What’s your McDonald’s order?

At Inventures 2024, Dr. Marcus Collins delivered a keynote on the power of culture in advertising, highlighting his work with McDonald's as a case study. He shared how McDonald’s shifted its marketing from broad appeal to focusing on fans by showcasing the personal orders of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Magic Johnson. This campaign tapped into the universal experience of having a "go-to" order, reinforcing McDonald's as an accessible brand. Building on this, McDonald’s collaborated with rapper Travis Scott, targeting fans of hip-hop and streetwear to create a powerful brand resonance that transcended the product itself. Collins argued that this approach—mobilizing passionate, niche communities—can effectively scale by aggregating these groups, a strategy mirrored by brands like Nike, which tailors messaging to specific athletic communities. This targeted, community-driven model, he noted, applies beyond advertising to fields like higher education, where alumni and students become organic advocates, championing the brand within their networks.

Marketing a technology business through the lens of culture and intimacy

We had a chance to catch up with with Marcus after his talk where he dove a bit deeper into some of the key elements. Here, he explores cultural influences on behavior, authenticity, and the limitations of demographics in reaching and understanding audiences. Below are some key takeaways on how technology businesses can apply these principles to create marketing strategies that resonate deeply with their audiences.

You can hear our conversation here.

Understanding culture as a marketing tool

Dr. Collins emphasizes that artifacts—our behaviors, language, and even style—are outward expressions of deeper beliefs. For marketers, this insight underscores that effective messaging in technology doesn’t just revolve around product features but aligns with the culture and values that customers identify with. When a business integrates culturally relevant symbols and language, it connects with audiences beyond the superficial level.

Takeaway: For a technology business, consider what values and identity markers align with your target audience. Are they early adopters, innovators, or problem-solvers? Design your brand’s messaging and aesthetic to reflect these cultural attributes.

Intimacy over information

In marketing, there’s an abundance of customer data, from viewing habits to click-through rates. As Dr. Collins notes, however, data lacks the personal insight needed to understand why people make certain choices. Intimacy, or the ability to grasp a customer’s worldview, is key. This deeper understanding transforms data points into meaningful engagement by aligning messages with what genuinely matters to audiences.

Takeaway: Prioritize engagement through personalized interactions, direct feedback, and authentic storytelling. This helps potential customers feel understood, not just targeted, and establishes a lasting connection that goes beyond transactional engagement. (Think Inventures 2025!)

Moving beyond demographics

He challenges the reliance on demographics, pointing out that they’re often reductive and inaccurate. Instead, psychographics—insights into customers’ values, attitudes, and lifestyle choices—provide a fuller, more effective profile. A technology brand targeting a demographic category might miss nuanced traits that actually drive purchasing decisions.

Takeaway: Employ psychographic insights when segmenting your market, considering customers' passions, life goals, and challenges. Technology products can thus be positioned not just as tools but as means of enabling a shared lifestyle or solving specific, culturally relevant problems.

The power of subcultures and network effects

Popular trends, as Collins discusses, often originate within subcultures before gaining mainstream acceptance. Sneaker culture, for example, showcases how shoe-wearing trends permeate society through visibility and social validation. A brand’s ability to identify and support influential subcultures allows it to tap into the natural network effects that drive popularity and adoption.

Takeaway: Identify and engage with niche groups that share a vested interest in your technology. Hosting community events, exclusive launches, or user forums can help cultivate these subcultural advocates who, over time, help spread your brand organically.

Authenticity and multi-hyphenate identities

Today’s consumers carry multiple identities—they’re often “multi-hyphenates,” for example, Marcus describes himself as “a follower of Christ, Georgia and Ivy's father, and a servant.” Your job marketing your tech is to acknowledge your client's multiplicity and adapt brand communication to their various contexts. In this case, if Marcus, the college professor, writer and speaker represented a potential client to you, you could adapt your communication to resonate to an audience that’s a member of congregation, a parent, and to someone for whom serving others is important. Authenticity here means being consistent in values but flexible in approach.

Takeaway: Use language that respects this multi-dimensionality. For instance, a tech product for creatives might also emphasize attributes appealing to entrepreneurs, acknowledging the fluid, hybrid nature of modern professional identities.

Trust is the ultimate influencer

People trust each other more than they trust brands or traditional advertising. Collins highlights this with the example of online reviews, where individuals trust the opinion of strangers over those of marketers. In an age of misinformation, genuine user experiences are invaluable in establishing credibility.

Takeaway: Foster community-driven content and reviews by encouraging loyal users to share their stories and feedback. Authentic testimonials and user-generated content add layers of credibility and create relatable touchpoints for new users.

Smash the status quo

Collins’s insights urge technology marketers to go beyond conventional metrics and create campaigns grounded in cultural relevance and intimacy. When marketers understand and respect cultural nuances, they can foster genuine connections that resonate with audiences on a fundamental level. For tech businesses, this means transforming products into artifacts that symbolize shared beliefs, creating a brand that customers don't just buy from but belong to.

Takeaway: Listen to Dr. Marcus Collins on our podcast, Shift by Alberta Innovates, for even more insights!