s, fitness transformed from an elite athletic pursuit into a democratic, personal journey that anyone could join.
So, they championed this cultural movement in their branding when no one else was doing it.
When everyone zigs, you must zag.
So, the “Just Do It” myth was born.
This wasn't a one-off campaign—it was a complete reimagining of how a brand could connect with culture.
Nike doubled down on this ideology across multiple campaigns:
When golf was still a sport for wealthy white elites, Nike showed children of all backgrounds declaring "I am Tiger Woods," challenging who belonged in the golf world.
In an age where women’s sports were neglected and deprioritized, Nike highlighted how sports transformed young women's lives through education, confidence, and health.
Each campaign reinforced the same cultural insight: athletic greatness doesn't belong to the elite few—it belongs to anyone willing to push their limits.
The results? Nike's revenue exploded from $900 million (1987) to $1.38 billion (1997) in a decade, and they transformed from a shoe company into a global cultural force.
The genius wasn't better shoes. It was identifying cultural shifts before they went mainstream, then positioning themselves as champions of a new worldview.
This same principle explains why some companies’ socials explode while others plateau, even with similar products.
Insights from Cultural Strategy by Douglas Holt & Douglas Cameron
2. Look for Tension, Not Just Trends
The most powerful cultural movements don't emerge from nowhere.
They form in the friction between competing ideologies:
The dominant cultural beliefs (what most people believe)
Emerging countercultures challenging those beliefs
Nike recognized the tension between:
Traditional view: Fitness is for athletes with natural gifts
Emerging view: Everyone has the right to push their limits, regardless of talent
This tension creates a space where new cultural expressions can flourish.
Today's Cultural Innovators
Let's look at 3 brands that are nailing this right now.
We're Not Really Strangers: Democratizing Vulnerability
What they identified: While we're more connected than ever on social media, we're also lonelier. WNRS tapped into our craving for emotional vulnerability in a world of superficial likes and comments.
Duolingo: Embracing Brainrot Culture
What they identified: Gen Z's embrace of self-aware, low-quality meme culture that began on TikTok has created a new way for brands to communicate, a rejection of corporate media.
Ryanair: Brutally Self-Aware Positioning
What they identified: People are tired of fake corporate perfection. In the age of social media, honesty builds trust—even when it's about your flaws. Ryanair embraced its no-frills reality with humor instead of hiding behind polished marketing.
What does this all mean for you?
For your brand, ask these 2 questions:
Which emerging countercultures challenge the dominant beliefs in your industry?
How could your brand authentically take on this new perspective?
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Thanks for showing up this week. We’ll see you in the next :).
Sincerely,
Ryan & Thomas