Jun 28, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min · 13 segments
What does it really take to build a brand that can compete with global giants?Most people believe it's all about having deep pockets, celebrity endorsements, or a massive marketing budget. But…
Shoes are a commodity.
And I still remember there's this video of Steve Jobs from 1996 where he speaks about Nike's iconic branding, and that's where he says that Nike sells shoes.
Yeah.
They sell a commodity.
My question is, where does that feeling come from, and what's the logic behind it?
Everybody gravitates towards powerful stories, right? And generally, a medium on which a powerful story can be told, which is rare, and can still do justice to, will be more interesting for people.
Now, you can take a very different type of story and put it on shoes-
Mm
... which is of a pop artist, a music.
You can take a, like, you can take a restaurant and put it on a shoe.
And these are all unexpected things that you don't think about when you think about a utility product like shoes, which was just supposed to be a commodity that you would wear on your feet and walk.
The second thing is, everybody in society is looking for signaling.
You want to signal to people around you that you're doing well, or you're part of some subgroup, or you understand some part of culture very differently to somebody.
And people use accessories for that.
Like, you know, when I was growing up, then people used to wear polo T-shirts, and the logo used to keep changing.
And the logo would signify, like, how much money you have in the bank balance, 'cause a polo T-shirt is the same.
Mm.
Right? Over time, like clothing, may, uh, branding has become minimal.
Yeah.
You know, like now Uniqlo thrives.
Silent luxury.
Silent luxury, right? But signaling has to happen somewhere.
So it tends to happen in shoes.
It tends to happen in watches.
Shoes are a commodity.
And I still remember there's this video of Steve Jobs from 1996 where he speaks about Nike's iconic branding, and that's where he says that Nike sells shoes.
Yeah.
They sell a commodity.
My question is, where does that feeling come from, and what's the logic behind it?
Everybody gravitates towards powerful stories, right? And generally, a medium on which a powerful story can be told, which is rare, and can still do justice to, will be more interesting for people.
Now, you can take a very different type of story and put it on shoes-
Mm
... which is of a pop artist, a music.
You can take a, like, you can take a restaurant and put it on a shoe.
And these are all unexpected things that you don't think about when you think about a utility product like shoes, which was just supposed to be a commodity that you would wear on your feet and walk.
The second thing is, everybody in society is looking for signaling.
You want to signal to people around you that you're doing well, or you're part of some subgroup, or you understand some part of culture very differently to somebody.
And people use accessories for that.
Like, you know, when I was growing up, then people used to wear polo T-shirts, and the logo used to keep changing.
And the logo would signify, like, how much money you have in the bank balance, 'cause a polo T-shirt is the same.
Mm.
Right? Over time, like clothing, may, uh, branding has become minimal.
Yeah.
You know, like now Uniqlo thrives.
Silent luxury.
Silent luxury, right? But signaling has to happen somewhere.
So it tends to happen in shoes.
It tends to happen in watches.
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