That Knicks photo actually opens up a fascinating counter-point. They rode their 1973 nostalgia for 53 years without a title, proving powerful lore can sustain a brand's relevance for decades even without recent wins. It made me wonder: what is the shelf-life for a company trying to do the same? How often do you need to win?
this is a really good point, and one someone else poked me on today IRL too. (their argument was that even if google dies a death at the hands openai or whatever, they'll still have lore, the way ibm and xerox do. which feels right, and i think i need a better theory of how losing fits in to all this. people love an underdog! and they love a valiant defeat!
That Knicks photo actually opens up a fascinating counter-point. They rode their 1973 nostalgia for 53 years without a title, proving powerful lore can sustain a brand's relevance for decades even without recent wins. It made me wonder: what is the shelf-life for a company trying to do the same? How often do you need to win?
this is a really good point, and one someone else poked me on today IRL too. (their argument was that even if google dies a death at the hands openai or whatever, they'll still have lore, the way ibm and xerox do. which feels right, and i think i need a better theory of how losing fits in to all this. people love an underdog! and they love a valiant defeat!