I will not be watching the Oscars this weekend but that doesn’t mean I am insensitive to the powerful force it exerts. All mankind aspires to be greatness, and, failing to touch the divine, the simpler gratification of worshiping of the talented and beautiful helps mask the reality of our limitations through sensational fantasy.

It might be a good moment to acknowledge other icons outside of Hollywood that serve the same purpose: to make us believe beyond ourselves and buy into the illusion of adoration.

Many products we consume daily are also centered on image projection, just not onto a screen. The projection is onto the minds of passers-by. The strategy is to cloak yourself in the illusion of how you believe people can see you.

The mystique of the personal image projection industry (I mean of course, fashion, cosmetic and luxury goods) is due one inalienable truth:

You may be the only one in the room that knows the quality of the lipstick, shoe leather or necktie you are wearing, but just knowing it actually raises the level of your game.

Occasionally a photograph reveals the naked truth that you are not what you dream yourself to be. The camera can lie and it can also tell the truth. You can kid yourself by flipping from one version of truth to the other (here it lies, here it doesn’t etc.)

The fashion, cosmetic and luxury goods industries are the most skilled at marketing illusion, because they stay closely attuned to their customer’s values. I am not knocking that. They are simply working with the values of their customers and communicating these through their marketing. They have a lot riding on it. And it fits within the customer asset value definition: what does this product do for my Achievement, Convenience, Comfort, Esteem, Pleasure and Trust, with the emphasis on achievement, esteem and pleasure.

So, sing hey! for the un-nominated Oscar Awards for creating products that, no matter how unflattering you might appear, just having them makes you feel invincible.

> Giorgio Armani menswear
> Enzo Ferrari automobiles
> Montblanc pens
> Prada haute couture
> Rolex watches
> M.A.C. cosmetics
> Manolo Blahnick shoes
> Berluti men’s shoes
> Dunhill cigars
> Clarins skincare
> YSL
> Vidal Sassoon hair products.

If we all truly believed that we could grasp the divine through the awesome power of illusion, we would mortgage our hides to own one or all of these products. Most of us deal with divinity in more practical terms, by playing with the hand we are dealt, and making the most of it. But that isn’t going to stop 1 billion viewers worldwide from a teensy fragment of make believe for 4 hours straight. So enjoy, and maybe treat yourself to Prada or Armani tomorrow and shoot for that promotion you’ve been dreaming of!