Gas prices are through the roof. Groceries are going up. Increased shipping costs are being passed onto consumers. And all over social media, you’ve got creators breaking down exactly how this is only beginning of a domino effect. But in the same scroll, you’ve got literal footage of people who are losing their lives because of this conflict. For marketers, it’s a weird mental space to be in—trying to figure out how to tell your customers prices are going up, knowing the world is on fire. [Keep reading]

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

I just woke up. And they want to talk about “we need to be funmaxxing.”

I need to be sleepmaxxing, chillmaxxing, 5mg-of-Xanaxmaxxing. Look, I understand the sentiment. Shoot I even appreciate it. Burn out culture is at an all-time high. We’re tired, we’re wired, and WW3 has everybody on the edge of their seats. Introducing adult play can be a great balm to all of that, if I didn’t have the energy reserves of a 60 y/o generator in the peak of a zombie apocalypse.

What I do like about it, however, is the mindset: prioritising enjoyment and whimsy over an obsessive, result-driven approach. Hell yeah, I can get behind that. Now who wants to put on prairie dresses and go lay in a stream or something?

Ok so this morning I saw some comment “Will Smith eating spaghetti is now the official benchmark of AI.” And it’s so true. If you watch the video, you’ll see the progression from the viral 2023 OG Will Smith Spaghetti eating video, through to now. And holy sh*t the advancement in AI generated video is crazy.

Based on recent breakthroughs, gen-AI video is widely considered one of the fastest advancing fields in all technology, moving rapidly from specialised research to real-time creation and professional grade adoption. People in the comments are all “you can still tell.” Ok but given this representation, do you think you’ll still be able to tell? Sybau </3

Lastly, a surprise to no one I’m sure: Elon Musk allegedly misled Twitter investors ahead of acquisition, according to the jury. Are the tech and finance bro’s still sticking up for him or are we past the denial stage now? Evidence keeps stacking up, boys. It's not too late to be on the right side of history. Apparently, Musk deliberately drove down Twitter's stock price in the months leading up to his 2022 acquisition of the platform for $44 billion.

The civil trial in San Francisco centred on a class-action lawsuit filed just before Musk took control of Twitter. Jurors were asked to decide if two tweets and comments Musk made on a podcast in May 2022 amounted to him intentionally defrauding Twitter shareholders, who sold their shares based on Musk's statements.

The jury awarded shareholders between about $3 and $8 per stock per day as damages, which the plaintiffs' lawyers said amounts to about $2.1 billion. Musk’s lawyers had no comment as they walked out of the courtroom. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Not about the war, but about the effects… on them… or more so, inconveniences I should say.

Oil hit $113 per barrel this week. Gas prices jumped to $3.92 a gallon in the US, and up to $11 in NZ. Shipping costs are up 17% in three weeks. Economists warn about stagflation. Retailers worry about profit margins. And somewhere, people are dying.

This is the grotesque reality of war from a marketing and economics perspective. Buildings becoming rubble. Civilian lives are being lost. And the conversation in Western media centres on oil prices and shipping delays.

It feels gross to even write about. But that disconnect right there, is the whole point.

The Strait of Hormuz, 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, carries 20% of the world's oil. More than 20 million barrels transit through daily.

Marine traffic has nearly ground to a halt since the conflict began. Iran has blocked the passage. About 200 ships are just... waiting. Floating in place while attacks and navigation interference make the crossing too risky.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, and Kuwait have suspended shipments of as much as 140 million barrels of oil. That's 1.4 days of global demand gone.

Analysts are seriously discussing $150 or even $200 per barrel - prices that would handbrake the global economy. And yes, that affects regular people, obviously.

Gas prices up nearly a dollar from last month. Also grocery costs rise because shipping is more expensive. Free shipping minimums increase because retailers can't absorb fuel surcharges.

Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Marshall's, TJ Maxx - stores serving lower-income shoppers - are getting hit hardest because their margins can't absorb the cost spikes.

These impacts are real. People's budgets are getting squeezed, and the cost of living is becoming unmanageable for many. But the polarisation is unsettling; war-torn cities versus unaffordable groceries. Both are effects of the same cause, but the scale of suffering is incomparable.

Politicians make decisions from secure locations and military leadership operates from command centers.

Executives hedge oil futures and adjust supply chains. None of them are dodging missiles or watching gas prices determine whether they can afford to drive to work.

The public pays.

At varying degrees, war-torn city or cost of living crisis. But we're the ones affected while the decision-makers remain insulated. That's how war has always worked. But the current information environment makes the disconnect more visible and more grotesque.

The juxtaposition is nauseating but it reveals something true: from the perspective of Western economics and media, war is primarily discussed as a market disruption.

Retailers are already strategising around this.

How to message price increases without seeming opportunistic. How to frame shipping delays without losing customer patience. How to maintain sales when consumers can't afford retail therapy because gas is too expensive to drive to the mall.

Brands are watching oil prices to time their inventory orders. Calculating whether to absorb costs or pass them to customers. Adjusting free shipping thresholds.

And that's the reality marketers and business owners operate in. You have to think about this stuff even while being disgusted that you're thinking about it. You can't just stop running your business. You can't ignore that costs are rising and margins are shrinking. But reducing human catastrophe to supply chain logistics feels morally repugnant.

Before the war, consumer sentiment was actually improving.

The New York Fed's February survey showed people expecting lower inflation and feeling better about their financial standing than a year ago. That data was collected February 2-28. The US-Israel strike on Iran happened February 28.

Within two weeks, economists were warning consumers would be "hammered" by oil price surges. Gas went from $2.92 to $3.92 per gallon, and inflation expectations reversed.

An entire economic outlook shifted because of decisions made by people who won't feel the economic consequences, let alone the physical ones.

Times are tense. People can't drive anywhere without wincing at gas prices. Can't do retail therapy because budgets are tighter. And they certainly can't escape the constant awareness that global instability is directly hitting their wallets while affecting others infinitely worse.

Pretending economic impacts don't matter would be dishonest. They do matter, especially to people already struggling financially. But discussing those impacts without constantly acknowledging the privilege of worrying about grocery bills versus literal survival feels equally wrong.

You can hold both truths; that people are suffering catastrophically from war, and that economic ripples affect others less severely but still meaningfully. The problem is how easily the conversation defaults to the economic impacts while treating human casualties as background context.

Messaging around "unprecedented supply chain challenges" and "global market volatility" without mentioning war. Raising prices while blaming abstract forces. It's cowardly, but it's what happens.

Oil at $113 per barrel affects global markets, drives up costs for consumers, squeezes retail margins, and makes economists fear stagflation. These are real economic impacts with real consequences for people trying to afford basic necessities.

But the actual bottom line is that powerful people make war decisions they'll never personally suffer from. Everyone else pays.

The fact that we're even discussing this from an economics and marketing angle - that this article exists at all - proves the point. The disconnect is the story.

And there's no good way to talk about it without participating in exactly what makes it grotesque. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

In the clip, she's answering quick-fire questions about her personal opinions. In the audio, she says "My pet peeve is people saying I know exactly how you feel, nobody knows exactly how you feel", and fades into the song "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan. 

People are using this trend to share relatable or slightly controversial pet peeves, often adding their own personal or emotional twist. For example, "My pet peeve is when people just spit on the ground randomly". Other creators are creating TikTok carousels where they share something people say they “get”, then swipe to a photo that shows what the experience was actually like. For example, "My pet peeve is people saying I know exactly how it feels to break a nail" next slide with "Because nobody knows exactly how it feels". 

Using the audio, film yourself mouthing what Natalie is saying. Then add on-screen text that says "My pet peeve is…" Make it as funny or unhinged as you like. You’ve got this boo. 

A few ideas to get you started: 

-Fiona Badiana, Intern

😲WTF: Roblox faces banned in the Philippines??
❤How wholesome: Sam helping someone's mum dreams stay alive 
😊Soooo satisfying:  This cat owner got MONEY 
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Honey soy salmon bowl! 

Hey Vanessa,

My advice is to start by networking in the circles of people that are in your niche. Go to in-person events where your target audience is and build brand awareness that way first. I wouldn't worry about social media until you've exhausted every avenue you can find to connect with people in real life.

Once you're at that point, then you can begin creating content to build your audience on socials. I'd make content that appeals to a broad audience, not just people within your niche. This will help you find audiences you don't even know exist. To make your content widely relatable, you'll need to find a way to share content with a human truth anyone can connect with. But for now, start with in-person networking and take that as far as you can!

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.