03/09/2026
The most dangerous trend in branding isn’t what’s cool,
it’s everyone hiring the same hands to chase the same definition of cool.
I call it “the vortex effect.” When the same agencies, freelancers, and Pinterest boards shape entire industries, you don’t get an ecosystem. You get a creative black hole.
Case study that broke my brain: Kim Kardashian’s Update Energy just launched. Clean packaging, “better-for-you” messaging, functional benefits focus. It’s indistinguishable from 20 other brands.
The psychology works: Clean aesthetics signal trust. Familiarity breeds preference. Algorithms reward similarity. But similarity kills differentiation.
What creates the vortex: Same design agencies working on competitors. Same freelancers jumping between brands. Same trend reports as “inspiration.” Same fear of standing out.
The real cost: When consumers can’t tell brands apart, purchase decisions default to price and distribution. Marketing budgets become charity for the whole category.
The 2026 shift: Smart brands are done optimizing for “safe.” They’re choosing strategic imperfection over polish. Category ownership over copying. They’d rather be distinctively wrong than perfectly forgettable.
Stop hiring the same hands. Start building something unmistakably yours.
What’s one way your brand could escape the vortex?
