Beyond Borrowing – How Brands Can Stop Renting Culture and Start Investing in Diverse Innovators

It’s impossible to ignore the undeniable influence that communities of color have had in creating and shaping mainstream tastes and trends when we talk about culture in the context of brand awareness. From music and fashion to language and digital innovation, these communities have often been the early adopters and creators of what eventually become global phenomena.

From Gap’s iconic “Better in Denim” campaign featuring Katseye to the BTS Meal at McDonalds to the first Nike Air Jordan ad that put sneaker culture on the map, the cultures of diverse communities heavily influenced these campaigns. The campaigns inspired movements, yet their influence is frequently overlooked or appropriated by brands eager to capture cultural relevance without truly investing in the people and the communities driving it.

The critical question remains: How can brands become a genuine part of culture while honoring, supporting, and reinvesting in the diverse innovators who created the very foundations of the strategies they now deploy?

One of the most effective ways for brands to authentically engage with culture is by supporting and investing in the spaces where cultural innovation is already happening. Conferences like ADCOLOR, Breaking Barriers: Asians in Advertising, and Out & Equal are not just innovative communities but ecosystems of inspiration, collaboration, and trailblazing ideas. By partnering with and investing in these spaces, brands can truly meet innovation at its source and show up where community and creativity thrive.

However, with influence comes responsibility. Brands often walk a fine line between celebrating culture and exploiting it. Genuine cultural currency cannot be bought or borrowed; it is earned through integrity, consistency, and accountability. Diverse creators shouldn’t be “rented” for a campaign­, they should be partners, embedded from the beginning. True brand trust comes from investing in these innovators consistently, giving them ownership, visibility, and long-term opportunity.

Cultural currency is multi-dimensional because it enables you and your brand to engage with culture and remain culturally relevant with authenticity. It requires a delicate balance of empathy, education, and respect. When done right, it builds trust, loyalty, and relevance. When handled poorly, it alienates audiences and damages reputations. A brand can excel in one dimension without meaningfully moving the needle in cultural relevance if the other dimensions lag. Sustained cultural currency comes through successfully pulling multiple levers, working together to build trust, resonance, and community connection. Cultural currency is strongest when it’s built on relationships of equity, not extraction.

Cultural fluency and inclusive storytelling mustn’t be afterthoughts if brands want to be true trailblazers. They must be embedded from the very beginning, and we want to help continue evolving those brand connections.

As brands evolve, we understand that words alone aren’t enough. By shaping inclusive brand storytelling and including those with lived experiences from the very beginning, we remind the industry that true cultural impact requires investment over time, not appropriation.

This is how we continue to pave the way, shaping what inclusive brand storytelling looks like and building a future where cultural investment is just as important as cultural inspiration. The journey is just beginning, and we look forward to what we can build with you, together!

This insight was originally published on Digitas' LinkedIn newsletter The Dose. Subscribe here.