Three things we learnt this week
Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.
These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.
Let us know what you find valuable!
Dylan: Building rituals
Across the cold months of winter, I’ve been consuming my fair share of pints of Guinness. The two-stage pour, the perfect head, even the challenge of splitting the G all make the experience feel a little more special. It got me thinking this week about rituals, and why they can elevate otherwise ordinary moments. The first coffee of the morning, Friday night takeaway or pouring wine into the ‘good’ glasses – functionally, there’s often nothing remarkable about these experiences, but the ritual around them gives them meaning. Research suggests rituals can actually change how we experience consumption, increasing anticipation, enjoyment and even how much we value what we’re consuming. For brands, perhaps the more interesting question isn’t always “how can we create a ritual?” but “what rituals are people already building around us?” Sometimes the behaviours that seem insignificant are the ones creating the strongest emotional connection.
Mahalia: Being counted
On Tuesday, for the first time in Census history in Australia, queer, trans and gender non-conforming communities were given the opportunity to finally be counted in the 2026 Census. After substantial campaigning and advocacy on behalf of LGBTQIA+ organisations and some flip-flopping from our Prime Minister, we will finally have some solid data on gender and sexuality in the country. But why does it matter? Aside from the long overdue acknowledgment, these new questions help fill crucial data gaps and lead to targeted services and support for LGBTQ+ communities. Services that can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
Jason: Buckets of money
I was at a session recently where the conversation turned to budgets and sales. One business mentioned that close to 90% of its multi-million dollar annual revenue comes in June. That got me thinking about how governments, businesses and households spend. A million dollars can feel small inside an infrastructure budget, while $100,000 elsewhere feels enormous. A business might approve $500,000 for software but question $50,000 in another area (such as market research). At home, $40,000 on a car might feel normal while $5,000 on something else feels extravagant. Same money. Different bucket.
Behavioural economics calls this MENTAL ACCOUNTING. We divide money into categories, then judge spending within those categories rather than against every alternative use. ANCHORING reinforces it. What we have historically spent becomes the reference point for what feels reasonable.
Big bucket ? big spending ? high anchor ? big spending feels normal.
Small bucket ? small spending ? low anchor ? larger spending feels excessive.
Which raises an interesting question: Are our biggest budgets big because they create the most value, or because history has taught us that this is what we spend money on?
For businesses that traditionally sit in a small bucket, perhaps the answer isn’t simply convincing clients to make that bucket bigger.
It may be changing the comparison.
If your work influences a $10 million investment, perhaps it shouldn’t be judged against last year’s $30,000 budget.
Move upstream. Connect your value to the bigger decision. Talk less about the cost of the deliverable and more about what it influences. Find the person who owns the larger problem.
Sometimes the opportunity isn’t: “How do we get a bigger share of this bucket?”
It is: “Why are we in this bucket in the first place?”
Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.
We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category, uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >
