Culture is the heartbeat of great marketing and advertising. When brands tap into cultural nuance; they become part of people’s lives. And yet…. too many brands have lost that connection. In the rush to chase data, performance metrics, and short-term wins, marketing has become more about algorithms than human insight.
The result?
Campaigns that lack resonance, fail to stick and miss the mark culturally.
In this episode of The Lead Creative, Donald Mokgale, MD of MoyaApp, Director of Hibirism, and co-author of Introducing Hibirism: A Guide to Black Cultural Nuance, challenges the industry to rethink its approach. He argues that brands need to move beyond just appearing in culture to actively shaping and co-creating with communities.
“We’ve been so distracted by tech and data that we’ve forgotten the creative lens.”
– Donald Mokgale, MD of MoyaApp, Director of Hibirism
Key takeaways from this episode:
- Why cultural nuance should shape business strategy, not just marketing campaigns.
- How brands can use both data and human insight to drive relevance.
- The risks of playing it too safe and why bravery in brand storytelling matters.
- Examples of brands like Nike and NikNaks, which have successfully embedded culture into their strategies.
- Why marketers need to reclaim their role in shaping society rather than just reacting to it.
“A good ad is still a good ad, with or without social media. The formula hasn’t changed—just the way we distribute it.”
– Donald Mokgale, MD of MoyaApp, Director of Hibirism
If your brand is struggling to connect with audiences in a meaningful way, this episode is a must-listen. It’s time to go beyond surface-level representation and build marketing that resonates, engages and endures.
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Our podcast audio editing and audio production are done by: Maishe Rakgoale.