Unlocking the True Meaning of Courage beyond an Ad campaign

Should Ads dilute such an important virtue such as Courage?

Coach’s latest campaign, Find Your Courage, introduces its Spring collection through a futuristic lens, blending virtual and physical worlds. Featuring virtual human Imma alongside stars like Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, and Youngji Lee, the campaign explores modern identity and what it means to be ‘real’ in an increasingly digital world.

At its core, this campaign is an extension of Coach’s broader campaign purpose, The Courage to Be Real, an initiative that encourages people to embrace all facets of their identity - through acquiring an expensive luxury handbag. But does the message land? And, more importantly, does it honour the true essence of courage?

The Dilution of Courage in Advertising

The word courage holds immense significance. Historically, it derives from the Latin Cor, meaning ‘heart,’ originally defined as “telling the story of who you are with your whole heart.” Courage is deeply intertwined with integrity, vulnerability, and authenticity—qualities we desperately need in today’s leadership.

Yet, when a luxury fashion house uses courage as a buzzword to sell expensive luxury handbags, its meaning is being diluted. The campaign’s striking visuals and high-profile cast might capture attention momentarily, but in an era where consumers barely watch full ads, the deeper message gets lost. Instead, we are left with a glitzy portrayal of a bag coming to life—hardly a compelling metaphor for personal bravery.

The Cynicism of Modern Consumers

As someone who values meaningful storytelling, I recognise the power of an ad campaign with a strong message. I'll never forget the Coke Advert, in 1977, "I'd like to teach the world to sing in Perfect Harmony". Today, there is a growing fatigue around overly sentimental, purpose-driven advertising—especially in markets like the UK, where consumers have become skeptical of emotional branding, thanks in part to the annual John Lewis Christmas ad effect. When every brand is trying to be profound, consumers inevitably become cynical.

Moreover, there is a notable irony in using a virtual model to convey a message about finding what is ‘real.’ Can a digital avatar truly speak to the complexities of self-identity and courage? The concept feels more like a marketing contradiction than a call to action. Perhaps it's a generational challenge for me personally - I would rather have a real conversation with younger generations about what courage means to them.

Courage in Leadership, Not Luxury

In contrast, this week we have heard courageous stories from the brave survivors of the holocaust. Can the two messages live side by side? An ad selling luxury handbags and a courageous story told by a survivor of Nazi genocide. It jarred with me, and caused me to write this post. At Courageous Leaders, we spend our time talking about true courage as a fundamental principle of leadership and life. As Brené Brown reminds us that, “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” There's so much fear driven leadership today, polarisation and division - that the need to have courage is needed now more than ever. This week - I've spent time with those exploring their inner fears and finding ways to overcome them, with courage and self compassion, finding ways to putting things back together to manage the challenges they are facing in life and work.

Dr. Pippa Grange, in Fear Less, highlights how fear-driven behaviours erode our identities, erode trust within ourselves, our families, or with our teams in organisations. When leaders lack self-awareness or authenticity, they fail to create environments where teams feel safe to do their best work. Courageous leadership is not about fearlessness—it is about acknowledging fear and persisting despite it, creating a safe place to do our best work.

Nelson Mandela captured this sentiment perfectly: “Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.”

Reclaiming the Meaning of Courage

For years, my work has centered on fostering courageous leadership. Our Find Your Courage event, running since 2019, is dedicated to honouring leaders who embody this principle—those who use their voice to challenge inequality, create safe spaces for teams, and inspire positive change.

Courage is not about buying a luxury handbag. It is about showing up authentically, embracing vulnerability, and leading your life or working with your team with integrity, empathy, compassion and creating place that celebrates their individual gifts and genius. It is about having the courage to show up and be your whole self, authentically living your life, each day with love and identifying a way to live with balance, kindness, empathy, laughter, humour, creativity and compassion. We empower leaders to answer "the call" to be a force for good. Leaders carry the heavy weight of responsibility - as a steward, a beacon and someone that can make a huge positive difference to the lives of others.

At a time when the world needs more courageous leaders, let’s not reduce courage to a fleeting marketing slogan. Let’s remember its true meaning and ensure that when we talk about courage, we honour it for what it truly is—a vital force for positive change, human connection, and true leadership - that benefits self, team, organisation and society.

Rant over!