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How a Bad Date and Drunk Fried Chicken in Brixton Revealed THE Secret of Brand Building
Dan Pope
October 27, 2023
Once I went in a date in Brixton.
Canova Halls.
Thinking I was Casanova.
Casan-nightmare rocked up.
Apparently arriving to a date in Heeley’s isn’t a Vybes Cartel??!!
Literally.
DO. NOT. GET. IT.
None of my KILLER Weapon of Mass Seduction questions landed?!
“Swiss, my love language. Yours?
“What your favourite bus route in London?”
“What are your top 3 insecurities?”
“Would you rather be eaten by a Shark at night or Mauled to death by a dog in the morning?”
Turgid Wild Bean Cafe chat ensued.
Chemistry like ships in the night led by captains with two eye patches.
Cataclysmic nightmare.
Honestly.
No idea why.
But we just didn’t Vybbbzzzz Cartel.
Thankfully.
A soft gentle pulled me through the lurid-pulsating-hubbub. The melting miso Brixton soup.
Half-cut, Mildly-twisted botch-job ambled through the carnage.
Silver glittering lights, a metallic sea lit up like incandescent angel wings.
Refuge.
Solace.
Bliss.
Otherside Fried.
A chicken joint.
Crispy chicken shatters like cold glass then melts in your mouth.
Last week, I was back in Brixton, doing a pody with Jez from Brixton Brewery. soon come. soon come.
I walked past Other side Fried.
The haunting memories stampeded into my noggin like antelope across the blazing Savanas. Yahhhh bruuuu.
Brixton is a hubbub for successful food and drink brands.
Otherside Fried.
Kricket
Honest Burger
Momo Kombucha
Franco Manca
Brixton Brewery
Why though?
Brixton is DIFFERENT. Unapologetically different to every other town in the London.
It made me ponder…
Why are brands ACTUALLY scared to be different?
The market doesn’t reward better, it rewards different - Alex Smith
I LOVE this.
But, let’s go deeper.
Why are so many brands scared to be different?
Why do brands obsess with being better?
It’s all rooted in human nature.
Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep into the human condition.
Human nature rewards better, the market (mostly) rejects better.
Human nature rejects different, the market rewards different.
Human’s possess a deep rooted desire to be part of the tribe.
“Our need to belong and be accepted is rooted in human evolution. Thousands of years ago, it took an entire village to work together in order to survive in harsh conditions. Humans needed to be a part of a tribe to survive. If a person was socially rejected or kicked out of the village, they would die alone in the wild.”
“Although we do not live in dangerous environments anymore, our minds still associate rejection with death.”
“Similar to avoiding physical pain, humans would take any necessary measures to avoid the emotional pain associated with being rejected.”
“Humans avoid doing things because they don’t want to be WEIRD. - Rory Sutherland”
Human Nature:
The Better Ape rises to the top.
The Different One falls to the bototm.
Market:
The Different Brand rises to the top.
The Better One fall to the bottom
Liquid Death, Bold Bean, Tony’s Chocolonely.
All different.
Deep in the human condition is a need to be better
Better house than the couple next door.
Better Rolex.
Better ingredient deck.
Better distribution vs. your competitor.
Better amount of prebiotic in your drink.
BETTER IS SAFE.
DIFFERENT IS SCARY.
Going against better, leaning into different, is, ultimately, against our human nature.
The lesson?
Doing things DIFFERENTLY should feel uncomfortable, nerve racking, perplexing.
The Other side of uncertainty is innovation.
The Other side of fear is bold.
The Other side of anxiety is creativity.
Brixton Brewery: The Sum of Marginal Gains
Jez from Brixton Brewery and I talked about applying Sir David Brailsford to brand building.
“how you do one thing is how you do everything”
“the little things are the big things”
Look for the one percent margin for improvement in everything you do.
The Little Things are the Big Things.
The Little Things are the Big Things.
The Little Things are the Big Things.
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