Branding and The Truman Show

Whenever I go to networking events, I usually meet someone who knows me via Book Rapper. They greet me as if I’m a long lost friend. I love their warm welcome. And, it can be a little awkward when I don’t know who they are.

The Truman Show

Sometimes, I feel like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show! In this 1998 movie, Carrey plays Truman. He’s a character in a reality TV show. Everyone he comes into contact with every day is a performer in the show. His life is recorded and he has a world wide audience following his every move. Truman’s the only one who doesn’t know this! Movie Link: The Truman Show on Wikipedia

Branding in the World of Social Media

And, this is a useful metaphor for today’s brands particularly with the advent of social media. You may have a similar experience when you meet someone you follow on Twitter or have connected with via Facebook or LinkedIn. People know you… but, they don’t… They at least know you from what you present online.

Brand Lessons From The Truman Show

You never know who is watching : This works both ways. If you’re doing the wrong thing… Or, if you’re doing really great work. Justin Beiber famously was spotted strutting his stuff on YouTube and look what it did for him!

Your public identity is bigger than your personal identity : If you’re active on social media then it’s likely a whole bunch of people know who you are at some level. Even if it’s only by your twitter handle!

You get to show the world who you are : In Truman’s case, his whole world was on display. Alternatively, you get to choose how much of your world you share. This is important. This shapes your brand position. ‘What are you going to tweet about?’ is an important brand decision, or not. You can either be very strategic here or you can just be you. Authentic brands achieve better results than contrived one. Be real, be you!

What lessons can you learn from your favourite movies?