Saved by Maarten and
Culture Is the Client
So how do we push this from theory into practice?
Last year, Jacquemus wanted to host their Spring/Summer fashion show in Hawaii. It was going to be their first show outside of France. The location was inspired by a previous Jacquemus campaign in Hawaii. They wanted to support the connection they felt with the people there. But how should they appr... See more
Last year, Jacquemus wanted to host their Spring/Summer fashion show in Hawaii. It was going to be their first show outside of France. The location was inspired by a previous Jacquemus campaign in Hawaii. They wanted to support the connection they felt with the people there. But how should they appr... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
If we just passively observe from the outside, and don’t we don’t form direct, active relationships with the leaders, artists, elders, people with lived experiences that make and change a culture, how can we truly be an expert or an advocate?
Further, if we’re talking to consumers, it’s important to understand the distinction between talking to cons... See more
Further, if we’re talking to consumers, it’s important to understand the distinction between talking to cons... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
We need to operate like culture is the client.
If a culture is our client, are we talking to the right people? If we’re talking to no one, that’s definitely not enough. Could you imagine working with a client that you’ve never met or talked to before? American society in particular pushes us to compete as individual experts of cultures. But our role... See more
If a culture is our client, are we talking to the right people? If we’re talking to no one, that’s definitely not enough. Could you imagine working with a client that you’ve never met or talked to before? American society in particular pushes us to compete as individual experts of cultures. But our role... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
If we never make an effort to reach out and form real relationships with the origin sources of where we’re gaining valuable cultural knowledge for ourselves, how do we know if we have consent? How do we know if that value chain ever connects back to them?
To be clear, there is unique value that we can provide in our ability to curate, synthesize and... See more
To be clear, there is unique value that we can provide in our ability to curate, synthesize and... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
Punk, Then & Now
Even in cases where we’re successful in our application of cultural knowledge for commercial gain, that doesn’t mean that it leaves the community in the same or a better place. For example, the punk movement. In the 70s and 80s, from British punk to Afropunk to Queercore, the subculture’s original ideologies were clear. It represent... See more
Even in cases where we’re successful in our application of cultural knowledge for commercial gain, that doesn’t mean that it leaves the community in the same or a better place. For example, the punk movement. In the 70s and 80s, from British punk to Afropunk to Queercore, the subculture’s original ideologies were clear. It represent... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
Reminds me somewhat of new-age culture, not completely, but there are many influencers that are taking advantage of this particular modern movement for their own gain and benefit, posing as teachers, leaders, and gurus, just because they think it is a profitable, “hot” market for them.
With the consequences of spreading false, even mistakenly dark, information that misleads individuals in their own spiritual path.
That is in particular, cultural extraction. There is ethics, their is no morality.
That is how you suck the life-force out of a culture.
2. Consequence
Too much of this tapping into culture is exploitative appropriation – withdrawing and redirecting the value of a culture away from the culture itself, for financial gain, without substantive reciprocation, permission and/or compensation, regardless of whether or not that was the original intent. This becomes particularly problematic w... See more
Too much of this tapping into culture is exploitative appropriation – withdrawing and redirecting the value of a culture away from the culture itself, for financial gain, without substantive reciprocation, permission and/or compensation, regardless of whether or not that was the original intent. This becomes particularly problematic w... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
Gentrification
Can different cultures integrate equitably without changing the fabric of cultural identity?
Harlem has been a major capital of Black American culture – but as wealthier individuals and businesses have flocked into the neighborhood, it has pushed money out of the community and into commercial development. Property value has skyrocketed... See more
Can different cultures integrate equitably without changing the fabric of cultural identity?
Harlem has been a major capital of Black American culture – but as wealthier individuals and businesses have flocked into the neighborhood, it has pushed money out of the community and into commercial development. Property value has skyrocketed... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
We can’t tap into culture if we don’t truly know or understand the specific culture we’re trying to tap into.
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
Culture is a shared set of elements that characterize a group of people – a religion, a race, a society, a movement, a scene.
Tapping into culture needs to be more than, how do I make my brand cool? Cultural strategy is the act of understanding, contextualizing and applying cultural knowledge to achieve an intended outcome or change, in a way that r... See more
Tapping into culture needs to be more than, how do I make my brand cool? Cultural strategy is the act of understanding, contextualizing and applying cultural knowledge to achieve an intended outcome or change, in a way that r... See more
Nick Susi • Culture Is the Client
A culture doesn’t have to be huge - it can just be a subset of a group, but no matter how small it is, it is still a movement, a collective of individuals striving for something beyond themselves.
The goal of cultural strategy is to influence these groups, your people, in a positive way that brings them forward, and not just yourself.