But actually, I was going to say “whimsy.” Because Google searches for “how to add more whimsy” have taken a giant leap since the beginning of 2026. Dating profiles are mentioning the word 75% more than 6 months ago. But this isn’t just another buzzword you see thrown around in internet culture. Oversized accessories are gaining popularity. Surrealist art is having a moment. Because, well, who doesn’t want a bit of unseriousness in their lives to balance out everything else?

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Are we… really only questioning this now? Babes. He’s got the future. It’s firmly in his grip. You’re a little late. You’re also a little late on the “trust” front – considering Altman was fired as CEO of OpenAI in November of 2023 (following claims he was “not consistently candid in his communications” and reports of a “pattern of deception.”)

At the time, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist had been sending secret memos to three members of the board of directors about Altman and his ability to run the company. As the company grew closer to its goal of creating a machine that could surpass the cognitive capabilities of human beings, how he put it at the time: “I don’t think Sam is the guy who should have his finger on the button.”

The board came to the conclusion in the end that Altman’s role entrusted him with the future of humanity, but he could not be trusted. After his firing, the board pressed him to acknowledge a pattern of deception. “This is just so f*cked up,” he said repeatedly, according to people on the call. “I can’t change my personality.” There ya have it folks 😊 the future of humanity x

Anyway, after that deeply unsettling report let's move on to Instagram engagement hacks. In his weekly Q&A session, Adam Mosseri said that reposting feed posts to stories does not in fact increase your reach, despite popular belief.

“You can definitely share your own post to your Stories, or re-share your own post, but it’s not going to meaningfully change your reach overall, because Feed generally gets more reach than Stories anyway, and you can’t really re-post your own thing because it was already posted, so it won’t really change the eligibility.”

That’s been a common myth about engagement boosting since like, forever ago. I literally did it this morning with one of my reels. I’m ashamed. Am I… out of the loop? Washed up? I feel sick.

More of Meta: it just announced AI-powered ad creation tools that let brands generate entire campaigns with minimal human input. Awesome. You feed it a brief, it spits out visuals, copy, and targeting recommendations. Obviously Meta is framing this as democratising advertising, making it “easier for small businesses to compete.”

But really it's just flooding the platform with more generic AI slop while reducing the need for actual creatives. Brands get cheaper production costs, Meta gets more ad inventory, and the people who used to make this stuff for a living get pushed out. Efficiency wins, creativity loses. That’s enough internet for today. I’m pouring a glass of wine. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

We’re also putting pink streaks in our hair again, and wearing polka dots and long socks and humming in public. Most importantly, WE’RE NOT LETTING THE DARKNESS TAKE US.

I’m not just talking about some cute trend or perceived vibe shift. This is a data-backed rebellion.

Google trend searches have sharply increased. Even fashion and art have begun to explore new mediums and expressions of whimsy. And it's gone past the giant red MSCHF boots a few years back and into a surge in oversized products and elements.

In a digital landscape that’s been absolutely dominated by “quiet luxury” and hyper-curated sad beige aesthetics, we’re finally witnessing a hard pivot toward the radically unserious. It’s a pivot I’m welcoming with open arms and a warm hug, but it’s also a potential secret weapon for the marketing industry in the year to come.

We all know the horrors are upon us. It’s a dark time full of uncertainty, and people have realised they can’t keep optimising every second of their lives.

Especially not in these circumstances.

Let’s look at whimsy, then, as an antidote to the burnout from all of this. Whimsy keeps us safe. And I know that sounds absolutely insane, but it kind of acts as a protective layer for the nervous system. By leaning into unproductive, by intentional joy, like oversized buttons and hairclips or surrealist art, we’re reclaiming our time from the so-called “efficiency” of the algorithm.

The surge in oversized objects and products like giant hairclips and buttons and massive bows is also about scale. They make us feel small, surrounded and safe. We can mentally shrink the overwhelming problems that the modern world presents us.

These Alice in Wonderland proportions are the perfect example of whimsy in effect.

For brands, it means moving away from perfect and toward playful.

If we want to get granular about it, research shows that consumers engage in more hedonic buying when exposed to "whimsically cute" products. It literally lowers the cognitive barrier to purchase because it makes us feel like it’s just a little treat rather than a utility. So yeah, whimsy can actually hack your brain into buying cute sh*t.

Another tactic to consider: the whole blind box phenomenon. Tell me that’s not our inner whimsy kicking and screaming and saying I WANT A SONNY ANGEL AND I WANT IT NOW and then not letting you leave the store without spending an absurd amount of money on a little naked doll with a duck hat on.

It’s the whimsical cuteness effect. And it’s strong af.

Due to the death of the curated feed, experts (me, I’m the expert) believe that those who embrace unconventional thinking and PR stunts that feel like stumbles into Wonderland or some kind of dreamscape will outperform other brands this year.

But there is a fine line between reclaiming joy and denying maturity.

Historically, culture has used "childlikeness" to strip women of their power. We’ve seen a wave of nauseating "girl dinner," "girl math," and "clean girl" aesthetics. And this "girlification" can inadvertently reinforce the idea that adult women aren't mature, professional, or worthy of the title "woman". It keeps us submissive and dependent.

Whimsy, by contrast, is an active choice made by us adults with agency. It’s a rebellion, about imagination and heightened sensitivity, not a lack of intelligence.

While infantilisation is often about a "collective regression" into passive consumption, whimsy is healing and productive for the creative brain, allowing adults to re-engage with suppressed parts of their selfhood.

The lesson here is we want to empower, not belittle. There’s a difference.

Instead of passively watching the trend, test its engagement power this week with something like this:

Stop playing it safe in the beige. The world is sad enough as it is.

We’re not touching grass. We’re frolicking, bitches. Get amongst it. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Today's viral trend comes from a 2001 SpongeBob episode called "Squid's Day Off". In the episode, Squidward is trying to enjoy his day off. But he keeps being haunted by the idea of SpongeBob messing things up at the Krusty Krab. Realising this, he says "What am I doing? I'm wasting valuable relaxing time".  The whole trend is basically catching yourself in that mid chaos/overworking mindset, and realising it's literally not that serious. It's that instant switch from stressed to yeah I am not doing all that anymore.

Creators are using the CapCut Squidward template and the audio, with POV style on screen caption along with a background of the location where the situation is. For example, "When you used to rush as soon as the call bell rang but now you're over it" with a school hallway background or "When I find myself rushing to solve a problem at work that someone in a higher pay bracket than me caused" at an office. 

Use the audio and CapCut template. Download a background of your setting, and add on screen text starting with “when you/I…” followed by a relatable situation where you are trying too hard, stressing, or doing extra work.

A few ideas to get you started: 

-Fiona Badiana, brand & marketing exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Guess they’ll find out on delivery day
✨Daily inspo: Nothing is guaranteed
😊Soooo satisfying: Instant rusting clean
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Easy, fast & perfect for two

Hey Iain!

The reason you can't come up with ideas is that you haven't identified your core human truth. When our team plans content, we're not brainstorming random ideas - we're exploring the human truth behind the brand and how it can be expressed on platform. Your content series will naturally emerge once you understand the fundamental human insight you're trying to communicate. The key is to connect with a deeper, meaningful narrative that speaks to your potential clients' experiences and needs. Then let that be the North Star for all the content you create.

- 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.