Our next FORUM asks if we’ve entered the age of merchification – where every moment, movement and micro-trend can be worn, sold or souvenired? Once a sideline revenue stream, merch has evolved into a cultural language – a way to signal belonging, shape identity, and express taste in an era when we’re all brands now. We’ll unpack how merch became the medium – and what it reveals about the stories, symbols and selves we’re selling back to ourselves.

This is a free event and open to all, but the recording and analysis will only be available to MEMBERS.


SEEDS

Piracy’s Back
How streaming’s failures reawakened digital rebellion – turning piracy from a crime into an act of self-defence.
Horseshoe Maximalism by Tony Wang
The Office of Applied Strategy’s new dossier dives into a world where extremes collide, social rules bend and culture flows in unexpected directions. We speak to founder Tony Wang ahead of its release.
Rewilding the Internet
Once an open ecosystem, the web has become overgrown with ads and algorithms. To survive, it needs care – not code.
Meme to Brand
It’s not what’s made, but how it travels.
Museum of Youth Culture
Reflections on creativity, rebellion and self-expression.
New Love Languages
What it really means when someone likes your Instagram stories.
Abundance, Everywhere
Why culture is dead and why it isn’t.
Mystery Matters
In a hyper-transparent world, the art of intrigue is resurging – and brands can learn a lot from it.

Want full access, but not a MEMBER yet? BOOK A DEMO


CONTRIBUTE

SEED CLUB is our decentralised research community where 370+ handpicked strategists, journalists, and cultural curators sow and grow all the SEEDS every day - identifying, analysing and explaining signals in culture. As a contributor you also have the opportunity to collaborate with Protein AGENCY on client projects as well as connect and learn from an incredibly diverse, smart and entertaining group of humans.

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