Beyond Business — Why Cultural Relevance matters

Perfume bottle Le Roy Soleil for Elsa Schiaparelli designed by Salvador Dali. Taken during my study trip to Maison Baccarat in Paris 2022.

A business can be successful yet replaceable. It can perform well, stay visible, and continue growing, but never fully establish its position. During my luxury studies, I learned that luxury houses operate differently. The primary objective of mass marketing is calibrated towards constant visibility. But what was not mentioned is that the moment you stop feeding into it, you can easily be forgotten. This is where Cultural Relevance becomes the missing layer.

When brands enter culture, they outlast the moment

There’s a difference between being known and being remembered. Being known means you’re the top of mind, and it comes with consistent bombardment through mass media. It relies on repetition. Being remembered, on the other hand, comes from meaning. When a brand becomes part of culture, it moves beyond its immediate offering and is associated with a specific point in time, a movement, and a way of thinking. It changes its position entirely. You’re no longer just competing within your category, but you’re operating within a broader cultural context. This is how a business becomes irreplaceable. It’s especially important for brands building long-term value. Legacy is not built on visibility alone, but by association. Think: What your name stands next to and what it represents over time.

Art and Luxury have always been in dialogue

This relationship has always existed. Luxury has never been separate from culture. It has always been shaped by it. Sotheby’s taught me how art introduces context into the current zeitgeist. Art expands how something is understood. Art gives depth to what would otherwise be functional. And luxury responds to that. It doesn’t simply sell; luxury is associated with the current way of thinking. The strongest luxury houses often engage with art, design, and cultural disciplines for these very reasons. It’s not just a marketing tactic; it’s embedded in how they build lasting legacies. They transcend from product to position. From functionality to symbolism.

Service becomes myth and Products become artefacts

At a certain point, what a business creates is no longer just contained to functionality. It is collected, referenced, and remembered. When business enters culture, it’s the pivotal moment when services become myth and products begin to shift into artefacts. Think otherworldly experiences like the Orient Express or objects that carry meaning beyond their use, like the bottle of Le Roy Soleil by Schiaparelli, designed by Salvador Dalí and produced in a limited edition of two thousand by the renowned crystal maker Baccarat. These are not just products placed into the market. They are cultural expressions. And because of that, they last differently, not replaced by the next “drop", they are revisited, referenced, and most importantly remembered.

Cultural Positioning changes a business's positioning by providing deeper context and placing it within something larger than itself. Businesses with no cultural relevance can expand and increase visibility, yet still remain replaceable. Cultural Positioning is what prevents that. This is especially critical for businesses building toward legacy. Over time, what defines the brand is not just what it sells, but what it stands for. In the end, people don’t remember everything they see; they remember what holds weight and meaning.