"Severance" is one of the most brilliant shows on TV right now (and maybe of all time)

It's a psychological thriller that goes beyond just being a good story; it's an intricate web of complex themes, diving deep into the darker side of corporate culture, work-life balance, and what it really means to be human in a world where personal identity is at stake.

The Premise:

The show is set in a dystopian world where employees at the mysterious company, Lumon Industries, undergo a procedure called "severance," which surgically splits their memories between their work and personal lives. This results in two distinct selves: an "innie" (the worker) who knows nothing beyond their job, and an "outie" (the person outside work) who has no memory of what happens at the office. The story follows Mark (Adam Scott), a man working at Lumon, as he starts questioning the ethics of the severance procedure and begins uncovering dark secrets about the company.

Now, let's dive into the key themes that make Severance so fascinating. Here's a breakdown of the key themes I observed:

1. Compartmentalization

Compartmentalization in Severance is taken to a literal extreme. The concept of "severance," where employees have their memories surgically split between their work and personal lives, creates an extreme version of mental compartmentalization. It represents how individuals in corporate environments often separate their professional personas from their personal identities. By doing so, it explores how people sometimes fragment parts of themselves to cope with the demands of work, leading to a loss of integration between their private and public selves. The show invites viewers to reflect on how much of their lives they compartmentalize—physically, mentally, and emotionally—and the consequences of that for their well-being.

2. Groupthink

In the world of Severance, groupthink manifests in the employees' behavior at Lumon Industries. They follow rules without question, assume that the corporation's vision is right, and comply with a hierarchical system that discourages critical thinking. Groupthink leads to a lack of dissent or alternative viewpoints, which ultimately sustains the corporation's control over its employees. This theme critiques the dangers of collective conformity, showing how it stifles individuality and critical thought. The employees, by being disconnected from their "outie" selves (the selves they present to the outside world), are left more vulnerable to becoming drones in the corporate machinery.

3. Corporate Conformity

Severance critiques corporate culture and conformity through its portrayal of Lumon Industries as an all-encompassing, highly controlling force. The company's methods are extreme and dystopian, but they serve as an exaggerated reflection of how corporations often require employees to align their values, priorities, and behaviors with a singular corporate vision. The workers' identities are molded and suppressed for the sake of efficiency, profit, and control. The show raises questions about the cost of corporate loyalty and how much of oneself is sacrificed in order to "fit in" with the company's goals, thus losing individuality and autonomy.

The labyrinth in Severance is also a reflection of the corporate hierarchy. The employees of Lumon Industries are positioned at different levels of the maze, but none of them have a clear sense of direction or understanding of the bigger picture. The hierarchy of power is a maze of its own, with each layer of the company hiding truths, controlling information, and keeping employees in the dark.

Much like a labyrinth with hidden traps or dead-ends, the corporate structure in Severance is designed to obscure the truth and keep employees from questioning the system. The higher-ups, like the "board," remain distant and faceless, leaving employees to struggle in the dark, with no real access to answers. The show explores how power is often hidden behind layers of bureaucracy, where only a select few are aware of the real workings of the company. For the workers, their task is to follow orders and remain loyal, never questioning the path they are on.

4. Dangers of Siloing Humans (Metaphorically and Figuratively)

Siloing refers to separating people, ideas, or processes into isolated groups, which is a central element of the show. In the literal sense, the characters' memories are siloed between their work and home lives. But metaphorically, Severance shows how siloing employees' thoughts, experiences, and identities can have disastrous consequences for both personal well-being and organizational efficiency. By keeping employees' work and personal lives separate, Lumon Industries creates a system that not only dehumanizes its workers but prevents them from forming connections or building a cohesive sense of self. In the broader societal context, the show questions whether modern life encourages people to become emotionally, socially, and mentally siloed, leading to alienation and a loss of holistic self-awareness.

5. Challenging the Status Quo

The act of "severance" itself is a rebellion against the status quo, but characters like Mark, Helly, and Irving begin to question their roles within the system. Throughout the show, characters slowly wake up to the uncomfortable reality of their existence and the manipulation they are subjected to. The theme of questioning authority and challenging the system is woven throughout as characters fight against their silenced or constrained identities. The more they learn, the more they seek to break free of the constructed system, showcasing the human instinct to resist conformity and seek truth, even when the truth is inconvenient or dangerous.

6. The Cave Allegory

Severance draws heavily from Plato's Allegory of the Cave, where prisoners are chained in a cave and can only see shadows on the wall, not the reality outside. In the allegory, the prisoners take the shadows to be the entirety of existence, just as the severed workers take their manufactured work identities as all they know of their lives. Like the prisoners in the cave, the employees are blind to the true nature of their existence, existing in a controlled, illusionary world constructed by Lumon. However, as some characters begin to question and defy the boundaries of their segmented selves, they slowly start to see the "light" beyond the corporate cave, struggling to free themselves from their metaphorical chains. The show asks whether, in real life, we are also prisoners to systems that control what we know and, if so, what it would take to break free.

Overall, Severance taps into these themes to critique the modern work culture, questioning what it means to be human in a world that increasingly seeks to fragment, isolate, and control individual lives. It forces us to look at how much of our own lives are compartmentalized, controlled, and conformed to the expectations of larger systems.

As if this wasn't brilliant enough, as a marketing and branding professional, I wanted to also dive into the genius of the show's marketing, branding, soundtrack and color themes.

Marketing and Branding of Severance

The marketing and branding of Severance is an absolute stroke of genius, tapping into the eerie, dystopian corporate culture portrayed in the show while enhancing the world-building. The creators and marketing team have cleverly extended the show's narrative beyond the screen, creating a fully immersive experience for the audience.

As part of the season 2 campaign, they created a pop-up experience in Grand Central Terminal in NYC of the severed floor:

Here's a breakdown of how the marketing and branding, especially through platforms like the Lumon Industries LinkedIn page, have been used to amplify the show's themes:

1. Creating the Illusion of Reality

One of the most impressive elements of the Severance marketing campaign is how it blurs the line between fiction and reality. The LinkedIn page for Lumon Industries is a perfect example of this. At first glance, it seems like any typical corporate page you'd scroll past on LinkedIn, with posts about company culture, industry leadership, and corporate values. However, if you dig deeper, the posts reveal layers of sinister undertones that reflect the dystopian nature of the show. The branding perfectly mirrors the corporate-controlled environment in Severance, with everything presented in an unnervingly clean, professional manner—highlighting how the company values efficiency and control at the cost of its employees' well-being. This faux professionalism is a direct parallel to the world of Lumon Industries in the show, where everything is structured, sterile, and meticulously controlled, with a focus on blind obedience to the system.

2. Playful but Creepy Tone

The tone of the LinkedIn page is subtle yet unsettling. On the surface, it promotes Lumon as a cutting-edge, ethical, and innovative company, but the details are meant to make viewers feel uneasy. Posts highlighting the company's "commitment to work-life separation" or their "mission to enrich lives" through the severing of memories are chilling when seen outside the show. It takes something as innocuous as a corporate LinkedIn page—a space where many people go to network and promote their careers—and twists it into a tool that plays on the psychological horror of the series. The idea of an entity using a platform designed for social and professional connection to promote its nefarious corporate agenda is a brilliant piece of marketing that adds another layer to the show's dystopian message.

3. Immersive World-Building

By extending the narrative into the real world through the LinkedIn page, Severance's marketing invites the audience to engage with the story even when they're not watching the show. The LinkedIn page serves as an immersive experience for fans, like a piece of the show's fictional universe that exists outside of the television screen. The page includes posts and articles introducing more lore, building out the story of Lumon Industries and the concept of severance without revealing too much. It's a clever way of expanding the universe without giving away any spoilers. The "real-world" aspect of the page invites viewers to consider the impact of corporate systems on personal identity, mirroring the dissonance between the characters' "innie" and "outie" selves.

4. Corporate Branding That Reflects the Show's Themes

Lumon Industries' branding on the LinkedIn page is meticulously crafted to mirror the show's themes of corporate control, dehumanization, and compartmentalization. The use of neutral colors, clinical design, and professional jargon evokes the sterile, robotic world the employees inhabit. The overly polished, happy-to-a-fault language in the posts promotes an artificial sense of joy, productivity, and success. This reflects how corporations often try to package themselves as utopian workspaces—selling an image of well-being and happiness to distract from the darker realities of corporate exploitation. The LinkedIn page serves as a subtle commentary on how companies market themselves in real life, using surface-level charm to mask their true, often problematic nature.

The color themes in Severance are carefully curated to reflect the show's tone, characters, and overarching themes of control, isolation, and dystopian corporate life. The use of color plays a subtle yet powerful role in building the atmosphere and highlighting key elements of the narrative. Here's a breakdown of the major color themes:

Muted, Sterile Colors

One of the most prominent color schemes throughout the show is the use of muted, sterile tones—especially shades of gray, beige, and white. These colors dominate the interiors of Lumon Industries, such as the minimalist office spaces, the elevators, and the conference rooms. The lack of vibrant color creates a cold, sterile environment, underscoring the dehumanizing, monotonous nature of the corporate world the characters inhabit. It emphasizes the soul-crushing, emotionless aspect of the workplace, where individuality is stripped away and employees are treated like cogs in a machine.

Institutional Blue and Gray

A specific color seen frequently in Severance is institutional blue, often used for uniforms and interior design within Lumon Industries. The blue evokes a sense of bureaucracy, professionalism, and order, but also a clinical, impersonal atmosphere. It also ties into the show's theme of compartmentalization—blue being a neutral color that lacks warmth, representing the division between the "innie" (the employee) and the "outie" (the person outside of work). The stark, almost hospital-like gray and blue hues further emphasize the idea of a controlled, regulated environment, where everything is stripped down to its bare, functional essence.

Dark Tones and Shadows

Outside of the corporate setting, the colors shift to darker tones, particularly in scenes that explore the characters' lives outside of work. In these moments, there's a contrast between the controlled, sterile world of Lumon and the more complex, emotional lives of the characters. The darker tones, along with heavy use of shadows, create a sense of unease and tension. These colors often appear in moments of reflection, conflict, or moments when the characters start to question the reality they've been forced into. The shadowy environment outside of Lumon is also indicative of the characters' growing awareness of the things hidden from them, their confused or fractured identities, and the moral gray areas of their lives.

Pops of Color in Key Moments

While the overall color scheme is muted, there are moments where a specific pop of color is used to draw attention or highlight significant moments. For example, Helly R.*, one of the show's main characters, wears a bold red dress when she begins to question the company's practices and her role in it. Red in this case can be interpreted as a symbol of rebellion, danger, and urgency, signaling a shift in her awareness and willingness to break free from the corporate system. These small bursts of color stand in stark contrast to the otherwise muted environment and signify moments of change, conflict, or awakening.

Color as a Reflection of Identity

The color themes also serve to underscore the division between the "innie" and the "outie" selves. The characters' "innie" selves are dressed in uniform-like outfits, often in dull, utilitarian colors (like grays and blues), representing their stripped-down, corporate existence. In contrast, their "outie" selves—when they're outside of the office—are dressed in more varied, casual clothing, often in richer or warmer tones, symbolizing their more personal, emotional, and multifaceted lives. This contrast helps to visually reinforce the emotional and psychological divide between the two halves of their identities.

Bright White Lights

Another color motif is the harsh, almost blinding white lighting used in many of the office spaces. The bright lighting contributes to the feeling of sterility, surveillance, and isolation within the workplace. The whiteness can also be seen as a metaphor for the emptiness of the severed existence—the "innie" self is constantly bathed in this overwhelming, cold white light, reflecting their lack of true agency or emotional depth. The white light, combined with the uniform office space, further distances the characters from any sense of individuality or warmth.

The Color of the "Wellness Room"

The so-called "wellness room" (with its soft colors and calming aesthetic) represents the superficial layers of corporate culture that promise wellness and mental health benefits, but in reality, they are hollow and controlling. The color palette here is designed to create a sense of artificial comfort, reinforcing the show's critique of how corporations package self-care as a commodity while exploiting their workers.

In Severance, color plays a vital role in visually reinforcing the show's themes of control, compartmentalization, and the dehumanizing nature of corporate culture. The sterile grays and blues reflect the mechanical, oppressive atmosphere of Lumon Industries, while the occasional use of darker, more vibrant colors signals key moments of tension, personal awakening, or conflict. Through its thoughtful use of color, the show invites viewers to feel the emotional and psychological weight of a world where identities are split and individuality is suppressed.

5. Engagement with the Audience

The brilliance behind this marketing lies in how it encourages audience interaction. Fans of the show are not just passive viewers—they're encouraged to engage with the marketing by following Lumon Industries, checking out the page for updates, and even analyzing the posts for hidden details and references to the show. It creates a sense of involvement, as if the viewer is part of a larger social experiment, where they're not just watching the corporate dystopia unfold but also being "recruited" into it. This kind of interaction makes the marketing feel more like a real-world corporate entity and less like a promotional tool.

6. Corporate Language as a Tool of Control

One of the key aspects of the show is how language is used as a tool of control. The LinkedIn page plays into this brilliantly. Corporate-speak is employed to mask the sinister nature of what Lumon Industries is doing. Phrases like "empowering our people" and "creating innovative solutions for a brighter tomorrow" are used in a way that feels hollow and manipulative. This mirrors how corporations often use jargon and positive-sounding buzzwords to avoid addressing the real impact of their actions. The page, through its choice of words, subtly reinforces the corporate propaganda angle seen in the show.

7. Building a Cult-like Atmosphere

Another genius element is how the LinkedIn page promotes a sort of "cultish" atmosphere around Lumon Industries. The posts, combined with the sterile branding, evoke the sense that the company is more than just a corporation—it's almost like a way of life. This ties directly into the theme of the show, where employees are almost brainwashed into accepting their severed reality as the norm. The branding on the LinkedIn page, with its calm, measured tone and its focus on "teamwork," evokes the same sort of corporate loyalty that can become a trap for people who lose sight of their individuality.

In sum, the Severance marketing and branding strategy—especially through the LinkedIn page—does more than just promote a show. It deepens the viewer's connection to the narrative by integrating the show's world into their own. It capitalizes on the language, tools, and platforms we use every day, amplifying the show's critique of corporate culture in a way that's clever, unsettling, and totally immersive. By blending the fictional world of Lumon Industries with the real-world environment of professional networking, the marketing plays with our understanding of corporate culture, memory, and identity, making it an experiential work of art.

BRAVO!!!