👤 Marketing in the Ego-conomy
I before We. How ego, benefits and identity will shape the consumption of the future. Where the trend comes from and what it means for successful marketing strategies and green marketing.
Hi 👋 I’m Florian Schleicher. This is the FutureStrategies newsletter of FUTURES. Thank you so much for reading along 💚
“Why should I read this newsletter?”
That's probably the question you're asking yourself at the beginning.
And that's exactly the topic I want to write about today:
➡️ The trend towards always looking for personal and often immediate benefits.
More and more surveys show that consumers prioritise price, convenience and personal benefit over social or ethical considerations - especially in times of economic stress.
A multinational survey of 4,000 consumers in Europe found that price sensitivity has increased by ~5% since before the pandemic, while traditional factors such as product quality and convenience have become slightly less important.
In the face of high inflation and tight budgets, consumers are increasingly willing to compromise on quality or brand loyalty in order to save money.
And sustainability efforts are also affected by this:
“Consumers are increasingly opting for affordability over sustainability in their purchasing decisions, preferring cheaper alternatives as financial pressures hit household budgets.”
It is also very understandable: when money is tight, ethical or environmentally friendly decisions that do not pay off immediately are often put to one side.
This shows us one thing above all:
Consumers are becoming increasingly selfish.
Cost-benefit thinking is at the forefront and we are living more and more in a transactional world - which we are also experiencing in Trump's geopolitical policies.
Many people's first thought is therefore often:
“What’s in this for me?”
Consumer behavior is increasingly influenced by ego and self-identity.
People often choose brands not only because of their benefits, but also because of what these brands say about them. The “theory of self-congruence” states that consumers are attracted to brands that reflect their ideal self-image.
For example, luxury brands such as Rolex or (until recently) Tesla are chosen as symbols of status and success, not just for their functional value.
As soon as the personal advantage disappears, the willingness to buy collapses. We can see this right now in the collapse of Tesla sales figures: The car is the same as it was before Elon Musk's government contributions. But the personal, emotional value has changed.
So let’s look into:
Data points
The origin of the trend
What this means for marketing
Recommendations for marketing strategies
The challenge for sustainability
📊 Data points
The top brands in a Havas study perform 57% better when it comes to communicating personal benefits. Their shares even perform 200% better.
71% of consumers believe that companies should help them improve their own personal wellbeing and health.
69% of companies have strategies to offer benefits in exchange for personal data. This means that customers explicitly want to know what's in it for them before they give up their trust or data - be it discounts, VIP access or a smoother experience.
The majority lack optimism for the next generation. Only 36% of respondents believe that the next generation will be better off. In industrialized countries, only one in five see a better future.
71% of consumers expect companies to offer personalized interactions. 76% are frustrated when this is not the case.
“Over the last 15 years, we've commissioned research into what makes a brand really meaningful. What we've seen in the data is that actually there's a big shift back towards a personal lens on everything,”
Joanna Lawrence, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Havas Media Network
🗝️ Origins of the Ego-Conomy Trend
In my view, this movement towards the ego economy and the selfishness that goes with it began with the Covid-19 pandemic. The triggers: uncertainty, coupled with a retreat into and appreciation of the home - or what The Economist calls the “hermit consumer”. Then there were ongoing geopolitical conflicts in Eastern Europe, even more uncertainty, waves of inflation and therefore restrictions on personal budgets.
This environment has led people as individuals to prioritize their personal well-being and security, often at the expense of community considerations.
Economic fluctuations, such as job losses and market volatility, have led to a decline in consumer confidence and spending.
This trend can also be observed culturally:
In his Midyear Report, Adrien Cadiot describes the emergence of a new social order that Ingo Niermann calls The Monadic Age - an era of retreat into isolation, self-sufficiency and egocentric identity spaces. In such a world structure, it is only logical that brands work when they strengthen the ego - not the we.
We see an increased YOLO effect:
Consumers feel entitled to reward themselves here and now (“I deserve this”) and prioritize immediate personal well-being over long-term or collective considerations.
„Our society has become one in which people feel licensed to give their selfishness free rein.“ 
Psychology confirms this pattern: when faced with fear and uncertainty, people often focus on self-preservation and self-reward as a coping mechanism.
In practice, this means that purchasing decisions are strongly guided by self-centered motives: Will it make me happier, healthier or richer? If not, it has a lower priority.
Everything is judged through the lens of the “ego”.
So the thesis is this:
“If I act selfishly, I'm more likely to get the result I want.”
So in my view, this increasing egoism is not egoism per se.
It is a reaction to the feeling of powerlessness that leads to hyper-individualism.
People are trading their communal identity for personal sovereignty. It's less about “I don't care about others” and more about “I don't trust that someone else will take care of me”.
📣 What does the Ego-Conomy mean for our marketing?
People expect more and more personal relevance in all areas - from shopping to campaigning - and they reward organizations that meet these expectations. Brands that successfully “combine purpose with a focus on the customer” are gaining loyalty and desirability.
Smart companies and political decision-makers recognize that the purpose must become personal: Any campaign will only resonate if it provides a clear answer to the question, “What's in it for the customer/voter?”
Marketers can use this insight to develop communication strategies that align consumers' self-interest with broader goals.
Brands leverage ego by making consumers feel special, validated and part of an exclusive group - making products powerful tools for self-expression and social signaling.
For brand strategy, this means: relevance beats reach.
For campaigns: Messages must dock into consumers' lives, not into the brand's purpose manifesto.
There is a practical model for this from communication theory:
The Two-Factor-Theory of Frederick Herzberg
As the name suggests, the model distinguishes between two types of influencing factors:
Hygiene factors: Basic expectations such as product quality, customer service and fair prices. These factors do not motivate purchases, but their absence can lead to dissatisfaction.
Motivators: Elements that really drive consumer engagement, such as brand prestige, unique experiences and personal relevance. Focusing on these elements can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Originally developed for internal communication, this model can also help us to better identify selfish drivers. After all, purchases do not happen if there are no reasons for dissatisfaction.
Motivators are needed - and they are becoming increasingly self-centered.
♟️ 3 Marketing recommendations for the strategy
1️⃣ Status + benefits
Customers buy to show who they are and what they want. Marketing should therefore not primarily focus on functionality, but on identity and emotion. Products become a stage for status, success and self-definition. Those who understand the desire for social distinction and personal advancement can position brands as symbols of belonging to a better world. The Ritz-Carlton's “Leave Better” campaign does just that.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Leave Better campaign, which reflects our commitment to not only honoring our heritage as a luxury hospitality icon, but embracing the desires of our discerning guests.”
Jamie Kerr, senior director of global marketing at The Ritz-Carlton
2️⃣ Individualization wins
Today, people want to be seen as individuals - not as target groups. Tailor-made offers, personalized content or customizable products satisfy the need for meaning and visibility. Marketing strategies that appeal directly to the ego create emotional closeness and create loyalty through the feeling: “This brand understands exactly who I am.”
Slogans such as “You Deserve It” or “Look Better, Feel Better” address precisely these egotistical traits and needs.
Apple has been doing this for decades with its focus on individualism in product names and campaigns.
3️⃣ From inside view to outside view
Brand messaging is effective today when it reflects the target group's self-image. Customers are looking for brands that can be linked to their ideal version. Therefore: less “What we believe as a brand” - more “Who you can be through us”. Brands become a projection surface for a better self - and are strongest when they confirm rather than convert. L'Oréal does this by communicating “Because You're Worth It” - completely related to the self.
Would you like to use this trend for your brand?
Tell me more about your thoughts and I’m excited to design a strategy session full of insights, inspiration and ideas specifically for you and your company.
🌳 Sustainability challenge
Sustainability WAS trending.
In 2019, it was the top 1 topic, with protests on the streets and an increasingly socially acceptable consensus that the climate crisis needs our full attention.
Then came the Covid19 pandemic.
Then geopolitical uncertainties and economic crises.
Now consumers have more urgent and selfish needs.
Sustainability as an end in itself is only attractive to a few people.
More than a third of respondents to a global study say that companies should “satisfy their individual needs first before taking on a greater role in society”.
In other words, they expect brands to put personal benefit for themselves as individuals before social good.
Sustainability must now be pragmatic. It must be aligned with profitability and hard facts (I have described how this works here). Because it remains important and will be the survival engine for companies of tomorrow.
From a consumer perspective, there is a selfish expectation that personal affordability, convenience AND sustainability (albeit in third place) are on offer.
This underlines the fact that we expect companies to “do good” so that we do not have to sacrifice our own comfort or its costs.
And a brand's good deeds only resonate if they in turn have a clear benefit for us consumers. Purely altruistic offers have a hard time. This also means that shifting the responsibility for sustainability to consumers “to do the right thing” (e.g. self-compensation of CO2 impact for air travel or shipping options) will come to nothing.
Communicators also need to emphasize personal commitment when communicating with voters: Policy is framed in terms of jobs, bills and your family's security, not abstract social progress.
Sounds complicated?
It doesn't have to be.
We need to turn collective values into personal benefits:
Less packaging = less chaos at home
Natural cosmetics = better feeling skin
Organic food = healthy nutrition
Fair fashion = exclusive style
The trick lies in reframing, as my friend Thomas Klaffke always writes: The big idea has to fit into the small life.
Patagonia's marketing strategy combines “doing good” with strong identity building: “environmentally conscious” becomes “cool”, “adventurous” and “value-driven” with the feeling of mountains and wave surfing.
And in Too Good To Go's marketing, sustainable action is associated with a better conscience and cheaper food. Users feel clever, sustainable and benefit directly - a classic “what's in it for me” fit.
So: don't just show how to save the world - show how it feels good and how it benefits people themselves.
Today, green marketing must also face up to the question “What's in it for me?”.
Sustainability without recognizable personal benefit is difficult to sell.
People only follow their ideals if they benefit directly from them.
🎬 Conclusion
So we see a clear picture of a world that is increasingly governed by self-interest - a “me before we” economy and society.
Personal benefit, convenience and cost efficiency are driving consumer behavior.
Voters are increasingly opting for candidates and issues that address their own immediate needs. This means that successful election advertising must also do exactly that and answer “What's in it for me to vote for this party”.
As a CMO or marketing manager, it is now important to understand and translate this trend: Successful marketing depends on the ability to provide tangible personal benefits to the target audience.
Brands that manage to communicate “what's in it for me” can build trust and loyalty even in this era of uncertainty.
Serving the “ego-conomy” is a prerequisite for market relevance in the coming years and perhaps the only sustainable way to achieve a broader impact: by meeting people where their priorities lie.
And that, like any successful marketing strategy, starts with a deep understanding of your target audience.
Thank you for reading,