After being mocked for decades, the geek culture is increasingly present in the media, in cultural representations, and marketing. Recently, even some luxury brands have given into the trends of using geek codes and references in ads or product design, though this may seem rather incompatible. This study then explores how members and non-members of a subculture perceive its dissemination and its appropriation, and more especially, how geeks and non-geeks perceive ads for luxury brands using geek references. Two quantitative studies on a French sample explore measurement of subcultural belonging and the evaluation of ads on the perceived congruence and attitude toward the brand dimensions by members and non-members of the subculture. Results show an interesting interplay between subcultural belonging and ambivalence toward luxury on how geeks and non-geeks adhere (or not) to the subcultural appropriation trend.