Slow the f**k down and build something worth remembering
As we enter into 2025, we should strive to avoid the mistakes of ’24, one of which may well be marketing’s over-reliance on fleeting social trends. VCCP’s Nick Lewis explains.
Stop. Breathe. Look around. Everyone is moving too fast. We’re on a treadmill to nowhere - chasing trends, churning out content, sprinting to keep up with a culture that never pauses. The result? Exhaustion. Burnout. Work no one remembers. It’s time to slow the f**k down.
Fast culture has us hooked - doomscrolling, chasing virality and measuring success in fleeting engagements. But here’s the truth: speed kills. It kills loyalty, creativity, and the chance to build something real.
Slow culture isn’t a retreat; it’s a rebellion. It’s about rejecting the disposable in favor of the durable. Icons aren’t forged in one viral moment - they’re crafted over years of consistency, depth, and purpose. We’ve entered an age of boredom, oversaturated with noise yet starved of meaning. And the antidote? Ease off the accelerator.
Fast culture gives you visibility, but at what cost? Trends rise and fall as quickly as a Love Island contestant’s fame. Audiences are disengaged, disillusioned, and quick to move on. Take TikTok: it’s a blur of fleeting moments, a 24-hour petrol station with nothing fresh on the shelves.
Brands are stuck on the same loop. Prime, the drink phenomenon, exploded into the spotlight, but where is it now? In the bargain bins at B&M. Meanwhile, brands like Walkers and Cadbury endure because they build on decades of trust and loyalty. Legacy isn’t built at breakneck speed.
Slow doesn’t mean irrelevant. It means deliberate. Guinness’s ‘Made of More’ and Cadbury’s ‘Glass and a Half’ are slow-culture gold. They evolve while staying rooted in values that audiences connect with.
AI has turned the speed dial to 11.
You can churn out a year’s worth of posts in minutes, but can you churn out a legacy? AI thrives in the fast lane, pumping out transactional content for trends and fads, doping the algorithm with AI-generated influencers. But slow culture? That’s where humans win. It’s where creativity transcends algorithms.
The opportunity lies in going deeper. Less surface-level fluff, fewer soulless campaigns. Let’s stop creating things we don’t care about and get back to what makes us proud - the kind of work people will talk about in the pub, not just in passing on Instagram Stories.
Look around, and you’ll see slow culture thriving. The Athletic and FT Weekend draw loyal audiences with in-depth journalism. Substack has grown by offering meaningful, nuanced content far removed from a 280-character world. Joe Rogan’s marathon podcasts prove that when people see value, they’ll stick around (even if he isn’t to your particular taste).
Even TikTok isn’t immune to slow culture. Duolingo’s Owl wasn’t dominating because of one viral hit - it’s years of consistent, memorable content. Smashd did something similar with ‘#SmashArmy’ and Nicole’s relentless can-smashing. The formula? Repetition, familiarity, and trust.
Social media itself is shifting. BlueSky is an early sign that people want slower, more intentional spaces. It’s giving creators room to breathe, to enjoy the process, to rediscover the pleasure of building something meaningful.
At VCCP, we understand the value of slow. Our platforms for O2, Cadbury, and others weren’t built on the fly. They’re the result of deep, thoughtful work and client relationships that span decades. That doesn’t mean we ignore fast culture - we play there too. But we do it from a place of strength: solid foundations, long-term thinking, and a commitment to what truly matters.
Just as Instagram now lets you reset your personal algorithm, the industry needs a reset. Step off the cultural treadmill. We don’t have to abandon speed altogether, but we must balance it with meaning. Slowing down isn’t a retreat - it’s a strategy.
Slow culture isn’t safe - it’s brave. It’s for brands that want to be remembered, not just noticed. The band Oasis knew this. Their legacy wasn’t built overnight but through years of believing in their destiny as cultural icons. The rock ‘n’ roll thing to do used to be to burn out rather than fade away, but the Gallaghers always wanted to ‘Live Forever’ and, decades later, fans are still whipped into a frenzy at the prospect of a reunion. It’s the same for brands, if you want to keep delivering you need to burn for a long time - keep building your bonfire rather than letting off fireworks for a quick thrill.
It’s not just music where you’ll see this. David Beckham is tending chickens. Megan Thee Stallion is deleting her apps. These aren’t PR stunts; they’re signals of a cultural shift. More people are turning to slower, quieter pleasures. Brands that embrace this shift will resonate - and endure.
So here’s the call to arms: ditch the bullshit. Stop chasing fleeting trends. Create work that excites you. Build campaigns that mean something. Slow culture isn’t nostalgia or playing it safe.
The boldest thing a brand can do in this fast-moving world is slow the f**k down. Let’s reset - and build something worth remembering. It’s how brands move from being moments to being movements.
Read more opinion on The Drum. Continue the conversation with Nick here.