Author: Vince Soliven
Cue the scene: me, 14 years old, sitting in the bleachers at my middle school dance. Not one girl wanted to dance with me. I couldn’t figure it out at the time. I had what I thought were top-tier dance moves (or at least in my head, I did). But there I was, sulking in a dimly lit corner, on the top row where no one could even get to me. I didn’t get it then, but let’s use that as an analogy for advertising. I was invisible, inaccessible, and worst of all, I didn’t even try. My biggest enemy that night? Me.
Still not tracking with me? Don’t worry, it’ll make sense soon enough.
Brands, much like my middle-school self, often spend time figuring out how to get people to like them—crafting their best version of the “Michael Jackson moves” they think people will want to see. But they rarely ask themselves the most important question: Why don’t people like us? Why are we being overlooked, skipped, or worse—avoided?
Let’s unpack that.
Most brands are obsessed with their “reasons to believe,” but almost never stop to think about their “reasons to not believe.” Why are people skeptical? Is it because there’s a competitor doing it better? Is it because your brand hasn’t lived up to its promises? Or is it that your messaging is a little too... corporate? Once you start asking these uncomfortable questions, you’ll find the answers unlock more than just a few tweaks. They unlock strategy.
Maybe there’s an elephant in the room that your brand needs to address before people can trust you again. Maybe you’ve got a history of being inconsistent or making promises you didn’t quite deliver on. The thing is, understanding why people don’t trust or like you is the first step in building a strategy that can change their minds.
If people don’t like your brand because of a misconception, congratulations—there’s a fix for that. Sometimes, your brand is misunderstood, misjudged, or misaligned in the eyes of the public. Here’s the good news: you can course-correct.
But here's a pro tip: don’t just fix the misconception in your messaging; fix it in your product. Remember, as the old adage goes, good advertising can help a bad product fail faster. Address the product’s shortcomings first, then let your advertising do the heavy lifting. It’s a lot easier to change perception when you’ve got a product that backs up the new narrative.
When people don’t like your brand, they aren’t always quiet about it. And that, my friend, is a gift wrapped in barbed wire. Your critics? They’re offering free focus group feedback. They’re telling you exactly what you need to do to win them over. Sure, they may not say it in the nicest way—maybe it stings a little. But beneath their ranting lies truth.
Instead of running from criticism or pretending it doesn’t exist, brands should lean into it. Listen to what your critics are saying. Often, they point out your weaknesses with the precision of a laser pointer. Fix those weaknesses, and they might just become your most vocal advocates.
Here’s the thing: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. What may seem like a brand liability—something people actively dislike—could be spun into a goldmine of opportunity if positioned correctly. Let’s say there’s an aspect of your brand that people find off-putting or irrelevant. Maybe it doesn’t resonate with your current target audience, but have you considered a different audience? One that’s craving exactly what you offer?
Sometimes the problem isn’t that your brand is “wrong,” it’s just pitched to the wrong crowd. The magic happens when you realize that what one group dismisses, another might worship. The trick is to identify that treasure and market it to the right people.
Sometimes, people don’t like your brand because they simply don’t know the best thing about it. Maybe you’re offering something incredible, but your messaging hasn’t communicated it effectively. It’s like having the best party in town, but nobody got the invite.
If there’s a feature, benefit, or differentiator that people have overlooked, it’s your job to scream it from the rooftops. Often, what’s missing isn’t the innovation—it’s the communication of it. Don’t let your brand’s best assets collect dust. Show them off. You might be surprised how quickly people change their minds once they see the full picture.
In today’s world, brands trying to be “everything to everyone” quickly become invisible. It’s like trying to dance with everyone at the party—you end up awkwardly hovering, never committing. What does your brand stand for?
And don’t be afraid to turn off certain audiences. When you stand for something specific, the people who resonate with that message will really resonate. You don’t need to be everyone’s cup of tea—you need to be some people’s shot of whiskey. When your audience feels understood, they become your biggest evangelists.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Well, advertising insanity is running the same tired campaigns and wondering why sales aren’t changing. Sometimes brands get stuck in a rut because it feels safer to stick with what’s familiar. But here’s a reality check: maybe it’s time for something new.
Maybe your brand needs a complete overhaul—a new creative direction, a fresh strategy, or even a new agency. If the current tactics aren’t working, shake things up. Try something that scares you. Trust me, staying safe is the riskiest move of all.
If you’re serious about building a brand people love, you first need to understand why they don’t. Embrace the unlikability. Ask the hard questions. Face the tough feedback. And remember that in every criticism lies the potential for conversion. The very reasons people reject your brand can be turned into the reasons they fall in love with it—if you’re willing to listen, adapt, and maybe, just maybe, show off those dance moves.