When I first looked at this photo, I wasn’t sure it was me.

It’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Which one is me?!!

I have a doppelganger.

A doppelganger is defined as a look-alike or double of a living person, sometimes portrayed as a paranormal phenomenon, and in some traditions and cultures as a harbinger of bad luck (the evil twin).

In advertising, the doppelganger has a couple of different meanings.

One form of the phenomenon is ads or logos that are intentionally created to look like a familiar brand but altered by digital technology. A more clever example is the creation of an actual ad campaign to look like and undermine the competition. Between 2006 and 2012, Apple ran the “I’m a Mac” campaign that contrasted the ease of use and speed of the Mac and PC computers in a humorous fashion. Not only did the campaign go viral, but it also helped grow sales for Apple by an estimated 39%.

Remember that one?

Markus Geisler gives this definition in the American Marketing Association Journal of Marketing: “A doppelganger brand image is a family of disparaging images and stories about a brand that are circulated in popular culture by a loosely organized network of consumers, anti-brand activists, bloggers, and opinion leaders in the news and entertainment media.” Underscore the word “disparaging” in this definition since most doppelgangers are negative, like substituting the term “Starsucks” for “Starbucks.” Not only well-known brands are affected by this tactic and not all campaigns take the form of harmless puns. While some disparaging inferences may have no basis in fact, the most dangerous ones do.

Consider using this information about doppelgangers as a diagnostic tool to proactively manage the vulnerabilities of your branding efforts – your brand as a thought leader or your organization — how might your brand or you be copied, satirized or otherwise made fun of?

Learn more about doppelgangers and all things standing out in our book Stand Out as a Thought Leader.