Shah Rukh Khan at the Met Gala 2025, Credit: Getty Images
That’s Shah Rukh Khan - in what you'd call a pretty basic outfit, especially with others dressed like household objects or dragging looks longer than the red carpet itself.
But he doesn't need the extra because it's SHAH RUKH FREAKING KHAN! If he wore my dad’s damn lungi at the Met Gala, he would still slay. 😮💨
This mind-bending psychological phenomenon has a name: the Halo effect. It's when our overall impression of a person or brand influences how we judge everything they do. (Yes, we read psychology articles when we're procrastinating. Sue us.)
Jared Leto shows up as a cat? Iconic. Because, well… Jared Leto would. Someone else does that? “Desperate!” Siddhart Malhotra and Kiara Advani walk hand in hand? Couple Goals. Because we expect them to be disgustingly adorable. Someone else brings drama? “Trying to prove something.”
The outfit is just the action. But our hot takes are built on pre-existing perception. And isn't that EXACTLY how branding works?
You can launch the most well-crafted, creatively directed campaign, and still flop if your audience doesn’t buy into who you are.
Think about it: Apple drops a $999 monitor stand, and we're like, "Revolutionary!" But if Dell tried that? We'd collectively lose our minds. "WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?!"
Remember when Elon Musk smoked weed on Joe Rogan's podcast and Tesla stock temporarily crashed? Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg could hotbox the NYSE trading floor, and people would just ask where to invest.
That's the perception game. It's not what you do, it's who you are and how you’re perceived.(Shot every time we say perceived)
All this to say: before you launch that campaign, rebrand, or try to go viral with some unhinged trend, ask yourself: "Have we earned the right?" Because here's the uncomfortable truth: The exact same marketing move can be either genius or cringe depending on what people already think about you.
This is why building your brand isn't just some fluffy exercise in logo design and color palettes. It's the hard work of consistently showing up as who you claim to be until people believe it.
The branding lesson we met with at the Met Gala? It's not just about what you wear to the party, it's about whether people think you belong there in the first place.
Now, excuse me while I go back to judging celebrities from my couch in sweatpants and a t-shirt, my mom would make a cleaning cloth any day.
XOXO, Social Kiwi.