New protagonist for the brand management section. We are talking about antifragile branding, a super interesting strategic concept. It is based on the masterful book by Nassim Taleb entitled “Antifragile: The things that benefit from disorder”.
A true story to illustrate the concept of anti-fragile branding
Noel Gallagher, lead singer of the well-known band Oasis, decided to criticize up-and-coming music star Lewis Capaldi. Gallagher said “Music is now a xxxxx. Who is this guy? Who the xxxxx is that idiot?
Capaldi’s response was brilliant. Performing at Glastonbury, he came out dressed in a fisherman’s hat and parka (classic Gallagher attire), before dedicating his final performance to him. This response went viral and earned him even more fans.
Gallagher responded by calling Capaldi, Fucking Chewbacca. Quickly, Capaldi responded by changing his Twitter profile picture to Chewbacca and his name to Chewis Capaldi. He triumphed again.
Gallagher’s words were intentionally meant to hurt. But Capaldi took ownership of the situation and mastered it. Bottom line: his personal brand became anti-fragile. The more attacks he received, the stronger he became.
What is an antifragile brand
Simply put, it is the opposite of fragility. If we attack something fragile, we hurt it. Conversely, if we attack something antifragile we make it stronger. For example, a fragile golfer hates the wind, while an antifragile golfer uses it to his advantage.
The exact same thing happens with brands. Most brands are fragile. Scenarios like the current BANI environment hurt fragile brands. On the other hand, it strengthens anti-fragile brands. To understand this better, I recommend reading Nassim Taleb’s book.
Let’s look at an example applied to a corporate brand. Recently, KFC ran out of chicken (its main raw material). This forced the temporary closure of 700 branches in the UK. For most companies, this situation would be a complete disaster. The default response is to issue a formal apology, i.e. a proper excuse. But this option is fragile.
Instead, KFC took a risk and launched a full-page advertisement in major UK newspapers. The ad featured an empty chicken bucket and the letters of its famous logo rearranged as “FCK”. It was positive, fun and empathetic to its target audience.
How to become an anti-fragile brand
The strategic key is ownership. It’s about the brand owning the story. In other words, don’t let the story own the brand. To do this, it is important to accept the flaws that the brand may have and not take itself too seriously.
Nothing can hurt an anti-fragile brand.
Photo credit: KFC
