The brand people argue about

Most brands try to be liked. The best brands try to be talked about.

If your audience can't describe you in one spicy sentence, you don't own a conversation.

You're wallpaper.

I see this everywhere. Businesses spending thousands on ads, content, and "brand building" that nobody remembers five minutes later.

They sound like everyone else. Say the same safe things. Follow the same boring playbook. Then wonder why their customers don't stick around.

You do realize that your customers have group chats and they talk about brands all the time.

But they're not talking about you.

Know why?

Because there's nothing interesting to say.

You've optimized for "not offending anyone" instead of "being worth mentioning."

Big mistake.

The fix is simpler than you think.

Pick one thing. Make it sharp. Own it completely.

Ryanair? "Cheapest flights, period."

Half their customers hate the experience. The other half defend it religiously.

Both groups won't shut up about it.

That's not an accident. That's strategy.

Step one: Write your sentence.

Seven words or less. What would your biggest fans say you're about?

Not what you want them to say. What they actually say. If you don't know, ask them.

Step two: Design your trigger.

What makes people share? Screenshot? Quote?

Ryanair's brutal social media replies get shared thousands of times. Every roast becomes free marketing.

What's your version of that?

Step three: Pick your trade-off.

You can't be everything to everyone.

Ryanair chose price over comfort. Tesla chose innovation over affordability. What are you choosing? What are you rejecting?

Be explicit about it.

Step four: Make it memeable.

Simple phrases people can repeat. Visuals they recognize instantly. 

The most talked-about brands build assets you can parody, quote, and remix.

Step five: Turn complaints into content.

Criticism is feedback. Feedback is fuel.

Most brands hide from negative comments. The smart ones use them as material. Have your responses ready. Know your stance.

Own your choices.

Step six: Track the conversations.

Mentions matter more than clicks. Screenshots beat open rates.

If people are arguing about you, you're winning. If they're ignoring you, you're losing.

Step seven: Stand for something.

Values create lasting conversations. Not some corporate mission statement nobody reads.

A clear position people can agree or disagree with.

The brands people remember:

Liquid Death makes water look like a rock concert. Marmite literally built "love it or hate it" into their marketing. 

Both generate endless debate. Both make serious money.

Your competition is playing it safe.

They're worried about negative reviews. Scared of controversy. Obsessed with being "professional."

That's your opportunity.

While they blend into the background, you can own the conversation.

Start today.

What's your one sentence? What's your sharp edge? What would make someone bring you up at dinner?

Figure that out. Then lean into it hard.

Because memorable beats likeable.

Every single time.

And memorable is what pays the bills.

— Shashank