Seducing the Social Super Ego

WORLDWIDE
SEDUCING
THE
SOCIAL
SUPER
EGO
Feb 2011

Introduction
Social performance culture. p. 3
The Social Super Ego. p. 4
Observing the Social Super Ego in action. p. 7
The arts and crafts of image management. p. 10
Lifecasting: updating existence. p. 15
The many shapes of digital endorsement. p. 19
The rush of personal branding. p. 21
The brand reactions so far. p. 25
Boosting the Social Super Ego. p. 26
The Social Super Ego as part of the brand story. p. 28
Giving the Social Super Ego a purpose. p. 30
Playing with the Social Super Ego. p. 34
3 steps to seduce the Social Super Ego. p. 39
Conclusion. p. 45
Bibliography. p. 46
Acknowledgements. p. 47
Links. p. 48
Contents

1
Today, admitting to a digital native
that you are not present on a social
network such as Facebook or Twitter
is somewhat of a social ‘faux pas’.
It gets them wondering, have you
nothing to say? Have you no friends?
Perhaps you are social outcast,
or just totally uncool? It’s as if there
is a whole part missing from you,
a sense of ‘you don’t exist until you
are there’. One could easily say that
social networks have become such
a natural mode of self-expression
that they are now seen to be the tool
for defining who you are.
While on the outside much of social
networking looks like a seamless
extension of real life, the context for
creating our identity is clearly not the
same as in the real world. The digital
environment is an unpredictable,
evolving territory. A ubiquitous
‘nervous system’ that is transparent,
fluid, public, and permanently on.
We are experiencing a turning point
in history, where our psychological
reflexes are learning to adapt
rapidly to a series of very unusual
challenges. How to express yourself
when you don’t know who might
be reading you? How to give a real
sense of your personality in 3 images
and a list of film preferences?
How to say you are ‘in love’ to your
friends, without all your colleagues
at work knowing? Defining ourselves
in this public networked universe
demands a whole new approach,
and a whole set of survival tactics to
be heard, to be seen, to BE.
It is questionable whether today we
really understand the true impact
of social media on consumer
psychology, nor the extent of ‘self
promotion’ mania driven by our need
to broadcast our uniqueness to the
world. So far brands have been in
such a blind race for fans,
in such fear of not getting a word in,
that they have been neglecting the
motivations of the social individuals
they are targeting. The ‘social’
contract established with consumers
can consequently feel very contrived,
based on conversations such as
“If You LIKE me, you could win a...”.
Empty promises that certainly drive
a few ‘likes’, but do not address the
social persona in its totality.
The idea is that by understanding
how consumers create their identity
in the social space we can move
beyond a defensive strategy
of mirroring basic narcissistic desires.
This will ultimately help us create
long-term relationships, and get
a deeper sense of ourselves in our
quest to build inspiring digital brand
identities.
Introduction

32
It was a current belief in the age of
the avatar and social phenomena
like Second Life, that having a digital
identity was a thoroughly liberating
affair. You could prance around as an
oversized rabbit or a Celtic warlord
and say what you liked to anyone.
There were no limits; people could
safely hide behind the imagination
of their fantasy selves. Yet with
the advent of the ‘nanonymous’
networks and public rating systems,
all this has changed. Social media
tools have become part of real life,
not just for meeting fellow wizards,
but finding a job, seducing a wife,
or even couch surfing.
As a result identity creation has
become quite a serious matter,
requiring a considerable amount
of conscious thought to represent
ourselves in a way we feel happy
with. And as the goals of these
networks become more precise,
the pressure becomes more elevated
to perfect our role.
Role-playing and the notion of
‘performance’ is nothing new to
identity creation. Erving Goffman,
the famous American sociologist
demonstrated that identity is a
continual performance that we adapt,
mostly unconsciously,
in function of our social situations,
to fit into societal norms. Yet in
the digital world this performance
culture has taken on a life of its own,
becoming a very conscious activity.
Social
performance
culture
What emerges with Twitter and
Facebook users is a clear tendency
to use social media instrumentally for
self-conscious commodification. In
other words they create their online
identities for the purpose of being
consumed by others.
Some even argue that it’s all
becoming a rather addictive and
pathological reflex (see MIT author
Sherry Turkle). Researchers in
Stanford University are suggesting
that our social performances are so
augmented that they are having a
negative effect on their audiences,
fuelling deep dissatisfaction as they
compare Facebook profiles with the
reality of their own lives.
Karaoke Revolution, © 2011 Konami
Digital Entertainment.
http://bit.ly/gUBzoc

54
The point of this article is not to say
that Facebook is the evil of mankind,
labelling all social media users as
pathological narcissists. But rather
to acknowledge, that in this very
transparent, ‘public’ environment,
most of us will show a tendency to
perform for an audience with varying
degrees of awareness and intention.
Whether you are a professional
anarchist, Italian food lover, or proud
new mum, the pressure is ON to get
your performance in shape. While
the lack of identifiable audience is a
major factor in this pressure,
(it could be your mum looking at
your profile, or a boy you secretly
fancied for years), there are other
elements that exacerbate it. Social
platforms are imbued with their own
linguistic culture that promotes the
limelight gaze. Whether it revolves
around ‘likes’, ‘fans’, ‘followers’,
‘diggs’, we are tacitly reminded of the
high expectations we have to live up
to, of what others want to see and
hear from us, and not just twice a
week. Mobile social connectivity and
geo-location services now mean we
are increasingly expected to be here,
there and everywhere, in real time,
simultaneously.
The Social Super
Ego
In this paradoxical, pressured
universe, it is no wonder that our
minds have to do some significant
mental acrobatics to readjust.
Possibly the most simple and
interesting way to understand this
mental shift is through the prism
of psychoanalysis. This is not a
neuroscientific explanation, but
rather a metaphoric one, that helps
frame the issue within the context of
performance and every day life. On
a basic level Freud tells us that the
mind is structured with the three
infamous actors: the id, ego and
the super ego, each with their own
role, making it possible for us to
function and fit in to society. The ego
is the peacekeeper, surrounded by
an instinctive Id, constantly seeking
pleasure, and a very socially aware
Super Ego, striving for perfection
and acceptance. With the advent the
social media, it seems that the Super
Ego, is becomingly increasingly
dominant and conscious in this
threesome, to the point where it
hogs the entire stage. While Freud
and Dr. Elias Aboujaoude (Stanford
Researcher) would regard this a
highly dysfunctional dynamic, one
could argue that such hyper activity
has evolved into a radically new
psychological asset. For the first
time ever, within hours, anyone can
envisage becoming a contagious
Internet meme, and even start a
revolution.
Either way the specifics of the
digital social stage have given
birth to a new kind of performer
that is an augmented version of
his Freudian cousin. We call it the
Social Super Ego. Constantly on a
high from making new connections,
and obsessed with nourishing its
infinite audience, it always presents
itself in the best light possible.
It is highly creative, and often goes
to great lengths to produce an
ideal model of itself with whatever
media there is to play with (images,
text bites or video). Hyper alert
and hypersensitive, it censors and
filters anything that threatens its
reputation.
While all this seems rather
unnerving, there comes a point
where we can no longer ignore,
or label it as an anomaly of digital
media. It does not take much
reflection to notice that the impulse
is so strong in each one of us.
The Social Super Ego should be
named and recognized,
if we are to ever get to grips
with understanding how to
communicate and impact our
consumers online.

6 7
Observing
the Social
Super Ego
in action
There is no better way to understand
this psychological phenomenon than
to observe it in its natural habitat.
To give you the best possible
insight, we have explored a range
of social behaviour that show the
different levels of Social Super Ego
expression. From simple acts of
photo management on Facebook
right through to fictive self promotion
streams on Twitter, we can see
that unless people have made
a deliberate choice to remain off
the grid, the rest of us are always
conscious of the audience gaze.
Cosmic 140, © 2010 iA Inc.
http://bit.ly/b81zvc

10 11
It’s the first step, what will
represent you in the digital space,
your first introduction to the world.
It’s your profile picture;
your idealized mirror image.
Whether you prefer to change
photos everyday or stay with the
same forever, profile pictures are
never picked at random, because
even saying, “I don’t care” takes
some thinking.
Image obsession
Contrary to the early-web era,
profile pictures are nowadays
a living, breathing part of our
online life and no longer mere
representations of our virtual persona.
With the introduction of profile
albums, Facebook has intensified
the need to play around with the
way we decide to portray ourselves,
encouraging users to display
ever-changing depictions of their
moods through time. And of
course, this also means paying
acute attention to the way your
image is being displayed by others.
Monitoring party pictures and
past-bedtime updates has become
more than a necessary evil. Tag-
management is a skill, mastered
by even the lightest users who
painstakingly remove tags from
embarrassing or unflattering pictures
or even add them to pictures that do
them more justice.
The arts and crafts
of image management
Design by Alexandre Oudin

12 13
A transformative art
People employ a surprising amount
of creative energy to create their
ideal image. The recent Facebook
profile page re-design provides
even more opportunities to get an
original profile. Numerous services
outside Facebook offer solutions for
users to play with their own image.
Photofunia for example allows you
to integrate your own picture into a
specific scene without any editing
skills needed.
A sign of evolution, profile pictures
can now even serve as a media
to express political opinions or
belonging to a certain cause.
This practice, more often seen on
Twitter, was popularized by Twibbon,
a service that allows you to enhance
your photos with specific banners,
frames or symbols of social causes,
movements of all sorts…
or just-for-fun extravaganzas.
Something of a science
Ultimately, profile pictures are
the perfect means to become as
attractive as possible for friends and
potential love interests alike.
As such it is, and will always be a
serious matter. Shooting yourself
in the best light possible is such a
precise craft that rules and guidelines
have been conceived, discussed and
challenged. Among the infamous
tricks, the ‘Myspace angles’ (placing
the camera above the face, cropping
most of the body) have even become
a staple of profile-picture-shooting
trickery… and ultimately one of the
thousands of Internet memes out
there.
The number of profile-tweaking
addicts is reaching such height that
shooting the perfect profile picture
has even been broken down into
somewhat of an art form. It has
been rigorously made fun of by
Fastcompany’s hilarious chart and
very seriously studied by dating
website Okcupid, which revealed
the key components for taking
the perfect eye-catching profile
pic. Apparently using a flash will
add seven years to your face and a
shallow depth of field will make you
more appealing.
1. http://twibbon.com , © 2009 Storm Ideas
2. A graphic guide to Facebook portraits, Designed and written by Doogie Horner , http://bit.ly/99Msdi
1
2
http://photofunia.com
© 2007-2011 PhotoFunia

14 15
Lifecasting: updating
existence
Social networking and its
transformation into mobile
applications have accustomed
users to openly promote every
aspect of their lives. A bad mood,
a new job, a spiritual reflection,
a sudden rant… anything is good
for sharing and everything is done
to encourage this update frenzy.
From reflecting to broadcasting
It is no longer about reflecting back
on your day and writing down
your emotions (as people did with
blogs or personal diaries) but rather,
commenting on your own life as it
happens, to an audience that is not
clearly known. The developments
of micro-blogging services have
encouraged people to be more
instantaneous and have normalized
short-easily-digested updates.
As a result, social networks
are buzzing with hundreds and
thousands of individual streams vying
for attention (it’s been determined
that 95% of updates go un-noticed).
A bittersweet necessity
Whether it is a full-on approach
or a damage-control habit,
visual management is now
an essential part of digital
life. The risks of losing control
are well anticipated, from
employees google-searching
candidates or mothers
monitoring an unsuspecting
son’s photos. Perhaps the
most vibrant example of image
and reputation manipulation
skills is that of a young girl who
managed to take revenge on
her ex-boyfriend by turning him
into an Internet meme.
Using a meme-generator
website, she flooded Google
images with dozens of classic
‘lolcat’-like pictures of the
unfortunate fellow. Not that he
could really have prevented
such an attack (apart from
being a better boyfriend).

16 17
From ‘taking’ pictures to ‘making’
pictures
Visual life-casting is fuelled by the
rise of mobile usage and accelerated
by the simplification of picture/ video
taking and sharing. Forget digital
cameras: smartphones, devices such
as Flip, and apps such as Instagram
greatly facilitate and encourage
on-the-go shooting and sharing.
For regular to heavy users of social
networks, debating what to share
online as they experience life has
become a natural reflex.
Taking that blurry picture of Prince
on your way to his exclusive concert
is less about pleasing you, but more
about the kudos from showing it off
to your Facebook audience.
Interestingly, new platforms are
emerging that key into both of the
previously explored trends, mixing
the desire to broadcast daily life with
acute Super Social Ego-building
needs. Sites like Go Try It On or the
hill-inspired Fashism enable users
to share full-body photos in order to
receive advice on their looks before
trying them out in real-life.
An endorsement that’s not so much
about fashion than self-actualization.
http://gotryiton.com
© 2011 Go try it on
http://twitpic.com
© 2011 Twitpic Inc.

http://Polyvore.com
© 2011 Polyvore
http://Facebook.com/generous.skoda
© 2010 ŠKODA AUTO a.s.
http://Foursquare.com
© 2011 Foursquare
18 19
The many shapes of digital
endorsement
Showing what we enjoy evidently
says a lot about us. In the past
few months, social networks have
dramatically shifted the way we
express our passions. It used to
be a question of filling the details
on your profile, depending on your
own motivation to do so.
You could appear edgy by putting
a quote from an obscure 1930’s
Finnish book but chances are,
nobody would really pay that
much attention to it. Nowadays,
broadcasting your tastes is
paramount to a successful social
presence.
So what if I LIKE
The first landmark of this era,
the expansion of ‘likes’ outside
Facebook, established a standard
in content endorsement. It also
ironically diluted the meaning of the
action itself, making it a banal and
forgettable part of online usage.
Things have changed since the
infamous ‘fan page’ era. Now,
a ‘like’ on or outside of Facebook is
for most people a mix of support and
self-expression that’s easy to display
but ultimately doesn’t imply much.
In an effort to reframe value of
the ‘like’, brands have even tried
to monetize it. One of the most
blatant examples is the campaign
launched by Skoda on Facebook
that transformed likes into euros in
an inverted bidding system. Anyway,
it is now impossible to access any
brand page’s content without ‘paying’
with your ‘like’.
Advocacy becomes play
The highest level of endorsement is
however what we decide to actively
share by making an actual effort
to copy/ paste a link or click on a
share button. Videos, articles and
other links to content that interest us
become the staple of our personal
culture and vision when displayed on
our wall and our feed. An exercise
rendered difficult by the sheer volume

20 21
The rush of personal
branding
of information, creating a need to
browse more efficiently through the
cluster. Social relevance seems to be
the hottest trend, with services such
as scoop.it enabling users to share
streams of archived information
based on topics they feel expert in.
Others can then follow such a user
based on his ability to select relevant
content.
Increasingly referred to as ‘curation’,
information filtering to spread
the best picks to our network is
facilitated even by major websites.
Mashable just launched the “follow”
feature making curating, sharing and
connecting easier… and rewarding
since the site also gives badges
depending on user activities. Content
even curates itself with applications
like flipboard, postpost or
paper.li, transforming the most
popular content form your network
into a beautiful magazine. Each
edition of paper.li or pospost can be
shared as is by users, contributing to
their reputation as keen selectors.
This personal content-centric trend
materializes best through recent
websites that encourage curating,
remixing and sharing a unique
patchwork of existing content.
Polyvore is a great example.
The shopping website doubles as a
collective fashion trend exploration
tool where users can compose their
own ‘lookboards’ from selected
shop items. The boards are then
shared, rated and discussed; the
most popular being featured on the
homepage. You can shape yourself
as a fashion expert, depending on
the popularity and relevance of your
creativity and choice.
For most people, social networks
present formidable opportunities
to become more than just a
number in the crowd, which they
will gladly indulge. For most
regular social network users, the
digital realm can quickly become
a racetrack to popularity.
Influence as a mass product
Because social networks make
sharing and consuming content
dramatically easier, the notion of
influence is becoming mainstream.
If your eye is trained enough and
you share content that’s relevant to
many people, you don’t even need
a blog anymore to build a following.
Young networks such as Twitter
encourage the concept of ‘everyone
as influencer’ by pushing semantics
like ‘followers’, ‘followings’. There
is a real feeling that when someone
subscribes to your account, they
somehow pledge allegiance to you.
If you have a Twitter account, you
know how great it feels when you
reach 100, 500 or even a 1000
followers… and you also know how
serious this seems to everyone.
Twitter has fuelled an addictive need
to pay attention to your audience and
calculate your influence scores.
Services such as Klout have emerged
to calculate influence scores based
on an algorithmic breakdown of a
user Twitter activity and responses.
http://paper.li
© 2011 Smallrivers SA

22 23
Mainstream expertise
The development of common
knowledge mines and social
networks has enabled anybody
to claim expertise over any topic.
In a world where facts are easily
accessed and researched, opinions
are more easily expressed and
spread… and users claim the right to
be heard.
Remember the pioneers of Youtube
broadcasting?
So many are now considered
stars of their own little niche that it
has become nearly impossible for
newcomers to access that same
level of attention, never mind brands.
That doesn’t prevent them from
trying, though: platforms like Vyou
give you the opportunity to advertise
your knowledge by posting video
replies to community questions.
This form of amateur expertise mixes
the need to show off with the need
to express every opinion whatever
the topic, popularized by Q&A
platforms such as Ask or the recently
hyped Quora.
Routine brand management
Even if everyone is not so involved
in turning themselves into brands;
it is paramount to understand the
position social networks are putting
people in.
By pressuring them to be better
than the next person, by giving them
new tools to easily broadcast and
promote themselves, they have
trained people in the arts of PR,
branding, SEO and CRM, producing
a Social Super Ego that less and
less inclined to trust or even consider
many brands as necessary.
Creating your own website
doesn’t imply spending long hours
developing a unique platform, but
only registering to design services
such as flavors.me that showcase
the totality of a digital presence.
The result is a tastefully arranged
design, topped with a nice vanity
URL ensuring maximum google
impressions.
Extreme examples of personal
branding include that of Brian; a
young boy freshly arrived in NYC
who created DatingBrian.com to find
love. Everyday he encouraged his
community to give him looks, dating
suggestions, and broadcasted every
step of his journey to love.
http://andrepeniche.com, created by André Peniche
(photographer / filmmaker)
http://celineislookingforafashionjob.com
© 2011 smartup ltd

24 25
THE BRAND
REACTIONS
SO FAR
In a valiant effort to embrace the social media craze, many brands have
inadvertently spotted the Social Super Ego and opportunities to exploit it.
We have seen a host of creative tactics emerging, ranging from seemin-
gly gimmicky Social Super Ego traps, like fan showcasing, to more long-
term engagement programs integrating it into the very heart of the brand
narrative. While some have been quite effective at collecting ‘fans’, it all
seems rather random, with no clear strategy. It still feels as if brands are
constantly in catch up mode, trying their best to anticipate and respond
to the whims of a hyper confident social animal.
© 2011 Dr. Ing. h.c.f. Porsche AG.

26 27
Boosting the
Social Super Ego
Undoubtedly, people enjoy the
digital world because it gives
them many opportunities to be
someone they are not. They
mould their identity by racing
after tokens of difference and
privilege. In an age where users
can make and break brands, many
companies have decided to give
back by flattering the Social Super
Ego. They sense the consumer
desire, to be valued, and
recognized for what they really are.
The occasional ‘superstaring’ is
always nice, but simplicity seems
more in order.
Take an extreme case such
as Benetton’s It’s : my : Time
campaign, a worldwide online
amateur casting for Bennetton
brand lovers. People were put
in the limelight for their unique
qualities as individuals, and
not transformed into glittering
überhuman models.
Caring for people, one at a time
A people centric approach needs
to be as authentic and driven as
possible. Forget gimmicks such as
Oreo’s World’s Fan Of The Week,
which features a fan photograph
in the profile image of the brand’s
international fan-page. We are more
interested in campaigns such as
Old Spice’s video responses that
personally addressed consumers
almost in real time. Even though
the example has been used to
death, we feel it truly created a rare
sense of proximity and an emotional
connection that many try to replicate.
Showing random acts of
kindness
We feel the most interesting
examples of Social Super Ego
boosting are those initiating from
a desire to surprise consumers
when they least expect it. We are
notably thinking of Burger King’s
Whopperface where clients were
served burgers with their face printed
on the packaging. It was such a
intimate surprise that many felt
motivated to take a picture and share
amongst their social networks.
Being grateful for love
With so many brands reaching high
‘likes’ numbers on Facebook, it’s no
surprise that so many feel like giving
love back to their ‘fans’.
The best examples include
Heineken’s PR stunt where girls
sporting Heineken branded ‘like’
logos raided nearby bars to hug
Heineken drinkers. Or there is
Porsche’s impressive GT, flocked
with the names of all its Facebook
likers. We also like the effort of
French Sports magazine L’Equipe
who personally dedicated a national
print-ad to its 100’000th
fan.
Beware though, it is not long
before such efforts will become
mere gimmicks and the positive
empowering effect of brand love
vanishes.
One million Heineken hug
http://bit.ly/fzgIjx
© 2011 Heineken USA Inc.

2928
The Social Super Ego
as part of the brand story
We have seen how the Social
Super Ego can be materialized
into a story-telling experience,
but it can also be taken a step
further, allowing users to feel
even more integrated, while still
catering to their basic narcissistic
needs.
Designing people to design the
story
Uniqlo’s Uniqlooks is the perfect
example of such an approach. The
micro-site displays dozens of street
pictures of real people sporting one
or several Uniqlo items. Facebook
and Twitter profile info are attached
to each amateur model, giving them
maximum micro-fame exposure.
Their collection of images, tells the
story of fashion as Uniqlo sees it.
Other creative usages of such
insights include one from French
Photographer David Ken and his LOL
Project. A valiant attempt to promote
French ‘joie de vivre’ as well as his
own work by casting hundreds of
real people from across France and
shooting them all in laughter.
Curating and managing content
The 2010 Grammy Awards
campaign We’re All Fans is another
great example of Social Super
Ego narrative. The micro-site
reconstituted mosaic images of
various pop stars by feeding Youtube
and Twitter content from the crowds.
Each fan cover, each admirable
tweet became part of a wider ode to
fandom and stardom.
2010 Cannes Direct Grand Prix
Winner Orcon crowd-sourced fan
covers from Iggy Pop’s greatest hits
in order to cast an amateur band
with members across New Zealand.
The band then proceeded to record
a whole new version of Passenger
with Iggy himself over the Internet.
The talent of each member and
spectacular result concurred to prove
Orcon’s network reliability.
http://uniqlooks.uniqlo.com, © UNIQLO Co, Ltd. http://wereallfans.com, © 2003-2009 GRAMMYS Inc.

30 31
Giving the Social Super
Ego a purpose
In light of the Social Super Ego,
crowd sourcing is the strongest
promise of self-actualization,
enabling each consumer to feel
part of a rewarding community
where individual ideas and beliefs
can contribute to the construction
of the future of brand identity and
image.
Making people work with you
Remember the 2009 Vitamin Water
Facebook application that let users
design and vote for the next flavor of
the brand. A campaign that found
its relevance in its brilliant use of
the social context, allowing users to
easily share and discuss design and
taste ideas. While some time has
passed, great campaigns still emerge
from the same basic idea. Look
at Toronto Tiff Museum and Tim
Burton’s Cadavre Exquis. A Twitter
campaign that prompted users to
create their own chapter of the story
in 140 characters. Each selected
sequence was integrated to the final
story and of course referred back to
its author.
Crowdsourcing efforts don’t have
to be product-driven and can
take a very inspiring form when
mixed with the vivid passion of
the super ego for a specific topic.
Foot Locker is launching the first
wiki dedicated to sneakers of all
kinds in an effort to seduce the
die-hard sneakerholic community.
Sneakerpedia encourages every
enthousiast to subscribe to the beta
and enrich its database. In doing so,
Foot Locker aims at becoming the
prime destination for sports shoes
resources while flattering the ego
of the most knowledgable sneaker
amateurs.
http://vimeo.com/17006480
© 2010 Foot Locker

3332
Giving people a chance to
change the world
Changing the world, what could be
a greater and purer aspiration?
And what better way for the Social
Super Ego to feel unique and
important? Motivating people to act
for a greater cause is a perfect route
to self-fulfilment, especially if they
share and believe in your vision and
values.
Pepsi’s Refresh Project is probably
the most vibrant example of a brand
taking real action to set a whole
community in motion towards a
truly socially beneficial goal. The
brand invested millions of Super
Bowl spending in a crowdsourcing
platform enabling users to design
and submit a project, which is then
rated by the community. Each
validated project receives part of
the 20 million invested by the brand.
A win/win campaign, where the
Social Super Ego can grow and be
rewarded while creating lasting value
for the brand.
Of course, world-changing causes
aren’t so easy to stumble upon or
even create. But each brand has
something in its DNA or primal
motivation that can lead to an
opportunity to activate user’s taste
for philanthropic endeavours. It’s
not the size of the revolution but
the emotional implication that
matters. Take the My Starbucks Idea
platform: launched a few years ago it
enables anyone to suggest changes
to the chain. Ideas are divided
between products, experience and
involvement related topics meaning
consumers get a chance to suggest
even the boldest ideas. It is a great
way to nurture and reward the Social
Super Ego, especially thanks to
a community that stays engaged
outside of the platform through other
social networks such as Twitter.
http://refresheverything.com
© 2011 Pepsico Inc.

34 35
Playing with the Social
Super Ego
The Social Super Ego is a
peculiar thing. It prays on
people’s attention to details and
exhibitionism, yet people enjoy
having fun with it. This heightened
sense of self-consciousness
combined with a playful need
to self-deprecate have inspired
brands to produce some really
surprising content.
Playing with your image
Applications such as Mad Men
Yourself have been a raving success
for years; allowing users to transform
themselves into illustrated personas.
Also extremely popular, the Yearbook
Yourself website inspired thousands
of users to transform their face into
vintage versions of their college-self.
One could say they are the new
avatars, except they can be made
to resemble their owner to the tiniest
level of detail. Most recently, Android
launched an application that lets
you create your own version of the
Android mascot with very precise
personalization features. If you own
any recent video game system, then
you are no stranger to the pleasures
of creating your own ‘Mii’ or Xbox
Live persona and having fun with
your own Social Super Ego.
Schweppes having a great eye for
opportunity, quickly identified how
to maximize a new image based
trend. They created the first branded
Facebook App dedicated to creating
a neat full-page profile picture, letting
you make the most of Facebook’s
new profile design without any image
editing skills.
Poking fun at each other’s self-
consciousness
People often enjoy taking a few steps
back and laughing at their own self-
indulgent actions. The French fashion
retailer La Redoute (via Proximity
BBDO Paris) recently launched a
Facebook App in which users could
join the ‘style police’ and post “bad
taste fines” on their friends’ walls. In
a similar fashion, Diesel is currently
urging its Facebook fans to report
their friend’s exhibitionist picture
taking habits and to share their own.
Putting influence to the test
Many brands have found ways to key
into the increasing obsession with
digital influence scores.
The Sony Vaio facebook app Media
Monster War presented users with a
challenging and creative opportunity
to gauge their influence by trying
to take on Justin Timberlake in a
virtual monster bash. Each monster
was generated from the user’s
volume of shared content and, more
importantly, the number of likes
and comments published by others
on his wall. The more activity and
popularity you had, the bigger the
monster, and higher chances of
winning.
http://bit.ly/biUHBY
© 2010 Sony Electronics Inc.
http://yearbookyourself.com
© 2010 Jostens Inc

36 37
Other brands propose using one’s
influence capabilities for a certain
goal. Disney for example, created a
Facebook app to promote the new
Pirates Of The Caribbean movie on
Facebook. The app allows users to
try and convince as many friends
as possible to join a virtual pirate
crew under their captainship. The
more crewmembers, the higher
the chances of winning a special
premiere screening of the movie.
Eternalizing your social life
Ultimately, what better way to
marvel at what you’ve become,
than by giving the Social Super
Ego a tangible form, especially for
the heavy users. French telecom
operator Bouygues Telecom offered
the possibility to transform the whole
of a Facebook wall history into a
beautiful hardcover book.
More simplistic but efficient
nonetheless, KDDI Japan’s ISparade
transformed logged-in Twitter users
into leaders of a huge virtual parade
composed of all their followers.
The Social Super Ego can also
materialize as a story. Japanese
music band Sour Mirror recently
created an interactive website
that integrated user Twitter and
Facebook info as well as webcam
feed into a personalized video clip.
Every side of the user’s digital life
were transformed to create a unique
experience.
http://isparade.jp
© 2010 KDDI Corporation

38 39
3
STEPS
TO
SEDUCE
THE
SOCIAL
SUPER EGO«The Social Super
Ego is not a monster,
it just needs to be
understood»

40 41
While there are many consumers
who act like professional PR agents,
for a lot of people the social pressure
to perform online can be quite
overwhelming. Think of smart ways,
to boost idealized personas and help
people rise to the occasion.
On the other hand acknowledge
performance anxiety, by thinking of
ways to ease the pressure of being
perfect, and keeping reputations
safe from the hungry gaze of the
social public. Find the right balance
for your branded community spaces;
maybe they should be tilted towards
havens of peace rather than dens of
pure fan competition.
Action points:
1. Entering into the mindset of the
social super ego requires seeing
digital life through its very eyes.
It is imperative to sign up to as
many social network platforms
as possible, from Twitter, Digg,
Farmville, Foursquare etc. Learn
to experiment, create your own
networks, and understand the
thrill of being ‘followed’ from the
inside.
2. Learn the ‘languages’ of digital
ecosystems so you can connect
emotionally and deeply with their
concerns, for more visibility or less.
3. Educate community managers
on the Social Super Ego as a real
character to confront, so they can
respond with more impact.
1
Empathise
with the
pressure
to perform

42 43
Survival in the digital world is no
different than in the real. There is
a set of basic needs that must be
met for people to feel fulfilled and
happy. The Social Super Ego is
no different in that it has complex
levels of desires to be satisfied.
Instead of just appealing to the most
superficial, start thinking on how to
cater for your digital consumers on
3 fundamental levels. How to make
them feel loved and give them a
sense of belonging?
How to nurture their self-esteem?
How to help them actualise their
dreams? Responding to all these
needs will help establish the
foundations for more meaningful
long-term relationships.
We have used the framework of the
Maslow Pyramid to help you identify
the different levels of the Social
Super Ego, and what motivates
it in its quest for happiness and
acceptance in the digital world.
2
Embrace all
aspects of
the social
super ego
The path
to Social Super Ego
enlightenment
5 - INFLUENCING
The need to be acknowledged and
referred to as a unique personality with
talent, opinion or expertise.
Maximizing your online presence
through personal blogs, vlogs, websites,
branding yourself.
4 - MONITORING
The need to asses the reactions of our
audiences and our relevance to improve
our global online reputation.
Qualifying and quantifying the reactions
to your posts, likes, comments,
assessing your influence score, Googling
yourself.
3 - BROADCASTING
The need to perform to feel accepted
and appreciated by our online
communities.
Showing both who we are and what we
stand for in descriptions, conversations,
profile pictures, albums, check-ins,
advocacies, updates, blog posts.
2 - CONFIDENTIALITY
The need to feel in control of one’s
identity, personal data and information.
Picking and changing passwords,
adapting privacy settings to specific
networks and audience, managing how
one’s image and reputation is displayed
by others in pictures, conversations,
updates.
1 - ACCESSIBILITY
The need to acquire the basic set of
skills and markers, indispensable to start
existing and interacting in the digital
realm.
Submitting to networks, picking a
screen name and an avatar, learning
the language and etiquette of a specific
platform.

44 45
CONCLUSION
So far the industry has been telling
us frantically to join the conversation,
otherwise we have no chance of
becoming a ‘social’ success. As
good students we have been taking
this very seriously, setting up fan
pages, Twitter accounts and doing
as much as possible to make new
FRIENDS and FOLLOWERS. While
we can commend some of these
creative efforts, many clearly have no
rhyme or reason for their existence.
Sure, they may have been created
on the back of a great instinct, and
accumulated some 10’000 fans, but
to what end?
Can we really guarantee that our
new friends are more loyal than our
real life consumers? Or that they
won’t be easily deterred by other
brand attempts at ego boosting
digital candy. The real challenge in
social media is not about emerging
in the ocean of babble, but about
seducing the Social Super Ego. As
we have seen for the last 20 pages,
this is not a random psychological
phenomenon, but a real character
that comes to the fore in our online
lives, with survival mechanics and
complex needs of its own.
While social networks have
undoubtedly given us endless
possibilities to make connections
with people we never would have
dreamt of, the rules for friendship
never change.
It happens out of a real sense
of complicity, and the desire to
explore the other in all his/ her
different dimensions. The next
exciting challenge will be to look
inside ourselves as brands and see
whether the role we have chosen
to play online is sufficiently in sync
and attractive enough for the Social
Super Ego…
Forget the misconceptions about
influence: it’s now everywhere,
anytime and can emanate from
anybody. Learn to distinguish the
different levels of influence: someone
with a 500K uv/ month and 10’000
followers might be a social outcast in
real life, and real life influencers might
not even have a Facebook account.
Don’t be afraid to look beyond blogs
and Twitter. Other platforms such
as foursquare, social shopping sites,
and even casual social games can
all contain influencers with massive
reach.
3
Identify the
real origins
of influence
Action Points:
1. Do not rely on ready-made
directories to identify influencers
such as bloggers.
2. Use proved tools such as SM2
to identify the volume and sources
of noise around your brand,
whatever the network.
3. Do some hands-on research on
selected networks, experience will
tell you who’s a reference in such
or such domain.

46 47
Bibliography Acknowledgements
«Your life torn Open, Essay 2:
Zukerberg’s next move»
Steven Johnson - feb 3, 2011.
wired.co.uk
«Facebook, Le Reseau Antisocial»
Libby Copeland - jan 26, 2011.
Slate.fr
Why youth love social Network
sites: The Role of Networked
Publics in Teenage social life.
Dana Boyd
University of California, Berkeley, School
of Information.
User descriptions
and Interpretations of
self-presentation through
Facebook profile images.
Michele M. Strano
Bridgewater College, Virginia.
Self-presentation 2.0: Narcissism
and self esteem on Facebook.
Soraya Mehdizadeh- B. Sc.
York University Toronto Canada.
I tweet honestly, I tweet
passionately: Twitter users,
context collapse, and the
imagined audience.
Alice E. Marwick
New York University
Authors:
Sarah Jane Blackman is a Senior
Digital Planner at Proximity Paris,
with a passion for big questions and
digital creativity.
blackmans@proximity.bbdo.fr
Pierre-Jean Choquelle is a
Generation Y certified digital planner
at Proximity Paris.
You can check out his geeky stream
of consciousness at Twitter.com/fouapa
Design:
Nicolas Baumgartner at Proximity
Paris.
A big thankyou to:
Reza Ghaem-Maghami,
and the Paris planning team for their
encouragement and support during
this project.
Identity Construction and Self
Representation on Facebook.
Renee Estoisia, Neema Pithia,
Claudia Rodriquez, Teresa Yu.
Anthropology 128C
Professor T. D. Boellstorff
- March 19, 2009.
«I tweet therefore I am»
Peggy Orenstein - july 30, 2010.
newyorktimes.com
The presentation of self in every
day life.
Erving Goffman, 1959.
Alone Together. Why we expect
more from technology and less
from eachother.
Sherry Turkle - jan 11, 2011
Basics Books
Virtually You: The Dangerous
Powers of the E-Personality.
Elias Aboujaoude - 2011

48 49
Links
We’ve tried hard to describe our diferent examples in the simplest way as
possible but here is a list of links that’ll feed your apetite for details, neatly
arranged for your delight.
• 10 creative uses of the new Facebook profile
http://on.mash.to/ejyhfn
• photofunia
http://photofunia.com
• twibbon
http://twibbon.com
• myspace angles, know your meme
http://bit.ly/dDk1l7
• Don’t be ugly by accident, Ok Trends
http://bit.ly/czjvur
• A graphic guide to Facebook Portrait, Fastcompany
http://bit.ly/a2dVvL
• instagram
http://instagr.am
• go try it on
http://www.gotryiton.com
• fashism
http://www.fashism.com
• Skoda, The more you like, the less you pay
http://bit.ly/b6yEs9
• Foursquare
http://foursquare.com
• Getglue
http://getglue.com
• Scoop.it
http://www.scoop.it
• Introducing Mashable follow
http://on.mash.to/dKbx3a
• Flipboard
http://flipboard.com
• Postpost
http://www.postpost.com
• Paper.li
http://paper.li
• Polyvore
http://www.polyvore.com
• klout
http://klout.com
• epenis
http://www.epenis.nl
• Youtube sensation Blair Fowler aka Juicystar07
http://www.youtube.com/user/juicystar07
• vyou
http://vyou.com
• quora
http://www.quora.com
• flavors.me
http://flavors.me
• dating brian
http://datingbrian.com
• Céline Cavaillero’s Resume
http://www.celineislookingforafashionjob.com
• yearbook yourself
http://www.yearbookyourself.com
• Mad men yourself
http://bit.ly/59sii
• Androidify
http://androidify.com
• Schweppes profile maker
http://on.fb.me/i5E5FQ
• La redoute PDS
http://bit.ly/hxAnag
• Diesel I have never
http://bit.ly/fnPlXA

50 51
• Vaio Media Monsters War
http://bit.ly/biUHBY
• Pirates des Caraibes : capitaine !
http://on.fb.me/edp5pG
• Facebook book Bouygues Telecom
http://vimeo.com/18877919
• Twitter parade
http://isparade.jp
• Sour Mirror interactive music video
http://sour-mirror.jp
• Benetton it’s : my : time
http://casting.benetton.com
• Oreo itl fan of the week
http://bit.ly/hWoQAz
• Top 10 Old Spice video response
http://on.mash.to/aafpwa
• BK Whopperface case study
http://bit.ly/9ev3JM
• Klm surprise case study
http://bit.ly/dNBOji
• One Million Heineken hugs
http://bit.ly/fzgIjx
• Porsche, Thank You a million times
http://bit.ly/dE44vq
• Uniqlooks
http://uniqlooks.uniqlo.com
• LOL project
http://bit.ly/bwi2PL
• Grammy’s we’re all fans
http://wereallfans.com
• Together Incredible : Orcon case study
http://bit.ly/4f9flA
• Burton’s Cadavre Exquis
http://www.burtonstory.com
• Gorillaz The Evangelist
http://gorillaz.com/evangelist
• Pepsi Refresh project
http://www.refresheverything.com
• My Starbucks idea
http://mystarbucksidea.force.com

WORLDWIDE
WWW.PROXIMITYWORLD.COM
WWW.DIGITALLABBLOG.COM

Seducing the Social Super Ego

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