Why Every Brand Needs an Enemy
Brands that win don't chase trends -they do this instead.
Read Time: 2 Minutes 24 Seconds
Hey - Robert here.
In today’s edition:
Why the best brands create enemies
How enemies fuel stronger stories & marketing
3 steps to use enemy marketing in 2025
Have you noticed what the world’s biggest brands all have in common?
It’s not their logos, their colors, or even their products.
It’s something deeper that most people overlook:
They all have enemies.
Because here’s the truth:
Armies don’t exist without an enemy.
And the best brands are armies.
Just think about it…
Nike’s enemy? A lazy, inactive lifestyle.
McDonald’s enemy? Burger King.
Starbucks enemy? Mediocre coffee culture.
None of these brands lasted decades because their product was “the best.”
They lasted because they created a movement people could rally behind.
And the easiest way to spark a movement?
Give people a shared enemy.
So, let’s break down how to do enemy marketing and the best brands using it in 2025.
1. Identify Your Brand’s Core Values
Every great story starts with a hero and a villain.
And every hero needs a purpose beyond “beating the bad guy.”
Your brand is that hero.
To find your brand’s purpose, answer these questions:
Why did you start your business?
What change are you trying to create?
Who are you trying to help?
Your brand’s purpose is the ultimate cause that your audience can rally behind.
Once you know what you stand for…
Flip it.
Define what you stand against.
That’s your enemy.
2. Define Your Enemy
The greatest stories always have conflict.
Think of Batman vs the Joker, David vs. Goliath.
Brands are not much different.
People are tired of lifeless, feature-focused content.
They want tension, drama, and a reason to care.
Your enemy creates that.
It fuels stories and gives people something to fight alongside you.
There are 5 things to position your brand against (with examples):
1. Action: the wrong way of doing things
Beyond Meat vs Meat Consumption
2. Corporation/Business: taking on a bigger rival
O3space vs Starbucks cafes
3. Product/Item: improving the status quo
4Ocean vs Plastic in the Ocean
4. Problematic System: changing a broken industry
SuaySewShop vs Throwaway Fast Fashion
5. Version of Yourself: changing yourself
JockoFuel vs The Undisciplined Version of Yourself
Next, identify your enemy and position it against one of these five things.
To do it right:
Define the problem you’re trying to solve
Identify what is getting in the way of solving it
Turn that into your enemy
3. Create a Mission
Now it’s time to make people care.
The enemy gives your brand a battle to fight.
But the mission turns that battle into a movement.
To craft it, answer:
What does your brand stand against and why?
How does your brand offer a better alternative?
Why should your audience care about this fight?
Great marketing doesn’t just sell features…
It challenges beliefs, rallies people, and builds an identity.
So, show how your brand is actively taking down the enemy.
And frame your product as the weapon that helps people win.
When you do this, you don’t just sell a product.
You give people a cause to join.
And causes last longer than campaigns.
That’s why the world’s biggest brands don’t just survive decades, they dominate them.
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One step at a time. More strategies next week.
Talk soon,
Robert
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