Brand’s Catch-22: Crash the Party or Host Your Own?
- Gunjan Solanki
- Oct 5
- 6 min read
In today’s cutthroat consumer landscape, every brand faces a fundamental choice:
👉 Crash the party > steal attention by attacking rivals.
👉 Host your own > build an independent world so strong that no competitor matters.
This strategic crossroad is not new, but it is more urgent than ever. With digital noise overwhelming consumers and loyalty eroding faster than ever before, every brand faces the pressing decision of whether to aggressively challenge incumbents or focus inward on cultivating its own unique identity.
The recent showdown between Mamaearth’s The Derma Co. and HUL’s Lakmé throws this dilemma into sharp relief. It illustrates not just a legal spat but a fundamental branding question:
Is it smarter to grow by tearing others down or by building yourself up?
🎭 The Drama Begins: Mamaearth vs. Lakmé
In 2024, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) ran a Lakmé sunscreen campaign that allegedly misrepresented the efficacy (SPF Strength) of Mamaearth’s The Derma Co. product.
Mamaearth took them to court. The Delhi High Court ordered HUL to withdraw its advertisement within 48 hours. While Mamaearth too had to scrub Lakmé mentions from its social media, the public story was clear:
“David takes down Goliath.”
In reality, nobody cared about the fine print of the verdict. What mattered was perception: a new-age challenger dared to take on a corporate giant-and won attention overnight.
This was not just a legal skirmish. It was textbook ambush marketing gone WRONG.
🚀 Crash-the-Party: The Aggressor’s Playbook
Ambush marketing is bold, messy, and high-risk. But when done right, it delivers instant recognition.
📌 Case in Point: Birla Opus vs. Asian Paints
When Birla Opus entered the paint industry, it didn’t whisper. It shouted.
Its campaign, featuring Rashmika Mandanna and Vicky Kaushal, dismissed legacy paints as “Purana Wala” (the old one) while positioning Opus as “Naye Zamane Ka Naya Paint” (paint of a new generation).
Result?
Within a year, Opus claimed 6–7% market share, while Asian Paints-an unshakeable giant-saw its share slip. (Obviously, there are 100 more factors that contributed to the rise, but brand positioning is one of the most significant factors)
That’s the ambush formula: grab attention by poking the lion in the eye.
🥤 Pepsi vs. Coke: The Eternal Clash
Perhaps the most iconic ambush saga ever: Pepsi’s “Pepsi Challenge” in the 1970s. Blind taste tests showed consumers preferring Pepsi over Coke, undermining Coke’s dominance.
Coke fought back with “New Coke,” a move that flopped disastrously. Meanwhile, Pepsi won the cultural positioning battle of being the “choice of a new generation.”
🚗 BMW vs. Audi: Billboard Chess
In Santa Monica, Audi put up a billboard taunting BMW: “Your move, BMW.”
BMW responded with a larger billboard nearby: “Checkmate.”
The public loved it. Suddenly, car advertising became a spectator sport. Ambush created entertainment value.
📱 Samsung vs. Apple: Mocking the Cult
Samsung ads openly mocked iPhone users as “iSheep.” Its early Galaxy Note ads ridiculed Apple for smaller screens.
This boldness positioned Samsung not as a copycat, but as the anti-Apple.
💀 Liquid Death: Murdering Big Water
A startup selling canned water branded itself like a heavy metal band: skulls, slogans like “Murder Your Thirst”, and attacks on “boring bottled water.”
In a category where Evian and Fiji marketed sophistication, Liquid Death became the bad boy of hydration. Today, it’s valued at over $1.4 billion.
⚡ Why Ambush Works?
It creates drama: Consumers love rivalries.
It flatters the audience: Being “in on the joke” makes fans feel clever.
It’s efficient: Challengers can piggyback on incumbents’ brand awareness instead of building their own.
But Ambush comes with risks.
⚠️ The Dark Side of Ambushing
Legal Trouble – Courts often intervene, as seen in Mamaearth vs. HUL.
Short-Term Buzz – Attention doesn’t always convert into loyalty.
Identity Crisis – If a brand only defines itself against others, what happens when the rivalry ends?
Consumer Backlash – Aggressive attacks can feel petty if not balanced with real value.
🏰 The Undiminished Value of “Hosting Your Own Party”
On the other side lies the “Host-Your-Own-Party” strategy. Instead of reacting to competitors, these brands create such a strong independent identity that they don’t need comparison.
🍏 Apple: The Ultimate Host
Apple rarely names competitors. It doesn’t need to. The iPhone is not just a product-it’s an ecosystem and a status symbol.
Apple users don’t say, “I use Apple because Samsung is bad.” They say, “I’m part of the Apple world.”
Ironically, Apple occasionally dips into ambush mode-like its privacy ads that implied Google sells user data. But that’s the exception, not the rule.
🍜 Maggi: India’s Comfort Food
Maggi’s “2-Minute Noodles” didn’t need to mock Sunfeast or Yippee. It became a ritual-after school, in college hostels, during late-night hunger pangs.
Even when banned in 2015 over alleged health concerns, the brand returned stronger because its cultural bond was unshakable.
📶 Jio: Redefining the Market
Jio didn’t attack Airtel or Vodafone directly. Instead, it changed the rules of the game: dirt-cheap data and free voice calls.
It wasn’t about fighting competitors-it was about hosting a digital revolution. Today, Jio is India’s largest telecom operator.
🍪 Parle-G: The Biscuit That Raised a Nation
Parle-G never engaged in ambush marketing wars with Britannia or Sunfeast. Its success rests on affordability, accessibility, and emotional recall.
Generations grew up on Parle-G dipped in chai. That loyalty is priceless.
🌸 Dove: Real Beauty, Not Rivalry
HUL’s Dove built its empire not by tearing down Lux or Nivea, but by focusing on authenticity and inclusivity.
Campaigns like “Real Beauty” made Dove a cultural symbol, not just a soap brand.
🧠 Why Hosting Works?
Emotional Resonance – Stronger bonds with consumers.
Pricing Power – People pay premiums for brands they trust.
Resilience – Scandals or bans don’t destroy truly loved brands.
Cultural Depth – Hosting is about creating meaning, not just noise.
🔄 The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds
Some of the smartest brands combine both strategies.
Apple vs. Google – Mostly a host, but occasionally ambushes around privacy.
Burger King vs. McDonald’s – Famous for trolling the “Big Mac,” but also builds its quirky, flame-grilled identity.
Nike – Built its empire on “Just Do It,” but occasionally ambushes Adidas or Puma through athlete endorsements.
The trick? Ambush sparingly, build consistently.
🧭 A Playbook for New-Age Brands
Crash-the-Party (Ambush) works best when:
You’re a new challenger needing instant recognition.
The market is stale and incumbents look arrogant.
Your product truly outperforms existing options.
Host-Your-Own Party (Builder) works best when:
You aim for longevity and cultural depth.
Trust, emotion, or habit drive the category (food, health, lifestyle).
You want pricing power, not just volume.
👉 Most brands start with ambush but must graduate to hosting.
🔮 The Future of Branding: What’s Next?
The battle between ambush and hosting will evolve in the era of:
AI-driven personalization – Brands will need to create hyper-personal experiences (favoring hosts).
Influencer marketing – Direct callouts and memes will fuel ambush campaigns.
Fragmented attention – TikTok, Reels, and Shorts reward bold, ambush-style content.
Consumer fatigue – Long-term, consumers may demand authenticity over theatrics, favoring hosts.
The future may not be about choosing one but mastering the dance between both.
The Psychological Side of Branding:
Why do consumers respond differently to attack vs. inspiration?
When a brand takes on a rival, it triggers the David vs. Goliath effect—people instinctively root for the underdog. This taps into our competitive bias and love for drama, making such campaigns instantly shareable and attention-grabbing. Younger audiences, in particular, enjoy brands that dare to challenge the status quo.
On the other hand, inspirational branding connects with the emotional and aspirational side of consumers. Campaigns like Nike’s “Just Do It” or Dove’s “Real Beauty” engage empathy and self-belief, activating the brain’s mirror neurons. They build long-term trust, loyalty, and identification with a brand’s purpose rather than its rivalry.
In short, attack strategies spark excitement; inspiration builds devotion. Smart brands know when to provoke and when to uplift—using conflict for quick visibility and inspiration for lasting connection.
🏁 Conclusion: Choose Your Party
It was about strategy itself.
Crashers win attention.
Hosts win loyalty.
The masters? They do both.
So the real question for brands today is not just “Which side are you on?” but “When do you crash, and when do you host?”
Because in branding-just like in parties-it’s not who talks the loudest. It’s what people remember the next morning.
Sidebar: Famous Ambush Moments
Nike ambushing Adidas at the 2012 Olympics by sponsoring street events near venues.
Pepsi’s Halloween Ad: a Pepsi can dressed as Coke with the tagline “We wish you a scary Halloween.”
Burger King’s Whopper Detour: offering Whoppers for 1 cent if ordered near a McDonald’s outlet.
“Ambush wins you eyeballs. Hosting wins you hearts. The smartest brands know when to switch hats.”
Author: Gunjan Solanki
