The same patterns that got Mamdani elected are playing out in every brand strategy I see. Brands addicted to launches while neglecting what's working. Zero-sum competition over the same tired territory. Treating brand equity like it locks in place instead of something you maintain daily. Most companies are fighting like crabs in a bucket. The brands that win? They're the ones who recognize the pattern first and climb out entirely.

Billionaires always threaten to leave New York when taxes go up. They never do. Because proximity beats price. They need access, community, visibility. The story is part of the power. Brands play the same game, claiming values they abandon the second it gets expensive. But we're in a bluff-calling era. Customers have more options, more information, less patience for performance. The real pattern? Power isn't what you say. It's what you do when challenged. And most brands, like most billionaires, aren't scared of the message. They're scared of having to live it.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.