The Secret to a Valuable Brand: Why You Should Stop Buying What Others Like

What It Covers

Gary Vaynerchuk explains his approach to building VeeFriends intellectual property through fashion collaborations and cultural partnerships. He discusses how brands create perceived value, why he prioritizes intent over transactions in business activations, and his strategy for scaling character-based IP to teach values like accountability and patience.

Key Questions Answered

• •Brand Value Creation: Products gain value purely through branding and cultural meaning. Water was free until companies created branded bottles people pay for. Puma socks cost 37 cents to make but sell for nine dollars because the logo and brand positioning create perceived value that consumers willingly pay for through self-expression and identity signaling.
• •Event Activation Strategy: Design business events and brand activations around creating serendipity and relationship building rather than immediate transactions. Invite competitors, focus on delivering maximum value to attendees, and prioritize karma over short-term revenue. Humans detect transactional intent, so going completely the opposite direction builds stronger long-term business relationships and opportunities.
• •IP Universe Building: Launch with a large character universe from day one rather than building incrementally. VeeFriends started with 268 characters to enable decades of storytelling across multiple mediums. This approach allows strategic character selection for specific collaborations and messages, like using Accountable Ant to teach accountability or Forthright Flamingo for candor-themed partnerships.
• •Fashion Collaboration Speed: Prioritize fashion partnerships for rapid market entry and audience building. Fashion collaborations can reach market in six to nine months versus three years for animation or toys. Limited production runs allow testing multiple concepts quickly while maintaining exclusivity. VeeFriends has executed Reebok, Starter, Kim Shui, Carrots, and Vintage Frames deals within eighteen months.