Over a Barrel? Seeking to Play in the Zeitgeist, Brands Absorb Culture Shocks | Muse by Clios

Ad campaigns repeatedly spark controversy when brands attempt superficial cultural relevance. Many brands pursue trending tactics—name-dropping, influencer hires, or algorithm-driven plays—without integrating deeper cultural insight. Culture is complex, contextual and constantly shifting, so parachuting into trends risks misfires or backlash. Cracker Barrel favored cohesive aesthetics over strategic cultural work and missed the mark. Swatch committed a racially ignorant misstep, while e.l.f. followed a checklist approach that can yield hollow marketing or problematic choices. American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney spot linked the brand to a spokesperson with affiliations undermining inclusivity. The remedy is rigorous cultural research, strategic integration and authentic, informed creative work.

They all want to "play in the culture." And listen, it sounds smart in the pitch deck. It gets nods in the boardroom. And it can work incredibly well. But here's the thing: Culture isn't a playground. It's complicated, contextual and constantly shifting. You can't just parachute in based on what Meta's algo tells you, drop a trendy name, grab a comedian with a ton of followers and expect it to land.

Heck, even playing it safe can be fraught with peril. Cracker Barrel largely ignored cultural relevance rather than actively engaging with the zeitgeist. While the results are strong and cohesive, they ultimately missed the mark strategically by prioritizing aesthetics over doing the deeper work of integrating design with cultural insight. ( Donald Trump Jr., of all folks, was not amused.) To reiterate: you must DO THE WORK.

Onto the Swatch controversy. That wasn't even cultural, per se. That was ignorant and straight up racist. As for e.l.f., on paper they checked all the boxes: disruptive, community-driven, digital-first. But if you're just running through a ChatGPT-style checklist of what "today's brand" should look like, you're not actually marketing. You're phoning it in. And what happens? Either you look just like everyone else, or you pick someone who makes jokes about domestic violence.

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