When Brands Try to Be People and End Up With an Identity Crisis
There's a certain flavour of marketing misfire that always fascinates me. It’s that moment when a brand, in its noble quest to be "relatable," ends up sounding like a sleep-deprived intern trying to be your mate at a flat party. You’ve seen the social posts: "We see you, mid-weekers. You've got this 💪" or "It's giving Friday energy." It's all so chirpy and chirpy is exhausted.
Now, I'm not saying brands shouldn't have personalities. But much like people, brands can forget who they are when they try too hard to join every conversation. The result isn't charm—it's cognitive dissonance. The mattress brand commenting on the All Blacks game. The yoghurt account doing memes about introverts. The result is the digital equivalent of someone who wears band tees without knowing the band. It’s not offensive, it’s just…confusing.
There’s a better way. When brands stay close to their lane but drive it like they mean it, you get magic. Think of Allbirds, who managed to build a global identity around native thinking and soft things for your feet. Or Girls of Dust, a Belgian clothing brand that barely says a word, just posts crisp images of hard-wearing coats against crooked alleyways. You remember them, not because of the banter, but because the voice was consistent and the self-awareness was loud.
The key isn't sounding human. It's being distinct. People follow people because they’re specific, not because they’re relatable to everyone. Same logic applies to brands. As painful as it is for some marketers to hear, your job isn’t to be in on the joke. It’s to know when to be quiet and let the brand do the talking.
Now, I'm not saying brands shouldn't have personalities. But much like people, brands can forget who they are when they try too hard to join every conversation. The result isn't charm—it's cognitive dissonance. The mattress brand commenting on the All Blacks game. The yoghurt account doing memes about introverts. The result is the digital equivalent of someone who wears band tees without knowing the band. It’s not offensive, it’s just…confusing.
There’s a better way. When brands stay close to their lane but drive it like they mean it, you get magic. Think of Allbirds, who managed to build a global identity around native thinking and soft things for your feet. Or Girls of Dust, a Belgian clothing brand that barely says a word, just posts crisp images of hard-wearing coats against crooked alleyways. You remember them, not because of the banter, but because the voice was consistent and the self-awareness was loud.
The key isn't sounding human. It's being distinct. People follow people because they’re specific, not because they’re relatable to everyone. Same logic applies to brands. As painful as it is for some marketers to hear, your job isn’t to be in on the joke. It’s to know when to be quiet and let the brand do the talking.