Hearts & Science, in partnership with cultural insights agency, The Lab, hosted exclusive events at Google in Sydney on August 20 and in Melbourne on August 13, in which they unveiled Change of Heart: The Cultural Shifts That Brands Can’t Afford to Ignore.
Drawing on 5.6 million data points and 382,000 decoded conversations, the research identifies five enduring cultural patterns that will redraw the lines between people, platforms, and brands,
defining value in the years ahead.
“Our clients spend millions of dollars in media buying and planning, and this research provides a critical lens for where to place that energy and investment—shifting from chasing reach to creating
resonance, building trust, and driving growth in ways that align with evolving cultural values. For clients, the question isn’t where to spend, it’s how to matter,” said Liz Wigmore, managing director of Hearts & Science.
“At Hearts & Science, we know that brand growth comes at the intersection of the Heart and the Science: balancing the need to forge more meaningful connections between brands, people and communities, while harnessing the creative use of data and technology to drive connections at scale. It’s our number one priority to ensure our clients’ advertising spend works as hard, and as meaningfully, as it possibly can.
“These aren’t fleeting trends—they’re deep cultural patterns that reveal how Australians are recalibrating their lives in response to pressure, progress and possibility. If brands want to matter, they must start aligning with meaning.”
The four cultural shifts covered at the event:
- Digital De-sensitivity: Immersive, personalised digital environments are training Australians to disengage faster. To earn attention, brands must focus less on reach with relevance and more on finding mass resonance, designing content that feels necessary, not just visible.
- Redefinition of Success: Overwork is no longer a status symbol. Australians are rejecting hustle culture in favour of fulfilment, resilience, and experiences that align with their values. Success used to be defined by aspiration, now its being redefined around feeling, not just achieving.
- The Trust Recession: With misinformation and polarisation accelerating, trust now hinges less on information and more on intention. Australians are looking for messengers they believe in, not just messages that sound correct.
- Scroll vs Soul: In an always-on world, audiences are filtering not only content but also energy. People are actively protecting their emotional bandwidth, favouring brands that respect their wellbeing and design for restoration, not depletion.
The events brought together over 120 marketing leaders from across the industry and featured a panel discussion on how these cultural shifts are already reshaping consumer expectations, and how brands can respond with authenticity, foresight and impact.
Panellists included Uma Oldham, head of marketing and media at SBS, who said: “The Change of Heart research really resonates with what we’re observing at SBS every day; that audiences connect with content that has purpose, meaning and reflects themselves. People aren’t just looking for content to fill their time, they’re looking for content that respects their attention, reflects
their values, and feels trustworthy.”
“These cultural insights remind us that growth won’t come from being louder—it comes from tuning in,” said Neale Cotton, co-founder and CEO of The Lab. “Australians aren’t asking for more noise. They’re looking for brands that connect—brands that mean something.
“In a world drowning in content, relevance alone isn’t enough. Resonance wins. You need to matter.”
