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Dec 23, 2024 | 
mediacat.uk | Victoria Gerstman
Each December Victoria Gerstman gives us her cultural predictions for the year ahead, things marketing and business leaders need to know when planning. For context, you can also see her past cultural shift pieces: shifts to watch in 2022, shifts to watch in 2023 and shifts to watch in 2024. There’s no single master shift in culture that dictates the year ahead. Like a butterfly effect or seismic shock waves, one cultural moment can spawn many different responses.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Tom Carter |Mike Fantis |Victoria Gerstman |Nick Mason
I think it’s fair to say we’re due some good news. After months of political change, global unrest, depressing domestic headlines and, to top it off, interminable rain, it’d be nice if we could at least be distracted by industry-wide positivity while at work. Sadly, last week’s IPA Bellwether failed to deliver on that score. After 14 quarters of consecutive growth, it has been forecasted that Q3 will be flat. Not down, which I grant would be worse, but hardly an excuse to celebrate.
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Sep 25, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Victoria Gerstman |Chris Stokel-Walker
Burger King Austria and the advertising agency Jung von Matt DONAU have launched a bold campaign to highlight the importance of democracy. Ahead of Austria’s elections on 29 September, customers at Burger King were able to order just one item off the menu (the Whopper). Hidden cameras captured people’s reactions to the lack of choice and their dissatisfaction with not being able to order other items.
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Jul 4, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Natasha Randhawa |Toby Beresford |Victoria Gerstman
Dr. Kush Kanodia is a passionate advocate for disability rights and a true champion for change. His groundbreaking campaign, ‘Eco Ableism’, tackled the discriminatory impact of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) on disabled people. The campaign not only secured vital exemptions and support for disabled Londoners, but is now a model for ensuring Clean Air initiatives are inclusive for all.
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Jun 10, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Becks Collins |Angie Gola-Ebue |Victoria Gerstman |Steve Wheen
Pride in London, Outernet, and The Independent have partnered to launch the #WeAreEverywhere exhibition. Launching on 12 June at Outernet London, the free exhibition will showcase resurfaced images from The Independent’s extensive archive of LGBTQ+ changemakers. This will be the first time that The Independent has had a physical exhibition of its LGBTQ+ photo collection.
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Jun 3, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Becks Collins |Angie Gola-Ebue |Andrew Eyles |Victoria Gerstman
June is Pride month, a time when brands roll out Pride month campaigns, rainbow logos and limited-edition Pride-themed merchandise. This year, however, it’s remarkably quiet on the brand-ally front. Many queer influencers and celebrities, like Pose and American Horror Story actor Angelica Ross, have noticed a distinct downturn in brand partnerships this year. In some ways, it’s not surprising that this year is quiet, since 2023’s Pride month was awash with controversy and boycotts.
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Feb 26, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Imogen Kemp-Hunt |Yasmina Stitou |Paul Greenwood |Victoria Gerstman
Brands wanting to attract younger audiences are understandably preoccupied with moving at the pace of culture. But jumping on trends can be self-defeating. If they backfire, marketers will not only appear out of touch but lacking in understanding of their own brand and its place in the world. Victoria’s Secret’s recent failed feminist ‘rebrand’ is a case in point here. Such a cynical ploy from a brand with a well-documented culture of misogyny was doomed from the outset.
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Jan 23, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Mariana Silva |Grace Gollasch |Victoria Gerstman |Jess Smith
Why does one choose to wear a blue sweater rather than a yellow shirt? You might assume that the answer is rooted in personal preferences, or in the mood with which someone wakes up on any given day. But the truth is that our clothing choices are shaped by an intricate and complex machine, best explained by the sacred words of Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) in the film, The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
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Jan 15, 2024 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Alex Hamilton |Victoria Gerstman |Duncan Bell |Aaron Goldman
2023 was a foundation year — laying out the trellis for the vines to grow on: 2024 is the grow year. Of course, there will be sceptics among you. People who say this is another gimmick for marketers to obsess over — pointing to examples like Meta’s metaverse, which has yet to materialise. If you fit into this category perhaps you’re a luddite, a controversialist, or maybe you just haven’t been paying that much attention. Let’s clear things up a bit.
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Dec 28, 2023 | 
mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Victoria Gerstman |Toby Beresford |Aaron Goldman |Nazli Selin Ozkan
Editor’s note: Each year cultural insight specialist Victoria Gerstman gives us her cultural shifts to watch for the year ahead. They remain some of the most popular pieces of insight with our readers. In case you missed the past two years, read them here: Cultural shifts to watch in 2022 and Cultural shifts to watch in 2023. Read on below to see what Victoria predicts we should be paying attention to in the year ahead. From AI anxiety to common ground to post-nihilism, she covers a lot.
