Me, Myself, and Brands

Around fifteen years ago, the Truman Show hit cinemas; a film about a guy whose entire life was a reality TV show manufactured by an executive board and broadcast 24/7.

Since then, in the US and UK alone, psychiatrists have documented over 40 cases of those suffering from the belief that they are in fact the centre of such a reality TV show, and that every action they take is being monitored by hidden cameras that secretly broadcast them to millions across the globe.

The frequency of such cases was enough to give the condition a name: the Truman Show delusion. The question is, why the hell did this happen?

It’s a combination of a few factors: the impact of the film itself, the suggestibility of those affected by the delusion, and a fair degree of confirmation bias.

But it goes deeper than that. Western cultures in particular enable and reinforce a level of self-expression that is viewed as necessary for social status. While it can be argued that this sort of individualism motivates people to become who they want to be, it also results in higher instances of narcissism.

This is evident in the Truman Show delusion. The belief that one exists in a world molded entirely around themselves is an extreme form of narcissism.

Modern day advertising is one of the best examples of a cultural element that plays off our narcissistic tendencies. Advertising constantly reinforces the notion that self-expression is derived from what we consume.

The most successful brands in the world push the belief that their products allow a level self-expression unmatched by their competitors. Apple and Facebook, two of the biggest and fastest growing brands ever, reflect this.

This is because self-expression reaffirms our ego, or sense of importance, which allows us to obtain a high level of status, regardless of whether such status is genuine or manufactured.

Scott Galloway sums this up by stating the three goals of every business. Appealing to survival instincts (the head), appealing to love, family, and validation (the heart), and appealing to ego and self-expression (the... other head).

Moving down the torso, he says, is the endgame for any brand.

Brands today are increasingly focusing on ego and self-expression as their primary strategy, especially those that have a strong digital position. This has resulted in the category of “self-expressive” brands becoming increasingly saturated.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in order to prevent the kind of narcissism comparable to that of the Truman Show delusion, brands would be advantaged to provide something beyond self-expression and ego-validation.

It’s similar to the trend of authenticity and transparency that has spread like wildfire among startups and big brands alike. Although these traits can be positioned very well, they run the risk of being labelled as artificial and manufactured, according to consumers who aren’t complete morons (i.e. most consumers).

The self-expression strategy is dangerously close to going down this road. A number of recent brand blunders and the response towards them have shown that consumers are fed up of invasive brands, or those that make grandiose promises of individuality and uniqueness.

Better to be honest without pushing that you’re fully transparent. Better to be beneficial without promising unbeatable levels of self-expression.

a.ce