Kayfabe meets commerce

At SXSW 2025, Crispin ECD Ben Majoy sat down with Stacy Tarver Patterson, Founding Partner at New Math, Jeron Smith, CEO at HEIR, and Austin McKenna, Senior Director of Brand Strategy at YETI to explore the wild parallels between wrestling’s scripted realities and modern branding strategies, and how to harness kayfabe to drive commerce.

Click here for full recording, and an edited summary below.

The world of wrestling is filled with complicated definitions. Kayfabe is perhaps the most complicated and argued about.

• Kayfabe is the unwritten rule and commitment to the illusion that wrestling is real.
• The “Heel” is essentially the villain in wrestling. They receive the “heat,” or the negative energy when they enter the ring.
• The “Face” is the good guy. They hold the morale high ground of wrestling. They take the beating and will never slam a chair on somebody.
• Being “over” means the wrestler is popular with the audience.
• “Work” is the planned part of the wrestling narrative and a “shoot” is when they go off script, an unplanned incident like if someone were to get hurt. And a “worked shoot” blends the two, using scripted situations that appear to be "real," often involving industry insider knowledge or breaking kayfabe.

Now that we’ve done our homework….

Kayfabe is a playbook not just for WWE and the craft of wrestling, but for strategies behind entertainment, politics, marketing and branding. In today’s cultural landscape, where perception is everything, brands operate much like wrestlers in the ring. 

But where does the performance end and reality begin? 

The ring size for kayfabe has changed over time, growing to extend to social media and the larger WWE entertainment universe. Brands too live in this “undefined ring” - we don't know where it ends or begins. 

The concept of the “heel turn” is when a character undergoes a transformation from the fan favorite to the villain, breaking kayfabe. The most recent example in WWE was John Cena turning heel on Cody Rhodes. Examples in politics could include Hilary Clinton calling Trump supporters belong in a “basket of deplorables” during the 2016 election. In marketing, Liquid Death, a canned water company known for its aggressive, irreverent marketing, has adopted a "villain" persona.

Are we living in an era where playing the villain is not just accepted, but preferred? 

The villain is easier to be—it’s strategic, attention-grabbing, and often more memorable than the hero. Part of what makes the concept of kayfabe so complicated is that one person’s “Heel” is another person’s “Face,” and vice versa. Liquid Death is a very obvious example of this. It is a “Heel” to the industry of bottled water, but they are a “Face” to a lot of us in the marketing world who applaud the courageous commitment to a brand persona.

The “Face” , while the hero, has a presumptive moral perfection that is impossible to control, especially when the ring is so big. Nobody or brand can be a true “Face.”

While the “Heel” or the villain, almost can’t get in trouble. It’s a safer place to be and more synonymous with authenticity.

It all comes down to the commitment of the character.

We are all playing this push and pull game with the content we consume on a daily basis. We have unfettered access to all of these characters in culture.

Who gets to own what the character stands for?

Culture and the conversation dictates a brand’s character. Which makes it so important for brands to commit to a character and not back down. Then it's up to the consumer, what ring they want to be in and choose to align with brands that build their own character.

Looking at the future, do we think this element of theatre will continue?

In today’s ring, scripted realities work—when rooted in entertainment and authenticity. The most successful brands embrace their narrative fully, understanding that perception is reality. 

Any brand executing against an effective brand strategy is creating an emotive connection between brand and consumer. It’s deep, visceral, and affects purchasing decisions at the end of the day. When you keep feeding a consumer a narrative, you become familiar and consumers are more likely to purchase the thing they know and understand versus the one they don’t. This is why consistent communication across the integrated marketing mix is so important.

If the people are entertained, you’re going to win.

As a brand, you want to protect your character at all costs. Elements of “cool,” “romance,” and “mystique” are what marketers want to protect. But you are anointed this by the consumer and culture. Branding is about choice. You either define your character, or the audience defines it for you.