Reminder: People Buy the Hype, Not the Features
In 2017, a South London writer called Oobah Butler (yes, really) pulled off the greatest marketing prank the internet’s ever seen.
How?
By crafting a story so exclusive, so mysterious, so oddly believable that people were desperate to get a booking… to a place that didn’t exist.
There were no tables.
No staff.
No chef.
Just a burner phone, stock images of food made with shaving foam, and a brand built on pure perception.
And that’s exactly what we’re talking about today: Why your brand matters more than your actual product.
Because if a fake shed can outperform 18,000 real restaurants… what could you do with a brand that actually works?
Let’s break it down. 👇
So, what’s the real lesson here?
Branding isn’t what you say. It’s what they believe.
Oobah understood one thing most business owners still overlook: perception drives demand.
Not product.
Not price.
Not even quality.
What made The Shed “special”?
He gave it a story.
A feeling.
A mythos.
He named menu items after emotions. He manufactured scarcity. He built intrigue, mystery, and a bit of cheeky pretension.
And what happened? People wanted to believe. They filled in the blanks themselves.
They told each other it must be good, because it felt good to say they'd booked a spot no one else could get into.
Welcome to the power of brand.
I’m not suggesting you lie about having a business.
But I am saying this: if a fake restaurant in a shed can outrank 18,000 real ones, you might want to re-evaluate what’s really driving your customers to you.
Hint: it’s not your 20% off promo code.
The brands winning today aren’t always the best.
But they are the most believed.
The truth about trust
Let’s be honest, customers don’t always have time to do their homework.
So they go with what feels right.
And what feels right is what’s been branded well.
Apple isn’t just a tech company. It’s a lifestyle. A feeling. A cult of clean lines and quiet superiority.
And your brand?
If you’re not shaping it intentionally, people are filling in the blanks themselves and chances are, they’re not imagining much better than a metaphorical shed.
So, what should you do?
Whether you're selling software, sandwiches, or sound baths, you need to do three things:
Own your story – People don’t buy what you do, they buy what you mean to them. Make it easy for them to know what that is.
Design for desire – People don’t crave logic. They crave meaning, exclusivity, and emotion. Build your brand around those.
Market like a myth – The best brands aren’t brochures. They’re campfire stories. Tell yours in a way that makes people want to retell it for you.
TL;DR
The Shed at Dulwich proves one simple truth: You don’t need to shout louder. You need a story worth listening to.
And if you’re cutting prices to get attention, your brand isn’t doing its job.
If you’re still treating branding like a logo, rather than the strategy that drives every customer decision, you might just be missing your shot at becoming the next cult classic.
Preferably with actual food. But hey, no judgement if you’ve got a charming garden shed.
Got thoughts on perception vs. reality? Or not? Drop a comment.
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3moA good read but I don't think there are really any branding lessons to learn from this social experiment. Branding isn't what you say, it's what you say and do. What he did was create awareness of a concept through deceptive marketing. He also preyed on the narcissistic, arrogant, self centred and ignorant nature of people. Yes he created a good story and some sharp witted word play but from a branding perspective there was no brand. The brand would have been built through the interactions with the business. The UGC and CGA would come from experiences of interacting with the brand. That's where the branding - how well the personnel live the brand created by the talented Mr Butler would have grown into a sustainable brand. You've given some great ideas for ideation meetings though!