Some brands panic when customers misbehave.
The others?
They turn the chaos into creative gold.
Take Diesel.
They knew people were buying outfits, wearing them once for the 'Gram, and returning them.
So they launched Enjoy Before Returning.
Wear it. Tag on. Enjoy an exclusive party.
Just bring it back in mint condition.
Result? +1,547% in sales. And most people kept the clothes anyway.
Lululemon had knockoff leggings all over TikTok.
Instead of a lawsuit, they launched Dupe Swap —
Bring in the fake pair, get a real one.
Thousands queued. Many were new customers.
Dupes turned into loyalists.
KFC spotted copycat chicken shops using its branding.
Cease-and-desist? Nah.
They launched Chickenstock — a free library of KFC brand images for knockoff joints to use.
The logic? If they’re going to rip you off, make sure they do it properly.
And Stella Artois?
People kept stealing their iconic beer chalices.
So they flipped it into fashion with Steal Artois — a streetwear drop inspired by the theft.
Sticky fingers turned into fame-worthy brand heat.
The lesson?
Don’t fight the bad behaviour.
Flip it. Feed it. Turn it into the brief.
Want more counter intuitive tactics like this? Take a look at our Dumb Thinking Guide – it’ll turn GPT into a mischievous dumb smart ass in no time.
