Strategy ·

The Brutish Lens: Using Cultural Analytics to Create Customer Journeys That Resonate

Every customer journey starts with the same logic.

You map the touchpoints, create automations, plug in some copy. Welcome flow, abandoned cart, win-back. Lifecycle marketing—done.

But if everyone is using the same flows, templates, and tactics… why do some brands cut through while others get ignored?

At Brutish, we believe the difference isn’t just execution. It’s cultural alignment. The brands that resonate aren’t just sending the right email—they’re saying the right thing, in the right tone, at the right moment.

That’s where cultural analytics comes in.

What Is Cultural Analytics (and Why Should Your CRM Care)?

Cultural analytics is the practice of analyzing how meaning moves through culture—through language, aesthetics, behavior, community, and belief systems.

At Brutish, we combine cultural research with customer psychology to understand what people actually care about at a given time. We analyze:

🧠 Search queries and public discourse
🎨 Visual and aesthetic shifts
💬 Subcultural language and tone
📊 Behavioral patterns in buying and engagement

We then use this to shape creative and strategic decisions—especially around messaging. Not just what to say, but why now, to whom, and how it should feel.

Lifecycle Marketing as a Cultural Conversation

Most brands treat the customer lifecycle like a formula. But customers don’t move through neat funnels—they move through feelings.

Each stage of the journey brings different questions, desires, and tensions. Cultural analytics helps us tune into those signals and shape brand messaging that actually resonates.

Let’s break it down:

💡 Welcome Flow — Start with What People Are Really Asking

Most welcome flows begin with the brand: “Here’s who we are, here’s what we sell.”
But from a customer perspective, those aren’t the first questions.

We use tools like Answer the Public to uncover what people are actually asking in and around your category—questions like:

“Is this brand ethical?”
“Is it worth the price?”
“Does this work for [my specific need]?”

These questions aren’t just surface-level—they’re cultural signals. They reflect the anxieties, desires, and identity work your audience is doing.

By shaping the welcome flow around these real concerns, you immediately shift from a one-way broadcast to a two-way belief bridge.

✨ Consideration — Speak in the Right Visual & Verbal Codes

When a customer is deciding if you’re for them, they’re asking:

“Do I see myself in this brand?”
“Does this brand get me?”

At this stage, language, tone, and visual identity matter enormously. Are you referencing aesthetics your audience finds aspirational? Are you using the same metaphors and moodboards everyone else is?

Cultural analytics helps you identify what’s overdone—and what’s emergent. We analyze the image trends, typography shifts, and narrative tropes floating through your customer’s world, and use them to build original yet familiar brand expressions.

🛒 Conversion — Make the Emotional Case, Not Just the Functional One

Too many brands drop into rational mode at the point of sale: feature lists, pricing, urgency.

But cultural meaning still matters here. For many customers, the decision to convert is a moment of identity:

“Does this purchase reflect who I am (or want to be)?”
“What does this say about my values, taste, or lifestyle?”

We use cultural insight to shape conversion messaging that reinforces the why behind the buy. That might be a TikTok-first testimonial format, a value-aligned landing page, or a subject line that reflects an inside joke only your audience would get.

💌 Retention — Don’t Assume They’re the Same Person Who First Bought In

Your customer has changed. So should your messaging.

Retention flows often assume static identity: “You liked X, so here’s more of X.”
But we look at what’s happening in the broader cultural world around them.

Are they burned out on hustle culture? Seeking joy over optimization? Caught in a vibe shift from Y2K maximalism to clean, mature aesthetics?

We feed these insights into the copy, content, and offers you send—so your brand evolves with your customer.

**Lifecycle Marketing That Feels Human**

What we call “lifecycle automation” is really a series of small brand moments. If each one is culturally attuned—anchored in your customer’s worldview—you don’t just optimize performance. You earn trust.

Next Step: Want to See What Your Brand Is Really Saying?

Our Signal Diagnostic is a lightweight but powerful tool for understanding how your brand is showing up—visually, verbally, and emotionally—across key lifecycle moments.

We’ll show you where your message aligns with culture—and where it’s missing the mark.

[Let's talk →]

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