Build a Creative Strategy: Make the Brand a Mirror
What is the Make the Brand a Mirror Strategy and when should I use it?
Look, most brands are too busy pretending life is a stock photo to actually connect with anyone. The Make the Brand a Mirror strategy is about taking those weird, messy, or slightly embarrassing things your audience does or feels and putting them on a billboard. You use it when your category has become a sea of beige perfection and you need to remind people that you actually see them—not the filtered version they post, but the sweaty, anxious reality. It’s about creating that 'oh god, that’s me' moment that makes people stop scrolling because you dared to say the quiet part out loud. It works.
How to execute this strategy effectively
Executing this strategy effectively requires you to stop being a coward. You have to find a truth that’s universal but rarely discussed because it’s a little too real. If it doesn't make your legal team or your CMO sweat a little bit, you aren't doing it right. You need to lean into the discomfort, not polish it away. Use visuals and language that feel raw rather than staged. This isn't about mocking your customer; it's about being their accomplice. When they see their own reflection in your brand, they don't just see a product; they see a rare moment of honesty in a world of lies. Got it?
Example: Bodyform – "Viva La Vulva" (2018).
Bodyform’s 'Viva La Vulva' is the gold standard here. Instead of the usual blue liquid and white pants nonsense, they showed a literal choir of vulvas—represented by shells, fruit, and origami—singing about their existence. It was weird, it was uncomfortable for some, and it was undeniably human. By reflecting the diversity and reality of women's bodies back to them, Bodyform stopped being a commodity and started being a brand that gets it. Real.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed in 4C Framework
Company INSIGHT
Bodyform had the permission to talk about intimate health because they've been in the space for decades. They moved from selling products to championing body positivity.
Category INSIGHT
The feminine hygiene category was stuck in a loop of clinical language, blue liquids, and sanitized depictions of women's bodies that felt alien to real life.
Strategy:
Replace clinical shame with celebratory realism by mirroring the diverse reality of the female body.
Customer INSIGHT
Women wanted to stop feeling ashamed or weird about their own anatomy. They craved a brand that acknowledged the reality of their bodies without the clinical filter.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of the body positivity movement and the breaking of taboos around female health created a perfect window for a brand to lead with radical openness.
Strategy:
Replace clinical shame with celebratory realism by mirroring the diverse reality of the female body.
Company INSIGHT
Bodyform had the permission to talk about intimate health because they've been in the space for decades. They moved from selling products to championing body positivity.
Category INSIGHT
The feminine hygiene category was stuck in a loop of clinical language, blue liquids, and sanitized depictions of women's bodies that felt alien to real life.
Customer INSIGHT
Women wanted to stop feeling ashamed or weird about their own anatomy. They craved a brand that acknowledged the reality of their bodies without the clinical filter.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of the body positivity movement and the breaking of taboos around female health created a perfect window for a brand to lead with radical openness.
Why is Make the Brand a Mirror a Great Strategy?
It cuts through the noise by being the only thing in the room that isn't lying.
Triggers instant recognition and emotional resonance.
Breaks category conventions of forced perfection.
Builds deep trust through radical honesty.
Generates massive earned media through provocation.
People are tired of being sold a dream they can't achieve. This strategy sells them the reality they already live, which is far more compelling. It’s the difference between a brand that wants your money and a brand that actually understands your life.
! When not to use the "Make the Brand a Mirror" Strategy
If your brand is actually the problem or if you're too terrified to offend a single person, don't use this strategy. You'll just end up looking like a hypocrite.
Steps to implement: Stop being fake and start being real.
Find the unpolished, ugly truth.
Dig deep into the stuff people don't talk about at dinner parties. What are the secret habits, the insecurities, or the physical realities your audience deals with? For Bodyform, it was the fact that vulvas aren't just clinical diagrams; they are diverse, weird, and part of life. Skip the focus groups; look at the Reddit threads where people actually vent their frustrations.
Pressure test the level of discomfort.
If your idea feels 'safe,' throw it in the trash. You want something that makes the brand manager a little nervous. The goal is to reflect a truth that is slightly uncomfortable but deeply recognizable. If it doesn't elicit a 'holy shit, they actually said that' reaction, you haven't gone far enough. This isn't about being edgy; it's about being honest.
Ditch the high-gloss production values.
Nothing kills a mirror strategy faster than a $2 million lighting rig that makes everything look like a car commercial. Keep it grounded. Use textures, sounds, and visuals that feel like they belong in the real world. In 'Viva La Vulva,' the use of everyday objects to represent the body kept it artistic yet grounded in a way that felt approachable.
Position the brand as an accomplice.
Don't judge the reflection you're showing. The brand shouldn't be the hero coming to 'fix' the problem; it should be the friend who says, 'Yeah, I see it too, and it’s totally fine.' You are mirroring their reality to validate it, not to critique it. This builds a bond of solidarity that no amount of 'lifestyle' imagery can ever hope to achieve.
Prepare for the inevitable pearl-clutching.
When you hold up a mirror, some people won't like what they see. That’s the point. Have your PR response ready, but don't apologize for the truth. The people who get it will love you for it, and the people who don't weren't your customers anyway. Stand by the reflection you've created and let the conversation happen without trying to control it.
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