#49 Borrowed Truth. Broken Brands.

What do Victoria’s Secret, Nike, the U.S. Army, American Eagle, Harvard, Lululemon, and BlackRock all have in common?

They bought into poetic truth—branding built on feelings over facts.

In this Think First supercut, we walk through the moment when marketing turned into morality theater… when brands stopped telling their own stories and started role-playing someone else’s.

The result? Audience fatigue. Cultural backlash. Reputational collapse.

This episode isn’t just a critique—it’s a roadmap. For creatives, strategists, and decision-makers who know that real branding starts with earned truth, not borrowed performance.

Truth doesn’t depreciate. But borrowed stories? They always get returned.

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Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity