Our Autumn BRAND BRIEFING explores why some brands are thriving on disorder while others are doubling down on discipline – and what that tension means for the future.
Earlier this year, we introduced A Compost Theory of Culture – a provocation that innovation doesn’t always mean moving forward. Sometimes, it’s about breaking things down to make space for what’s next.
For our latest BRAND BRIEFING, we’ve shifted the metaphor. If Spring was compost, Autumn is fire. Because the world around us increasingly feels combustible – chaotic, unhinged, burning out of control. And yet, out of this fire, we’re seeing brands take two distinct paths: some are leaning into the chaos, while others are striving to reclaim control.
This central tension – chaos vs. control – has become one of the defining cultural dynamics of the past six months so it felt appropriate to investigate how brands across multiple different categories are navigating it.
Chaos
On the chaos side, we’re seeing everything from surrealist luxury campaigns to FMCG brands disrupting packaging norms, to meme-fuelled marketing spectacles. Some brands are even making chaos their central identity – harnessing unpredictability, humour and raw honesty as tools for connection.
On the control side, a very different picture emerges. Wellness, minimalism, curation and ritual are becoming ways to restore calm in the noise. From billion-dollar wearable tech to cult-favourite grocery utopias, control is being positioned as both a luxury and a necessity.
And for both paths, we break down the key principles at play:
How to embrace disorder without losing trust
How to channel ritual and clarity into cultural authority
And why both approaches speak to the deeper anxieties — and desires — of consumers today
This BRAND BRIEFING goes deep into the brands, behaviours and cultural signals shaping these two powerful modes. For decision-makers, it’s not just about spotting trends – it’s about understanding the cultural tensions your brand will need to navigate next.
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