Ever gotten bad press?

Your brand’s probably faced negativity at some point.

So how do you handle it? Today you’ll learn how one brand turned a not-so-great sitch into a total win.

In today's newsletter:

• Turning negativity into a slam dunk (and getting 250+ billion eyes on your brand while you’re at it)

• Miss Piggy meets Ru Paul’s Drag Race (plus how to have a bit of fun with AI)

• The trailer for the new A24 film, Civil War, dropped (and the internet is outraged)

• Got no idea what to post about on LinkedIn? (check out this super easy strategy you can start today)
  

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

Hair care brand OLAPLEX recently faced an onslaught of influencers promoting dupe products. With a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mindset, they managed to win over their audience (and generate over $1 mil in earned media value).

When everyone's using the dupe version of your product...

OLAPLEX is a hair care brand known for its patented technology. But recently, they've been faced with a surge of "dupe" content online. On TikTok, #olaplexdupe has gotten over 30 million views.

Enter OLADUPÉ.

Instead of ignoring the conversation, OLAPLEX launched the clever OLADUPÉ campaign. The campaign introduced a fictitious product, OLADUPÉ No. 160 (a nod to Olaplex's 160+ patents).

They sent OLADUPÉ to over 700 influencers, including celebrities who had promoted dupes. These influencers then created unboxing content on social media. The campaign created quite a buzz, with over 400 posts and 21.9 million hashtag views.

The clever bit was that the OLADUPÉ was actually a real OLAPLEX product, the No. 3 Hair Perfector. Imagine the reactions when the brand revealed how they'd pulled the wool over everyone's eyes!

Was this product switcheroo a success?

Well, let's check out the numbers. This campaign generated significant earned media value--$1.1 million to be exact. It also got 250+ billion views across all platforms because of the celebs and influencers involved.

But most importantly, this stunt addressed the dupe conversation head-on. And, in the process, the brand educated consumers about the unique OLAPLEX patented technology.

What can we learn from OLAPLEX's strategy?

• Embrace humour. OLAPLEX's lighthearted approach disarmed potential negativity and fostered connection with their brand.

• Content is king. Creating engaging content like unboxing videos is a great way to generate hype. Just look at all the attention the brand got (granted, they got a LOT of help by using influencers and celebs).

• Flaunt your unique value prop. The campaign was the perfect way to educate consumers about the value of OLAPLEX products. They highlighted why dupes aren't effective and elevated their brand in one fell swoop.

The OLADUPÉ campaign is a textbook example of turning a challenge into a win. So the next time your brand faces negativity, think about how you can use it to your advantage.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

So, What’s the Tea?

Did you ever think you would see Miss Piggy lipsync for her LIFE against Kermitsha in an all-table, diamante-fuelled dance battle?

No, neither.

But, if this tickles your fancy, search up @artificial.dragrace on Instagram.

Hosted by Betty Boop, the entire page is dedicated to AI-generated content of our favourite old-school characters. And they're absolutely killing the RPDR runway serving looks.

They’ve even managed to make Donkey Kong look good.

The purpose behind the page is unclear. I mean, the idea seems somewhat ludicrous (imagine trying to explain this to a 17th-century peasant). But after seeing "Mugs Bunny" and Tweety Bird tear up that catwalk, I am both converted and invested.

And so is the audience.

People are flooding the comments requesting new stars such as Jessie & James from Team Rocket or “Pink Pantha Motha.”

With so many negative reports of AI, it’s cool to see how it can be used for entertainment and creative purposes.

How can you jump on the bandwagon?

Think of some other unlikely combos – Bernstein Bears x Kardashians? Hey Arnold X Love Island?

You could stem this into clothing or products – Prada X Rugrats? Powerpuff Girls Sugar and Spice mix?

Let your creativity run wild and potentially create a viral moment!

Speaking of Dystopian-esque technology…

The trailer for the new A24 film – Civil War has people in shambles, with many calling it “predictive programming.”

Predictive programming is the theory that governments or “elites” use fictional films and books as mass mind-control tools. The idea is that incorporating themes into the media we consume will make us more complacent.

The theory also says reintroducing far-fetched concepts makes them appear more likely. Just look at Contagion, 2011 and its similarities to COVID-19, nine years later.

So jump in on the #CivilWarMovie conversation on Twitter and share your reactions and opinions.

Or even play with the idea of being a part of the event with “us in the office when society collapses” type content.

Lots of love from your loyal pop-culture servant,

– Soph x

What’s Going Viral?

Got FOMO?

Listen to our YAP Podcast Tuesday - Saturday, where Stan & Jony break down the videos that are blowing up on social media. Not only will you learn why they work, but we’ll tell you how to capitalise on these trends before they disappear.

Watch the full podcast here and subscribe to the YouTube Channel so you don’t miss an episode.

Tweets from The Intern

Ask the Editor

Q - I'm stuck on LinkedIn. What should I be posting about? - Lily

Hey Lily,

First of all, you're not alone! Many of us at TAS struggle to come up with things to post about.

So here's some advice I heard Stan give recently.

Get a sheet of paper and write down a list of people who are important to you. This could be your parents, mentors, teachers, or even people you've read books by or listened to on podcasts. Put down as many people as you can.

Then go through that list and write a post about each one. Just write about what you've learnt from that person and what impact they've had on you.

Getting started with an easy strategy like this will help you gain confidence in your posting. Then you can see what resonates with your audience and branch out from there.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡