At The Sound we explore the world by listening to people. In 2015, we showed how fringes change the world from the outside-in. In 2016, we looked at how brands can thrive in the age of disruption. And now we’re exploring a world that seems to have completely come apart from itself. We call this The DisUnited States of Everywhere. It’s the strange new world that we all live in now. A world where neighbours no longer share a common story, where empathy and trust are in increasingly short supply and where millions of people who’ve felt alienated and ignored have started to speak up and speak loudly. It's a world in desperate need of some unity.

1. THE DisUNITED STATES
OF EVERYWHERE
THE SOUND
PRESENTS
Part I

2. if
YOU DIDN’T SEE THIS
COMING, YOU WEREN’T
LISTENING TO THE
RIGHT PEOPLE
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 2

3. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
A DEEP DIVE INTO DisUNITY
Brexit and Trump were only a shock to those who weren’t
listening to the right people. The dust refuses to settle on these
twin democratic events and what has emerged is the most
challenging communications landscape in recent memory.
At The Sound, we work to understand all social phenomenon, no matter how
murky or difficult the subject. In fact, the more rugged the terrain, the more
reason to explore it. We wanted to find out why so few saw these seismic shifts
coming and meet the people who made it happen. So we put boots on the
ground in places we haven’t been to recently, or places we haven’t been to ever.
We talked to people in their homes, at their jobs and around their towns and
cities. Normal, everyday places for those who live there, but places that are often
overlooked by those in the marketing bubble.
We did this because we realized we were missing a very big piece of the cultural
puzzle and needed to challenge our own worldview.
What we discovered isn’t just a political story.
It’s a story of missed signals, mass alienation and millions of people who had
fallen off the radar.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 3

4. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
THE MEDIA
IS BROKEN.
THE ECHO
CHAMBER
IS TOXIC.
THERE IS
NO SHARED
NARRATIVE.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 4
How we got here…

5. Not too long ago, we all got our news from the same place: a few
trusted sources that tried to appeal to everyone. Consensus was
the goal and alienation was bad for business.
Now we have infinite choice and it’s easy to find something that
perfectly caters to our beliefs. Anyone can reach a national or
international audience at the swipe of a smartphone, and facts
are irrelevant.
This has created a media experience that is dominated by
emotion – and one where those who don’t share our views are
reflected back to us in a funhouse mirror.
TRUST IN THE NEWS IS AT AN ALL-TIME LOW.
A FRACTURED MEDIA IS ACCELERATING DIVISION.
THE MEDIA
IS BROKEN
JOURNALISTS ARE FAILING TO UNDERSTAND
PUBLIC OPINION.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 5
“The whole time I was deplorable, I didn’t know what
I was doing, I’m an idiot … this, that, whatever. Well,
there’s a lot of people who had the same idea I had …
seeing the same things I see.” - Luke, Darlington, WI

6. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
We haven’t merely been occupying our own personal echo
chambers, but have been living our lives in entire echo
ecosystems; insulated from each other by great walls of
self-perpetuating white noise.
We are only exposed to the voices we want to listen to, the
sources we want to read and the people we want to talk to.
All of this amounts to a situation that not only prevents us
from experiencing others’ opinions but sabotages our
ability to empathize with them.
FILTER BUBBLES ARE SABOTAGING OUR
ABILITY TO EMPATHIZE.
POLARIZATION HAS GONE NUCLEAR.
“I’m a conservative so they think I’m a
horrible person but they don’t know
who I am.” - Suzy, Woodstock, VT
THE ECHO
CHAMBER IS TOXIC
WE HAVE SELF-SEGREGATED INTO
PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK LOOPS.
6

7. Football, baseball, a good movie, a hit song, the stars and
stripes, the Union Jack. Even your morning coffee and your
afternoon pint. Everything has been politicized and the
things that once united us now dis-unite.
We used to watch the same TV shows. Go to the same
restaurants and read the same newspapers. We used to
share the same story. Not anymore.
We now live in a world where large segments of society
live in parallel realities. Many things have changed very
quickly, and it’s just now coming into focus how radically
the landscape has shifted..
Welcome to the Disunited States of Everywhere.
COMMUNICATION HAS NEVER BEEN
MORE CHAOTIC.
WE NO LONGER SHARE A COMMON STORY.
THERE IS NO
SHARED NARRATIVE
PEOPLE HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DIVIDED.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 7
“We had a community spirit that doesn’t exist any
more. Everyday people are suffering and the
world is falling apart.” - Rose, Birmingham, UK

8. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We set out to meet people whose voices were missing
from the conversation. Contrary to popular opinion,
they were not a homogenous monolith, but a diverse
group from all political and social backgrounds.
Between everyone we talked to, we found commonalities across
borders, across party lines and across dinner tables.
Regardless of politics or geographic location, they are united in how
their prospects have been diminished, how they’ve been failed by
the status quo, how they’ve become alienated from their culture
and economy, and have embraced a spirit of rebellion in response.
HIDDEN FEELINGS
ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT
PRO-AUTONOMY
HYPER-TRIBALISM
TRUST DEFICIT
8WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

9. Many of the people we talked to told us about how they are
unwilling to express their true feelings to others, sometimes even
to their family, friends and colleagues. This often came from a
place of fear – fear of being ridiculed, fear of being ostracized, and
most commonly, a fear of being misunderstood.
These were the relatives staying quiet at Christmas dinner or the
colleagues absent from the water cooler. They were the other
side of the story that wasn’t being told.
OVER-RELIANCE ON BIG DATA HAS RESULTED
IN MILLIONS OF VOICES BEING IGNORED.
MASSIVE GROUPS OF PEOPLE HAVE
FALLEN OFF THE RADAR.
“It’s not like they’re just not listening to us. They
don’t even know we’re here. They don’t even know
we’re on the map.” - Carol, Ashtabula, OH
HIDDEN FEELINGS
ARE EVERYWHERE
FEAR OF SOCIAL BACKLASH HAS LED MANY
TO KEEP THEIR OPINIONS PRIVATE.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 9

10. The Internet’s promise of a global village has fractured into
endless pockets of isolation where we communicate intensely
with those we identify with and are barely in contact with those
we don’t.
But within this fragmentation, surprising new relationships are
taking form that are uniting people. The type of robust online
communities that were once limited to fringe cultures have gone
mainstream. They aren’t constrained by geography or class, but
are bound together by a common cause related to the challenges
the participants share.
WHERE TRADITIONAL BONDS BREAK, NEW
ONES STRENGTHEN.
NEW MOVEMENTS ARE BEING FORMED
AROUND OLD IDEALS.
THE RISE OF
HYPER-TRIBALISM
THE INTERNET HAS ACCELERATED BOTH
DIVISION AND CONNECTION.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 10
“When I speak with the Democrats they’re angry,
they’re mean, they’re nasty, they don’t let you get a
word in edgewise, they just rip you apart. To the point
where you just had to stay away from them.” - Donna,
Grosse Pointe, MI

11. Feelings of rising social inequality and powerlessness have
inevitably led to social division. But rather than hope for gradual
progress, recent events have showed that many people, regardless
of their politics, are willing to fight back.
These individuals feel betrayed by the modern world and don’t care
about a status quo they think has failed them.
They want to feel empowered, not like their voices are being muted
by faraway institutions – be it governments or businesses.
PEOPLE OF ALL POLITICAL STRIPES HAVE
TURNED ON ELITES.
2017 HAS ALREADY BROKEN PROTEST
RECORDS AROUND THE WORLD.
“There’s too big a gap between politicians and
regular people. We were frustrated and angry, so we
spoke up, just like America.” - Amanda, Manchester, UK
ANTI-
ESTABLISHMENT
TRADITIONAL POWER STRUCTURES
REFUSE TO CHANGE.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 11

12. Cynical or not, both the Trump and Brexit campaigns
successfully tapped into the universal human desire for
self-determination.
People from all across the political spectrum are demanding
more control over the things that influence their lives. They
want more say in how the world is run, and they want more
power in their hands and the hands of their communities.
They want the ability to have an impact on how they live,
where they live.
PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING MORE CONTROL
OVER THEIR LIVES.
SELF-DETERMINATION IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL.
“People caring about their culture is more
important than financial rewards. I’m not a patriot,
but I believe in Britain.” - Julian, West Midlands, UK
AUTONOMY
IS EVERYTHING
LOCAL PRIDE IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN PROFIT.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 12

13. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer and the Economist
Intelligence Unit, trust in government, media, NGOs and
business has reached an all-time low and continues to decline.
In politics, the trust void has led people to embrace more
populist messaging and personalities. In business, it’s a
tightrope – a more perilous landscape but also one that
presents wide open possibilities.
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN IS ON THE RISE.
THOSE WHO FILL THE TRUST VOID WILL
WIN THE FUTURE.
“I do think the entire system needs changing.
How I don’t know … we have got to have
someone to lead us.” - Matthew, Sheffield, UK
TRUST IS
GOING EXTINCT
TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS HAS CRATERED.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 13

14. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
SOUND ADVICE
FOR BRANDS
POLITICS HAVE BECOME INESCAPABLE. SO GET FAMILIAR.
We are living in an era where everyday people are lashing back at all forms of authority. Thus far, media and government have been the primary
targets of populist uprisings, but businesses and brands are quickly being pulled into the fray..
14WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

15. If you don’t define your own
position - someone else will.
If you don’t understand what your
customers truly believe - someone
else will.
If you don’t embrace transparency
- someone else will force you to.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
WHY READ THIS?
A B
By promising to support
refugees, Starbucks
stuck to their ideals
regardless of how many
customers they might
lose or who they might
offend.
Budweiser told a classic
American story about its
founder during the Super
Bowl. Many believed it
was starkly political even
though it wasn’t intended
as such.
C
Uber lost 200,000 users
in a single weekend after
their breaking of a New
York taxi strike incited a
viral boycott.
D
Starbucks took
a stand
Budweiser’s universal
message
Uber got caught
in an avalanche
Patagonia stayed
true to their spirit
Patagonia pulled out of a
Utah trade show in
protest of the state’s
attempt to strip federal
protection of public land.
This was met with near
universal praise.
PREPARE FOR BRAND anarchy.
The mood in the streets is volatile and a spirit of anarchy is
blossoming all around us. As with politics and economics,
consumerism is entering a new phase.
In response, numerous multinational brands have taken on
strong political positions, while others are having these
positions forced upon them.
15WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

16. With a brand in the White
House, all brands are being
seen through a political lens.
Dollars are aligning with
ideals like never before.
Brand boycotts have become
an international sport.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
WHY READ THIS?
PROTEST IS THE new brunch.
People are looking for leadership on issues of real
consequence – issues that are no longer restricted
to the ballot box.
Out of this leadership vacuum, we’re seeing the
emergence of a new authenticity, one based on
action rather than “ethics” - but more importantly -
an authenticity based on ideals which you actually
believe in.
OLD AUTHENTIC
Ethical brands
Curated identity
Social responsibility
NEW AUTHENTIC
Contrabrands
Radical transparency
Social action
16WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

17. Universal symbols have been inverted overnight
and the meaning of everything is up for grabs.
Understanding what is both uniting and
disuniting your customers is now critical.
While trust in government and media is at an all-
time low, an opportunity for brands has opened
up to build new bridges.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
WHY READ THIS?
TV2’s ‘All that we Share’ campaign
highlights what brings us together, rather
than what divides.
The ad from the Danish broadcaster took a
diverse and initially divided group of people
and found the common ground they shared.
BECOME THE new universal.
Never has it been more important to challenge your assumptions
about your brand’s core audience and learn who they really are,
what they truly believe in and most crucially: what they have
in common.
17WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

18. Trump and Brexit aren’t outliers. Shocks to the system
and waves of upheaval are replacing the status quo.
Brands that don’t understand the hidden feelings of
their audience risk both crisis and irrelevance.
Brands that discover how to unify their customers will
build the relationships of the future.
WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM
WHY READ THIS?
WHAT’S IN YOUR war room?
Brands have long had strategies for dealing with recalls, and now they
have strategies for dealing with the president’s tweets. But are they
prepared for an unforeseen viral customer uprising?
Discover your unknown unknowns: what are the invisible fault lines
running through your brand’s audience? You may not want to take a
political position, but in this climate even non-political messaging can be
misinterpreted as partisan. Awareness of these fault lines is vital.
Now is the time to flip the map, torpedo your bias and challenge
your assumptions on who your audience really is.
18WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM

19. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 19
V A N C O U V E R | N E W Y O R K | L O N D O N | T O R O N T O | C H I C A G O | M U M B A I
W W W . T H E S O U N D H Q . C O M

20. WWW.THESOUNDHQ.COM 20
SLIDE SITE
1 https://www.mattshlian.com
2 https://www.indy100.com/article/opposition-mps-in-kosovo-keep-setting-off-tear-gas-in-parliament--bJlqv21KBRg
4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOy7sq4T3c
5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOy7sq4T3c
6 http://www.featureshoot.com/2016/12/welcome-to-a-town-called-bliss/
7 https://www.wired.com/2016/01/ross-paxton-history-timeless-landscapes/#slide-x slide
9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOy7sq4T3c
10 https://brexitphotoproject.wordpress.com
11 https://brexitphotoproject.wordpress.com
12 https://brexitphotoproject.wordpress.com
13 https://brexitphotoproject.wordpress.com
IMAGE REFERENCES