Successfully Stupid Brands

In his 1983 book, Frames of the Mind, Howard Gardner – professor of cognition and education of Harvard University – challenged the notion of intelligence as something singular. Instead, his Theory of Multiple Intelligences proposed that intelligence manifests in eight different ways, which each of us possess to varying degrees. Intelligence, and in turn stupidity, is broader and more diffused than we’d been taught. One of these forms of intelligence is physical: a deep connection with our bodies and celebration of their form.

As our Stupid REPORT outlines, intelligence and stupidity are two sides of the same coin; playing into the absurd and surprising might be the smartest thing brands can do right now. The two case studies below demonstrate how brands can be successfully stupid.

I Wanna Bangkok

Thailand based fashion brand I Wanna Bangkok have followed their creative impulses from the very start, pushing aside any structured business plans. Their products were initially designed to target tourists but accidentally ended up appealing to Thai youths who were finally seeing queer culture celebrated, not fetishised, by those outside it. The brand doesn’t restrict themselves just to clothes: pop-ups, food collaborations and filmmaking come together to build a 360 sensory world that feeds the imaginations of their fiercely loyal and imaginative audience.

I Wanna Bangkok embraces an anarchic approach that’s visceral, like asymmetric underpants or gym bro t-shirts illustrated with ripped bodies and impressive packages. Partnering with Thai ice cream specialist Kintaam, they created a three-boob dessert. A delicious blend of sexy and stupid.

The brand exists in a potent moment, with buzz building around those who dare to experiment and resist acclimatising to the monoculture that social media and AI enforce.