Assets
When a brand is on the brink of failure, those who look to save it often refer to it as a distressed asset.
That’s funny to us, because, this week, one of DTC’s most recent distressed assets produced a … cough … distressed … cough … asset.
Yes, we’re talking about Haus.
The brand that once caught the attention of so many and helped usher in the no/low alc movement launched into caviar this week by photoshopping its latest product into original brand photography. The whole thing—from product extension to execution—was very weird, indeed, and plenty of people had plenty to say about all of it: The unfeelingness, so to speak, the lack of soul.
The consensus was that it all felt like something that came from a bunch of Private Equity roll-up types who saw spreadsheet TAM. (That was viewed as a negative, by the way.)
And yet.
Two weeks ago, someone posted a fake Adidas ad on Reddit, all made via Midjourney. It was, to our viewing, unfeeling, lacking soul. It felt like something that came after a bunch of Private Equity roll-up types bought a creative agency. But others … loved it?
Praise was heaped on the incredible ability of AI, how far it’s progressing, and what this could mean for brands going forward.
Which has us at a loss: Does the asset matter? Or is it the creator?
We’ve found ourselves so controlled by preexisting notions and beliefs about brands we love (Haus and Midjourney here—not PE and Adidas— in case you were wondering) we’re contorting ourselves to defend what we believe is sacred and good about them—even when they’re both producing distressed assets.