Create ideas using: Break Rules
Why would I deliberately break category rules when the rules exist for a reason?
Because everyone else follows them, which makes them invisible. You see a category rule and think 'that's just how things are done.' But rules are just agreements people made—and if everyone agrees, nobody stands out. Breaking a rule isn't rebellion for rebellion's sake; it's breaking the thing that makes your category boring. The trick? Only break the rule if breaking it actually serves your brand or your audience. Break 'fitness is miserable' if your product is joyful. Break 'luxury is exclusive' if your brand is democratic. The rule you break has to matter.
How do I know which rule to break without just looking like an asshole?
Break the rule in service of something better, not in service of shock value. Ask: 'What does my audience actually wish was different about this category?' The answer is the rule to break. If finance is always serious and intimidating, maybe your rule to break is 'make it funny and approachable.' If fashion is always about exclusion, maybe your rule is 'make it accessible.' The best rule-breaking doesn't feel rebellious; it feels like 'why didn't anyone think of this before?' If breaking the rule just makes people uncomfortable without giving them something better, you've just been obnoxious.
Example: How it could look
A luxury brand could break 'luxury means exclusive and hard to access' by making their process completely transparent, prices publicly visible, and customer service available immediately. Breaking the rule isn't for shock—it's because they believe luxury is about quality and integrity, not gatekeeping. Show someone expecting snobby service, then show them actual humans eager to help. The rule break is the entire message: 'luxury isn't about excluding you; it's about quality we're proud of.' That's way more powerful than just shocking people.
Or like this:
Why is Break Rules a great technique?
Break-rules campaigns work because they solve the category's hidden problem by doing the opposite of what everyone assumes must be true.
Makes you instantly memorable against sameness
Positions your brand as the honest alternative
Solves a problem everyone accepted as unchangeable
Feels like relief, not just rebellion
The best rule-breaking isn't about being different—it's about being better in a way everyone else accepted couldn't be done. When you break the right rule, you're not just standing out; you're redefining what the category could be. That's when audiences don't just notice you—they actually switch to you.
! When not to use the Break Rules Technique
When you're breaking a rule just for attention without offering something better. If your rebellion is performative bullshit with no substance, people will call it out immediately. Also skip it if the rule actually exists to protect people or maintain quality—breaking those rules doesn't make you bold; it makes you an idiot.