11/11
From Yellowstone to Shaboozy: The Unwritten Cultural Shift
Since 2018, I, like many Americans, have enjoyed the way of the cowboy through the hit show Yellowstone. There were so many things I enjoyed about the show, the beauty of Montana, the drama of the characters and the simplification of the cowboy life, living via the land. I also enjoyed the two spin-offs that came later and it seems there will be a few more coming.
What I didn’t realize until very recently about some of the messaging coming across the show and quite frankly, across many of Taylor Sheridan’s (creator of shows including Yellowstone, Landman, and Lioness) is the right wing messaging coming through. You could argue that these shows reflect mainstream culture or you could make the argument that shows like Yellowstone and Landman drive conservative culture to the mainstream.
But what is clear is that Hollywood, which traditionally has leaned left left, is moving right. In the series finale of Yellowstone, listen to disdain they have for “city folks” with lines like “Ought to keep them fսck¡ng Californians away.”
Now have a listen to Billy Bob Thorton in Landman talk about windmills powering oil wells. Billy Bob Thornton was asked “They use clean energy to power the oil wells?” His response “They use alternative energy. There’s nothing clean about this.”
He goes on to say after a comment “tell me how the wind is bad for the environment”, he says, “Do you have any idea how much diesel they have to burn to mix that concrete or make that steel and haul this shit out here (referring to the windmills), and put it together with a 450 foot crane? You wanna guess how much oil it takes to lubricate that fucking thing or winterize it? In its 20 year lifespan, it won’t offset the carbon footprint of making it. And don’t get me started on solar panels and the lithium in your Tesla battery. And never mind the fact that if the whole world decided to go electric tomorrow, we don’t have the transmission lines to get the electricity to the cities.”
Billy Bob’s character goes on for a while longer, but I think you see the point. Now, I’m not here to debate if he’s wrong or right, this isn’t a political piece. Rather it’s a reflection of mainstream culture shifting right.
Let’s take this beyond television. Do you know what song had the longest run as the top song in the country? The country song by Shaboozy, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” at 19 straight weeks. You know what song had the second longest run in the top spot at 6 straight weeks? That would be Post Malone’s country song featuring Morgan Wallen “I Had Some Help.” Country music is becoming mainstream across the country, no longer primarily in the South. Just ask Beyonce.
In fashion, one of the hottest brands right now is the 135 years young brand that is Carhartt. It’s very rare to see a brand go from a rap video to its own aisle in Lowe’s to on a cowboy in Montana.
In food and beverage, Dr. Pepper (from Texas) replaced Pepsi (from New York) as the #2 most popular soda brand.
Culture like many things can often be like a pendulum, and it can swing from one extreme to the other. I think what we’re seeing across culture (and politics) is a shift from one extreme “woke culture” to another extreme which is the simpler life of old fashion American culture (some might say traditionally “white American” culture). Again, we’re doing our very best to not say what is right or what is wrong, rather report on what we are seeing.
As a marketer, there are huge implications on how you market. Two big ones are:
- The Center of Culture has shifted from the coasts to the center of the country (and South).
- Conservative Culture is no longer right wing. It is mainstream.
And since we’re The Actionists, here are the actions we recommend you take in light of this cultural shift:
- Culture Strategists: Ensure your cultural strategists and agency partners are not coastal elitists and can represent all aspects of culture, not just the part they are aligned with (this coming from a company whose founders are located on both coasts).
- Know Your Audience - This one is obvious, yet so many brands screw this up. Patagonia shouldn’t all of a sudden behave like Carhartt. Know where your sales come from and the mindset of your audience. We all know the Budweiser and Pepsi stories. We could now see the reverse happening where traditionally liberal brands with liberal bases go right. Be authentic while recognizing the macro shifts.
- Be Careful - We’re heading into unchartered territory in a hyper political and culturally sensitive environment. Avoid political / cultural hot button issues unless your brand truly has permission to play there (and even then - tread carefully).
Net, net folks, the times, they are a changing (can you tell we just watched A Complete Unknown). How long this swing to the right will last, we don’t know. We’d guess the more polarizing the new administration becomes, the quicker the cultural shift will move back left. But be cognizant of the shift, why there is a shift, and how to market while still being true to who you are as a brand.
