Minimalism’s latest victim? Branding.

Or should we say, ‘blanding’?

Over the last few years, more and more brands have ditched their intricate logos, colourful packaging, and decorative lettering. Instead, they’re opting for muted tones, minimalist packaging, and sans-serif font (more like sans-personality). So, standing out is no longer a thing?

In today's newsletter:

• Why branding has turned into ‘blanding’ (find out why we’re swimming in a sea of sans-serif sameness)

• McDonald’s creates a dupe of their own restaurants (um, why the heck did they make a pop-up spot called McDonell’s?!)

• Trend plug - From the screen to the ring

• Ask the Editor - I'm posting a lot but our following isn't growing. What should I do? 

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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One thing about me? I am a maximalist advocate.

It genuinely pains the very depths of my soul to see the way minimalism has taken over almost every aspect of our society. Architecture, restaurants, design principles, fashion, tap heads and light switches for crying out loud.

It’s a disease, sucking the life out of everything.

We once lived in homes and neighbourhoods that were messy, historical, romantic and colourful. Read books adorned with cursive covers and intricacies no longer seen in this world. Everything we created was full of expression.

Even brands have fallen victim to the minimalist movement.

From clothing tags to logos, places where there was once life are now desolate.

This has led to the birth of what’s called 'blanding,' when companies make the transition to minimalist branding. It's often characterised by sans-serif typefaces, muted colours, and flat simple graphics.

Yawn.

Blanding is not a new phenomenon.

It has just gotten progressively worse over the last few years. Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, BMW, Pinterest, Spotify, Google, Dunkin’ – even Saint Laurent are all fallen soldiers in my eyes.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

McDonald’s Creates a Dupe of Their Own Restaurants

I'm somewhat familiar with 'dupe culture'.

The term ‘dupe’, which is short for duplicates, refers to cheap versions of coveted, more luxurious items.

For me, it's about finding cheap duplicates for beauty products I can't afford.

Others focus more on clothing—scouring fast-fashion sites to discover garments almost exactly like those from expensive labels.

And for others, it's about creating a fake restaurant chain to sell 'duplicates' of your own menu items to promote a new menu item.

Confused? Me too.

But this is what McDonald's (or, should I say, McDonell's) did.

Yep, McDonald's created a fake restaurant!

To launch their new limited-edition menu item—the Chicken Big Mac—McDonald's created a popup restaurant called McDonell’s.

The Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald’s USA, Tariq Hassan, said their aim was to play their 'fans’ biggest passions from dupe culture to live-streaming.'

And they did it all in secret.

Why? Because they wanted to grab people's attention. So, with the help of Chain (a business specialising in hosting popups serving gourmet versions of classic fast food), they created McDonell's.

The pop-up restaurant was open for one day, and one day only.

[Keep reading]

-Maggie, Copywriter

Trend Plug - From the Screen to the Ring

The social media icon and one of the greatest YouTubers of all time, KSI, is not having his greatest month.

Almost a month ago, KSI and Logan Paul teamed up with MrBeast to create their version of a Lunchable called 'Lunchly.' 

In case you hadn't heard, it has not done well in the media. Now, 3 weeks later, KSI has released his newest song, 'Thick of It,' featuring Trippie Redd. And people have turned it into one of the biggest memes of the year. 

TikTokers have taken this song and are using it in many ways. But by far the funniest way people are using it shows just how bad the song is. TikTokers are describing different situations like, 'when you get run over' or 'when you're literally paralysed,' showing that they would still get up to turn off the song.

How to jump on this trend:

The joke is that you are physically unable to move, but you still turn off this song. So, use this sound and play out a situation that is just that.

A few ideas to get you started:

• When you're in an important client meeting but KSI's song starts playing

• When the boss is telling the whole office off but KSI's song starts playing 

• When you're having a mental breakdown but KSI's song starts playing

-Carter, Intern

Today on the YAP podcast…

Want even more ‘YAP’ing? Check out the full podcast here.

Ask the Editor

Q - I'm in charge of creating content for a small makeup brand. I've been posting a lot but our following isn't growing. What should I do? -Nina

Hey Nina!

I'd start with looking over your analytics to see what your best and worst performing content is. Look for patterns so you can start to get an idea of is working and what isn't.

If you're reviewing your static content, pay extra attention to your hook and your images. If you're analysing your video content, look at things like your on-screen text, audio quality, your hook, and visual style.

Once you've got an idea of what isn't working, it's time to start testing. Change one thing at a time and look at how that affects your performance. Keep in mind that, if your goal is to grow your audience, you want people to engage and share your content.

As you make tweaks, you'll begin to see what gets you the results you want. Then do more of that!

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

For the group chat

😲WTF: Terrifier 3 is the scariest movie you’ll watch
✨Daily inspo: You’re somebody now
😊Soooo satisfying: The best thing you’ll watch all week 
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Broke AF Pasta

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