But our skill is how we draw them together to make sense of the whole picture
Closing the Dream Gap
How cultural strategy helped transform Barbie from cultural icon to champion of female empowerment.
The Challenge
Mattel faced a critical moment with their iconic Barbie brand. Despite decades of cultural presence, Barbie had become a symbol of restrictive beauty standards and gender stereotypes – the very opposite of female empowerment. The challenge was fundamental: how could Barbie evolve from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution in championing girls’ unlimited potential?
This wasn’t simply about changing a product or updating marketing messages. It required a deep understanding of how female representation was evolving in global culture, and how Barbie could authentically participate in this transformation. The stakes were high – this wasn’t just about preserving a brand, but about contributing meaningfully to how young girls worldwide envision their possibilities.
Our Approach
We deployed a comprehensive cultural strategy approach across six global markets, focusing on understanding both the challenges young girls face and the emerging patterns of female empowerment. Our methodology combined cultural insight with semiotic analysis to uncover how ‘affirmative influencers’ were successfully challenging gender stereotypes and inspiring young girls.
The research went beyond surface-level trends to examine:
This deep cultural analysis revealed opportunities for Barbie to transform from a traditional beauty icon into a powerful vehicle for challenging gender bias and expanding girls’ sense of possibility.
The Outcome
Our work provided the cultural foundation for what would become the ‘Barbie Dream Gap Project’ – a global initiative that transformed how Mattel approached female empowerment through the Barbie brand. This wasn’t just a campaign; it represented a fundamental shift in how the brand understood and acted upon its role in young girls’ lives.
The impact has been both profound and lasting:
The cultural transformation we helped initiate would prove prescient. The themes of empowerment, challenging gender stereotypes, and expanding possibilities for women that emerged from our research would later find their ultimate expression in 2023’s Barbie movie – one of the most successful brand-building campaigns in recent memory, which took these messages to a global audience on an unprecedented scale.
Perhaps most significantly, this work demonstrates how bold cultural strategy can help transform a brand’s relationship with society. By combining thoughtful analysis with bold vision, we helped Barbie evolve from being a reflection of limiting cultural norms to becoming an active force for positive change.
The success of this transformation shows how brands can move beyond surface-level representation to create meaningful social impact. Through careful attention to cultural codes and emerging narratives of empowerment, Barbie has found an authentic way to champion the boundless potential of girls worldwide – proving that even the most iconic brands can evolve to meet the moment and shape a more positive future.
The Humanity of Heat
How cultural strategy bridged the gap between technical innovation and human behavior in national decarbonisation
The Challenge
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) faced a challenge in extending their City Heat Decarbonisation Delivery Programme (CDDP) to six new UK cities. While the technical solutions for reducing carbon emissions from heating – the UK’s largest energy use – were advancing, the human element remained a crucial missing piece.
The challenge was clear but complex: how could technical innovations in heat decarbonisation be integrated with genuine behavior change? Success would require not just implementing new technologies, but ensuring these advances resonated with and were adopted by diverse communities across multiple cities. This meant bridging the gap between technical expertise and human experience.
Our Approach
We applied our cultural strategy methodology to a government context, combining semiotics, behavioral science, and storytelling to create a uniquely human-centered approach to technical change. This wasn’t just about understanding barriers to adoption – it was about uncovering the cultural codes that could drive meaningful behavioral change.
Our methodology consisted of several integrated components:
Working alongside Ramboll consultancy, we translated these insights into a digital platform that detailed how color, space, and narrative could create an engaging user experience. This platform needed to do more than present data – it needed to tell a compelling story about the journey to zero-carbon heating.
The Outcome
Our work transformed how BEIS approached decarbonisation, embedding behavioural change as a core element of their delivery plans. The impact manifested in several key ways:
Perhaps most significantly, this project demonstrated how cultural strategy methodologies traditionally used in commercial contexts can be powerfully applied to government initiatives. By bringing radical thinking to public sector challenges, we helped create a more thoughtful and human-centred approach to technical change.
The success of this work shows how sustainability initiatives can be made more effective by carefully considering human behaviour alongside technical innovation. Through deep cultural understanding and strategic communication, we helped BEIS create a model for sustainable change that doesn’t just focus on technology, but on the people who need to embrace it.
This balance of technical innovation and human activation represents a new approach to sustainable storytelling – one that recognizes that the most powerful technical solutions are those that resonate with human experience and motivation.
The Semiotics of Sex
How cultural strategy helped Durex reframe sexual wellbeing across global markets
The Challenge
Durex had established itself as the world’s leading condom brand, but this success created its own limitations. The brand needed to expand its relevance beyond product functionality to engage in broader conversations about sexual wellbeing. This meant navigating complex cultural territories: varying attitudes toward sexuality across different markets, intersecting dimensions of identity and expression, and persistent taboos that affect how people think and talk about sex.
The key challenge was to help Durex develop meaningful connections with diverse audiences while respecting local cultural sensitivities. The brand needed to understand how conversations about sexuality and wellbeing were evolving across different intersections of sexuality, ethnicity, generation, and region – and how to participate in these conversations authentically.
Our Approach
We used a cultural strategy approach, utilizing our global network of cultural analysts to decode how sexual wellbeing is understood and expressed in different markets. This wasn’t just about analyzing current conversations – it was about understanding the deeper cultural codes that shape how people think about and express their sexuality.
Our methodology combined two powerful analytical frameworks:
First, we developed the Cultural Codes of Sexual Wellbeing, drawing on localized insights from our in-market teams worldwide. These codes captured both universal patterns and crucial cultural nuances, creating a sophisticated framework for understanding how sexual wellbeing is conceived and discussed across different contexts.
We then translated these insights into a Semiotic Map of Sexual Wellbeing – a strategic tool that allowed regional Durex teams to visualize market-specific nuances and identify the precise visual and linguistic levers needed to activate relevant cultural codes in their markets.
To complete the picture, we conducted a detailed analysis of key competitors in each market, studying their core brand assets and communications. This revealed both dominant and emergent narratives in the category, highlighting opportunities for Durex to disrupt traditional conversations and create distinctive new positions.
The Outcome
Our work provided Durex with a sophisticated cultural framework that transformed how they approach sexual wellbeing conversations across global markets. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, the brand now has access to nuanced, culturally-informed strategies that respect local sensitivities while pushing category conversations forward.
The impact manifested in several key ways:
Perhaps most significantly, this project helped Durex move beyond traditional category constraints to find new ways of representing sexuality that feel both culturally relevant and future-focused. The brand can now engage in meaningful conversations about sexual wellbeing that resonate across different cultural contexts while maintaining consistency with their global identity.
This work demonstrates how thoughtful cultural strategy can help brands navigate sensitive topics across diverse markets. By combining analytical approaches with deep cultural understanding, we helped Durex evolve from a product-focused brand to a voice for positive change in sexual wellbeing conversations worldwide.
Redefining Modern Masculinity
How cultural strategy helped Gillette navigate the evolution of male identity and grooming
The Challenge
Gillette faced a pivotal moment as cultural shifts fundamentally altered the landscape of masculinity and male grooming. The rise of facial hair wasn’t just a fashion trend – it represented a deeper transformation in how men expressed their identity. Meanwhile, emerging discussions around toxic masculinity signalled a critical need to reconsider traditional masculine narratives.
For a brand built on the promise of “The Best A Man Can Get” and the perfect clean shave, these shifts posed existential questions. How could Gillette remain relevant in a world where the clean-shaven ideal no longer dominated? More fundamentally, how could the brand participate meaningfully in evolving conversations about masculine identity while maintaining its leadership position in male grooming?
Our Approach
We deployed a cultural strategy approach to understand the deeper meanings emerging around masculinity and male grooming. This wasn’t just about tracking trends – it was about decoding the fundamental shifts in how masculinity was being expressed, challenged, and redefined across culture.
Our semiotic analysis revealed several key dynamics:
We mapped these cultural shifts against existing and emerging grooming practices, identifying opportunities for Gillette to play a meaningful role in shaping new narratives of masculine identity. This work went beyond surface-level observations to understand the deeper cultural codes that would define the future of male grooming and identity.
The Outcome
Our work provided Gillette with a strategic foundation for evolving their brand in alignment with changing cultural dynamics. The impact manifested in several transformative ways:
The insights directly informed Gillette’s landmark 2019 “The Best A Man Can Be” campaign – a bold evolution of their historic tagline that addressed toxic masculinity and promoted positive masculine values. This wasn’t just a marketing shift; it represented a fundamental repositioning of the brand’s relationship with masculinity.
The cultural understanding we developed also helped pave the way for the launch of King C. Gillette, a new brand that embraced beard care products while cleverly nodding to the company’s heritage. This extension showed how traditional masculine codes could be reinterpreted for contemporary relevance.
These initiatives demonstrated how deep cultural understanding could help a legacy brand:
Perhaps most significantly, this work shows how cultural strategy can help brands anticipate and shape cultural change rather than simply react to it. By identifying emerging patterns in masculine identity and grooming culture, we helped Gillette move from defending their traditional territory to defining new possibilities for their category.
This transformation demonstrates how thoughtful cultural analysis can help heritage brands remain relevant while driving positive cultural change. Through careful attention to evolving cultural codes, we helped Gillette find an authentic voice in contemporary conversations about masculinity while expanding their relevance in the changing world of male grooming.
“Space Doctors delivered a future-facing system for understanding the changing face of global masculinity and shaving behaviour. This was invaluable in helping us craft our purpose and connect more emotionally with Gillette users around the world”
John Mang, VP Gillette, The Art Of Shaving at Procter & Gamble
Haagen-Dazs wanted to know the specific cues (imagery, colours, shapes, fonts) that would best communicate the idea of ‘progressive elegance’ through their global packaging.
We looked at how this idea was being expressed in popular culture across four markets before our design semiotics team took the lead, creating the concept and design guidelines that became the blueprint for the new packaging.
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We identified four key cultural stories of sleep the brand could tap into. Two powerful insights were supported by ethnographic observation in hotel rooms: the importance of fluid, flexible space and the importance of thresholds.
We then worked with leading designers from outside the sector to reinvent the hotel room space in a way that uniquely addresses guests’ real unmet needs.
The design has been so successful that in late 2018 it was patented.
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How Space Doctors helped shape one of the biggest brand transformations in digital history
The Challenge
When global design agency Saffron approached Space Doctors about Facebook’s transformation into Meta, they weren’t just seeking help with a rebrand – they were asking us to envision the future of human digital experience. The challenge was unprecedented: craft an identity for a company that was attempting to transcend traditional social media and create an entirely new dimension of human interaction – the metaverse.
This wasn’t simply about designing a new logo or choosing brand colors. The metaverse demanded an identity that could span virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality while maintaining authentic human connection at its core. We needed to create a foundation that would allow Meta to push beyond screens and inhabit the full canvas of users’ imagination – from the virtual air they breathe to the digital light on their skin.
Our Approach
As cultural strategists, we recognized that building this new frontier required a deep understanding of both current digital culture and future human possibilities. We deployed our design semiotics methodology in two distinct phases: decode and recode.
In the decoding phase, we immersed ourselves in the Meta brand and the cultural codes of digital natives, examining how color and emotion intertwine in their lives and understanding the creative energy that drives their digital expression. This wasn’t just research – it was an archaeological dig into the future, unearthing the patterns and meanings that would resonate with those who would inhabit this new space.
The recoding phase saw us investigating the very grammar of virtuality itself. We analyzed how light, interaction, energy, and motion create meaning across the spectrum of virtual and augmented reality experiences. This deep semiotic analysis revealed the building blocks of digital immersion and helped us understand how to maintain human connection in virtual space.
Through this process, we synthesized our findings into distinct experiential worlds, each with its own carefully crafted combination of imagery, texture, narrative, and cultural context. These weren’t just color palettes – they were complete sensory environments that could adapt and evolve while maintaining their essential meaning.
The Outcome
Our cultural strategy work provided Saffron with a sophisticated framework for designing Meta’s new identity. We delivered a set of experiential principles that went far beyond traditional brand guidelines, offering instead a living system of meaning that could flex and grow with the metaverse itself.
Each of our proposed worlds offered unique executional possibilities for the Meta experience, particularly in VR, where environmental design must balance technical capabilities with human perception and cultural resonance. These weren’t just theoretical constructs – they were actionable design directions that helped shape how users would eventually experience the metaverse.
The result was a brand identity that could hold the vast range of human experience the metaverse promises to deliver. It’s an identity built not just on visual design, but on deep cultural understanding and future-focused thinking. Our work helped ensure that Meta’s ambitious vision remained grounded in human connection while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in digital space.
This project exemplifies how cultural strategy can bridge the gap between current reality and future possibility, creating frameworks for innovation that remain authentically human. By combining radical thinking with thoughtful analysis, we helped lay the groundwork for what may become the next chapter in human communication and connection.
Purple is Ocado’s New Green: How cultural strategy reshaped a digital grocery pioneer’s visual identity
The Challenge
Ocado had built its reputation on delivering an exceptional range of quality groceries, but its visual identity hadn’t kept pace with its innovation. In the rapidly evolving digital retail space, where brand experiences need to work seamlessly across multiple touchpoints, Ocado’s existing visual language – built around green and charcoal – felt increasingly disconnected from its vibrant service offering.
The challenge was multifaceted: how could we help Ocado evolve its visual identity to better reflect its dynamic nature, while ensuring it would remain distinctive and meaningful across all digital interactions? The brand needed to transition from a serious, understated aesthetic to one that could capture the energy and variety that made Ocado special.
Our Approach
We approached this challenge through the lens of cultural strategy, using semiotic analysis to understand how visual codes in digital retail spaces were evolving and what opportunities existed for Ocado to claim distinctive territory.
Our analysis began with a deep dive into the brand’s existing color palette. The traditional green and charcoal combination, while professional, was creating an unintended barrier – its muted tones and corporate feel were masking Ocado’s true personality and the excitement of its offering. We needed to find a way to inject vitality while ensuring the new direction would be uniquely ownable.
Beyond color, we conducted a thorough examination of shape and form in the digital space. With consumers increasingly interacting with brands on smaller screens, we analyzed how Ocado’s distinctive swirl and wordmark could be optimized for maximum impact and recognition across all touchpoints. This meant understanding not just how these elements worked in isolation, but how they could create meaningful moments of connection in every customer interaction.
Through our cultural analysis, we identified an opportunity to shift from conventional retail visual codes to a more dynamic and contemporary visual language that would better align with Ocado’s innovative spirit and digital-first nature.
The Outcome
Our strategic work helped inform a comprehensive visual refresh that transformed Ocado’s brand expression. The shift to purple as a primary brand color was more than just an aesthetic choice – it represented a bold move away from category conventions and positioned Ocado as a truly distinctive player in the digital retail space.
The refreshed identity system achieved multiple objectives:
The impact of this work extended beyond pure aesthetics. As Lisa McDowell, Head of Brand Marketing at Ocado Retail, noted: “Space Doctors’ contribution has been invaluable… Our teams across Marketing, Merchandising, Insights and Creative value the rich and wide-ranging culturally-informed category insight, through to the granular analysis we’ve done on our visual and packaging identity, fleet design and value messaging. Our relationship with the team at Space Doctors has helped us stretch our thinking, shape successful creative briefs and carve out new exciting opportunities.”
This project demonstrates how cultural strategy can help brands navigate significant visual transformation while remaining true to their essence. By combining radical thinking with thoughtful analysis of cultural codes, we helped Ocado evolve from a trusted but traditional visual identity to one that better reflects its position as a pioneer in digital retail.
We delivered a full brand transformation for the alcoholic candy start-up, which achieved a powerful strategic evolution, going far beyond brand identity into digital, pack and retail executions.
The brand has gone on to launch an experiential retail concession at John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store and has recently secured £2M investment from a VC fund.
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