Thinkbox
Every brand wants to be part of culture. Every medium claims to deliver cultural relevance. But, until now, media planners have lacked the evidence to compare what different channels actually contribute to culture and what that means for brands.
Thinkbox's new free Cultural Compass tool changes that. It enables planners to compare the cultural impact of media channels across 19 different audiences, putting culture alongside established metrics like reach or ROI in a channel recommendation, with evidence rather than vibes.
The tool is built on the findings from Thinkbox's 2026 Cultural Advantage study conducted with cultural insight specialists everyday people and based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 16+. Respondents assessed the cultural impact of a range of media channels, including TV, cinema, radio, podcasts, video-sharing platforms, social media, newspapers and magazines, and content creators.
Cultural Advantage identified seven ingredients of cultural impact, covering everything from bringing people together and creating shared experiences to challenging conventions and remaining relevant over time. These are affirmation, bonding, bridging, continuity, currency, purpose, and transformation.
The Cultural Compass enables planners to compare how different media perform across these seven dimensions, allowing planners to identify the channels best suited to a brand’s cultural objectives.
For example, the tool could be used to help understand which different media are culturally relevant for 16-24s compared with older audiences, or to identify the media that could help a brand increase a particular element of cultural significance they want to be associated with.
It helps planners answer questions such as:
- How do I get people talking about my advertising, not just seeing it?
- How do I build cultural relevance that lasts?
- How can my brand reach beyond the people who already like it?
- How do I stay current without becoming disposable?
- Where do I need to show up to show my brand stands for something?
Elliott Millard, Thinkbox CSO: “We know being a part of culture is a commercially smart move, but we’ve lacked the evidence to properly understand how different media can help achieve it. We're used to building media plans on reach, cost, attention – but culture has been left largely to instinct.
“The Cultural Compass reveals how different media contribute to culture, whether that’s bringing people together, keeping brands relevant, or challenging norms rather than just echoing them. These are important distinctions for any brand wanting to build a meaningful place in people's lives.”
The original Cultural Advantage study found that TV was the UK's most culturally significant medium, ahead of social media, while content creators and podcasts ranked lowest. TV was also the second most culturally significant medium among 16–24s, behind social media.
The study also found that continuity – culture's ability to endure and connect generations – was the quality people valued most, with TV and cinema performing strongest on this measure.
Cultural Compass is free to use at thinkbox.tv/culturalcompass.