“I want you to hit me as hard as you can.”
For the few of you who can’t identify the iconic quote from the movie Fight Club be warned the statute of limitations is over and there are some spoilers coming in this video.
Fight Club is one of my all-time favorite movies. And while it’s 100% fiction I do love the analogy it allows me to draw for your businesses disruptive branding.
In Fight Club the main character who we’ll call Jack is asked by a new friend Tyler Durden to hit him as hard as he can. Jack obliges with a punch to the head, specifically the ear, and Fight Club is born.
On that fateful night, when JACK first met Tyler Durden—who was actually his alter ego—JACK was actually punching himself.
BUT, LEST YOU FORGET, THE FIRST RULE OF FIGHT CLUB IS THAT WE DON’T TALK ABOUT FIGTH CLUB.
So why are we breaking the first rule? More importantly, how does this apply to your business?
As business owners, doing something even slightly outside of the norm to achieve disruptive branding may seem terrifying, like.. well, punching yourself in the face. And maybe, just like Jack’s first fight on that fateful night, no one will even pay attention to you or the few that do may simply shrug you off as a crazy person.
But that label didn’t stop Jack. He felt something authentic inside and kept coming back night after night to do what made him feel alive, to do what HE felt was right. And because he wasn’t afraid to follow his inner voice, other people got it and followed the path he had the courage to pave. Crowds formed and ultimately Fight Club became a global entity.
Jack leaned into the discomfort of doing something out of the norm. His ability to courageously be authentic and follow his gut was so powerful that others began talking about him and Fight Club. He became a brand not by simply talking about Fight Club but by embodying all that Fight Club was.
And in a world where social media and business are intertwined isn’t that the ultimate goal? To not have to continually post “look at me” messages. But to put out substance that’s so authentic that it perpetuates a brand so powerful that others talk about it and share it for you?
Welcome to Decommoditization Club, WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU…
