#BrandZero Returns

A while back, I came up with a concept called #BrandZero, in which we avoid mentioning any big pop culture franchises at all in an effort to promote smaller works.

However, I had fallen away from it over time, since talking about big brands drove Twitter engagement and blog traffic.

But it turns out #BrandZero may be right after all, and now, I will return to it. What changed my mind?

Two things did.

The first is a comment on a YouTube video discussing backlashes to popular IPs:

The second is a video from Kevin Smith explaining that negative press actually helps a show spread (Streisand Effect) and Netflix is too big to care:

Kevin Smith- reviews don’t matter, Netflix doesn’t care, and he’s still gettin paid pic.twitter.com/xqajLvJf3C

— Steph Anie (@mynerdyhome) July 25, 2021

In short, whining about a show makes you an unpaid marketer for it. For the studios, there’s no such thing as bad publicity: a negative backlash is the point. They want to see your YouTube screeds and angry tweets — that’s advertising they don’t have to pay for!

Razörfist sums it up:

This is why the He-Man reaction is playing into Netflix's hands, by the way.
It's a dormant property many (myself included) aren't old enough to care about.
The 2002 series was canceled after a season and a half.
If you hate Smith's take? Apathy is your most devastating weapon. https://t.co/xem0nlTlvs

— RazörFist (@RAZ0RFIST) July 25, 2021

Thus, the best solution is to not talk about this stuff. No speculation, no criticism, no praise, no nostalgia, no likes, no retweets, no comments, NOTHING. Mute words related to it if you have to. Five years of complaining has not changed a single thing; it has only made you unwitting pawns in the studios’ marketing plans, and now, it’s time to stop.

Because it is very likely that another franchise will become a spiteful hate letter to its fans. They’ve let the news slip early to learn audience fears so as to maximize outrage. It does not matter at all if everyone else is talking about it. If you do, you’re a sucker playing your assigned role in the marketing team, and your complaints will be held up as proof of the show’s success.

If you know what franchise I mean, SHUT YOUR DAMNED MOUTH.

Instead of crying about old IPs getting ruined, spread a new IP like “The Perils of Sasha Reed” instead.