What 'Mad Men' Teaches Us About Branding and Identity

It’s the 1960s. A boardroom in Manhattan, smoke swirling under fluorescent lights, while sharply dressed men and women tussle over the perfect pitch for a product that’s either about to be iconic or forgotten by lunch. AMC's Mad Men doesn't just evoke nostalgia for a bygone era—it offers us an inside view of branding as it evolves alongside the people who make it. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why this show became a cult classic, it’s because at its core, it’s not just about advertising; it’s about identity—both personal and corporate—and how the two become inextricably linked.

So let’s take a closer look. What does Mad Men really teach us about branding and identity? And how do those cigarette smoke-filled rooms echo into the strategies of today's brand builders?

1. Branding is About Storytelling—Especially the Stories We Tell Ourselves

When Don Draper says, "Advertising is based on one thing: happiness," he's pointing us toward a foundational truth of branding. Branding isn't just about the surface, it's about the emotion, the story you want your audience to live. Happiness, nostalgia, desire—these are the emotional undercurrents that make a product more than a commodity. They turn it into an aspirational object.

Think of Lucky Strike cigarettes. The ad campaign Don conceives is simple: "It's toasted." This was not just a slogan; it was a story—a narrative that took something mundane, like tobacco, and gave it an aura of warmth, comfort, and care. The genius lies not in the factual content but in the perception it creates. Branding isn’t about what something is—it's about what it makes us feel, what it promises us.

In today’s world, companies use similar methods. Apple doesn’t sell us a phone; they sell a lifestyle that’s minimalist, innovative, and slightly elite. They tell us a story of connection and creativity—and that story aligns with the identities many of us want to create for ourselves. Mad Men reminds us that storytelling is the heart of any good brand.

2. Brands and Identity Are Reflections of Each Other

Don Draper’s personal struggle with identity serves as a perfect metaphor for branding itself. The entire arc of Draper's life—an alias taken to escape a complicated past, the constant reinvention, the veneer of success hiding vulnerability beneath—mirrors the journey brands often take.

Brands, like people, are often putting on a show. They want to be seen in a particular way—sometimes even masking flaws with clever advertising and aspirational imagery. Take Coca-Cola during the 1960s and 70s, for example. They didn’t just sell a beverage; they sold a sense of community, a bright-red fantasy of global unity, even while growing concerns about health impacts loomed underneath.

Draper’s struggles with his identity highlight the tension between the image we present to the world and the reality behind it. For a brand, staying true to itself—the “why” of what it does—is crucial for longevity. Just as Don’s facade eventually begins to crumble, a brand without authentic foundations risks losing trust and credibility.

3. Authenticity Is a Balancing Act

When Peggy Olson moves from the secretary pool to a full-fledged copywriter, we see her personal transformation running parallel to the shifting culture of the 1960s—a time when female voices began to emerge in spaces dominated by men. This storyline illustrates how important it is for brands to evolve while maintaining authenticity.

Think about Old Spice's rebranding campaign—from being your grandfather's cologne to a fresh, humorous brand targeting a younger generation. What Mad Men shows us is that you have to find a balance between staying true to your core identity while being willing to evolve. If Peggy hadn't evolved, she wouldn't have been able to thrive in the changing landscape of advertising. Similarly, a brand that refuses to change risks becoming irrelevant.

But just as important is the authenticity of that change. The success of a rebranding lies in not alienating your loyal followers while capturing the imagination of a new audience. It’s about being honest about who you are while daring to take risks. Peggy’s journey was about staying true to her creative instincts, even as she had to fight to be taken seriously in a man's world—a lesson in resilience that brands must heed as they grow.

4. Brands Are Built on Relationships, Not Transactions

In Mad Men, the relationships between clients and agencies are central. The deals aren't won solely based on numbers or fancy pitches—they’re won (and lost) through emotional connections. Relationships matter. Whether it's Roger Sterling charming clients over martinis, or Don making impassioned pleas about what could be, it becomes clear that successful branding is rooted in trust and connection.

Take Roger Sterling’s charm—he embodies the personal touch that's crucial in business. He understands that brands aren't just about products or even campaigns; they're about the relationships behind the scenes. In our era, this idea has morphed into the importance of customer relationships. Today, brands engage with consumers on social media, they have customer support that feels like a conversation, not just a service, and they invest in community building.

Mad Men teaches us that at the end of the day, branding is relational. The strongest brands are the ones that make you feel like they’re with you on a personal level—whether that’s through a well-timed tweet or a deeply relatable campaign.

5. Adapt or Die: Brands in a Changing World

Mad Men ends in the early 1970s, a time when the advertising world was shifting rapidly. Don’s final revelation—a transcendent smile while meditating, seemingly leading to the Coca-Cola Hilltop campaign—is symbolic of both a personal and cultural awakening. The world is changing, and those who don’t evolve with it are left behind.

The lesson here for modern brands is clear: stay nimble. Just as Sterling Cooper had to adapt to the emergence of television and later countercultural shifts, today’s brands have to navigate the explosion of social media, the rise of new platforms, and changing consumer priorities around sustainability, diversity, and ethics.

Netflix’s evolution is a good example—they pivoted from a DVD rental service to a streaming giant, and now a major content producer. The changes weren’t easy, but without them, they wouldn’t have survived. Draper’s world teaches us that comfort is the enemy of growth—you need to evolve, even when that means letting go of what made you successful in the first place.

6. Branding Is as Much Internal as It Is External

We often think of branding as the image a company projects to the outside world, but Mad Men reminds us that the true strength of a brand also depends on the people within it. The internal dynamics at Sterling Cooper—the power struggles, the creative tensions, the moments of brilliance—are all part of what makes the agency successful (or not).

Today, we see this echoed in brands that prioritize their company culture. Patagonia, for instance, doesn’t just talk about environmentalism—it embodies it internally. Its commitment to ethical business practices isn’t just an ad campaign; it’s a core part of how they operate. Mad Men teaches us that for a brand’s message to be effective, it has to resonate internally first. Otherwise, consumers will eventually see through the facade.

7. Reinvention Is a Part of Identity

Lastly, Mad Men is a show about reinvention. Don Draper isn’t really Don Draper—he’s Dick Whitman, a man who took on a new name and identity to escape his past. Reinvention is at the heart of branding, especially when times change and audiences evolve.

Think of Levi’s. Once the go-to brand for blue-collar workers, they found themselves out of sync with a new generation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By reinventing themselves, emphasizing their heritage while aligning with modern fashion trends, Levi’s became a symbol of cool again. Reinvention is risky, but when done thoughtfully, it can breathe new life into a brand and ensure its relevance for generations to come.

Don Draper teaches us that reinvention, whether personal or corporate, requires an understanding of what’s worth keeping and what’s holding you back. It’s not just about changing for the sake of change; it’s about evolving into a better, more resonant version of yourself.

Conclusion: The Human Side of Branding

Mad Men isn't just a story about 1960s advertising; it’s a story about the human need for meaning, connection, and identity. Whether it’s the personal journeys of characters like Don Draper and Peggy Olson or the broader evolution of the brands they work on, the show reminds us that branding is deeply human. It’s about the aspirations we have, the facades we put up, and the deep-seated desires that drive us.

Today’s marketers have access to data and tools that Don Draper could only dream of. But the fundamentals of branding remain surprisingly unchanged. It’s still about telling a story that resonates, building genuine connections, and evolving while staying true to who you are. And as Mad Men so brilliantly illustrates, branding and identity are not just connected—they are, in many ways, the same journey.