Rhian Mason and Elly Brand have launched REALMS, an independent culture consultancy in Sydney designed to help brands connect specialist capabilities around cultural opportunities.
REALMS is built as an operating model for culture, connecting brand and agency teams around one cultural strategy. It aims to help turn cultural intelligence into coordinated action across disciplines, said the agency.
“Most organisations don’t have a capability problem. They have a connection problem,” said Mason.
“The opportunity isn’t to undo specialisation. It’s to connect it around the same cultural opportunity, rather than producing separate discipline and channel plans.”
“We keep hiring ‘culture-obsessed’ social leads, then bringing them into the process after the big decisions have already been made,” added Elly Brand.
“One person is expected to span cultural strategy, community, creators, platforms, paid amplification and content, while somehow championing culture across the organisation.”
“You can’t retrofit cultural relevance at the end. If culture matters to the brand, it has to shape creative, media, earned, creators, partnerships and social from the beginning. Culture should be a shared responsibility, not a final layer applied by social.”
Together, Mason and Brand bring more than 25 years’ experience. Mason’s senior leadership roles span M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, Clemenger BBDO and Emotive. Brand’s include roles at McCann and TEDxSydney. Their client experience includes Google, Amazon, CommBank, LEGO, eBay, Mastercard, Microsoft, Hyundai and L’Oreal.
REALMS says it will remain independent and senior-led. It also represents a different model for senior women in the industry, where ownership, ambition and flexibility can coexist.
