I always emphasize to people that “contradictions are the conversation.” When people first start learning about branding, they think everything needs to be in a line to make a strong brand. While this works for Skittles or some fuckboi NPC fashion brand everyone will forget soon… When your artistry contains dynamics, nuances and <clutch your pearls> CONTRADICTIONS!!! Well, that’s what actually gets people talking. Poppy, who made one of my favorite records of the past decade and some of the most compelling tracks in recent heavy music, shows this better than most artists. Let’s dig into how this performance artist, Grammy nominee who shrieks over Sgt. Pepper-inspired IDM-Metal songs keep people’s eyes locked in.

Mistaken Identity at the Grammys: Poppy and Courtney LaPlante

Several weeks ago at the Grammys, Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox was mistaken for Poppy as they were both nominated for Grammys (Poppy for her performance on Knocked Loose’s latest record, which is possibly the best heavy music record since her own I Disagree). For those unfamiliar with Poppy, she gained recognition by creating unusual, enigmatic videos online.

@wallofsoundau

watch the full interview, conducted by (and credited to) StageRightSecrets, of Courtney LaPlante from Spiritbox pretending to be Poppy aft... See more

Background

About eight years ago, before she transitioned to metal music, Poppy was producing strange videos. These unusual performances established significant lore around her persona and brand. The main discussion in the comments centers around confusion and WTF?!?!?!

The Brand Confusion Incident

The Grammy mix-up highlights what could be considered insufficient brand differentiation. Mistaking one artist for another may stem from face blindness or an interviewer's lack of preparation. More often, it indicates insufficient recognition between the two artists. The differences between Poppy and Spiritbox seem obvious to me as a fan of both, particularly as an avid Poppy follower and someone who really needs to write a newsletter on how Spiritbox is also one of the smartest bands in music today. Ultimately, this mistaken identity created an opportunity for increased brand recognition for both artists. I would argue both of these groups have positioned themselves distinctly apart from all other groups in their genre and are the rare cases of both being a masterclass in positioning at some of the game's highest levels but had an event that created a cataclysm for attention.

Breaking Down Poppy's Branding Strategy

Poppy, is one of the first artists I would say used confusion as a branding strategy in the early days of her YouTube channel. If you scroll to the top of her videos feed you will see that few artists rival her in the strategy of this tactic, even when viewed years later. I would argue this tactic has matured into using contradictions instead of confusion, but the two are a Venn diagram artists often sink one foot in like a game of Twister.

The Power of Contrast

Poppy's whole thing is playing with contrast. She makes dark, heavy metal music but doesn't match it with predictably dark imagery. Instead of aligning her visuals with her sound, she deliberately creates tension between them. From day one, she's been about getting weird and subverting expectations rather than doing the obvious. There’s pretty poppy Beach Boys elements of brightness and indie rock tones on some records. She draws contradictions or contrasts (however you’d like to look at it) wherever she creates.

Visual Distinctiveness

Poppy wears completely bizarre outfits that instantly identify her. Her fashion choices are intentionally jarring.

Like this dress…Have you ever seen anyone wearing something like that? I imagine you have not because that is a fucked up looking dress. Yet again, strengthening her positioning.

The Mix-Up Explained

With her recent metal phase, Poppy’s gone to a new look with dark hair - similar to Courtney LaPlante's, which likely contributed to the Grammy confusion. Though they don't actually look alike beyond this surface detail, it was enough to cause momentary misidentification.

As opposed to Spiritbox…

Now she's adopted a dramatically different look, ensuring nobody will mistake her for anyone else again. Personally, I don’t think they look alike. But now what we have is a different look. So she greatly stands out from the look of the person she was confused with, reinforcing her unique brand identity and creating a look that draws very stark contrast to the other artists in her space.

Oh yeah… Before the Paywall, I should mention she’s one of only a handful of artists whose personality content performs at a scale where it really reaches audiences, so she is worth studying for that alone.

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