How to Make Memorable Brand Content (The Maya Papaya Way)

Turn Your Brand's Weird Edge Into Unforgettable Content That Actually Sells

Jul 16, 2025

Tiny Desk Publishing

Cover Story (The Desk’s View)

Heads Up: This isn't another "just be authentic" sermon. Being weird for weird's sake won't save a bland strategy. Let’s talk about how quirk, used strategically, builds an authentic brand voice and creates unique brand positioning that your competitors can’t fake.

The Quirk Advantage: Why Maya Papaya Won and Most Brands Lose

Maya Papaya, the reality TV contestant, won by sharpening her quirks instead of hiding them. She owned her quirks before anyone else could.

That's the part brands miss.

Too many founders hear "quirky brand voice" and churn out forced memes, random hashtags, or mascots dancing on TikTok at midnight. That isn't a strategy. That's panic disguised as creativity.

Instead, Maya Papaya shows the real play: turn authentic oddities into assets. The goal isn't to “be different.” It's to make your difference memorable and defensible.

Spot the Real, Not the Manufactured

Audiences can smell desperation. Slang you wouldn’t use sober? Forced. Emoji avalanche? Forced. Scheduling “spontaneous” tweets two weeks out? Beyond forced.

Start with what people notice in your brand voice:

Do you write copy that sounds like side comments in a meeting?
Do you love oddly specific metaphors?
Are you fearless about calling nonsense what it is?

Amplify what’s there; don’t bolt on a fake personality.

Why Authentic Brand Voice Beats Trend-Chasing

Counterpoint: Isn’t trend-driven content marketing what goes viral? Sometimes. But trends bring reach; authenticity makes you memorable.

Your authentic brand voice is the moat. It makes every piece unmistakably yours - even if others copy the format. It’s why Liquid Death can use shock humor and Patagonia can use stoic activism without confusing anyone.

When quirk aligns with strategy, it becomes unique brand positioning. When it doesn’t, it turns into noise.

Stress-Test Your “Quirk”

Before you plaster your weirdest idea on the homepage, run this filter:

Does it feel true? Would you say this at lunch?
Does it help your audience remember why you exist?
Could a competitor copy it tomorrow? If yes, it isn’t unique enough.

If your quirk fails the test, ditch it. Forced personality is worse than none.

Practical Moves You Can Use by Friday

Audit your last 10 posts: highlight phrases or formats that sound unmistakably yours.
Ask your audience what part of your content sounds “most like you.” Ignore praise about “value.” Hunt for language quirks.
Protect your quirks in guidelines - not to limit them, but to stop committees from sanding them down.

Where's Your Papaya?

Maya Papaya didn’t just survive the spotlight - she flipped it into a brand. You don’t need a reality show, but you do need something unmistakable: a brand quirk your audience can name without prompting.

That’s the edge: real, ownable difference. It drives revenue because what’s unforgettable gets chosen.

Now your turn: what’s the weird, specific, slightly embarrassing piece of your brand voice you could double down on today?

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