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A friend said this about NYC billionaires threatening to leave, and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
"They're not afraid he won. They're afraid he'll call their bluff."
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Because this isnโt just about taxes.
Itโs about ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐
๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ.
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Rich people always threaten to leave New York when taxes go up.
But they donโt leave. Why?
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Because ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐
๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ.
They need access. They need community.
They need to be seen.
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Fox News could operate out of Florida.
But they pay Manhattan rent.
Because the story is part of the ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ.
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The same thing happens with brands:
โWe believe in purpose.โ (until a boycott starts)
โWe care about community.โ (until the numbers dip)
โWeโre transparent.โ (until something breaks)
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Brands bluff all the time.
But bluffing only works when no one calls it.
And weโre in a bluff-calling era.
โMamdani won because he didn't bluff. He kept showing up. He lived the message. Voters noticed.
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This isnโt just about cancel culture.
Itโs about customers with more options, more information,
and ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
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Hereโs the real pattern:
The brands that follow throughโstay in the city, keep investing, back up their claimsโearn long-term trust.
The rest get exposed.
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๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐.
๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ.
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And just like NYC billionaires,
most brands arenโt scared of the messageโ
theyโre scared of having to live it.
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This is why cultural intelligence beats market research.
The real patterns arenโt in what brands say theyโll do.
Theyโre in what they ๐ฅ๐ฐ when tested.
This is what we do at Between Minds, find patterns others miss and turn them into strategic advantage. I write about this every week in my newsletter. And if you're wrestling with a strategy problem that feels impossible to pin down, contact us. That's usually where the best work starts.
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