Your ATTN Please || Monday, 26 May

Brands love a trending edit. And the edit de jour?

Nostalgia-core. You’ve seen it. The low-res filters on random b-roll footage. The dreamy music that can make even the most basic sh*t seem like a scene from a romance film. We love a good trend, but if you’re jumping on it just to look cool, with no actual purpose, you’re just blending in. And that’s, like, the opposite of what branding is all about.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

PRESENTED BY PLANABLE

Pitching but not landing clients? Here’s the fix.

The difference between getting ghosted and closing the deal? Nailing your proposal.

In this fireside chat, two agency veterans break down exactly how they consistently land clients without begging, discounting, or waiting around for replies that never come.

It’s packed with real tactics you can steal to win more high-quality clients (and stop second-guessing your process).

You’ll learn:

✅ How to know exactly what to pitch
✅ The live proposal trick that instantly boosts your close rate
✅ How to handle price objections without selling yourself short
✅ How to qualify the right-fit clients early (and avoid the wrong ones)

It’s actionable, relatable, and free.

👇 Get access 👇

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Final Destination promo is traumatic, ESPN launches streaming service & Kayne’s Nazi song goes viral

The viral Final Destination Bloodlines campaign is making people relive their trauma.

If you’re a millennial, chances are you remember the logging truck scene. Yeah, that one. The unforgettable opening sequence in Final Destination 2 is nothing short of iconic cinema. And it’s the reason I can’t sit comfortably behind a logging truck IRL.

Fast forward to 2025 – 14 years after the last film – and the franchise is retraumatising us for the release of Final Destination Bloodlines. As part of the movie promo, they're driving around fake logging trucks splattered in blood. They've even gone as far as making a billboard featuring people falling to their death. Can’t say I don’t love it.

ESPN is launching a streaming service.

Which will simply be called ESPN and include content from all of its cable networks and digital streaming services. You’re probably thinking “cool, another brand creating another streaming service, idgaf.” And that’s so valid. So why does it matter? Well, the service will cost $29.99 a month for unlimited access – that’s significantly cheaper than what sports fans currently pay for their entire cable bundle. For consumers looking for an even cheaper option, ESPN will offer a "select" tier of its new streaming service for $11.99. ESPN is coming for the big dawgs (traditional TV distributors.)

Kanye’s Nazi song is all over Instagram.

Most social media sites made sure to scrub Kanye’s "Heil Hitler" from their platforms (I can’t believe that is a real sentence I’m typing). Not Instagram though. 404 Media found dozens of reels featuring the song – some of them having been viewed over a million times, with one even declaring it the song of the summer. Another depicts a white dude in khaki pants dancing to the song in front of a glowing and spinning swastika. It’s been viewed 700,000 times. Like ????

Keep in mind, Nazism is one of the only groups Meta calls out by name in its community standards policy, LITERALLY stating “We…remove content that glorifies, supports or represents ideologies that promote hate, such as Nazism and white supremacy.” Um Zuck? You might want to check up on that one. The people you condemn are having a little too much fun on your platform.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

How to make trending edits your own (without watering down your brand)

It started with the sports edits. Fast cuts, heavy bass, glitch overlays, and an aura of triumph.

Then came the self-mythologising. Lana Del Rey-style PicsArt edits. “POV: You’re the main character.” Melancholy montages of blurry sunsets and even blurrier boyfriends. Everyone became the star of their own moody trailer.

But somewhere between Addison Rae posing like she’s on the cover of Born to Die and influencers turning Tuesday’s iced coffee into a highlight reel, the format hit critical mass. And now, brands are in on it, too. Or rather, they’re beating the freaking life out of it.

The TikTok/Instagram edit format - call it nostalgia-core, call it brainrot hypercut, call it whatever you want - has lost its edge.

Why? Because it’s lost its intent. What was once a way to reframe the everyday into something worth remembering has become a soulless parade of overlays and transitions chasing engagement. If I have to hear Doechii's "Anxiety" over a carrot recipe one more time I’m going to freaking lose it.

Even the term “iconic” has been flattened into a content strategy. “Iconic” isn’t about cultural permanence anymore. It’s become a form of self-manifestation. A shortcut for meaning. A vibe people can borrow without earning it.

And brands are often the worst offenders. In trying to “speak the language of the platform,” they forget to speak in their own voice.

Edits can work, but only if you have something real to say.

Take Goodyear’s recent campaign. It’s not technically a TikTok edit, but it uses the same vocabulary: cut-ups, archival footage, emotional resonance. And it works because it’s rooted in something real: the brand’s long history and cultural relevance. The edit isn’t doing all the heavy lifting. The story is.

Compare that with the countless brands using trending audios and low-res VHS filters on random b-roll of their product, hoping to ride the coattails of whatever format is performing this week. The result is that you get engagement, but no equity. You get views, but no one remembers it was even you.

So, how do you use trending formats without sucking the life out of them?

1. Lead with a brand moment, not a TikTok trend.

Don’t start with “what’s trending.” Start with asking, “What do we want people to feel about our brand?” Then reverse-engineer the format to support that emotion.

Do this: Pull from your brand archive, a milestone, a product memory, a cultural moment.

Not this: Grab trending audio, slap it on a lifestyle montage, and hope for the best.

2. Create your own edit rules.

Every brand should have its own editing personality. Are you glitchy and chaotic? Slow and nostalgic? Sharp and futuristic? Think of it like this: if someone muted your video, would they still know it was you?

Do this: Develop an editing style guide that reflects your brand values.

Not this: Using whatever After Effects preset everyone else is using.

3. Use edits to recontextualise, not replicate.

A good edit reframes something old in a new emotional context. It doesn’t just replay it.

Do this: Use edits to revisit legacy campaigns, show how your product evolved, or tell a story from your POV.

Not this: Recycling old content just because it fits the trending format.

4. Stop treating edits like engagement bait.

When you treat the format like a cheap growth hack, your audience can feel it. They might still like it, but they won’t care.

Do this: Treat each edit like a short film—tight, intentional, emotive.

Not this: Prioritising speed over soul.

5. Balance the platform-native format with brand-native meaning.

You don’t have to choose between being native to TikTok or true to your brand. You just have to be thoughtful. Medium native, message native. In other words, make it look like it belongs on the platform, but make it say something only your brand could say.

The edit format isn’t dead. It’s just been overfed. Over played. Overdone.

The brands that will survive this era of visual noise aren’t the ones who master the template. They’re the ones who bring meaning back to the medium. Who understand that aesthetic is nothing without intent.

So, make the edit. But make it matter.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

This was supposed to be…

Today's trend plays on expectations vs. reality, with a personal, often funny or unexpectedly deep twist.

It’s set to this soundtrack, which gives the video a dreamy, reflective vibe. Paired with staggered OST, the irony of the plan vs reality becomes comedic. It works because it’s relatable – because don’t we all have an intention that gets completely sidetracked? Creators are using this trend to highlight plans that went completely off course. It’s flexible enough for all kinds of stories, but work fails and unexpected life pivots tend to hit hardest.

How you can jump on this trend:

Start with OST, which is a direct quote from your POV about what you thought would happen in the future. Place this over a video clip of you doing just about anything, supposedly when you still thought things were going to plan! Then pause the video, grey it out, and use OST to outline what happened instead.

A few ideas to get you started:

“We’ll only have one version of the campaign assets.”

→ There are now eight versions of each asset.

→ All are labelled ‘FINAL_final_FINAL_useTHIS’.

→ No one knows which one is live.

“I’m going to be a lawyer one day.” 

→ She did not become a lawyer.

→ She didn’t even finish her degree.

→ She did an online marketing course, landed her first client through Tinder, and never looked back.

→ She now runs a business her dad still refers to as “that internet thing.”

- Helena Masters, Copywriter

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Does she count as a carry-on?
❤How wholesome: great message
😊Soooo satisfying: Chocolate gelato filling
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Flourless chocolate torte (it’s a Monday treat yourself)

ASK THE EDITOR

I'm working on a new business idea in an industry I haven't worked in before. What advice do you have for me as I start to market it? -Kayla

Hey Kayla!

Obviously, there's so much that goes into starting a business. But one piece of advice I have for you is to test your ideas as you go. So many people have what they think is a great idea and they put all kinds of processes into place to deliver that product. Then, they're surprised when it doesn't sell!

It's easy to avoid that by talking to the people you hope will become your customers. Throw out what you're thinking about and see what sticks. Ask them what positioning appeals to them. Ask them how much they would pay for what you're offering (if they'd pay for it at all!).

Then you can make sure you're creating a product your audience wants. This will give you confidence that the work you're putting in now will turn into a viable business rather than a waste of time.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

PSST…PASS IT ON