This blog is based on an article in Forbes, published in December 2025.

An innovation succeeds when it aligns with culture, when people’s unmet needs, tensions and desires create a natural opening for something new. Real success isn’t about being first or being loud. It’s about launching at the moment an idea feels instantly relevant. That’s what sets brands like Glossier, Monzo and Tony’s Chocolonely apart: they pair intuition with deep empathy, moving only when culture signals “now is the time.”

We often hear that AI will make us more innovative. And yes, AI is already amplifying creativity, sharpening insights and speeding up decision-making. But while AI accelerates how we innovate, it doesn’t answer a more fundamental question for CMOs and CMIs: “When is the right time to launch an innovation for maximum impact?” Sometimes this is about sequencing innovations; other times it’s about sustaining attention, shaping emotional engagement or understanding when people are ready for a rule-breaker. In other words: knowing when culture is ready.

Culture: the quiet force shaping every breakthrough

Culture is the invisible force that determines whether people embrace a bold idea, whether they’re open to shifting norms and whether an innovation truly lands. The most successful brands don’t just launch; they sense where culture is heading and move when the moment is right. Think of Trader Joe’s reinventing grocery culture through curiosity and discovery. Glossier rewriting beauty by co-creating with its community. Tony’s Chocolonely using a simple chocolate bar to challenge industry injustice. These brands didn’t disrupt for the sake of it. They acted at the precise moment when culture was primed for change.

This is the power of cultural intelligence. When combined with deep audience insight, it helps brands build trust through sustained engagement rather than clinging to dated assumptions. When you understand cultural signals, you’re already closer to perfect timing; ignore them and you’re launching on a hunch.

The air fryer is a perfect illustration. Invented in 2006 and launched by Philips in 2010 and today present in 60% of US households. Its rise isn’t “just a trend”; it mirrors broader desires for healthier home-cooked meals, energy efficiency and time-saving solutions. It succeeded because everyday culture shifted around it.

And culture never stands still. It evolves through new habits, rising expectations and subtle frictions. This is why brands must not only observe people’s lives, but also understand the wider cultural context shaping what people think, feel and do. People can’t always articulate what matters, but culture explains the “why” behind the “what.”

How culture becomes insight

There are many ways to dive deeper into culture: using AI-powered cultural analytics to spot emerging values, applying semiotics to decode symbolism and meaning, or collaborating with cultural shapers and fringe voices who sense change before anyone else. These approaches turn cultural signals into strategic guidance, helping brands see not just what’s happening, but why it matters and where it might lead. In other words, they build cultural fluency: the ability to turn cultural change into commercial advantage.

This is also how our in-house cultural, creative and foresight team, Space Doctors, partnered with Microsoft. Rather than treating cultural insight as a one-off study, they built a dynamic insight ecosystem, a living, breathing structure that evolves with the world. Working with Microsoft, Space Doctors combined cultural and semiotic analysis, media analytics, ongoing trackers, future frameworks, a global expert community and a network of changemakers. Together, these elements created a system that continuously reflects how people’s expectations around technology, creativity and empowerment are shifting. By drawing on this ecosystem dynamically – and flexing it as new challenges emerged – Microsoft gained a clearer understanding of the cultural forces influencing how its products show up in people’s lives. It’s a powerful example of what happens when cultural methods aren’t just tools, but part of an ongoing practice of sensing, interpreting and acting.

Immersion builds intuition

The best insights don’t live in slides; they live in people’s lives. Consumer immersions translate cultural theory into human reality, building empathy, sharpening instinct and giving leaders the confidence to make bold decisions.  If you’re a car manufacturer, sit beside a young commuter in Shanghai, have lunch with them in their car and you’ll understand why their car is evolving into a third living space. Spend an afternoon with beauty creators in Lagos and you’ll see how micro-communities are reshaping global beauty codes. Shadow parents during the chaotic dinner hour and the role of “speed with soul” becomes visible instantly. These lived moments turn cultural signals into something you can feel. And once you’ve felt it, your intuition becomes one of your most powerful strategic tools.

But immersion doesn’t end when you leave the field. The next step is staying in touch, holding onto what you’ve seen and felt. Think of it like coming home from a family trip to Italy: the photos, the snippets of video, the tiny moments you captured aren’t just souvenirs; they help you recall the textures, the emotions, the details that mattered. The strongest marketers recreate this feeling in their work. They keep consumers close through storytelling, video diaries, collages and virtual personas. Because understanding people isn’t a one-off exercise, it’s an ongoing practice of noticing and tuning in.

When physical immersion isn’t possible, always-on digital communities offer a window into evolving needs. We’ve helped global brands fuel their innovation pipelines with diverse communities spanning geographies, generations and cultural identities giving them immediate access to signals that matter. Just one example: the Beauty Co-Lab, the online community we run for L’Oréal R&I. With 1,200+ engaged participants, it gives scientists real-time access to the signals shaping the future of beauty, while enabling consumers to co-create prototypes that guide product.

A simple framework for culturally timed innovation

Short-term readiness

Before launching an innovation, it’s crucial to check whether the conditions are right, whether culture, audience needs and organisational capability align. Ask yourself:

• Are we solving a real tension?
• Can we afford to fail fast?
• Are we willing to take a leap of faith?

Then explore cultural readiness through diverse lenses:

• AI-powered cultural analytics
• Semiotics (the use of signs and symbols) and cultural insight
• Cultural shapers and experts
• Consumer immersions

Long-term opportunity

This is where foresight becomes a strategic asset. Following deep cultural patterns helps brands anticipate future demand spaces and move with confidence, not guesswork.

Monzo reshaped the banking experience around transparency, real-time tracking and a mobile-first mindset. Culture was ready for a bank that behaved like a friend, not an institution. Oatly didn’t invent plant-based milk, they rode a cultural wave of climate consciousness with bold storytelling and challenger energy. Dyson consistently layers cultural insight with engineering excellence, arriving in market at the precise moments consumers are ready to trade up. And LEGO revived its brand by tapping into adult creativity culture, not just children’s play. Each moved when culture opened the door.

Why ‘fast following’ is no longer safe

In this digital age, launching too late (or too early) is equally dangerous. Legacy brands often wait for competitors to take the risk. Tech players sometimes jump before the market’s ready. Both approaches ignore the most crucial variable: people.

The answer isn’t to launch bigger, faster or louder. It’s to stay in constant dialogue with the people you serve.

Test, learn, refine. Immerse, listen, adapt. And then trust your instinct. Because intuition grounded in empathy is one of the most powerful strategic tools leaders have.

That’s how you create innovation people welcome.

That’s how you build brands that last.