The vantage point of vanity

Let me ask you something:

• Do you find other people vain?

• Do you think they find you vain?

Here's my take. Everyone in the brand and communications industry has vanity. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. And it’s ok. OG hot taker La Rochefoucauld was onto something when he said:

“We have no patience with other people's vanity because it is offensive to our own.”

I'm not saying we're all vain. Just that we all have vanity. I used to think vanity was a problem, but not anymore. It's not an identity, but it's a feature. It’s part of us, not all we are.

Let’s take a step back into what people who work in brand communications do. Our role is to simplify and dramatise consumer benefits. That’s it. Well, here’s the thing: you can't have drama without a little bit of vanity. So vanity is a feature.

When Liquid Death publishes their Greatest Hates, there's vanity. When CK soft p*rns the latest hot star, there's vanity. When Quaker Oats makes you cry with a father and son story, there's vanity. By which i mean, a desire to elevate their own position. That's what vanity is about, and it's what our job is.

So when i see people arguing about adverts on LinkedIn, i wonder. Why are they so offended by a piece of work existing? According to ya boy L-Roc, it's simple. Because the perceived vanity of that work offends their own type of vanity.

It takes courage to admit this to ourselves and really mean it, but it matters. Long term, a healthy dose of humility tends to beat flaming hot takes. Even if it means fewer likes. But it also means that a little bit of vanity in the work that goes out there can be a powerful thing. It offers you just enough swagger to stand out, without which vanity gets replaced with wallpaper. And then no one – not the audience or brand – really wins.