Understanding Culture: The struggle over meaning with Anastasia Kārklīna Gabriel

In this episode of Now That’s Significant, we welcomed Dr. Anastasia Kārklīna Gabriel, an award-winning author and cultural theorist, who joins the show to discuss the role of culture within marketing and her new book "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers."

Gabriel, whose acclaimed book Cultural Intelligence for Marketers (Kogan Page, 2024) has already won four book awards, shared powerful insights about how brands can harness cultural intelligence to create campaigns that are not only commercially effective but also socially meaningful.

Culture: A Struggle Over Meaning

Opening the conversation, Gabriel set the tone by defining culture as a “struggle over meaning”—a phrase that underscores its dynamic, contested nature. Rather than viewing culture as a static backdrop to marketing, she argues it's a living, shifting arena where brands must continually find their place. Her goal? To equip marketers with tools to understand where culture is headed and how their brands can respond with relevance and responsibility.

The Academic-to-Industry Leap

Coming from a rich academic background in cultural studies, Gabriel made the leap to advertising in 2019. What she found was a deep disconnect between the cultural theory embedded in academia and the commercial strategies of global brands. Marketers were grappling with questions about inclusion, representation, and cultural relevance—but lacked access to the insights that academia could offer.

That realization became a turning point. “It seemed like an opportune moment,” she said, “to bring my training and knowledge into spaces that would help everyday marketers better understand cultural complexity.”

What is Cultural Intelligence?

According to Gabriel, cultural intelligence isn’t a checklist or a fixed framework. It’s a research-driven practice focused on understanding where culture is and where it's going. At its core, it asks: how can brands navigate cultural landscapes to innovate, differentiate, and resonate—without falling into traps like performative inclusion?

This approach moves beyond outdated demographic profiling, encouraging brands to see people in all their cultural nuance—not just as boxes to tick off.

The Four Cs Framework: A New Way to Think About Strategy

In her book, Gabriel introduces the Four Cs of cultural intelligence: Culture, Communication, Critical Consciousness, and Community. These elements work together to help brands not just talk at audiences, but build trust and connection. Here’s how:

• Culture: Analyze cultural trends, identify what’s emerging or fading, and understand the social context.

• Communication: Craft messages that reflect your brand’s understanding of these cultural shifts.

• Critical Consciousness: Pressure-test those messages for inclusivity, bias, and resonance—especially with historically overlooked communities.

• Community: Create experiences with your audience, not just for them, and foster genuine connections that transcend traditional advertising.

Case Study: Advil’s Cultural Relevance Done Right

Gabriel highlights Advil’s 2023 campaign as a masterclass in cultural intelligence. Rather than jumping on a trend or issuing a broad statement of purpose, Advil grounded its campaign in an underrepresented but urgent cultural insight: the disparities in pain treatment for Black Americans. By linking this truth directly to their product—pain relief—they crafted a message that was both commercially and socially impactful.

“Who better to talk about pain than Advil?” Gabriel asks. “They tied a meaningful cultural issue directly to their category, without being performative.”

Courage Over Caution: Why Brands Must Embrace Cultural Risk

A recurring theme in the conversation was fear—specifically, the fear brands have about saying the wrong thing. Gabriel doesn’t dismiss that fear but instead reframes it: “Fear means you're being thoughtful,” she notes. “But it shouldn't stop you.”

Being culturally intelligent isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being engaged, curious, and committed to learning. Gabriel argues that every brand—not just so-called "activist" brands—must understand its role in culture. Not because it’s a moral obligation (though it is), but because it’s a strategic imperative.

Final Takeaway: Culture as Commercial Opportunity

Gabriel’s work is ultimately about making culture actionable. She advocates for a new mindset: don’t think of cultural engagement as an add-on or a liability. Think of it as your business advantage. When brands get culture right, they don’t just avoid backlash—they build loyalty, relevance, and long-term growth.

In her words: “All brands don’t have to be purpose-driven. But all brands need to understand their place in culture.”

Want to learn more?
Check out Cultural Intelligence for Marketers by Dr. Anastasia K. Gabriel, available from Kogan Page. It’s a must-read for marketers and researchers ready to elevate their strategies in today’s complex cultural landscape.