The Spectacular Adventure of Reimagining Our Future

When discussing nihilism, it is tempting for brands to think that they will be the saviours who plug purpose and meaning back into the life of customers and cheer us when we’re down. Hooray! But I believe that purpose is rooted in people, not products - we are social beings, after all. So examining how brands could respond to nihilism needs to start with the role of brands and marketing in our life.

According to recent IPSOS research, Nihilism appears to be on the rise, particularly among younger generations. Nihilism is a philosophical and ethical stance that holds that nothing in the world has any meaning, value, or purpose.

Now Is the Season of Discontent, Fa La La La

IPSOS points to an unstable geopolitical and economic backdrop driving this worldview, added to increasing concerns around climate change, splintering societies, as well as society’s fears around technology. I’d add the soaring cost of living, rising inequality, increasing societal polarization, and health crises to the list of influences.

And, according to Daniel Siegel, our online habits are further fuelling this feeling of indifference, he states: “Because of digital echo chambers and an overabundance of information, 'generation z,' the largest generation, is becoming increasingly nihilistic - understanding life to be devoid of meaning, believing all knowledge is subjective, and humanity is inevitably doomed.”

It is understandable that these factors foster a sense of disillusionment about our social structures and the future. As a result, IPSOS concludes that “Nihilism is feeding widespread sentiment that it’s better to live for today, because individuals feel powerless to take personal control”.

I think younger generations haven’t stopped caring, they just care less about traditional structures and ways of doing things. In this way, many people even argue that nihilism has freed them from excessive worry and melancholy about a world that seems to be spinning out of control - a coping mechanism of sorts.

Can Brands Have a Role in a World That Increasingly Feels Full of Despair?

IPSOS recommends “helping people to bridge the gap between their lived reality and their aspirations is an opportunity for brands and governments alike.” Agree, that’s a good start. For example, brands could take the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ or even the Diesel ‘Be Stupid’ routes and start reflecting the reality of their customers’ lives. I would also add that in our increasingly incomprehensible and non-linear times brands and businesses should be more transparent. Or another way to close the gap is making once luxury items more accessible, like IKEA 'democratises design'.

But these solutions feel like mechanistic, short-term solutions - albeit ones that would help us make better choices – whereas I think we need a fundamental shift in the way businesses and brands operate, given it currently feels like our planet and humanity needs to be sent to a metaphorical ICU. Furthermore, I think the problem is not Nihilism itself (since for many, it is a coping mechanism) but the factors that fuel nihilism.

And it might sound antithetical to advertising and marketing circles, but consumption is a major part of the problem that got us here in the first place and why many people feel despondent about our world. And more (even if truthful) marketing is not going to help us get out of here, certainly not the way marketing has traditionally been done.

And so, the response to nihilism needs to start by asking better questions and demanding better answers. This will help us reimagine the role that brands have in our world. Questions that can open us up to possibility:

• What kind of new planetary narrative is yearning to be born?
• What is the role of your product / service / brand in this new world?
• How will you manage your product / service lifecycle for minimal (negative) planetary impact?

And, as we work through answers to these questions, I’d like to offer five broad guardrails for consideration.

1. In A Time of Nihilism, Hope Is A Radical Act

As the Arabic saying goes “How constricted is life, if not for the expansion of hope.” Conventional marketing and brands just won’t cut it any more. Nihilists crave authenticity and honesty. They gravitate away from the mainstream. 

Research by Contraire shows that those with a nihilistic worldview are not interested in buying things that they don’t need, and they are not interested in supporting brands that they don’t believe in. They are more likely to spend their money on experiences, and they are more likely to support local businesses and sustainable brands.

Your brand has to give people hope that something beyond the traditional ways that got us into this mess is possible. Something fresh, funny and real. Substance over style. Function over form, but one where clever design stands out.

2. There Is An Alternative To Endless And Constant Growth

In a world fixated on endless growth metrics, brands must pioneer alternative models of success and value creation. This relentless pursuit of growth has contributed to many of the systemic issues fuelling today's nihilism - from environmental degradation to social inequality. Brands can lead by example in embracing new paradigms: for example, circular economy principles, and business models that prioritize regeneration over extraction. This means moving beyond traditional KPIs to measure success through positive impact, community wellbeing, and ecological restoration. The future belongs to brands that can thrive while respecting planetary boundaries and human flourishing.

3. From An Extractive Mindset To A Regenerative Mindset  

Much of marketing feels reactionary and opportunistic “Here is a new trend, how can we capitalize on this to make more money?”. We need a fundamental reimagining of how brands interact with people and planet. Rather than depleting resources - whether natural, social, or emotional - brands must understand that they operate within a system and therefore they have an obligation to nurture the systems they operate within.

This means moving beyond extractive or even sustainable (merely maintaining) to regenerative (actively restoring and enriching). It's about seeing business as part of an interconnected web where success is measured by how much value we create for the whole system, not just what we can take from it.

4. Hold Our Corporations Accountable With Better Metrics

Traditional success metrics like profit margins and market share tell only a fraction of the story and often incentivize harmful practices that fuel nihilism. Doughnut Economics offers a revolutionary framework that measures corporate success through both social and ecological lenses - ensuring we meet everyone's needs without overshooting Earth's capacity. This means brands must expand their accountability beyond shareholders to include all stakeholders (including the planet as a stakeholder) measuring brands’ impact on climate, biodiversity, income inequality, and social justice. Success becomes about operating within the 'sweet spot' between social and planetary boundaries, where business drives genuine prosperity for all. 

5. Brands As A Conduit for Community

The biggest characteristic of our modern marketing era has been a focus on the individual away from community. Branding is essentially about individual identity and signifiers – what the consumption of a certain brand says about its owner. But why don’t we extend that? If consumption of a certain brand signifies something about me, can brands create spaces for genuine community building around their core product? This way they support connection around interests rather than just consumption, they can focus on collective wellbeing over individual aspiration. How can your brand get involved in a way that helps heal community (and do it was a low carbon foot print)?

In 'Man’s search for meaning', Viktor Frankl observed that finding meaning was crucial for survival, even in the most extreme circumstances. Those who could maintain a sense of purpose and meaning - whether through relationships, work, or a mission larger than themselves - were more likely to survive hardship. 

My deeply held belief is that we have more agency, capability and an obligation as individuals and as a society, to imagine and design a better future that will allow all of us to live a good quality life with meaning, purpose and custodianship.