The Mannequin Marketing Syndrome – Adetokunbo Modupe

The Mannequin Problem in Marketing comms

In fashion, the mannequin presents an idealised version of how a person should look. It works because the mannequin has no flaws — no awkward proportions, no scars, no beerbelly, no context. The moment a real person puts on that same outfit, the illusion meets reality.

Clients do exactly the same thing.

A competitor launches a sleek new campaign, and suddenly every company in the sector wants that look, that tone, that strategy. I’ve sat with some clients whose briefs were essentially: “Do what they did.” No consideration for whether it fits their own identity, audience, or market position. I had to disagree with another client who prepared a brief that suggested imitating their competitor’s approach, and I later received a commendation for my audacity in being original because I achieved a better outcome. The mannequin syndrome is so prevalent that you can hardly differentiate the message of a premium brand from that of a value-for-money product.

The result? A marketplace full of brands wearing the same outfit — and none of them wearing it to suit their purpose, their market or space.

Custom Sizing Exists for a Reason

Here’s what’s interesting. The fashion industry figured this out years ago. Custom sizing, made-to-measure, personalisation — these aren’t niche offerings anymore. They’re dominant trends. The market has accepted that one size does not fit all.

Yet in branding and communications, I still see clients and agencies chasing the mannequin, aiming to impress rather than align with their targets’ expectations.

Trending formats are adopted because they’re trending. We mimic viral campaigns without asking whether our audience responds to that style or has ever wanted to be in that space. We follow playbooks designed for someone else’s body.

Originality is a Strategic Advantage

In my experience, the brands that endure — the ones that build real equity over time — are the ones that do the harder work of understanding their own shape. Their own voice. Their own story.

That means resisting the temptation to look at what’s working for others and instead asking: What is true about us? What do we offer that no one else can? How do we show up in a way that only we can sustain?

This is where public relations earns its seat at the strategy table. Not by dressing clients in whatever’s trending, but by helping them find the fit that’s authentically theirs.

The Uncomfortable Question

As practitioners, we have to ask ourselves honestly: how often are we recommending strategies that genuinely fit the client, and how often are we just pointing at the mannequin?

I’d love to hear from you. When was the last time you chose originality over imitation in your work — and what did it cost you?