There are few things worse than watching the decline of a brand. It’s one thing if it were a brand you had faith in or put some intrinsic value in as a consumer—that is sad enough. But today I am going to discuss the weak brands decline. It’s something people see every day, and it’s something we can actually learn from, so let’s dive in.
My nephew started a screen printing business. He wanted to build a brand around it and started with undead and twisted versions of Disney characters. His quality of product was superb and his screen printing skills top notch. The t-shirts sold at comic cons and festivals well enough, but there was zero growth in the business, why? There was nothing original about his brand. He took images that were designed by other artists, used his artist to alter their work, relying on borrowed equity of the Disney brand to sell his work. And while they sold in fits and spurts, there was no outcry for them because he was relying on another’s brand for his brands success. He looked like a cheap imitation, a knockoff. The truth was the opposite in terms of t-shirt quality and screen printing skill, but that didn’t matter when the subject was not his own.
I have seen Satanic podcasts and websites pop up and fade away, using the Sigil of Baphomet to set up their brand, trying to convince any potential audience that they were sufficiently ‘evil’. They all fade away, and they claim it was because they lost interest, but the truth is usually in the lack of an audience and engagement, Why? The use of Satanic imagery isn’t enough, you need to deliver the goods! You need to have something to say, something to present that is engaging, relevant and of value to the audience. They relied on the borrowed equity of the Sigil of Baphomet to do the heavy lifting, and ultimately failed because they had nothing to contribute. This goes above and beyond podcasts, into re-sellers as well.
What is a re-seller? Someone who does not create anything, a middleman. The worse of all businesses. They create a dime-a-dozen website to take an artists or creators goods, and sell it to an audience. They have convinced the original artist they could never do this on their own. It’s not even on the level of an actual store, where there is active product on a shelf that can be packaged and sent as soon as the order is placed. The typical re-seller takes your order, and makes another order with it to the actual company that manufactures the product. Weeks later you may be lucky enough to get your order as a consumer, if there were no issues with the ordering process from the re-seller to the manufacturer.
This is a failing business model, and it is difficult to build a brand with this model on a small scale. These re-sellers have the typical ‘Satan’ styled items to let you know they are ‘evil’ enough a vendor to sell you properly Satanic goods. There are so many of these in this small religious bubble, you would think at least one of them would be doing it well. Well…. The fundamental brands fail in both their execution of the brand and in their business model simply because they are relying on borrowed equity from an established player (Church of Satan, Satanism, Satan, Evil, etc…), all the while failing to build or create anything original. Where did the company name come from? Was it stolen or ‘appropriated’ from a successful brands shtick? Where do the goods come from? Are they made by a third party and sold at an exorbitant price so the re-seller can make a buck on both your back and the creators? Do they sell you the same thing over and over again with minimal improvement? If they really wanted to be known as the best, why not come out swinging with the best version of the product and stand by it?
Then you start to see the downfall…
A friend of mine was selling “What Would Anton LaVey Do?” stickers and t-shirts. He was borrowing equity from our deceased founder to make a buck. This did not last long as he realized what was behind this enterprise. He was essentially selling out the very religious leader he celebrated by cheapening his visage on a sticker. We see this in many ways. T-shirts, posters, prints, etc. I don’t think there is anything wrong with selling photos or posters of our founder but when you are using his unauthorized signature, or applying some message or call to action to him that he has not agreed to, you have become the lowest of the low… a rosary bead and Mary Magdalene candle peddler. You are using religious iconography to sell your shit products so you can make a few pennies. You no longer have a brand, you are simply a penny pinching re seller. You are showing your ass.
It’s bad enough when it’s the image of our founder, but when they branch out to his home or rooms in his home, or artifacts, come on now…. Just stop already. Build your Satanic brand on your own, with your own talent. Stop trying to steal equity to make a buck and try earning it for a change. There are many reasons I don’t support ‘Satanic’ re-sellers, but this is the biggest reason: They are exploiting my religion. A religion about individualism. Think about that. How original are you when you look exactly like every other ‘original’ ‘Satanist’ draped in the latest objects made by a third party, sold by a re-seller to every other Satanist.
You are showing your ass.