The central pillar of Tate’s brand-building strategy is the creation of a brash, hyper-masculine persona. Tate portrays himself as the ultimate “alpha male” – a self-made millionaire who rejects political correctness in favour of unfiltered opinions. His social media feeds are filled with images of fast cars, private jets, luxury goods, and women, projecting an aspirational lifestyle.
Tate is unafraid of courting controversy. His videos frequently contain inflammatory statements on gender roles, masculinity, and relationships. He has openly described himself as a misogynist and comments that appear to normalize abusive behavior and sexual violence towards women. While these views have drawn condemnation, they’ve also helped Tate stand out in a crowded digital landscape and attracted a loyal base of see him as a truth-teller and role model. This illustrates the double-edged nature of controversy in brand-building. Provocative statements generate attention and help personalities cut through the noise. But they also risk alienating potential customers/followers and tarnishing the brand if taken too far.
Promoting a “get rich quick” value proposition
- Tate’s core brand promise is that by subscribing to his worldview and purchasing his courses/memberships, followers achieve the same wealthy lifestyle and dating success that he enjoys. His pitches lean heavily on traditional rags-to-riches narratives, portraying himself as someone from a modest background rich through hard work, risk-taking, and unshakeable confidence. Andrew Tate’s university The Real World unconventional education, entrepreneurship, fitness, controversy, and success.
- A centrepiece of Tate’s business model is his online course platform “Hustler’s University” where subscribers pay a monthly fee for videos claiming to reveal the secrets of money and “escape the rat race.” These courses cover topics like drop-shipping, investing, and freelancing. Tate also frequently discusses crypto investing and flipping high-ticket items like luxury watches.
- The actual quality and efficacy of the information in these courses is highly questionable. Tate has provided no proof of his wealth and has been accused of operating pyramid schemes. But what he’s selling is a classic “get rich quick” fantasy and image of a lavish lifestyle achieved through unconventional means. This aspirational marketing resonates with a young male audience feeling economically and socially disempowered.
- The lesson is the enduring power of selling the dream of easy money and status, especially to demographics hungry for a path to success. Countless gurus and scam artists have used similar tactics for ages. Inspirational storytelling and a compelling value prop cover a multitude of sins in the eyes of eager believers.
Leveraging the affiliate marketing model
Perhaps the most potent accelerant of Tate’s brand growth has been his use of affiliate marketing tactics, especially on TikTok. Tate incentivizes his fan base to create and share videos of him across social platforms, offering monthly commissions of up to 50% on sales generated by their referral links. This has spawned a swarm of fan accounts dedicated to reposting and remixing Tate’s content, dramatically expanding his reach.
At one point, videos with the #Andrew Tate hashtag had racked up over 12.7 billion views on TikTok. The platform served as a top-of-funnel for attracting users which could then be converted into paying subscribers for Tate’s courses and Discord community access. TikTok has since banned Tate’s accounts for violating policies on hate speech and misogyny. But his affiliate army found workarounds to promote him. Tate’s affiliate strategy has been compared to both a multi-level marketing scheme and a social media Ponzi scheme. Critics argue it exploits young men desperate for income. But it’s undeniably been effective at incentivizing the grassroots spread of his content. And Tate is far from the only influencer employing this model.
