Reflections from Paradigms

In Marrakesh, Paradigms broke the mould: no glorified creds decks, no filler, just big ideas and conversations on building brands with soul, substance and staying power. 

Here’s what stood out: 

The Evolving Agency ModelOne of the strongest undercurrents at Paradigms was the shifting agency model.  
 
Transactional, at-arm’s-length relationships, with long lead times and heavy investment, no longer serve the pace or complexity of today’s brand challenges. With more talent moving in-house, agencies need to flex: not only accelerating delivery, but collaborating as an extension of internal teams. 
  
The future belongs to brands (and their partners) that strike a balance between agility, purpose, and creativity, with a commercial impact. For agencies, this means adapting engagement models to fit the moment, collaborating at the earliest strategic stages, co-developing concepts in sprints, and stepping in as brand guardians within a broader interagency system. 
  
The business of talent has changed, too. What people expect from their careers, and what clients demand from their partners, now centres on collaboration, clarity, and adaptability. A recent project with a client partner needed exactly that, prompting a more agile way of working. We sparred with them in the early stages of a project to bring fresh perspective and strategic clarity, then ran concept sprints alongside their internal and freelance designers to deliver within tight milestones. Where needed, we’ve learned and iterated in real-time with their other partners, from brand strategy and design to communications and shopper experience, ensuring consistency while playing the role of brand guardian across the system. 

The Importance of Meaningful BrandingOur industry can suffer from recency bias, the urge to prioritise novelty and chase talkability through culturally significant moments. And while this can be a useful tactic to spark attention, without understanding a brand’s fundamentals (or what we like to call Soul), it isn’t easy to know if it’s appropriate or authentic to get involved.

When brands show up inauthentically and inconsistently, they’re not reinforcing memory or meaning; they’re re-introducing themselves instead of building on the associations they’ve already earned. The real win isn’t the next viral moment; it’s building meaning that compounds over decades. In a world where 66% of people feel brands are trying too hard (as Tom Beckham noted in his talk), authenticity isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a brand essential. 

Authenticity may sound lofty, but at its core, it’s about clarity: knowing what you offer, who you serve, and when you truly have permission to contribute to broader culture. 

And while short-term cultural tactics are on the rise, our job is to help brands build long-term relevance. We shouldn’t be planning for the next 15-second video when we need to be planning for the next 15 years. 

The Need to Meet People Where They AreWhile cultural references shouldn’t be the foundation of your brand, you do need to acknowledge the context in which your brand exists. In a world where authenticity cuts through, you can’t place your brand on a pedestal.

As Tom Beckman explained in his talk ‘Lore is the new core’, we need to design for the jungle, not the zoo. What does he mean by that? While the zoo is contrived, orchestrated and performative. The jungle is real; it’s the place where culture exists and isn’t just referenced. The best brands have built the foundations to be recognisable and show up in relevant spaces, but then take it into the real world. Thoughtfully and meaningfully showing up in their customers’ lives and encouraging adoption and adaptation.   

The true role of AI. AI sparked plenty of debate in Marrakesh. Could it run a brand independently? The consensus was clear: no. AI is an engine, not the driver. It can democratise production, accelerate testing, and bring efficiency at scale, but it cannot create context, purpose or cultural soul. That’s the human role. 
  
The most successful brands will harness AI as a tool to strengthen creativity, not replace it. It should enable agility, consistency and insight, while people provide the judgement, intuition and originality that keep brands unforgettable.

Summary Paradigms reinforced that brands are cultural systems. To endure, they must strike a balance between agility and discipline, cultural resonance and authenticity, and technology and humanity. The most successful aren’t those chasing novelty or efficiency, but those built to last - flexible enough to play, soulful enough to matter - and ultimately able to create unforgettable, both strategically and creatively as well as commercially.