Tapping into the power of belief and belonging

What Happens When an Entire Generation Stops Believing?

For as long as branding has existed—especially in the B2B space—it has been dominated by risk mitigation and a one-to-many approach. This strategy worked for a long time because previous generations had faith in institutions and their offerings. Think of the rock or bull. Our role as marketers and creatives was to leverage that trust and wrap products and services in an institutional halo.

 
But that was yesterday. Today, as one generation gives way to the next, the landscape has become much more complex. While Millennials may have initiated the disruption, digitally native Gen Z, with their inherent skepticism, have fundamentally shattered the traditional engagement model. What they crave more than anything is authenticity. It’s no longer sufficient for brands to merely reflect their values; Gen Z wants to feel a sense of belonging. This shift has reversed the brand belief system from a top-down approach to one that is inside out. The consequences for ignoring this shift? Poor performance, wasted resources, and, worse, irrelevance. When a brand tries to be everything to everyone, it ends up being nothing to anyone. 

The Power of Belonging: A Brat Example

We saw the power of belonging last summer with Brat. The ubiquitous acid green, low fi mark designed by Samuel Burgess-Johnson hit a cultural bullseye. His ode to Myspace’s 100-pixel square, which ignited an entire generation’s moment of self-expression, ignored almost every rule in branding. But something even more unexpected happened. Brat found its way into our cultural lexicon, it took over everyone’s feed and bled into marketing campaigns - including the presidential race when it was “borrowed” by Kamala Harris. What made Brat so incredible was that it transcended its core audience and created a rebellious vibe. Connecting people of all generations through their beliefs and allowing them to take it as their own.

Don’t Stop Believing

Here’s one undeniable truth that remains: artists, designers, and writers share a singular ambition—we want you to believe. Belief is one of the most powerful forces on earth; it can sustain, nurture, uplift, and inspire hope. In our world, belief solidifies loyalty, values, and behaviors. It can help brands discover or rediscover their meaning. However, it's essential not to confuse messages with meaning. True meaning comes from authenticity, signaling, "Yes, you belong here." 

Case Study: Osaic

After a series of acquisitions, Osaic, formally known as Advisor Group, needed to redefine their truth, and position themselves for the next stage of growth. Driven by the understanding that growth was no longer just about assets under management, but rather a commitment to thrive on one's own terms, we created a brand rooted in a next-generation belief system that emphasized life-centricity, individual purpose, and personality. To bring this bold new promise to life, we developed a visual and verbal system that prioritized a multidimensional view of growth and community—allowing a vast  "mosaic," of new acquisitions to thrive in their own way. 

What Does This Mean for Brands? 

Truth is the mother of all design. When an idea or execution is rooted in truth, its meaning becomes felt by the intended audience, making belief possible. It liberates and that freedom allows you to suspend reality and foster profound connections where everyone shares a sense of acceptance. 

Case Study: Cornell Tech

When Sullivan was tasked with developing the strategy and visual and verbal identity for a new graduate school on Roosevelt Island, we had to deliver more than a logo. We needed to convince a certain type of student that an untested program, the love child of Cornell University and Israel’s The Techicon, would be a better choice than Stanford or MIT. At first, we stuck to the brief and the conventions of higher ed marketing as mandated by the parent institutions. The result? A resounding MEH, and a dagger-in-the-heart moment.  

So, we went back to the drawing board and started designing for the person who wants to solve the unsolvable, in the heart of the world’s greatest city. The result was the Twist. Not a logo, but a mnemonic. A badge that spoke from the inside out and signaled to a certain kind of person that hey, you belong HERE. 

A Few Things to Consider: 

• Start from a source of truth 
• Know your audience and what they believe 
• The world is noisy; never underestimate the power of emotion or vibe 
• Be brave enough to create something so potent, so provocative, that people will want to claim it as their own 

Now go, tap into the power of belief and belonging.