The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem and Their Relevance to Marketing

This brilliant book by the equally brilliant grandfather of the Self-Esteem movement, Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D., is his masterpiece encapsulation of a lifetime of work developing the most cogent understanding of this important psychological concept. The six pillars he mentions are like six keys to life. Get it, read it, learn it, and then apply the ideas in it to the marketing programs you create. What? Well making the bridge between the concept and marketing takes some thinking, and over time you'll find a growing conversation about it here on this blog, consolidated under Disciplines and Dimensions for your convenience.


You can check out the book at Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, but this is why it's relevant:

In the beginning, marketing was about using any means possible to convince people that buying or using the product would endow the owner with qualities they couldn't otherwise hope to posses. In the age of authenticity, marketing is about helping audiences see the real ways in which brands enable people to exercise values they hold dear. One's values form one's self identity. Enabling and reinforcing that identity is a powerful means of building affiliation. In short, it's about authentically helping people become bigger heroes in their own story, a phrase I borrow from Branden.

Branden posits that Self-Esteem is the single most important human psychological need as it both drives and is a reflection of our ability to cope with the challenges of life. It drives all our decisions such as who we choose to marry, what jobs we find worth having, the ways in which we pursue our work and achievements, etc. It naturally follows that our view of ourself also colors our purchase decisions, good and bad. This being the case, it seems there must be an abundance of power inherent in the concept for marketers to wield in service to brands seeking to connect deeply with audiences. The key is in understanding what Self-Esteem is, what principles and actions enhance it, and how it serves as the driving force in our life, and then translating all of that into strategies for unlocking the promise of it in the brands we're serving.

Watch this space for a growing conversation about how the principles of growing healthy Self-Esteem can be purposefully put to work in service to marketing that stays true to the spirit of authenticity. In the meantime, you may be interested in exploring the concepts of Self-Esteem on your own. Start with the book mentioned above. For more information about the man behind it, check out www.nathanielbranden.com