In a world gone mad, the craziest idea wins

We're living in the AVANT-GARDE IRRATIONALITY ZEITGEIST, where:

• Gen Z is rewriting cultural norms.

• Content floods are drowning out safe ideas.

• The most successful brands are the ones breaking every rule.

On this week's BRANDITS dispatch—I'm digging into some brands and creators that are weaponizing anti-rational creativity for the win.

New Rules:

• Wrong is right

• Stupid is brilliant

• Ugly is beautiful

• Irrational is good for business

If you've got a stupid idea that makes you kind of uncomfortable—
you might want to consider going all in on it.

Some throwbacks

Saluting Old Spice for long proving that confusion + emotion = connection, defying all marketing logic to become a cultural sensation.

Mailchimp's "Did You Mean Mailchimp?" campaign was definitely odd, random, and all over the place, but perfectly engineered to be remembered.

Embracing the irrational was their strategy from the beginning, thoughtfully planned to achieve massive reach and cult-like brand love. In fact, here's a screenshot from Mailchimp's brand identity deck. They even put a term to it: Expert Absurdists. That's probably a framing for the type of attitude to bring to creative brainstorms.

Expert Absurdists: MSCHF

When it comes to crazy ideas, no one does it better than MSCHF. They've perfected the art of "WTF?!" moments in a world where attention is currency.

• Turned billionaires into popsicles with Eat the Rich.

• Made a shop called ONLYBAGS that just sells a bunch of bags lol.

• Created Satan Shoes with actual human blood.

• Sold a mystery Warhol hidden among 999 fakes.

The MSCHF Method: Transform randomness into a methodology.

• Add a controversial element (e.g., human blood, billionaire likeness).

• Create artificial scarcity (e.g., only 666 pairs).

• Challenge legal boundaries (court cases = publicity).

• Generate moral outrage (e.g., religious symbols, wealth commentary).

• Price irrationally (either too high or too low).

I will be eagerly awaiting the launch of their new BOOK archiving all their greatest hits.

The Patron Saint of Anti-Rational Behavior

Elon is the king of anti-rational behavior, influencing elections, crypto markets and public opinion through unhinged, unpredictable actions. He’s got a polarizing irrational attention-grabbing vision that inevitably makes the world look and talk.

Irrational Ideas at an Irrational Pace

Liquid Death is on one, putting out a constant stream of experiments and playful heists as fast as their creative team can come up with them. Just in the last month or so, they've flooded my feed with everything from an American Psycho-inspired Nixon watch collabs to a Tom Segura's Recycling Glory Hole.

I don't know how they do it, but they're truly leading the charge here, building a brand on consistently rebellious and bold action.

A New Generation of Creatives Making Branded Content

A new wave of creators out there making me both jealous and hype. These savvy kids aren't waiting for big agency jobs at Wieden—they're too busy building empires on their own terms. Armed with unique POVs, raw creative and an iPhone, they're turning random ideas into viral hits and partnering with brands along the way.

Check out what @jercho1 did for CeraVe—it's truly ANTIRATIONAL.

@jercho1

First day of school📚💞 @CeraVe #ceravepartner

In These Irrational Times, Even Mayo Is Going Wild

Watch out Hellmann’s; Molly Baz is coming for you. On the branding front, the team over at Center Design is on a hot streak. Just a few weeks since launching Tom Holland’s BERO, they've introduced Ayoh Mayo, bringing a fresh, playful retro look with a charming vibe for a new take on mayo.

The Anti-Rational Creativity Playbook

You don’t need a big budget or massive agency to execute crazy ideas. You just can’t play it too safe. Here are some thought-starters for your next creative heist:

1. THE FAKE PRODUCT OFFENSIVE

Concept: Launch something so absurd it questions reality.

• Create a product so bizarre it blurs the line between parody and possibility.

• Make it just plausible enough to spark curiosity and FOMO.

• Document everything with deadpan seriousness.

2. THE LUXURY BRAND HIJACK

Concept: Misapply luxury branding to disrupt perceptions and grab attention.

• Develop “haute couture” versions of ordinary products.

• Stage over-the-top, fashion-style reveals for mundane items.

• Create limited-edition packaging with exaggerated opulence.

3. THE REALITY SHOW TAKEOVER

Concept: Turn product launches into binge-worthy entertainment.

• Create a mock reality show documenting your launch.

• Introduce behind-the-scenes “drama” for added intrigue.

• Release episodic content across social platforms.

🔥HEIST MODE: This is just the start of a new creative playbook I'll be exploring and building on — writing this out helps me organize my thoughts and better understand these strategies for the work I'm doing with brands.

Hope it sparks some ideas for you too.
- Jason