Two opposing forces: A brand strategy stage play by YAP

Act I: The culture is spinning - and so are we

Let’s set the scene: It’s 7:30am. You open your laptop, and the internet is already on fire. One tab is X, where people are dogpiling on a campaign that “totally missed the tone". Another is TikTok , where a new aesthetic is being birthed. Over on Slack, you get a message asking: “Can we react to this by EOD, but make it feel evergreen?”

Welcome to marketing in 2025: nothing really makes sense, except it all kinda does, and everything’s urgent, apparently. We are no longer just “speaking to our audience.” We are hosting an entire psychological battle between opposing cultural forces and trying to get them to convert.

Act II: Chaos VS Clarity

Two archnemeses (or star-crossed lovers?) enter the scene:

Chaos

• Wearing: Vintage Vivienne Westwood, tiny round black sunglasses, the best winged liner you’ve seen.

• Line: “What if we jumped on the trend but made it ironic??”

• Motivation: Speed, virality, staying ahead of the curve: even if we forget why we’re doing it.

Clarity

• Wearing: Monochrome COS. Holds a laminated brand guideline like scripture.

• Line: “Is this on strategy?”

• Motivation: Consistency, purpose, and saying something that actually lasts

They’re enemies. They’re soulmates. You need both. but if one takes over, the whole thing collapses.

Act III: All for one? Or one for all?

A second duo takes the stage:

Community

• Wearing: Fan merch, handmade friendship bracelets, and stickers of your logo

• Line: “We did this together.”

• Motivation: Shared identity, culture creation, belonging

Individualism

• Wearing: A self-designed t-shirt that says “You’ve probably never heard of me”

• Line: “I’m not like other consumers.”

• Motivation: Personalisation, self-expression, niche vibes

This tension is trickier. Everyone wants to be part of something AND stand out. Your brand can’t just broadcast anymore, it has to host, facilitate and co-create. Think Spotify Wrapped. Think Nike By You. Think Canva's brand kits for side-hustlers and solopreneurs.

Act IV: The marketer’s dilemma

So how do you create work that hits now, but still holds up a year later? How do you engage both the main character and the crowd they want to impress? The answer is… you don’t pick sides. You choreograph them.

Great brands today don’t eliminate tension… they use it. They give Chaos a sandbox. They give Clarity a script. They let Community build the set, and Individualism improvise their lines. And they trust that the best stories aren’t perfect. They’re layered, alive and messy in all the right places.

Curtain call

You’re not just a marketer anymore - you’re a director, a mediator & a vibe curator with a spreadsheet. If your work is trying to play it safe, please know: no one remembers the brand that got all A’s in strategy class.

We remember the ones that made us feel something. That’s what it comes down to every damn time. Even if that feeling was “what even is this and also why do I love it?” then bravo, darling. Now, take it from the top.

-Sophie Randell, Writer