{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Hard Refresh","title":"Hard Refresh on culture-making","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2346,"description":"Culture has always been the backdrop for marketing, but in the next 25 years, can brands and creatives become true culture makers, or are they destined to follow? In this episode of Hard Refresh, host Andrés López-Varela is joined by Jonathan Harley (media and tech executive, ex-Canva/Twitter/60 Minutes), Tess Palmyre (Founder, Brandable), and Tim Duggan (Author and Chair, Digital Publishers Alliance) to unpack the stakes. \nFrom Trump tweeting about Cracker Barrel’s logo to the backlash against DEI, the panel weighs whether marketers can authentically shape culture, or if values-driven storytelling is the only ballast in increasingly turbulent times.\n\nIn this episode:\nCulture wars on fast forward\nTim points to the recent Cracker Barrel logo saga, where Trump’s tweets sparked boycotts, as proof brands are now reacting to culture instead of leading it.\nPurpose under pressure\nTess and Jonathan argue values can’t just be slogans; Target’s retreat from DEI vs. Costco’s consistency shows who survives cultural turbulence.\nAuthenticity as ballast\nJonathan stresses that authenticity is grounded in values, not marketing spin, and is the only way brands can navigate volatile cultural seas in the digital age.\nFragmentation VS mega-brands\nTim warns we may end up with “10 mega-brands and 10 million scraps” in future, while Jonathan highlights Canva and Red Bull as examples of brands acting like cultural institutions.\nHumanity shines through AI \"slop\"\nTess insists that even in a sea of sameness, audiences gravitate back to messy, human, imperfect stories and that those are the cracks where culture happens.\nThis episode was recorded on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, live at State of Social '25.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/_VOS_6TB7IduO9PCl5KCWgRfck1wv9t6OKmlzUz0nL0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83NGE0/YjdkYzBhNzNjZmMy/MGY1YzJiNTI1NmRi/YjlhMy5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}