Power of post-binary brands

“I’d forgotten how much he EATS!”  

Said Lucid’s Catherine Horner the other day, about her teenage son having hoovered everything in the fridge and cupboards. Food is fuel to him, and needs to be quick, low effort and satisfying, to keep his 6 foot 5 body firing and avoid him getting hangry. 

We often see this functional approach as more people set goals around food with protein a key focus and fibre increasingly important.

GLP-1 drugs are also driving negative emotions towards food, described as ‘noisy’ and intrusive – like a pestering seagull – shifting perceptions from joyful to functional and unwelcome.

But of course that’s not the whole picture.

We see a simultaneous backlash against the ‘rules’ around what to eat. A longing for food to be simple and tasty, downright delicious and a source of delight. A draw towards things that fly in the face of what we ‘should’ eat. Having ‘f**k’ it days when they eat what they like. Telling us they need treats and won’t compromise on how tasty they are – albeit they might eat less of them than previously, especially if taking GLP-1.

So what does that mean if you are a food brand? Should you focus on the joyful or the functional? The benefits for the body or the sheer pleasure of something scrumptious? 

We think it’s a bit more nuanced. People are talking about the functional side of food, but most don’t want to compromise on pleasure either. They want both. 

And this rejection of binary choices isn’t unique to food.

We see it in many categories. People wanting their skin, hair and body products to be high performing and simple / natural. Their phone and computer to be all-singing-all-dancing technically and dead easy to use. Their car to be economical and super-reliable and sexy.

It’s been happening for a while now but is picking up pace such that we now live in what Dr. Nick Gadsby (Lucid People’s associate in semiotics and cultural analysis) describes as a ‘Post-Binary World’. It applies in the realm of identity and sexuality, of course, but what we’re seeing is broader than that. More universal.

The clear, distinct binaries we used to have (man or woman, work or leisure, creator or audience, modern or traditional, human or machine) are now blurred, or blurring.

And the challenge this presents is that thinking about how to balance things creates even more ‘noise’ and conflict, mentally – making it much harder to make choices.

Enter: the power of the ‘bit of both’ – or, more powerfully, the x AND ALSO y solution.

As Nick explains:

  • “Lots of things that used to be defined in a binary way – in terms of EITHER / OR – are now being redefined in terms of AND ALSO. Things we previously believed were entirely oppositional can now be credibly combined, mixed together, or united to create something new, more relevant and more meaningful. For example, it used to be that you were EITHER a vegetarian OR a meat-eater, but in the post-binary world, an individual can be flexitarian – a vegetarian AND ALSO a meat-eater. Similarly, it used to be that you EITHER drank OR you were sober, but with no / Lo alcohol brands you can now drink AND ALSO be sober”.

Examples of brands nailing the nuances in food and drink include:

  • Hu chocolate, promising indulgently delicious chocolate without the guilt

  • Bio.Me, leading on taste for an intrinsically health-boosting product.

  • DASH, who recently launched their first TV ad claiming to be ‘the drink that has it all… phenomenal flavour, real fruit but no sugar, no sweeteners and no calories’

  • Lucky Saint on tap and Botivo, enabling us to enjoy a ‘proper’ drink (and the social benefits that brings) while protecting our bodies from the damaging effects of alcohol

The meteoric rise of the 16-8 and 5-2 intermittent-fasting programmes owes a lot to this, too. You can lose weight AND ALSO not think about what you’re eating AND ALSO eat what you like AND ALSO slow the ageing process AND ALSO prevent illness to boot. It’s more than the double-whammy; it’s a quintuple-whammy of Post-Binary Brilliance.

Brands getting it right beyond food include:

  • The Ordinary, giving us the science-backed, ingredient-focused assurance of high performance skincare AND ALSO the simple, unfussy, honest and transparent feel (and lower prices) of more every day, high street brands 

  • HABI (owned by Boots) giving us highly functional beauty and nutrition AND ALSO a fun and flirty, youthful, devil-may-care vibe

  • Airbnb, giving us the comfort of home AND ALSO the excitement of away
  • Deliveroo, giving us the treat ofeating out AND ALSO the ease and comfort of eating In (in our jammies, should we so wish)

  • Uber, giving us the scale and reassurance of being public AND ALSO the social connection and sense of personalisation of being private

  • And (just to get a bit more esoteric for a moment), NFTs, giving us something that’s unique AND ALSO infinitely reproducible

As Clémence Dupau (Global Innovation Manager for Rum at Pernod Ricard) said when we were exchanging thoughts on this:

  • “We used to think brands needed a very single-minded focus to reach a broad audience, but things are shifting. Adding extra layers of meaning or functionality now seems to bring more depth and relevance to a brand’s identity”

Some trends and brands in the Post-Binary world go even further, creating a ‘third space that is not just an AND ALSO space but something even more. For example:

  • In drinks, there’s ‘sober curious’– a ‘third space’ between drinking and being sober with the benefits of drinking AND ALSO the benefits of not drinking PLUS additional, highly emotive associations with discovery and creativity – and requiring no ‘big challenging decision’ either way.

  • In household, Purdy& Figg makes cleaning the house efficient / effective AND ALSO natural PLUS it has created a ‘third space’ where cleaning can become enjoyable, not a chore (almost a form of self-care) AND / OR a status thing (because my home smells like a spa not just to me, but to visitors too).

We frequently see younger generations rejecting binary choices in favour of getting this balance of different, often almost contradictory elements that suits their needs. So it’s powerful when thinking about attracting future audiences.

At the same time, we see older, cash-rich generations being more demanding that products and services meet more oftheir needs, creating a real opportunity for non-binary offerings.

And of course we can’t ignore AI in this. Literally, it’s a machine, but increasingly people are treating it like it’s machine AND ALSO human. Dating an AI boyfriend as an experiment, then properly missing them when it’s over. Forming an attachment to an AI therapist that threatens the relationship with your real-life partner…. We all know the stories. And isn’t it interesting (and more than a little scary) that, now we’re seeing AI ‘go off the rails’ a bit (make stuff up, then apologise, for example) it makes the machine seem even more human?

There’s even talk of AI being in the ‘in between’ space. For example, in the controversy over Velvet Sundown, the band’s official social media channels released a statement confirming that the group was an AI creation and was

  • “Not quite human. Not quite machine” but living “somewhere in between” (source: The Guardian).

But AI is a whole other topic. Back to this one:

For all these reasons, the Post-Binary ‘way’ can be very powerful. That said, we’re not saying it’s the only way, or always the best way.


Sometimes it’s ideal from a consumer perspective; other times it may not be. As Neil Macarlane (former Insight Director at Pepsi Lipton) commented when we were discussing this article:

  • “If you take any classic segmentation, you will have, say, Hedonists at one end of the scale, Health Enthusiasts at the other, and then the Balance & Moderation people in between. Hedonists wouldn’t care about Lucky Saint but it would mean a lot to some of the other groups”

From a targeting point of view, ‘and also’ thinking probably best meets the needs of people who are themselves ‘in the middle’. This might be the best route to a volume opportunity, but it doesn’t mean it’s the only way to go.

Equally, adopting Post-Binary thinking can be gold dust from a brand perspective, or it might not be the best fit. As Emile Doxey (Business Insights Partner, EMEA, at the Starbucks Coffee Company) observed:

  • “Given the pace of innovation and intense competition, finding ways to stand out and be relevant commands brands to evolve and keep up with up with consumer expectation, which opens up gaps like this Post-Binary space and the ‘third way’. But could also argue that strong brands are those that stay true to who they are and what they stand for”

In another conversation about this, Marketa Kristlova (Marketing Manager, Healthy Biscuits, at Mondelez International) was prompted to think about the longer term implications, remarking to me:

  • “I wonder what would happens if everyone chased the ‘and also’ goal. Would it create an opportunity for brands to be more pointed and really embrace one thing that makes them different? Could the rise of ‘have it all’ brands give way to ´specialists and thus more niche brands?”

It goes without saying that no one size fits all. But if the core product delivery is sound, the category is rife with opposing tensions and there are no genuine sacred brand cows, it might be good for your brand.

We think some of the ways to get your head around whether creating a Post-Binary Brand could be right for you include:

  • Asking yourselves some long, hard questions about ‘how we got here’

    • How long ago did you define what the brand is about?
    • What was the competition doing then and what is it doing now?
    • How / have the ‘hygiene factors’ changed in terms of benefits offered and sought?
    • And what can be learned from all of this?

  • Getting clearer on the broad tensions in the category:

    • What are the ‘forces at play in people’s heads and hearts?
    • What do they want, fear and believe to be possible?
    • Are these ‘opposing’ forces?
    • And are they really opposing? Who says?

  • Satisfying yourselves that there is a genuine and deeply-felt emotional or cultural tension(s) that people really care about and want to be resolved  (like managing temptation around ‘indulgent’, ‘treaty’ or ‘unnecessary’ products for example)

  • Really challenging what the brand stands for

    • What does the brand stand for (and we mean really stand for, in people’s heads and hearts – not what the team thinks – or hopes – it stands for)
    • Is this binary, or non-binary?
    • Is it accurate?

  • Challenging yourselves on the benefit(s) the brand promises now

    • Are you over-emphasising one particular benefit?
    • Even if it is the main thing, can you strengthen the brand’s position (and tap into new / additional / latent need needstates) by complementing it with an ‘opposing’ benefit. What, in short, could be your ‘x AND ALSO y’?
    • Would it be stronger than what you promise people now?

  • Think very broadly about how ‘opposing’ benefits could be offered

    • Would an opposing benefit need to be a product change thing? A new product thing? 
    • Or could it just be about adapting the messaging, the packaging – the way you tell the brand story? Even the personality of the brand and the tone in which it speaks?

      • Innocent drinks and Oatly have both done this well; using packaging, comm and activations to convey very simple, healthy products in a way that looks and feels, tasty, enjoyable and even fun.

  • Check in thoughtfully on with what the brand owns now:

    • What is the brand known for?
    • How meaningful is this?
    • How powerful is it?
    • Given current and potential audiences, Is there greater potential in harnessing post-binary thinking or in doubling down on a niche and a single, focused, one-dimensional benefit?

In our experience it’s worth asking yourself all the tough questions, because Post-Binary brands can be stronger brands:

  • Emotionally, they can be very appealing because who doesn’t want ‘the best of both worlds’? Or, better, still a new post-binary ‘third space’ (along the lines of ‘sober curious’ or ‘cleaning as self-care’ spaces described above).

  • Rationally, they can really cut the mustard too, because as Nick observes:

  • “A Post-Binary brand offers resolutions that meet two significant needs at the same time, and as a consumer the experienced value of a brand that does this is likely higher than those that only meet a single need”

Do the math, as they say.

To discuss the best ways to make the most of your brand in a Post-Binary world, get in touch with me on maddy@lucidpeople.com

For more on what originally set off this train of thinking, head over to Nick’s articles on what the post-binary trend is about and why it’s important for brands (with the caveat that they were written a while back and things have moved on since then).