Brands, stop buying visibility. Start earning belief. A preview of our latest research report, Parafaith
This week, we hosted an exclusive, closed-door boardroom session at WSA, Dazed New York, gathering brand leaders for a sneak preview of our upcoming research. The room debated the cultural shifts driving Gen Z and Gen Alpha, exploring how young people are actively bypassing traditional institutions and finding new forms of meaning in an increasingly unstable world. We are keeping the deep data, our proprietary "Cathedral Brand Building Model," and actionable brand strategies locked in the vault until the official release. However, to give you a taste of the provocations shaping the future of brand building, here are a few things overheard in the boardroom.
Overheard at WSA, Dazed New York:
On the craving for human connection:
“Presence is a form of rebellion and attention is a kind of devotion. Intimacy is golden.”
On the changing face of influence:
“We don't trust the big box, 10-billion-follower person anymore. It's the rise of the 'stealth influencer' someone who hasn't built their career on social media but proves their taste through their actual life. You trust them because they're an expert in their field, not because they're trying to monetize it.”
On new forms of community:
“People are showing up to run clubs because they can dip in and dip out. The bar is lower. Belonging is becoming less high-stakes—you don’t have to make it your entire identity.”
On the search for shared reality:
“Is Love Island our Hunger Games? What does tuning in every night say about modern human behaviour and our need for fandoms?”
On the paradox of AI:
“Young people are outsourcing intimacy to code, not because they want to, but because the human world feels harder to navigate. But its least trusted uses are emotional advice and culture-making.”
On the desire for positive friction and escape:
“We’re seeing a counter-movement against overstimulation. People are looking for quiet places to tune out, even brands like Sephora are testing 'quiet hours' with low lighting, no music, and no screens.”
On brand survival:
“The middle is dead. In a fragmented culture, brands don't win by pleasing everyone. They win by standing for something specific. People want clarity, not neutrality.”
The full "Parafaith: Reclaiming Meaning in the Age of Re-Enchantment" report officially launches the week of July 7th. It unpacks how youth are assembling meaningful belief systems through culture rather than doctrine, featuring global survey data, deep-dive chapters on taste, aura, and anti-heroes, and actionable strategies for becoming a brand that truly matters. Stay tuned.
