In the 19th century a Danish dude by the name of Søren Kierkegaard inherited “f**k you money” from the affluent family he was born into.

What did he do with it?

Something that pretty much only wealthy people can do.

He decided to sit around, read, and think — a lot.

I’m talking about some really deep introspective thinking, which he wrote about extensively.

His body of work became the beginnings of existentialism — a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the issue of human existence.

Its derivative branch of inquiry — existential psychotherapy — focuses on concepts such as self-actualisation, freedom, responsibility, and living an authentic life.

Here’s Søren in all his 1800s portrait charm. 👇

While Søren's work is not directly applied in clinical psychology today, the themes he explored — such as the search for meaning, dealing with anxiety, and embracing individuality — are often addressed in psychotherapy.

Particularly, in approaches that emphasise personal growth and self-exploration.

Why do I bring this up?

Today I want to highlight one Søren theory in particular, which raises interesting considerations when designing a value proposition.

Theory: Be Your “True Self”

In 1849 Søren wrote a total buzz-kill titled book called The Sickness Unto Death in which he proposed that “despair” is created by self-alienation.

Self-alienation itself, he claimed, is caused by a pursuit of personal change out of lockstep with notions of self-identity and what he called the “true self”.

In other words, if someone tries to be something other than what they deep down feel they intrinsically are — to make themselves different from their “true self” — they will experience despair no matter if they fail or succeed in trying to be something else.

How so?

Let’s say I want to “change myself” and become a billionaire, according to a set of preconceived notions about what being a billionaire means (which in themselves do not mirror my deep-down sense of “true self”).

Here’s Søren’s theory on how that would work out:

💔 Failure. If I failed to become a billionaire I would not simply despair at failing to achieve billionaire status — I would despise of myself. I wanted to become a “different self” (a billionaire) and now live with the “failed self” (non-billionaire).

🎉 Success. Now let’s say I did succeed — I became a billionaire. That’s pretty cool, right? Surely I would be happy. Not always. In Søren’s thinking, if I made it as a billionaire I would “abandon my true self”. In both desire and accomplishment, I desired to be “rid of myself”. This causes despair and pain.

It’s a lose-lose paradigm.

The paradox here is that both success and failure result in failure.

Sound confusing? Here’s a visualisation:

Søren wasn’t a complete pessimist, though. He offered a solution to this problem.

To achieve inner harmony and peace, an individual must discover and accept their “true self”. If you think that sounds like the storyline to a Karate Kid film, you are not far off.

Here are 6 key principles to acheive your “true self”:

🤔 Self-Reflection and Inner Journey: He highlighted the crucial role of introspection for self-understanding, involving deep self-questioning and facing uncomfortable personal truths.

💪 Personal Responsibility and Choice: He stressed that individuals are responsible for their own lives and should make choices based on personal values, not societal norms.

🤗 Embracing Existential Anxiety: He considered existential anxiety a key to personal growth, urging people to confront and understand these feelings to realise their true nature.

🌟 Authenticity and Faith: He linked authenticity with faith, seeing it as a personal and subjective experience, key to living a meaningful life, whether in a religious or secular context.

❤️ Living Passionately: He encouraged embracing passions and emotions as vital for engaging with one's true nature and living authentically.

🤾 The Leap of Faith: He described the "leap of faith" as committing to beliefs or decisions based on personal conviction, rather than empirical certainty.

It’s interesting to consider Søren’s ideas in a commercial context.

How so?

Guiding Prospects To Their “True Self”

Value propositions pitch taking the prospect on a journey from X to Y, which is as much a mental journey as it is an objective journey (and in some cases more so).

Sometimes this journey is rooted in perceptions of self-identity, which can most acutely be felt with lifestyle brands. But, it is ultimately applicable to any value proposition to some degree.

This raises an interesting question. Is your Positioning guiding the prospect to their “true self” or a “fake self”?

What I’m thinking here is, brands that design their Positioning in line with the “true self” of the customer and not some notion of a “fake self” will be far more powerful and enduring.

🎭 Fake Self

As an example of leading prospects to a “fake self”, I am going to pick on Quiksilver. Sorry dudes.

Not because it’s the reason the once booming company has been struggling in recent years (it filed for bankruptcy in 2015), but because it works for illustrative purposes.

It’s purely hypothetical. I am not suggesting this is fact.

Without getting to deep about it, let’s say the Positioning idea of Quiksilver is “surfwear”. This is what the brand was built on.

Way back in the nineties and noughties, coming-of-age Gen Xers and Millennials were all over Quiksilver.

Or should I say, Quiksilver was all over them.

It was widly popular, in waves.

Most who wore Quiksilver branded clothes during this time were surf culture tourists, not actual surfers.

Largely, because it “was cool” and helped align one’s identity with vague notions of what it meant to project a surfer vibe.

But, therein lies a personal conflict.

Quiksilver, by Søren’s theory, did not guide the majority of their customers to their “true self” — it guided them away from it. By trying to adopt a surfer persona as part of their identity, they rejected their “true self”.

Furthermore, if the customer failed to behave as they perceive a surfer would, they would “depise themselves for failing”.

Commercially this dynamic works for a while, but eventually, once the brand has hit critical mass and there is no longer a strong momentum of social buzz, culture, and PR to artificially support it, a sense of hollowness sets in.

Once the “surfwear” wave goes out, prospects ask:

“Is this me?” “Is my true self a surfer persona?” — not really.

Deep stuff.

👤 True Self

Now let’s consider the opposite situation. A brand that helps a prospect achieve their “true self”.

For this, I will use the example of Nike. Again, hypothetically.

Let’s say the Positioning idea of Nike is “athletic wear”.

In order for Nike’s customers to achieve their “true self” the athletic wear Positioning must align with it.

Let’s apply Søren’s 6 key principles to explore how Nike might do that:

🤔 Self-Reflection and Inner Journey: Nike can encourage customers to engage in introspection to understand their personal athletic goals and challenges. This might involve campaigns that ask individuals to reflect on what drives them, their fears, and their aspirations in sports. Nike products can be Positioned as tools to help explore and overcome these personal challenges, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself in the athletic journey.

💪 Personal Responsibility and Choice: Emphasising the importance of personal choices in achieving athletic goals aligns well with Nike's brand. The message can be about choosing one's path in fitness and sports, regardless of societal norms or expectations. This would resonate with consumers who value personal agency and seek to make decisions aligned with their values and interests in sports and fitness.

🤗 Embracing Existential Anxiety: Nike can create narratives around the idea of confronting and overcoming fears and anxieties associated with sports — whether it's the fear of failure, the pressure of competition, or the physical and mental challenges of pushing one's limits. This approach can inspire customers to face their athletic anxieties as a path to personal growth.

🌟 Authenticity and Faith: This could be reflected in marketing that emphasises staying true to one's personal athletic journey and beliefs. Nike can celebrate the diversity of athletic experiences and encourage consumers to have faith in their individual paths, whether they are amateur joggers or professional athletes.

❤️ Living Passionately: Campaigns that highlight the passion and emotions involved in sports can be very effective. Nike can tell stories of athletes who are deeply passionate about their sport, showcasing how embracing these emotions is vital for a fulfilling and authentic athletic experience.

🤾 The Leap of Faith: This idea can be translated into encouraging customers to take bold steps in their athletic endeavors. It could be about trying a new sport, setting ambitious goals, or even overcoming personal barriers. Nike can Position its products as companions for these leaps of faith, supporting customers in their brave decisions.

➡️ Takeaway action from this post. Ask yourself: are you helping your prospect be their “true self” or change their “true self”?

That’s it for today. I’ll be back in your inbox soon.

Martin 👋

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