Mysterious, random, and ever-evolving, pop culture has fascinated the society that shapes it for more than a century. It’s a powerful, predatory force that heavily influences how we perceive and interact with the world we live in. From the music we consume (and the devices we listen to it on) to the fashion we gravitate and the phraseology we use, pop culture truly is one of the most impactful elements in contemporary life.
Our behaviors, beliefs, values, and just about everything else that defines us has been shaped — unconsciously or otherwise — by pop culture. This is why delving into pop culture’s oversized influence on people’s thoughts, desires, expectations, and actions is such a strong move for any business leader or HR professional who wants to inspire and recognize noteworthy employees with custom awards and branded merchandise that they’re sure to love. You’ll be able to follow the latest trends all the way to better productivity, happier workers, and more satisfied customers.
The Extent of Pop Culture Influence
To use a simple analogy, pop culture is a mirror. It’s the prevailing trends and activities that shape our outlook of the world and how we fit in it. It swirls about us every second of every hour, especially in the digital age where TikTok dances and viral videos spread to millions of viewers in less than a day.
Think about the recent (and long overdue) movement toward body positivity among all genders. Social-media influencers and celebrities alike have used their platforms to confront traditional beauty standards, promoting self-acceptance, self-care, and inclusivity to legions of fans that hang on every word and aren’t shy about pushing a cause forward. Has this trend shown up at your workplace or within your company culture lately? Imagine what a surprise “Fiercest Individual” award could do for the morale of your employees? Folding pop culture trends into the recognition you give your workers shows you care — and you pay attention to the world around you.
Think about the prevalence of remote work nowadays. What was once a welcome change of pace to our professional lives has now become clogged with Zoom fatigue, a pronounced lack of collaboration opportunities, and isolated employees who crave those long-ago interactions with colleagues. Social media has documented this enormous lifestyle change and reflected it back to a content-hungry society, introducing work-related memes into our daily feeds. Imagine how thoughtful your company would appear if it gifted some “remote work warrior” custom awards or branded merchandise to the workforce? The word-of-mouth praise you’d likely receive on social media would be well worth the price of such an award.
How to Get Everyone Involved
Custom awards offer an amazing opportunity to celebrate excellence and innovation within your organization. And you’re only bound by the creative limits of your team. One great way to tap into pop culture while celebrating and honoring your team members is to create a committee whose job it is to dream up fun, exciting awards and recognitions for your roster of employees. You may be surprised at all of the creative ways they use pop culture references and trends to inspire custom awards that brighten a hard-working individual’s day. This can be a tremendous opportunity for some intergenerational brainstorming, with Millennials and Baby Boomers working side by side to compare pop culture notes and observations and explaining nuances to each other.
In the end, pop culture is supposed to be fun. And company leaders want their charges to have as much fun as possible in a working environment. Why not marry the two and use pop culture to inspire the custom awards and recognitions you doll out to your best and brightest employees?
