About this episode

This episode explores the origins of the phrase 'keeping up with the Joneses' and its implications in advertising and social media.

The phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" comes from a 1913 comic strip drawn by a cartoonist who nearly went broke trying to match his wealthy neighbors and the Joneses themselves never once appeared in it. This episode covers where the phrase came from, how mid-century advertisers like Chevrolet used it directly in ad copy, how the same mechanism scaled into influencer marketing and social media, and what the psychological research says about what constant comparison actually costs people. 📱 Follow along on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebought Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/

People in this episode

Host: Emily Rask

Topics covered

• social comparison
• advertising
• influencer marketing
• psychology
• cultural history

Keywords

• social comparison
• Joneses
• advertising
• influencer marketing
• psychological research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chevrolet

Books & works: keeping up with the Joneses

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