I was thinking about how people used to build identities around professions, hobbies, communities, or even music genres.
Today, it feels like brands have become part of that equation.
Someone carries a Stanley cup, wears On shoes, drinks Oatly, uses a Nothing phone, listens on Spotify, journals on Notion, and suddenly you can almost predict what kind of person they are.
“We're not just buying products anymore. We're buying into personalities, values, and tribes.”
A lot of brands seem to understand this too. They're no longer selling coffee, sneakers, or tech. They're selling a worldview.
Are we building personalities
through brands?
Do you think people are increasingly building their personalities through brands?
Or have brands simply become a more visible reflection of who people already are?