What the movie Wicked taught me about embracing authentic brand power to defy gravity!
Authenticity & Connection Matter
"Authenticity" and "Meaningful connections" are mentioned more frequently in marketing keynotes of 2024 leading on to trends for 2025. It almost contradicts how many businesses build brands creating this shiny and polished story carefully crafted to seduce the consumers that it is what they need to be better, to be happy. Or brands who are greenwashing to keep up with a social responsible or sustainable image. Or cringe brands trying to be funny talking in Gen Z slang…This is far from authentic, but it’s creating yet another image that sells. An created image lasts up until the next PR fiasco and brand cancellation.
When you Google: “How important is authenticity for buyers?”. The top search result says that authenticity plays a significant role in building consumer trust and credibility. When a brand is authentic, it establishes a strong emotional connection with its target audience. This connection fosters loyalty and encourages repeat purchases.
Where does true authenticity begin?
I believe the road to authenticity starts here: Before connecting with others you need to first connect with yourself. Discover your inner child and embrace the power you have within you all your life. Discover the values you hold dear and find out what drives you.
What do you want to contribute?
Where do you want to add value?
Is this important to you?
Are you ok with yourself and the decisions and mistakes you make?
Or are your actions done because you know you will please others?
When you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one, especially yourself. Often life happens and we put on protective layers, to be accepted, to be loved, because others might like us better that way. Do you have the courage to dig deep and release what was programmed and shed all your layers you put on so you can be socially accepted in service of pleasing others? Do you have the courage to really stand for something and be unapologetically yourself?
Wicked the movie reminded me to Defy Gravity
It is a rainy Saturday and I began my day super inspired by watching the movie Wicked. Elphaba, the green Wicked witch of the West was everything but accepted by her environment. She was the weird one, the one who was laughed at and green. All her life she had only one wish, to meet the Wizard of Oz, and become like everyone else, not green and normal. I won’t spoil the movie for you intentionally, I guess all the song already does that ;)
Especially the song has a very special place in my heart. I remember singing the song Defying Gravity with my colleague almost daily who was obsessed with the New York Musical. We were working alone in the basement, while the rest of the team worked upstairs. This song released this emotion inside of me, an emotion of hope. What if I was playing too small? What if I could Defy Gravity and live life beyond my wildest dreams and embrace my highest power? It pushed me out of my comfort zone, refusing to settle and dare to go for bigger dreams.
To move forward, you have to go back to your inner child
Little did I know back then that for that to happen I had to go deep and discover my inner child and give her the biggest embrace that she deserves and be her biggest cheerleader. Seeing the movie today and listening to Defying Gravity was a powerful reminder to me and hopefully to anyone reading this article that anyone, no matter what background has the power to Defy Gravity, whatever is holding you down.
I hope this is a friendly nudge for who ever reads until this point and who needs a cheer for whatever challenge they are going through or goals that they are trying to achieve.
These questions helped me: “What would you do if you did not have to think about anyone?” Are you ready to embrace your authenticity?
Credits image: Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in 'Wicked', directed by Jon M. Chu. Photo: Universal Pictures
