Every brand needs an enemy
Subcultures always have something to push against. Calvin Ross Carl makes the case that every brand needs a little rebel in it, and an enemy.
Summary
Calvin Ross Carl calls it a branding hot take: all brands should have enemies and a little rebel in them. Subcultures always fight against something, whether a person or a way of thinking. That creates some inherent gatekeeping, intentional or not, and Calvin argues that’s okay. Like any deep interest, some people get it and some don’t.
Highlights
- Every brand should have a little rebel in it.
- An enemy can be a way of thinking, not a person.
- Some gatekeeping is natural: some people get it, some don’t.
Key insights
Standing against something gives you shape
Naming what a brand is fighting against makes clear what it stands for. Subcultures define themselves this way.
Not everyone has to get it
The if-you-know-you-know quality that comes with any deep interest is part of what builds loyalty.
Detailed analysis
Brands that try to please everyone have nothing to push against, so they have nothing distinctive to say. A clear enemy, especially a mindset or a status quo, gives a brand a point of view and gives its fans something to rally around.
Conclusion
Pick what you stand against. It’s fine if some people don’t get it; that’s how a subculture forms.
This is probably a branding hot take. I think all brands should have enemies. I think all brands should have a little bit of rebel in them. That’s probably just my own personal preference, but I think subcultures, to some extent, always have enemies. There’s always something you’re fighting against. It might not be a specific person. It might be a specific way of thinking. It might be something like that.
And I think this is when you start getting into some of the challenges of thinking about subcultures, because I think there is inherent gatekeeping in it, intentionally or not. And I think a lot of that revolves around just any hobby, any really deep personal interest: just the idea that some people get it and some people don’t. And that’s okay.