Main Character Marketing Syndrome

Last week I wrote about communities. This week, I want to talk about brand participation. Comments. Reactive content. Creator replies. Viral moments. And everything in between.

I've worked in community management for years, and lately I've noticed something. I think some brands have developed Main Character Marketing Syndrome.

Every viral moment becomes the following: "Quick... how do we make this about us?" Instead of asking: "Why would anyone expect our brand to be here?"

Take the Empire State Building climbing stunt. A couple climbed the building and held up a banner that read: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace." Within hours, brands recreated it with AI.

The message became logos. Products. Campaigns. The irony? The original message was about putting something bigger than power and self-interest first. The internet replied: "Cool... but what if this sold makeup?"

Then came the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding. Suddenly, every brand was congratulating them. Honestly, it started to feel less like participating in culture... ...and more like saying "Look! We know what's happening too!"

The only one that genuinely made me smile? Elmo. Because it felt like something Elmo would do. Not something a marketing team felt they had to do. Maybe that's the difference.

Brand participation isn't about proving you were there. It's about giving people a reason to be happy you showed up. Or, to put it another way... Stop trying to make "fetch" happen.

What do you think? Have brands started confusing participation with relevance?