Trends are Trash

How to not be a gimmick

WE’VE ALL SEEN IT. THAT RAD, STRANGE, EYE-CATCHING THING — AN ACTIVATION, AN OFF-KILTER AD, AN IRREVERENT CAMPAIGN THAT MAKES HEADLINES. COOL — IT GOT ATTENTION THIS TIME. BUT KEEP CHASING THE GIMMICK, AND YOUR BRAND’S MESSAGE FADES INTO THE BACKGROUND. YOU START CHASING TRENDS. EVEN WORSE? YOU START COPYING SOMEONE ELSE’S GIMMICK. AND GUESS WHAT? NO ONE CARES. NO HEADLINES. NO EARNED MEDIA. NO LOYALTY. IT’S BEEN DONE A HUNDRED TIMES ALREADY. IT’S NOT TIED TO YOUR BRAND. IT’S NOT AUTHENTIC. IT’S JUST NOISE.

In branding, gimmicks often morph into trends. They work in the beginning — because they actually connect to a brand’s message. But then the copycats show up. The gimmick gets watered down. It becomes a “thing” — divorced from meaning, hollow, forgettable. And soon, no one remembers what your brand stood for. Even worse — they stop caring. You stand for nothing.

Brand vs Gimmick vs Trend

A brand is what you stand for — your values, your purpose, your story.

A gimmick is a tool — sometimes useful — but only when it connects authentically to your brand.

A trend is a gimmick that’s been copied and recycled until it has no meaning left.

A great brand message can (and should) grab attention — but it doesn’t rely on cheap tricks. It builds connection through authenticity. It resonates because it’s yours.

Where It Goes Wrong: The Case Studies

Liquid death does another wild and crazy thing that no one will remember.

Liquid Death

They started as “death to plastic.” An anti-plastic, punk rock water brand meant to challenge bottled water culture. Now? Gimmick layered on gimmick — meme pages, marketing stunts designed to appeal to 12-year-old boys eating pizza rolls in mom’s basement while watching Mr. Beast videos. The original mission? Forgotten. Ask most people what Liquid Death stands for today — they won’t know. The brand message has drowned in noise.

Pop-Ups

Pop-ups used to feel special. They transformed a space, told a story, created wonder. You walked in and felt transported. Now? Every beauty brand has a sad little pop-up every weekend. The same tired pink aesthetic. Another selfie wall. Another neon sign. A free tube of lip gloss and that’s it. No transformation. No story. No creativity. The original intent — gone. Now it’s just a tired trend (and making it impossible to even walk through Meatpacking or Soho.)

Web3

Remember this shitstorm? The tech had (has?) real value. NFTs could’ve been tools for loyalty, ownership, community. Instead — monkey JPEGs. Shitty “metaverse” spaces no one asked for or visited. The entire thing devolved into trend-chasing for headlines — not creating value. “First brand to launch an NFT!” Great… but then what? No joy. No wonder. No authentic brand experience. Just a short-lived earned media hit — and then dead air. Brands didn’t even ask: “Do our customers even want this?

Who’s Getting It Right?

mschf.com go check them out.

Look at MSCHF. They build loud, provocative creative rooted in something real: activism and art. Every drop — whether it’s a crazy product, a culture-jamming stunt, or a one-off moment — is built from their brand DNA. It isn’t a copy of a copy. It isn’t hollow. It’s unapologetically them — and that’s why it works. The “activation” isn’t the story — the brand is.

Why The “Trend Win” Is Hollow

First time you pull a great gimmick? Sure — earned media. Second time? Maybe. Third time? No one cares.

Customers want real connection. They remember brands that stand for something. They forget brands that stand for headlines. Gimmick-first strategies are cheap, shallow, and short-lived.

And for fuck’s sake — why don’t the good things trend? The ones that actually give back? The ones that matter? Imagine if “do good” earned more headlines than “drop another tired activation.”

What Should You Actually Build?

You want to stand out? It doesn’t start with a gimmick. It starts with your brand.

Build a story that matters. Create products that resonate. Have a reason to exist — one that’s loud, clear, and ownable. If you build a brand people care about — if boldness is baked into your DNA — then when you show up big, it’ll feel right. It won’t be a gimmick. It won’t be someone else’s trend with your logo slapped on. It’ll be yours.

Look at MTV in the 80s and 90s. Their logo was a container — but they flexed it, reinvented it, gave it context. They had rules — and knew when to break them. Look at MSCHF — rooted in brand values: creativity, activism, and sharp cultural critique. That’s why their work hits. It’s authentic. It’s theirs — even when they are selling overpriced sneakers — it’s connected to their core message. 

So build strong brand values. Build clear creative rules — and the power to break them. And when you do show up big, make it something worth talking about.

Final Word

Stop chasing trends. Stop building hollow gimmicks.

Build a brand people actually give a damn about. One that makes them feel something. One that earns loyalty. One that matters.

And hell — if you do land a headline? Let it be for something real. For something good. For something that moves culture forward — not just another free tube of lip gloss and a tired neon sign.