Lead with Identity, Not Your Product

You don’t want Louis Vuitton because of Louis Vuitton’s marketing or advertising.

It wasn’t the billboard, the commercial, or the Instagram ad.

You want it because the people who influence you (directly or indirectly) wear it, talk about it, and endorse it.

It’s the association, the exclusiveness, the status, the identity…

Sure, Louis Vuitton comes up with the designs, sets the price, hires the influencers, merchandizes the stores… those are all choices and strategies cooked up in boardrooms.

But when your favourite artist, athlete, or fashion icon wears it, it signals that it holds value.

They’re in a circle that you wish to enter.

For many brands, the desire doesn’t start with the product, it starts with an identity.

We don’t just want things because they look good, we want them because they reflect who we’re trying to become.

They are aspirational purchases.

So figure out who your audience wants to become, then associate your brand with people who already are that.