Liquid Brands

At The Cabinet we pride ourselves on living beyond the bubble. And if time has taught us anything, it’s that if you don’t know what’s happening in society more generally, then you have no chance of producing work for clients that will be relevant, powerful and effective.

Our work must tap into and harness what is already out there, to inspire and reflect our target audiences, their fears, their hopes, and of course their dreams.

So, if society – and as a result brands – are a true reflection of the times we live in, then what’s going on has a direct correlation on what we do, where we do it and who we do it for.

The term ‘Liquid Times’ was first coined by Zygmunt Bauman in his 2007 book Liquid Times,?Living in an Age of Uncertainty, launched one month after the first iPhone.?Bauman foresaw the ongoing passage of ‘solid’ societies changing into ‘liquid’ ones, as new and unprecedented social pursuits emerged, and individual lives became ever more untethered from previously stable institutions and beliefs. Examples of this aplenty, from the UK expenses scandal through to the global bank bail outs, no organisation has come out of this societal bruising unscathed.

It would result, he predicted, in members of society leading ever more fragmented lives, with individuals having to adapt by becoming uncharacteristically flexible and adaptable; constantly ready and willing to change tactics and decisions at short notice, to abandon commitments and loyalties without regret, and to pursue opportunities according to their current availability.

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