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# What Does Brand Meaning Actually Require Today?
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/what-does-brand-meaning-actually-require-today/
- Published: 2026-04-17T16:03:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-17T16:03:05.000Z
- Description: PSFK is questioning whether traditional brand positioning—built on consistent messaging and emotional storytelling—still works, or whether brands now need to demonstrate active cultural participation and real-time responsiveness to remain competitive.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-brand, marketing, Community

Source: [PSFK](https://open.substack.com/pub/retailinnovationweek/p/brand-intent-and-cultural-ghosts)

PSFK is questioning whether traditional brand positioning—built on consistent messaging and emotional storytelling—still works, or whether brands now need to demonstrate active cultural participation and real-time responsiveness to remain competitive. The concept of "cultural ghosts" suggests that outdated brand identities and inherited positioning have become liabilities. Customers increasingly reward brands that show cultural literacy and take clear stances, not ones that recycle heritage narratives. This reflects a shift in consumer expectation: brands can no longer rely on meaning created decades ago. They must actively produce it through their choices, partnerships, and presence in culture today.