The Ozempification of culture: Are audiences rejecting optimisation?

Brands are constantly asking for attention. But this year we at OK Cool did a global survey of 2,900 people just to find out what should have been incredibly obvious from the beginning – people are pretty happy to give it. Brands just aren’t in the habit of doing enough to earn it.

This is just one of the findings from the latest incarnation of OK COOL’s trend report, titled The Societal Ozempification of Personality (and fight for system reset), which reports on audience’s sentiments and the culture at large.

In this year's responses and research, what became overwhelmingly obvious is that the art of making an effort and an anti-optimisation backlash is defining the times – 73 per cent of our respondents, to be precise, report optimisation-maxxing as ruining their lives. 

And can you blame them? People are shaving two minutes off commutes, perfecting their sleep scores only to realise they’re lonely and haven’t seen a friend in three weeks. Plus, the time saved using AI to write emails is being filled with...well…more emails. Not saying it was all for nothing. But…

 There's a growing desire to make our own discoveries rather than simply accept what's recommended to us.

As our findings show, all of this has left us searching for experiences that make us feel something. We're beginning to push back against the algorithms and shortcuts that have made everything more convenient but also more predictable. From choosing who we date to deciding what films we watch, there's a growing desire to make our own discoveries rather than simply accept what's recommended to us. Making those choices, even when they take more effort or push us outside our comfort zones, helps us develop our interests, build connections and ultimately become more individual.

Audiences are increasingly willing to put themselves out there, even if it means risking embarrassment. Whether that's sharing the ups and downs of learning a new hobby, documenting a personal transformation or being open about their ambitions, people are becoming more comfortable with showing effort and vulnerability. In fact, 92.5% describe embarrassment as an essential part of the human condition. Where once trying too hard was something to be mocked, now it's nonchalance and a lack of enthusiasm that feel increasingly out of step. And audiences are beginning to expect that same level of effort from the brands asking for their attention. 

 We should think of ‘social’ in the more traditional sense - what would make two people excited to talk about something together? All the ads that shaped me, no matter where they’ve been shown or how they’ve been made, deliver this. Not just shaping me and my taste, but cultural colloquialisms, perceptions, and societal shifts. Isn’t that the work we all want to be responsible for in advertising anyway?

It’s not cost effective to put effort into creating something that leaves audiences with no recollection of your brand whatsoever.