• Table of Contents

  • Marketing Like a Villain: Why Your Brand Needs a Nemesis
  • The Power of a Nemesis: Why It Works
  • Truth Bomb:
  • Step-by-Step: How to Find Your Brand’s Nemesis
  • 1. Identify the Villain in Your Industry
  • 2. Give It a Name (and a Face)
  • 3. Build Your Brand as the Hero (With a Bit of Edge)
  • 4. Rally Your Audience Around the Fight
  • Real-World Example: Apple vs. The Machine
  • Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
  • Bonus Framework: The Brand Nemesis Canvas™
  • Final Word: Be the Brand That Fights Back

Marketing Like a Villain: Why Your Brand Needs a Nemesis

Let’s get one thing straight: heroes are boring. Superman? Snoozefest. Captain America? Yawn. You know who gets the best lines, the best outfits, and the best origin stories? The villain. And in marketing, if you want your brand to stand out, you need to think like one.

Now, I’m not saying you should start twirling your mustache and tying customers to railroad tracks. But I am saying your brand needs a clear enemy—something to fight against, something to rally your audience around. Because nothing unites people like a common foe. Just ask Batman. Or Apple.

The Power of a Nemesis: Why It Works

Humans are wired for conflict. It’s why we binge Netflix, argue on Twitter, and still talk about Coke vs. Pepsi like it’s the Cold War. In marketing, conflict creates clarity. It gives your brand a purpose beyond “we sell stuff.”

When you define what you’re against, you make it easier for customers to know what you stand for. It’s the difference between saying “we make software” and “we’re killing bloated enterprise software with a chainsaw and a smile.”

Truth Bomb:

“If your brand doesn’t stand against something, it stands for nothing—and no one buys nothing.”

Step-by-Step: How to Find Your Brand’s Nemesis

Ready to go full Lex Luthor (minus the baldness)? Here’s how to identify your brand’s arch-enemy and use it to fuel your marketing strategy.

1. Identify the Villain in Your Industry

This isn’t about naming names (unless you’re feeling spicy). It’s about identifying the problem, mindset, or status quo that your brand exists to destroy.

• Slack’s nemesis: Endless email threads and reply-all hellscapes
• Dollar Shave Club’s nemesis: Overpriced razors locked in plastic Fort Knox
• Notion’s nemesis: Disorganized docs and scattered team knowledge

What’s the outdated, bloated, or broken thing your brand is here to obliterate?

2. Give It a Name (and a Face)

Abstract enemies are fine, but named enemies are memorable. Give your nemesis a persona. Is it “The Bureaucrat”? “The Spreadsheet Zombie”? “Captain Complexity”?

Make it vivid. Make it funny. Make it something your audience can point at and say, “Yes! That’s what I hate too!”

3. Build Your Brand as the Hero (With a Bit of Edge)

Now that you’ve got your villain, position your brand as the hero—but not the goody-two-shoes kind. Think Deadpool, not Dora the Explorer. You want swagger, not saccharine.

Use your enemy to sharpen your messaging:

• Instead of: “We help teams collaborate better.”
• Try: “We kill email chains before they kill your soul.”

See the difference? One is a brochure. The other is a battle cry.

4. Rally Your Audience Around the Fight

People don’t just buy products—they join movements. When you define your enemy, you give your customers a cause. Invite them to join the rebellion.

Use your content, campaigns, and community to reinforce the mission. Memes, manifestos, merch—whatever it takes to make them feel like they’re part of something bigger (and cooler) than themselves.

Real-World Example: Apple vs. The Machine

Let’s rewind to 1984. Apple launches the Macintosh with a now-legendary Super Bowl ad. A hammer-throwing heroine smashes Big Brother (aka IBM), and the crowd goes wild. Apple didn’t just launch a product—they declared war on conformity, control, and corporate grayness.

That ad didn’t just sell computers. It sold rebellion. It sold identity. It sold the idea that buying a Mac made you part of the resistance. And it worked—because they had a clear enemy.

Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

• Being too vague: “We’re against inefficiency” is not a villain. It’s a snooze button.
• Being too aggressive: Don’t go full scorched-earth unless you’re ready for the blowback. Be bold, not belligerent.
• Forgetting the customer: Your enemy should be something your audience hates too—not just your CEO’s pet peeve.

Bonus Framework: The Brand Nemesis Canvas™

Here’s a quick framework to help you define your brand’s villain and sharpen your messaging:

• Enemy: What are you fighting against?
• Name: What do you call it?
• Impact: How does it hurt your audience?
• Your Role: How do you fight it?
• Battle Cry: What’s your rallying message?

Fill this out, and you’ve got the bones of a brand story that actually makes people care.

Final Word: Be the Brand That Fights Back

In a world of bland brands and beige messaging, the ones that win are the ones that take a stand. So find your villain. Name it. Mock it. Burn it to the ground (metaphorically, of course).

Because when you give your audience something to