Buckle up, cause I’m about to talk about you know who:
Andrew Tate.
Not sure if you’ve heard, but he’s alpha af, bro.
Just kidding. In all seriousness, I don’t really care for the guy, or any other “alpha” / masculinity influencers.
Mostly because they’re all LARPing as something other than what they truly are, because somebody else told them that they should. Which ironically, is probably the least masculine thing you can do.
I honestly think a gay poet like Walt Whitman is much more “alpha” than Andrew Tate. Because Whitman lived and created in accordance with his values and his true self. He didn’t put on an “alpha male” costume because he was insecure and wanted to get laid or make $ selling courses to horny young dudes.
Anyway, I digress…
Tate is in the limelight again after basically getting cancelled across all major internet platforms.
And despite the palpable douchiness of the guy, he has gone viral. And I’m sure he’s made a crapload of money from whatever shtick he’s selling people.
So instead of making fun of the guy, or talking about “cancel culture” like everyone else – let’s take a different look at the situation. Is there anything we can learn about marketing & persuasion from Tate and other characters that operate in a similar way?
I think so.
Here are a few things that come to mind.
Lesson #1: Polarization Attracts
Tate illustrates how people are naturally drawn to polarizing figures and monomaniacs. Role playing as an extreme caricature can be super effective if you are able to actually do it long term.
We’re drawn to people with strong opinions. And we’re also drawn to one side of a false dichotomy AKA: the Hegelian Dialectic. Pepsi vs. Coke, Republican vs. Democrat, my sports team is better than yours, my Dad can beat up your Dad, etc. Humans tend to think in binaries whereas most things actually operate in a spectrum full of nuance and gray areas.
Most “Tate” type figures play off these false binaries: hustler vs. lazy af, men vs. women, alpha vs. beta, “red pill” men vs normies, blah blah blah.
Lesson #2: People Are Largely Dumb & Need to Hear Basic Advice
Ever written for the health niche?
Well I have, and let me tell you: it can really test your creativity when you have to think of sexy new ways to tell people how to get healthy:
Eat better, sleep, exercise, make sure you drink enough water, opt for whole foods, stop drinking so much alcohol, etc.
This stuff is all obvious. And it’s also the only stuff that really works. And almost nobody does it.
Most “men’s influencers” take the same approach. Stop me if you’ve heard this before:
Just be confident. Wake up early. Clean your room. Work hard. Make lots of money. Be a man. Go to the gym.
Ok… this is all obvious shit my Dad told me when I was like 12.
Which brings me to my next point:
Lesson #3: Targeted Messaging Works
The messaging of Tate and other masculinity gurus is also usually hyper targeted to a very specific demographic: young-ish males. And ones who probably didn’t have a strong or close father figure.
Jordan Peterson, to use another example, also basically built his whole brand by telling young dudes to do super obvious things that their dad probably should have told them growing up. Like “clean your room.”
Now, it is unfortunate that a lot of guys grew up without a strong father figure in their life. Or without structures, or a successful role model to look up to early on.
And it’s also unfortunate there aren’t really any good role models for masculinity in popular culture. There’s like sports, action movies, and… cringe-y dudes that you find on the internet.
So… you could argue that by “canceling” masculinity in the broader culture, that’s part of what causes these dumb guys online to get such a large following. There’s simply no other outlet for male energy. And when young dudes see a guy “role playing” as an alpha male by wearing a black t shirt, leather jacket, and aviators … they buy into it instantly. Because no one has provided them with a healthier vision of what being a man is.
In a way, it goes back to the “polarization” idea earlier. Choose your adventure:
– the leftist portrayal of men in TV/commercials as the “goofy goober Dad” who always messes everything up.
– the equally stupid hardcore “alpha male” role playing that goes on across YouTube and the internet.
Just some food for thought.