In a world where culture shifts faster than campaigns can be planned, staying relevant has become a brand’s greatest challenge and opportunity. That was the crucial takeaway from Tom Beckman’s keynote, which explored how brands need to evolve from passive observers of culture to active participants within it.
“If you’re not in the loop with what actually goes on in the world you will never be relevant in your stories,” Weber Shandwick’s global chief creative officer told a packed-out room at Paradigms.
Tom challenged the industry to rethink how it connects with audiences, arguing that the most powerful ideas emerge in the space where brand, product, and culture collide. “If you want to engage people,” he said, “you have to relate to the world they live in – the real world.”
His message was that understanding the zeitgeist is no longer enough. To earn relevance, brands must have a point of view, create mutual value, and embrace the cultural shifts transforming how people connect.
Culture, of course, is constantly changing – it’s not fixed. Think about how society has evolved: politics, technology, health, even the way people talk about happiness or success changes.
