The Death of Empathy: Why Good Intentions Are Killing Great Brands

Empathy used to be a brand’s greatest strength, now it’s becoming its biggest weakness. From Lululemon’s confused NFL partnership to Victoria’s Secret’s failed comeback, this episode unpacks how good intentions and “inclusive” branding have created a new kind of brand crisis. Camille and Philip break down suicidal empathy, the rise of ghost brands, and why the line between authenticity and performance has never been thinner.💻 Social Media MasterclassMy foundational training will help you stop guessing and start building content that converts.👉 https://camille-moore.com/ 👥 Monthly Brand CohortMonthly, I launch small group learning where I work with you over 6 weeks to develop your brand and approach to socials. Great for small business owners and people wanting to launch a personal brand. 👉 https://camille-moore.com/links/ 🤝 1:1 Brand Strategy IntensivesFor founders ready to go deep and build a category-leading brand. I work 1:1 with a handful of brands as their Fractional CBO.👉 http://bit.ly/4krhxgO 🏢 Hire My AgencySerious brand? Serious goals? Work with my team at Third Eye Insights. If they had a great campaign, they probably hired us.👉 https://thirdeyeinsights.ca/ 📬 Subscribe to Branding With Benefits (My Substack)Free weekly branding insights for people who want blunt strategy, not fluff.👉 https://substack.com/@camilleemoore 🎙️ Podcast Available On:Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Everywhere You Stream📱 Follow Camille MooreInstagram: @camillemooreTikTok: @camille.moore_ LinkedIn: Camille Moore🌐 Website: camille-moore.com🎨 Follow The Art of the BrandInstagram: @theartofthebrand✅ 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄: This video and my YouTube channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are property of "👉The Art Of The Brand👈" You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to my YouTube Channel is provided.Chapters00:00 — Cold open & Jays post-mortem (who lost vs. who won) 02:19 — Baseball-to-branding: execution errors and brand self-defeat 04:55 — World Series ads in Canada: why the work felt mid 05:56 — When RFP checklists beat merit (and what that does to creative) 06:23 — Housekeeping: Japan/Korea trip, book update, planner, new iPhones 08:04 — Apple’s messaging miss: massive camera leap, weak pitch to creators 09:44 — Smart camera use cases: dual-side filming, auto-framing, on-the-go news 10:58 — Color psychology: the “orange era” effect 11:39 — Olivia Colman/Burberry, haters, and useful backlash 14:20 — Taylor Swift detour & paywalled dance dare 15:14 — Main topic kickoff: Is Snapchat worth it in 2025? 16:37 — Arbitrage 101: where attention is cheap vs. expensive 19:14 — CPM reality check: YouTube vs. Snapchat vs. TikTok 20:51 — Discover’s clickbait problem vs. “go where the eyeballs are” 23:33 — Strategy = resource allocation: when not to be everywhere 26:08 — Who should test Snapchat (and why NA adoption still lags) 27:57 — Teams, scale, and the GaryVee caveat for small operators 33:00 — Empathy vs. execution: the “suicidal empathy” trap for brands 36:33 — Performative vs. authentic values (land acknowledgements, etc.) 43:15 — Lululemon × NFL: swag drop, missed innovation, target confusion 48:18 — Ghost brands explained (Sears, Kodak, Playboy) + political analogy 54:29 — Vogue’s “boyfriends aren’t cool”: privacy, performance, and founders 1:03:08 — Power without validation: what to share (and what not to) 1:04:25 — Gender-gap politics, moderation via dialogue, tribal echo chambers 1:06:39 — Unrealistic partner filters & the digital distortion effect 1:08:16 — Wrap-up and what’s next