The Anti-Blands: Existential Brands and the New Dadaism

The New Dadaism

• Dadaism was an intellectual movement post-WWI that focused on subverting the serious.
• In response to the popularity of minimalism, maximalism has been on the rise. Brands have been using absurdity to reach their markets - specifically with Gen Z and Millennial brands.

An Exploration in Brands in this Moment

• “Topicals really is the Anti-Bland” - Phillip
• Topicals is a skin care brand founded by two women of color. They have continuously been selling out, even after retailing with Nordstrom. They have individually branded, specified products which tailors to their market.
• Gen Z is into spiritualism which is reflected in Topical’s quiz to find your unique skin care needs.
• Faculty is a male skincare brand that has also stuck to the Gen Z and millennial generational experience - in dropping products periodically instead of restocking, in adding music to their brand experience, and in their use of SMS marketing.
• Brands are experiencing their own existentialism in the current global climate which has left room for refreshing and redefinition, even in larger CPG brands like Walmart, Pepsi, and Amazon, that are already set up for success regardless of the economy.

Links

• Brian’s Insider’s Piece, Insiders #054: “The Existential Brand - Part 1”
• Brian’s Insider’s Piece, Insiders #045: “The New Dada: Absurdism, Maximalism, and the Generational Divide”
• The New Yorker: “The North American Maximalism of Gigi Hadid’s and Drake’s Home Design”
• Bloomberg: “Welcome to Your Bland New World”
• Chips + Dips’ email newsletter
• Thingtesting

Brands Mentioned

• Topicals
• Faculty
• Birthdate Candles
• Sad Girls Club
• BEHAVE Candy
• Springline Coffee
• Leaf Shaving

Have any questions or comments about the show? You can reach out to us at [email protected] or any of our social channels, we love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.