Ambient Uncertainty, Scroll Stopping and Big Fire Horse Energy
The weekly look at three curious points of tension, plus optimistic ‘what if’ ideas for what to do moving forward.
Ambient Uncertainty
Uncertainty is the defining theme of the global risks outlook in 2026. Ciao! to the rules based order because uncertainty is expected to be more the backdrop than the headline in the years ahead. And right at the heart of it all? That’s inequality, folks. Once again signalling the end of moral emptiness of leadership. At the same time, we’re all done with performative behaviours - performative being the word that “aligns with a hypocrisy we’ve grown used to.”
Moving forward: There’s a massive opportunity on the table here - and not just for brands - because when trust is on the floor it means it’s now the most important thing. So quit the performativity and focus on delivering - only - products and systems that actually work. Trust is now the competitive advantage. Unsure where to start? Chat to me! This is what I do for a living.
Made You Look
Couture against the scroll. For a short time only, Grammar of Forms aka Dior Haute Couture was open to the public. Exhibiting at Musée Rodin was a pretty smart move: the antidote to a bedrotting audience scrolling straight-on past looks that took +10k hours of handcrafted expertise only to comment ‘yawn’ 🥱. Elsewhere in the FT this weekend was a short-yet-interesting article on knowledge loss and how we can lose capabilities just as we can gain them.
Moving forward: Invest in experiences and formats that put human-made craft, expertise and collaboration front-and-centre. More care, repair and interactive knowledge-exchange based experiences, please.
Anxious Attachment
Everyone is anxious but the crowd goes wild for this, the year of the fire horse and getting through it all - together. “Thought to symbolise bold transformation, rapid movement and intense passion” If there’s any weird signal of potential in amongst the doom, gloom and uncertainties it’d be our collective obsession with the year of the Fire Horse as a sign of possibility.
Moving forward: Run with the Fire Horse and think local. I think Heidi Hackemer put it best - which might actually be the prompt of all prompts for moving forward this week:
Signal tracking and tension mapping is where the thinking starts. The real-world work happens when we make it truly actionable inside teams, systems and strategies that set the future in motion.
If you’re curious about applying this kind of thinking to your brand, check out how we work below.