The Pursuit of Desire: Building Brands that Inspire Devotion

At Sister Mary, we have vast experience working in categories like alcohol, cannabis, snacks, soda, etc. - all the things that bring us pleasure, but carry a hedonistic undertone.

It’s not unusual for creative agencies to have these types of brands on the roster - they spend a lot on marketing because they’re grounded in a want, not a need. So brands need to work hard to create desire.  “I want to celebrate, I desire to pop a bottle of Moet.”  Or “I want a little treat, I desire an entire tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.”

But as the meaning and role of desire & gratification has changed in culture, we at Sister Mary are championing its power across all the brands and categories we work with - inspiring devotion with every brand and category we touch.

FIRST, A BRIEF HISTORY OF VIRTUE & VICE

From the beginnings of human existence, we’ve lived by a code of right and wrong - whether explicitly laid out or tacitly understood.  

The religions that guided us for so long all preach avoiding them - in Buddhism they’re defilements (and there are 108!); in Christianity they’re sins; Censures in Islam.

Dante brought the infamous 7 deadly sins, and their corresponding virtues, to terrifying life in his Divine Comedy’s Inferno.

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Why do we have these rules when we intuitively know what’s right and wrong? 

Because it’s equally in our human nature to break them a bit.  We’re instinctively drawn to the pleasure & endorphin rush of enjoying our vices.

Still today, the word ‘vice’ infers it’s a moral fault, a weakness in your character, a depraved act. BUT what drives our moral compass changes -  And our moral code of today isn’t in line with our immediate perceptions of ‘vice.’ 

We’re more likely to call a glass of wine or treating yourself to an indulgent dessert or zoning out on your phone after a long day a virtuous act of self-care, not a sinful act of depravity.

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That’s why what we consider a vice changes over time.

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Things that were widely accepted become villainized, while once wrongs become normalized.

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And new indiscretions we’re all guilty of emerge all the time.

THE STATE OF DESIRE TODAY

As a society, we’re less driven by top-down dogma and more accepting of individuality, different values & lifestyles, and the pursuit of pleasure in whatever form that means for you.

So, what’s a worthy pursuit vs. a destructive indiscretion are in the eye of the beholder. 

And traditional category lines of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are blurring

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VICES DON'T NEED TO BE BAD. GREAT BRANDS, REGARDLESS OF THE CATEGORY, SHOULD EMBODY THE ALLURE OF A VICE BY ELEVATING A NEED AND WANT INTO A DESIRE.

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ENTER THE NEW WORLD OF DEVOTION: HOW BRANDS CAN LEVERAGE THE POWER OF DESIRE

Back to Dante.  His 7 deadly sins are grounded in fundamental human truths - most if not all would agree at that, at their core, greed, gluttony, wrath, etc. are bad for society and bad for business.

But brands can tap into the inherent power of vices to become objects of devotion by shifting their meaning into modern virtues.

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1. Vanity → Empowerment & Self Expression

In the beauty space, we’ve moved beyond anti-aging or covering up flaws, with brands like Starface driving desire by flipping vanity on its head. A flaw isn’t something to shamefully cover up, but to boldly show the world your beauty by badging your flaws.

2. Envy → In-the-know exclusivity & badge value

It’s no longer about price exclusivity that makes the have-not’s envy the haves - Supreme has democratized the desire-worthy exclusivity for anyone who is in-the-know (and willing to wait in line for 5 hours for the latest hype drop).

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3. Wrath → Drive to action

Hate and anger are out, acceptance and empathy are in. But brands like Patagonia are masters at channeling their rage about the destruction of our environment into positive action that their followers flock to get on board with and be part of.

4. Sloth → Convenience & ritual

We might love our lazy days, but binge-watching Netflix in your Slanket isn’t exactly a point of pride. But brands like Graza that create an engaging ritual out of their convenient format become a smart flair rather than a lazy shortcut (even if you’re just drizzling it over a frozen pizza).

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5. Greed → Drive & Ambition

I think we’re all aligned that greed ISN’T good (sorry Michael Douglas). From the animosity for the 1% to the wastefulness of wanting more money, more stuff, more power. But greed is just blind consumption. Having the drive and ambition to want more from life is a virtue, and brands like Thesis that fuel your quest are sought after tools for success.

6. Gluttony → Self-care & Reward

Consistently over-doing anything isn’t great. But an indulgence every now and then is a necessary act of wellness now that mental health has become a priority. Halo Top encourages you treat yourself, with their better-for-you indulgence.

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7. Lust → Passion and Play

In this era of sexual awakening, brands like OK Cupid are celebrating and empowering the euphoria and fun that a little lust can bring us.

HOW YOU CAN HARNESS THE POWER OF VICE

Whether your brand is in supplements or sodas; beauty or booze, we can help transform vice into virtue; demand into desire.
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A few tips on how Sister Mary does it:

• Rely on your intuition as much as your expertise to find the sweet spot of virtue & vice.  Does it feel like you might be going too far?  You probably are - reign it in.
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• Bring in fresh perspectives & diverse thinking to shift perceptions. If vice is in the eye of the beholder, you need to dig deep to understand what makes it ‘wrong’ and how we can re-frame it as a virtue in their minds.
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• Disrupt with purpose - we all know doing a little bad can feel really good, but that shouldn’t be the lead message. Make the virtue drive the desire. 
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• Lead with empathy - understand the moral dilemmas people are really struggling with, and solve them in a way no other brand could.
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To talk all things virtue and vice drop us a line at halo@sistermary.nyc

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