51吃瓜

[This is the third part of a five-part series adapted from Dr. Noa Gafni鈥檚 , The New Five Forces: A Blueprint for Business in an Uncertain World. To read more, see Parts 1 and 2 here.]

In the second installment of this series on the New Five Forces, we examined how geopolitics has become a material force shaping business strategy. But Geopolitics is not the sole force reshaping the business environment. The New Five Forces framework argues that organizations must navigate the convergence of Technology, Geopolitics, Society, Environment and Economy, all of which increasingly exert pressure from outside traditional industry boundaries.

We now turn to Society.

The third force: Society

This force is difficult to model because it operates on values, and values shifts are challenging to quantify. Consumer expectations, workforce values, community relationships and cultural norms shift gradually until they reach a groundswell. Organizations that treat societal signals as background noise typically get caught by sudden shifts. Countless examples exist of tone-deaf campaigns that get dragged into an increasingly polarized society.

In the current context, there is also the expectation of accountability. Corporations that stay silent when culture wars explode are considered . Additionally, social media platforms have compressed the timeline between reputational event and consequence, creating the need for C-Suite leaders to react within hours. As the Edelman Trust has shown for years, organizations that proactively build authentic relationships with their stakeholders prove more trustworthy and resilient.

The Society force also intersects with the demographic transformation underway in most major economies. In the Global South, the lower means that companies must for the cultural zeitgeist. Organizations that are not focusing on those populations as core to their strategy are losing relevance.

The trust economy in emerging markets

Brazil鈥檚 five largest banks have traditionally had dominant market share. But for Brazilians who were younger or lower-income, the banking system was perceived as extractive. Those without formal employment and a stable address could not access credit, which meant the system excluded millions of people.

Nubank, a digital financial services company, launched in 2013 with a more value proposition as well as a customer service model built on WhatsApp. Growth came from users posting unboxing of the purple credit card on Instagram and sharing screenshots of resolved . But Nubank鈥檚 most deliberate trust-building mechanism was financial education. Through its blog, Fala, Nubank grew to become one of the most-read personal finance platforms in Brazil. It also partnered with schools and community organizations to expand financial literacy with populations that had historically been excluded from the formal economy.

In Mexico, Nubank鈥檚 Nu brand surpassed customers within five years of launch by applying the same model to a market with similarly low consumer confidence. In Colombia, its growth was accelerated by a generation of mobile-first consumers who had never had a relationship with traditional banks. In markets where financial institutions historically functioned as gatekeepers, the competitive advantage goes to the first institution that genuinely behaves as an enabler.

Globally, Nubank has over customers, making it the largest digital bank outside China. As it prepares for expansion to the Global North, it has hired , formerly TikTok鈥檚 global Head of Creators, to lead brand architecture. It is a signal that Nubank understands its competitive advantage is not technology, but brand perception and trust.

The implication for established institutions is a trust deficit that has accumulated over decades and cannot be reversed by a rebrand; it can only be addressed through structural change in how an organization operates. Companies must reevaluate their customer relationships, values and how they behave when accountability is inconvenient. The Society force is asking corporations to engage as authentic stakeholders in their communities.

Key takeaways

• Trust is a competitive moat. Nubank鈥檚 success was built on authentic engagement and a focus on financial inclusion. Businesses built trust over decades and cannot be reversed with a rebrand.

• The timeline for crisis response has collapsed. C-suite leaders must be able to respond to societal backlash within hours. Social media has not historically been kind to CEOs that waver.

• Silence is a position. In a polarized world, a growing portion of stakeholders consider companies they perceive as staying silent on value questions to be complicit.

• Authenticity is a strategy. Cosmetic fixes (DEI statements, sustainability messaging) without operational follow-through create reputational exposure. Structural change is the only credible response.

Beyond Society

The lesson extends beyond banking, consumer brands and social media. Organizations that once viewed trust and public perception as secondary concerns must now recognize them as sources of competitive advantage. Consumers, employees and communities increasingly reward institutions whose actions align with their stated values and hold accountable those that fall short.

Yet societal expectations are only one dimension of the pressures organizations face. Many of the challenges once framed as matters of reputation are now becoming operational realities, affecting supply chains, business models and regulatory obligations. Climate change, resource constraints and environmental regulation are increasingly shaping how organizations compete and grow.

The next entry in this series will examine the force of Environment.

[ edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.