Sir: Brands do not die because competitors beat them. They die because their own customers turn against them.

That is the heart of the lesson in Kemi Adetiba’s gritty Netflix thriller, To Kill A Monkey. On the surface, it is a story of cybercrime, loyalty, and betrayal. But if we cast Oboz as the brand and Efemini (Efe) as the consumer, the film becomes an allegory for how arrogance erodes trust, how fragile loyalty really is, and why protecting intellectual property is only half the battle.

Oboz begins as a saviour. He rescues Efe from obscurity, offering him identity, purpose, and belonging. In return, Efe’s brilliance powers Oboz’s empire. This is how many brands grow: by empowering consumers to feel part of something bigger.

Nike does it through community. Apple does it through design and innovation. At its best, branding is not a transaction; it is belonging.

But growth breeds arrogance. The bigger Oboz gets, the more he dismisses his loyalists. He assumes Efe will stay grateful forever. This is the fatal mistake. Customers are not possessions; they are free agents. Loyalty is borrowed, never owned. We have seen the same story in business, from tech giants who ignored user privacy until consumers revolted, to financial institutions whose scandals drove away customers and regulators alike.

One of the most striking elements in the film is the initiation ritual Oboz requires of his recruits, an elaborate ceremony meant to bind loyalty and protect secrets. In brand terms, this is intellectual property protection. Every business has its “rituals”: NDAs, cybersecurity systems, codes of conduct. These safeguards matter, but they are not enough.

Loyalty that is coerced through fear or enforced solely through contracts is brittle. Industry best practice shows that trust-based cultures, layered with legal protections, create far more resilient systems. Google’s approach to employee innovation, for instance, balances airtight IP policies with psychological safety, making it harder for insiders to turn on the brand.

When Efe finally betrays Oboz, it is not a random act. It is the predictable outcome of neglect. Even the most loyal consumer will defect when their needs are ignored, or worse, when they feel undervalued. In marketing terms, this is customer churn, and it is always more expensive to recover than to prevent.

The antidote is not fear but engagement: feedback loops, loyalty programmes, and responsive service that remind customers why they belong.

External forces accelerate the collapse. Teacher, the ruthless rival demanding his cut, stands in for regulators, competitors, and shifting cultural expectations. Oboz chooses violence, escalating the conflict instead of adapting. Many brands make the same mistake.

From oil majors fighting climate regulation to banks that treated compliance as a nuisance rather than a strategy, the result is the same: reputation loss, penalties, and decline.

The best practice is clear: engage regulators and stakeholders early, proactively, and transparently. Alignment with ESG standards, cultural norms, and governance requirements is not weakness; it is resilience.

In the end, Oboz’s empire falls not for lack of strength, but for lack of humility. He coerced loyalty instead of cultivating it. He ignored his customers instead of listening to them. He fought regulators instead of engaging them. His dominance blinded him to a truth every brand must remember: dominance is not devotion.

That is the enduring lesson of To Kill A Monkey. Protect your trade secrets, yes. But more importantly, protect your consumers. Respect them. Empower them. Earn their loyalty, again and again. Because loyalty is not an asset on the balance sheet; it is a lease. And the moment you stop paying attention, the lease expires.

Ijeoma Ohiaeri is a sustainability and communications strategist.