Somewhere above the scroll

I was going to title this post: life happens when you lift up your head – because lately it feels like what’s on the screen is winning the tug-o-war against our better judgment at dictating who we are. I lead SaaS marketing by day and I generally love the field – I understand the levers to pull to influence buyer behaviours, I know how to generate excitement around a technical value prop, I can build targeted programs that will lead you straight to that point of conversion – all fascinating challenges within the B2B world, but then… I look at our collective 5-9 and the same marketing concepts are creating a consumer society that is just… bleak. B2C brands, specifically within the beauty and fashion verticals, are heavily leaning onto 3 levers: scarcity mentality and fomo, artificial insecurities (not new, but now rampant) and manufactured urgency. As someone with a 15-year marketing career, I can spot these seller tactics like a hawk, but even I sometimes fall for insecurity or FOMO traps! What hope is there for the rest of our chronically-online population? 

I also don’t believe in disconnecting. Isolation from the digital world isn’t the answer, education and awareness is. And building your confidence through outlets like therapy, trusted circles of family and friends and proven influencers who won’t sell you crap. Foundation to battling this new social bleakness lies in realizing your own power as an individual and a consumer, so when I say “life happens when you lift your head”, I mean taking every single thing you see posted and peddled by brands, artists, creators, influencers, streamers, whoever else… with a giant grain of salt. At the end of the day, nobody has the power to convince you feel inferior until and unless you buy whatever garbage is shown above that #ad, whether that’s a product, look or an experience. On that “print this on a t-shirt” note, let’s talk about one of my favorite Ukrainian brands I highly recommend buying from.