Beauty Isn’t the Message

A recent blog post by Seth Godin called, “Beauty as a signaling strategy” had this to say:
“Human beings have adopted this signaling strategy with a vengeance. I know a woman who is going to spend more than $9,000 having her hair styled in 2009 (hey, that’s less than $200 a week). Entire industries are based on human beings spending time and money in order to manufacture temporary physical beauty.

Businesses build lobbies that they rarely use, giant atriums with big windows and lots of empty space. It’s a waste, it’s expensive and it’s beautiful. It’s beautiful because it’s expensive.”
Allow me to be clear: Beauty isn’t the message.

Seth is describing conspicuous consumption. Introduced by economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in his 1899 book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, conspicuous consumption explains that wealthy individuals communicate their status by wasting money on expensive things: First class trips to Europe. BMW’s. Lavish homes.

Likewise, the woman described in Seth’s blog doesn’t spend $173 per week on her hair to demonstrate her beauty. No, $50 bucks can accomplish that.

Wasting a ridiculous amount of one’s wealth on hair styling is a status symbol. Seth’s acquaintance wants the world to know that she’s wealthy. That’s why she spends the money. You know it. I know it. And she knows it.

Here’s how this concept applies to business: Large banks spend money on ornate marble lobbies to communicate success and prestige. A transfer of confidence.

You see, banks aren’t in the business of beauty. They’re in the business of investing money. And they want your trust. End of story.