‘C’mon, all the cool kids are doing it.’

- Run club fanatics trying to convince their friends to join

The number of run clubs has jumped 30% in the last 5 years. Which is crazy, considering joining one means getting up at the crack of dawn and doing an activity most people loathe. So why the sudden surge in popularity? Well, it comes down to marketing.

In today's newsletter:

• How marketing made run clubs cool (I mean, how else do you convince 20-somethings to go for a run at 5am??)

• Is curation the ad industry’s saving grace? (ad-tech loves a good buzzword—but is curation all it’s hyped up to be?)

• Trend plug - I'm still Gibby

• Ask the Editor - How do I start promoting my new clothing brand to my audience?

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

I love to run.

If you count running late.

Running from my problems.

Running too many tabs at once on my laptop.

But when it comes to actual running, not so much. I’d be lucky to hit 1 km on the treadmill before accepting defeat.

Or so I thought. That was until I recently decided (after some major convincing from a colleague) to attend a morning run with said colleague's run club, NARC.

And let me tell you, that sh*t changed my life.

Who would have thought that something as simple as a group of people starting the morning with a cheeky 6 km and some light banter would be such a vibe?

Running was once seen as a lowkey nerdy, definitely solo sport. But the exponential rise of run clubs in the last few years has changed that.

Now, running’s a social event, an Instagrammable moment, and even a networking opportunity.

And run clubs are particularly big with Gen-Z., which is kind of surprising to me. Because how on earth did we convince anyone, let alone digital natives, to get up at 5am to go for a run with a bunch of people they barely know?

Of course, the answer is bloody good marketing.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

**In partnership with YAP's favourite run club, NARC.

Is Curation the Ad Industry’s Saving Grace?

The ad-tech world loves a good buzzword, and 'curation' is its latest shiny object.

Digital advertising companies are trotting out this fancy term, pitching it as a solution to the age-old problem of dodgy ad placements across the internet.

We all remember the X conundrum from this year. Let’s just say running alongside graphic, racist, xenophobic, hateful content is not a part of most brands' larger strategy.

But let’s call curation what it is: a rebranding of old-school ad networks with a fresh coat of paint.

While ad giants like The Trade Desk, Xandr, Index Exchange, and OpenX push curated packages of premium publishers and tailored algorithms, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve seen this all before.

What exactly is curation, anyway?

Let’s not get too carried away—it’s not a new product, but more of a concept.

In essence, curation in ad tech refers to private marketplaces where advertisers get access to a carefully selected list of publishers and audiences. Theoretically, this filters out the riff raff.

Think of it as an exclusive club. One where the bouncer decides if your ads will appear next to The New York Times or a blog run out of someone’s basement.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug

Everybody's favourite iCarly character, 'Gibby,' has never really left the internet (or our hearts).

And, right now, he's back on the block with the latest TikTok trend with a classic 'Gibby' moment. TikTokers have taken a specific scene from iCarly to describe a situation where someone says something irrelevant to what they're trying to say.

In the scene, Gibby introduces himself to Spencer's girlfriend, saying 'Hi ma'am, I'm Gibby.' Spencer says, 'She doesn't speak English,' and Gibby responds with, 'I'm still Gibby.'

A few examples of how TikTokers are using the line are, 'me: your total is $36.37. customer: you guys are way too pricey. me: your total is still $36.27' and 'i'm so tired. you just took a nap. i'm still tired.'

How you can jump on this trend:

Simply, lipsync to this sound. Use on-screen text of an interaction you've had when someone said something completely irrelevant to the thing you're trying to say. 

A few ideas to get you started:

• 'Hey boss, I'm underpaid for the work I do' 'We really appreciate how hard you work' 'I'm still underpaid'

• 'I need a coffee' 'You've had 3 today' 'I still need a coffee'

• 'I miss my work bestie' 'You saw her 20 min ago at lunch' 'I still miss my work bestie'

-Carter, Intern

Today on the YAP podcast…

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

Ask the Editor

Q - I've been posting trend content and it's why my audience follows me. Now, I've just started a clothing brand and want to promote it. How should I introduce it into my content? - Amiah

Hi Amiah!

What you don't want to do is completely change your content style overnight! So, think about how can you work your products into your existing content. 

The easiest thing you can do is just start wearing your clothing in the content you're posting. If your audience likes it, they'll start asking where they can get the items you're wearing.

As your audience gets used to the idea that you've now got a clothing line, you might want to think about creating a new account for this brand. You could do a giveaway or some kind of competition to get your audience to follow your clothing brand account, too.

But for now, just start teasing your products in your existing content and go from there.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

For the group chat

😂YAP’s funniest home videos: The ending took me out 😂
✨Daily inspo: You are responsible for your feelings
😊Soooo satisfying: This was so nice to watch
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Bangers & Mash

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