14-07-2025
Don't just tap into culture – help people make it
Everyone's talking about culture. Brands want to 'tap into it.' Agencies want to 'leverage it.' Strategies want to 'ride its waves.'
But let's pause.
Culture isn't a trend, a hashtag, or a limited-edition sneaker drop. It's not something brands tap into – it's something people live, struggle with, reclaim, and redefine every day.
And here's the truth: brands don't shape culture – people do.
But the smartest brands? They create space, tools, and platforms for people to shape culture with them.
Cultural relevance = brand trust
The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust, From We to Me, highlights how cultural alignment plays a growing role in driving trust.
For example:
73 per cent of people say their trust in a brand rises when it authentically reflects today's culture; only 27 per cent reward brands that ignore culture and focus solely on product.
of people say their trust in a brand rises when it authentically reflects today's culture; only reward brands that ignore culture and focus solely on product. Trust now sits shoulder‑to‑shoulder with price and quality as a buying driver.
as a buying driver. Home‑grown brands enjoy an average 15‑point trust advantage over foreign competitors, underscoring the power of local cultural credibility.
These fresh insights confirm what grassroots creators have signaled for years: culture is no longer a backdrop – it's the arena where trust is fought for and earned.
From cultural reactor to cultural enabler
Brands don't shape culture – people do. The smartest brands create space, tools, and platforms so people can shape culture with them. The 2025 Edelman Trust data shows that consumers now expect this partnership.
If cultural alignment boosts trust by 73 per cent, enabling co creation isn't optional – it's table stakes.
The opportunity for brands? Stop trying to be the face of culture. Start being the hands that help build it.
Think of culture as a set of creative actions, not an image to display:
A filmmaker in Dubai screens her story in a warehouse turned cinema at Alserkal Avenue.
A designer in Jeddah turns recycled fabric into a fashion line.
A graffiti artist in Riyadh transforms blank walls into social commentary.
These are human movements, not brand moments. When brands fund, collaborate, or offer platforms, they move from cultural spectators to cultural partners – and earn the trust uplift proven in the Barometer.
Make culture by understanding Middle East signals
At Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, expanded artist residencies and micro-grants let creators redesign gallery spaces – showing how handing over creative control can help build authenticity, a key driver for 73 per cent of consumers.
Anghami's 'Studio Next' programme in Lebanon gives emerging musicians free recording time and AI-driven promotion – a move that reinforces the home-grown trust advantage and elevates local creator visibility.
The Giving Movement in the UAE has open-sourced design sketches, inviting customers to remix limited drops – converting passive buyers into co-authors and tapping into the demand for personal relevance.
Three moves for brands that want to make culture
Fund creation, not just consumption
Sponsor creative labs, digital residencies, or youth collectives – and publish their work in your channels. Let people make, not just see. This shifts perception from advertiser to patron, a role 80 per cent of people still want business to play. Turn every brand surface into a platform
Re‑imagine your showroom, app, or pack as a living canvas. Let real people remix visuals, stories, even pricing models. If AI search engines are the new shelf, your earned reputation must be rich with creator stories to surface high. Celebrate the brave, not just the cool
Highlight voices pushing boundaries – especially those from under‑represented regions. In a grievance‑laden world, bravery signals empathy and commitment, both precursors to trust.
In the past, brands tried to write the cultural script. Today, your role is publisher, patron, platform, provoker, partner.
This isn't about ceding control; it's about earning relevance – and the trust dividend that follows.
So stop asking, 'How do we reflect culture?' and start asking, 'Who are we giving the pen to?'
Because in this new era, the brands that matter won't be those chasing culture. They'll be the ones helping people make it – and earning their trust along the way.
By Prabs Iyer, Head of Strategy and Planning, Edelman Middle East.
