by Rita Oliveira, Founder and CEO of Shift Your Branding Agency<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years, many brands became accustomed to communicating within what appeared to be a relatively stable cultural consensus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progress. Inclusion. Diversity. Individual freedom. Empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite differences between countries and generations, there was a widespread perception that society was moving in a broadly predictable direction. Campaigns reflected this worldview, and brands sought to position themselves on what they believed was the right side of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what if that consensus is no longer as universal as we assume?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While many marketing teams were refining narratives around purpose, authenticity and representation, the internet was quietly shaping alternative ones. Across forums, podcasts, videos and online communities, movements began gaining momentum that argued almost the opposite: that feminism has gone too far, that men have lost their place in society, that tradition offers greater security than change, and that today\u2019s dominant social models no longer address the concerns of a significant proportion of younger generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tradwives, the Red Pill movement, the Manosphere, MGTOW and Incels<\/strong> are just some of the labels associated with these trends. For a long time, they were dismissed as fringe phenomena little more than another internet curiosity. That may have been one of the biggest mistakes. These movements matter not so much because of what they advocate, but because of what they reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2026 study by Ipsos, conducted in partnership with the Global Institute for Women\u2019s Leadership at King\u2019s College London, has made this reality increasingly difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings show that, across several markets, Generation Z men are more open to traditional views on marriage, male authority and gender roles than older generations. In some countries, young people are more likely than Baby Boomers to agree with statements that, only a few years ago, would have been widely regarded as outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This does not mean that an entire generation is returning to the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It suggests something potentially far more significant for anyone working in branding: there is no longer a single cultural direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For decades, it was assumed that social values evolved in a relatively linear way. More equality. More diversity. More inclusion. More individual freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, the evidence points to a far more complex reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While one part of society continues moving forward in one direction, another is reacting, retreating or seeking reassurance in more traditional structures. What is emerging is not a new consensus, but growing cultural, emotional and generational fragmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This phenomenon has not emerged by chance. For many young people, the future no longer represents a promise of prosperity or progress. Instead, it has become associated with economic uncertainty, an unaffordable housing market, insecure employment, anxiety and instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when the future feels threatening, the past becomes more appealing. Not necessarily because it was better, but because it appears simpler, more predictable and easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is precisely in this context that movements built around nostalgia, tradition and more rigid social roles find fertile ground. They function as emotional responses to a widespread sense of losing control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignoring these movements simply because they do not align with our own personal beliefs does not make them disappear. It merely prevents us from understanding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a particularly important implication here for brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For decades, market segmentation was built around relatively stable categories: age, gender, income, occupation or geographical location. But algorithms recognised something long before many marketers did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People no longer organise themselves solely according to demographic characteristics. They organise themselves around beliefs, fears, frustrations, aspirations, a desire to belong, worldviews and shared cultural references. Two people of the same age, living in the same city and working in the same profession, may inhabit entirely different cultural universes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, categories such as \u201cyoung people\u201d, \u201cwomen\u201d, \u201cmen\u201d or \u201cfamilies\u201d explain less and less about how individuals think, make decisions or interpret messages. Cultural segmentation has become just as important \u2014 if not more so \u2014 than demographic segmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge for brands is not to embrace these movements, validate them or turn them into creative opportunities. The real challenge is recognising that the world they communicate with has become far more complex than many marketing models still assume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The risk arises when companies build communication strategies around an imaginary consumer: progressive, rational, well-informed and perfectly aligned with the values held by the teams creating the campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That consumer certainly exists. But they are no longer the only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an era of increasing cultural fragmentation, understanding society\u2019s tensions has become just as important as understanding purchasing behaviour. Because branding is not about projecting our own worldview onto people. It is about understanding the worldview that people already have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most relevant brands of the coming years will not necessarily be those that speak the loudest about values. They will be those that best understand the cultural reality in which those values are debated, challenged, accepted or rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And today, that reality is far less consensual than many brands still believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was originally published in Meios & Publicidade.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For years, many brands became accustomed to communicating within what appeared to be a relatively stable cultural consensus. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9996,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-10501","blog-post","type-blog-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-post\/10501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-post"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog-post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-post\/10501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10519,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-post\/10501\/revisions\/10519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shiftyouragency.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Between Consensus and Fragmentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When the Past Starts to Feel Like the Answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Failure of Traditional Categories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What This Means for Brands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n