ISSUE 003
IN SITU this week we discuss our obsession with the niche via food, hobbies & fashion, and why a brand's audience is a moving target.
IN SITU is a platform dedicated to the intersection between culture, brand strategy and music. Sometimes the focus will be on one strand more than another, but always sitting in that sweet spot.
ISSUE 003 AT A GLANCE
LONG READ Cultural observation opinion piece: What’s our obsession with the niche?
VERBATIM Quote from cultural tastemaker: Jayda Deans - Graphic Designer & Researcher
SHORT READ Belief relating to strategy and/or insight: Core belief #3: Consumers are a moving target
MUSIC CORNER Album recommendation: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone and The New World
LONG READ
WHAT’S OUR OBSESSION WITH THE NICHE?
I’ve just finished reading a Taschen book called ‘The Gourmand’s Egg’. I bought it because quite simply, I love this foodstuff more than any other, and couldn’t resist an entire tome in dedication. From it’s presence in art, design and popular culture, with a substantial recipe section to boot, this book couldn’t have unveiled more about the humble egg (there is a sister book, ‘The Gourmand’s Lemon’). There are also manifold recipe books and zines dedicated to specialist food types, such as ‘Modern Art Desserts’ and ‘Sandwich’. But why do these books and zines exist in the first place? Because we have an obsession with the niche.
Defined as “denoting products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialised section of the population”, we ironically can’t get enough of something that is laser-targeted. From articles along the lines of, ‘10 ways to find your niche online’, or ‘8 niche businesses that made it big’, it seems that niche is the route into mainstream success and acceptance.
As a recent article titled, ‘Making Memes for the Global “Oat Milk Élite”’ in The New Yorker spotlights, there is a collection of Instagram accounts dedicated to the overlapping point of geographic and cultural niches. This includes the likes of @havermelkelite (Dutch for “Oat Milk Élite”) based in Amsterdam, @real_housewives_of_clapton based in London, and @nolitadirtbag in New York. It’s these incredibly specific references that attract such an engaged audience, even if you’re not familiar with the neighbourhood.
Given the nature of this topic, it would be jarring to continue in a catch-all manner. Hence, the following categories are an attempt to group some niche obsessions together, and make sense of it all.
FOOD
This is likely the most accessible and obvious of the categories. From social media accounts, cafes and market stalls, we’ve got a massive range of niche food offerings online and on the street.
For instance, TikTok accounts that are seeking out only the UK’s best almond croissant, creators who offer high-protein meal prep, or those who review meals only from their car. When it comes to physical outlets, there are places specialising in things like K-dogs, cookies or fruit crumble - but the list is long and forever growing.
However, food might be the best place for niche to thrive. Firstly, you want the purveyor to be experts because logic follows that the outcome is superior compared to someone who makes multiple things. Secondly, it’s easier to choose your food outlet or creator because they are known for that one thing, and that’s great news if you want to find the best almond croissant within 5 miles of your house. Lastly, it allows for better discoverability because it raises the profile of a particular item that may otherwise have got lost.
HOBBIES
It’s not enough to just be into ‘music’, or ‘sport’ or ‘gaming’. Give me the exact sub-genre, sport core and gaming community or you’re just not that interesting. Chess nights, hybrid teddy-making and incense workshops are just a few examples of niche hobbies gathering traction right now.
We’re all aware of the loneliness epidemic, decline in social skills and prevalence of online vs. offline for younger people. So it makes sense that connections are being forged via these super-specific communities, because it’s a clear line of sight between one person and another, “You’re into building medieval towns to scale, and so am I.”
With the Olympic Games in full swing, it will be curious to observe if some of the more unusual sports, such as Artistic Swimming or Canoe Slalom, receive greater attention than some traditional ones given this behavioural backdrop.
FASHION
Being different takes more effort these days. Our For You and Explore pages are synced-up by algorithms, which means we become unwittingly surrounded by echo chambers. Long gone are the tribal eras of the 80s, 90s and 00s where you were a “punk”, a “skater”, or “minimalist” - and you absolutely had to pick a lane. But nowadays, just dressing one way, everyday, is seen as a form of dampened self-expression.
As things tend to shift in culture, the pendulum has swung far into the opposite direction, birthing the era of ‘cores’ and ultra-specific looks. We’ve cycled through Cottagecore, Barbiecore and Fairycore, past Mob Wife straight into Blokecore and [insert sport]core, hurtling back to whence we came a mere decade ago with Indie Sleaze.
However, the once niche Y2K aesthetic is now mainstream, and the same could be said of Gorpcore. It’s worth pausing here to consider what that means. A niche becomes mainstream when it reaches a wider audience than originally intended. The cultural influence curve has completed its journey from Cultural Leaders, through to Early Adopters, and out into the Mainstream, landing in spaces far removed from its start point. In fact, those who spearheaded the movement will have already moved on to something new.
So, what is our obsession with the niche? It provides us with a solid piece of the identity puzzle. It allows us to situate within a clear set of values, while the trend lasts, which communicate exactly what we’re about. It’s essentially a brand without the logo. We may have lost the tribalism of previous decades, but human behaviour dictates that we just want to belong, and this is a mechanic to do so.
Niche appears to rebuff our algorithmic anxiety, where we’re simultaneously inspired by our feed, and also push it away for fear of conformity. Belonging and self-expression are basics of the human condition, and no matter where technology leads us, we are always seeking to satisfy those needs.
VERBATIM
WHAT ROLE DOES NICHE PLAY IN CULTURE TODAY?
Jayda Deans - Graphic Designer & Researcher
“We’ve all had an artist, film or hobby which you stand on ten toes that you liked before they became mainstream. You need to prove your unique taste made you part of initiating a cultural moment and not simply following trends.
Whether you listened to Tyler, the Creator before the masses, or was die hard into Balenciaga before they were “cool”, it’s clear that being, or at least feeling niche, is what propels culture - the chasing of what other people aren’t.
The first micro communities which blossom from bonding over being the only few, before the masses jump on the bandwagon, is the heart of niche in culture and something we need to preserve. Maybe a little gatekeeping can be a good thing.”
SHORT READ
CORE BELIEF #3: CONSUMERS ARE A MOVING TARGET
As last Issue’s Short Read explained, brand strategy should never be static - and the same is true for defining a brand audience.
Just because your consumer was a certain group before, doesn’t mean it’s the same group now. There are plenty of circumstances in which this can occur, such as competitor dynamics shifting, leading your audience to adapt to a new marketplace. Perhaps the economic climate has altered to the point where your original target market is now too small, or maybe your product/service has evolved and therefore, your audience has matured with it.
Whether the change is due to internal or external variables, you must know who your target is, otherwise your business is simply not optimised.
MUSIC CORNER
Childish Gambino - Bando Stone and The New World
This is Donald Glover’s final album under the Childish Gambino alias that has served him for so long. Quick off the heels of his previous album release, ‘Atavista’ in May, it feels like the last squeeze of this particular musical brand ahead of his upcoming world tour. This album pushes the limits of traditional listening, moving us between soulful R&B, rap and electronic sounds, not always in a clear pattern, but with the heightened creativity we have come to expect of this multi-talented and visionary artist.
My interview with artist Odeal for Clash Magazine is now live - available to read in Issue 128 and online here.
Don’t forget to follow IN SITU on Instagram @insitu.njd, and check out my website at nicolajdavies.com.