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Your ATTN Please | Monday, 28 July

Your ATTN Please | Monday, 28 July

July 28, 2025

Addison Rae, Jenna Ortega, and now Sydney Sweeney.

American Eagle is pulling out all the celebs in an effort to convince people they need to buy denim (yes, in this economy). Their newest campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” (lol), is the retailer’s biggest ever, featuring 50 new styles. And, in a brand first, they have Sydney sporting both men’s and women’s denim. Because, as they put it, her appeal “cuts across genders.” Can’t argue with that.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

2 days left to get your ticket

Join us for a 90-minute workshop that replaces guesswork with a step-by-step setup for profitable campaigns that turn scrolls into sales.

In this session, you’ll learn:

✅ How to set up your first (or next) campaign so it’s built to convert
✅ The one thing every successful campaign gets right
✅ How to track what’s working & tweak what’s not

PLUS The latest best practices for Meta ads in 2025.

Ask questions. Get answers. Leave ready to grow your sales and scale your business.

Wednesday, 30 July | 8:30–10:00am NZT | $59 NZD

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Sydney Sweeney prints money for American Eagle, RIP Hulk Hogan & US internet ad market at $258B

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle’s new ad campaign sends retailer’s stock soaring.

My greatest aspiration is to be so hot I literally create a surge in the stock market. For the Euphoria star, this is simply a reality. Even if you’re one of the “I don’t get it” deniers of the Sydney Sweeney hype train, you simply cannot deny the woman does numbers.

“American Eagle’s stock surged 18% in pre-market trading and was up 7% by midday trading on Thursday, the day after the campaign debuted,” AdWeek reported.

“Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” Yeah, and insane brand power. Her campaign with Dr. Squatch went triple freaking platinum in June, offering bars of soap infused with her bathwater. Nearly 1 million (down bad) fans entered Dr. Squatch’s giveaway in the five days after launch. This situation is also the perfect example of a “meme stock,” basically, a stock that gains immense popularity through social media hype. Sweeney being the ultimate driving force, obviously.

WWE hero Hulk Hogan dies at 71 ☹.

First the Prince of Darkness, now the Hulk Hogan. I see the fame gods have come for their yearly sacrifices. Terry Bollea, you will be missed, you legend. For a generation of wrestling fans, Hollywood Hogan reigned supreme. If we’re talking personal brand? The man had it down pat. Deep fake tan, thin peroxide locks, Fu Manchu moustache, red bandana, and 24-inch pythons (biceps.)

That was the uniform. The taglines were always something along the lines of “train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, be true to yourself, true to your country. Be a real American!” That’s the Hogan we’ll remember. RIP.

US internet ad market climbs to $258.6 billion, as per PwC.

That’s 14.9% - crazy freaking numbers. And certainly significantly more than the 7.3% growth it saw in 2023. The report by PWC released last week projects an 8.5% compound annual growth rate for the internet ad market through 2029. This would bring the total value to a whopping $389.1 billion by the end of the decade.

There are several important growth areas here you need to pay attention to:

Shortform video, which PwC dubbed “social outstream video advertising revenue,” grew 19.7% in 2024 to $27.4 billion. We could have guessed that though.
Retail media advertising is also expected to take off, with 16.2% of US retail sales in Q3 last year being from e-commerce.
The over-the-top (OTT) video sector, or domestic subscription video on demand (SVOD), increased in revenue 18.3% in 2024.

Read the full breakdown here. You’re so welcome x

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

How to embed your brand into the entertainment experience

When movies and games become full-blown cultural events, how do we go beyond sponsorship and join the actual story?

I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but cinema is sooo back. Gaming never really left. But it sure as hell is louder than ever. And, for the first time in what feels like forever, the entertainment sector feels alive again.

I don’t just mean people merely watching or playing. I’m talking about how fandoms show up. Movie premiers have become social global moments; game launches turn into weeklong digital festivals.

The group chats, the fan theories, fan art, meme cascades, merch drops, all point to one thing: entertainment is no longer content. It’s a community powerhouse.

And if you’re a brand, you have two choices:

You’re a part of that world, or
You’re Ariel. Longing to be, but handing out flyers outside the theatre instead.

Our world is dominated by fragmented attention spans and passive scrolling.

The world of entertainment, however, is different. It holds rare power: capturing full, undivided attention. Not just for minutes, but hours. And not just from individual people, but entire fan ecosystems.

That makes cinema and gaming two of the last “appointment culture” experiences we have left. And with that kind of emotional investment comes massive opportunity.

If you know how to meet audiences where they are, that is.

How? Well, this is what I like to call the entertainment lifecycle.

Think of every movie or game launch as a narrative arc, not just a date on the calendar. There are multiple touch points where brands can engage meaningfully if they understand the emotional tempo of the moment.

1. Anticipation (pre-launch)

Buzz is building. Trailers drop. Leaks circulate. Fandoms speculate.

Brand opportunity: Tap into the energy of anticipation. Think: themed teasers, co-branded storytelling, early-access experiences, hype-building UGC campaigns.

Like when McDonald’s dropped a limited-edition meal before the Spider-Verse movie released, creating buzz with fans instead of reacting after the fact.

2. Immersion (launch window)

People are watching, playing, obsessing. They want in-universe experiences.

Brand opportunity: Be part of the world-building. Collaborate with creators, host IRL fan activations, drop limited merch or content that feels like it came from inside the story.

Like when Xbox created bespoke controllers themed around Starfield, not just for gameplay, but as collector-level design pieces fans can flex.

3. Debrief (post-release glow)

The group chats are buzzing. The memes are flying. Think pieces are circulating.

Brand opportunity: Join the conversation. Enable fan theories, sponsor spoiler-free recaps, create content that feels like aftercare. Lean into cultural post-game analysis.

Like when Spotify curated Barbie-inspired mood playlists the weekend the movie dropped, tapping into the emotional aftershock, and keeping the momentum going for months after.

4. Reverberation (long-tail fandom)

True fans stick around. They rewatch. They mod the game. They cosplay. They quote.

Brand opportunity: Reward the diehards. Launch drops weeks later that deepen the universe. Lean into nostalgia. Turn culture moments into collections or IRL moments.

Remember when Balmain released a Pokémon collection years (and I mean yeaaars) after peak hype? And it sold out, because fandom doesn’t expire; it evolves.

So, how do brands actually add value without crashing the party?

Because nobody likes a corporate killjoy. Here’s what separates meaningful entertainment partnerships from those that feel tacked on:

1. Co-create, don’t just collab

Don’t just slap your logo on the franchise. Ask: what would this brand look like in this world? Would it exist in the game's universe? Would it be a snack Barbie actually eats? A fit Miles Morales would actually wear?

2. Let the audience drive

Fans are not passive. They’re creators, curators, commentators. Your campaign should make space for them, not attempt to loudly blab over them. Think: remixable assets, open prompts, duets, stitch-friendly content.

3. Respect the worldbuilding

Don’t break the immersion with cringe cross-promotion. Study the lore. Respect the tone. Know the fan jokes. The more fluent you are in the universe, the more credible your brand becomes.

4. Show up across the arc

A single product drop won’t cut it. Plan like a story arc, drip your involvement across pre-launch hype, launch moment, post-launch glow, and fandom reverberation. Your brand becomes part of the timeline, not just a moment.

This isn’t about product placement anymore. It’s about cultural placement.

Quit buying media around movies and games. Embed yourself in the fandom. The conversation. The emotional journey people take when they fall in love with a story.

Ask yourself:

Are you extending the story, or interrupting it?
Are you showing up like a fan, or like a billboard?
Are you speaking the language of the world, or just using its hashtag?

The lights are dimming. The game is loading. If you want in, don’t knock at the door. Step into the scene, darling.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

This might sting a little but…

Sometimes, you just gotta drop them harsh truth bombs.

Luckily, Justin Bieber's new song "Daisies" off his fresh-baked album Swag is a laid-back bop that weirdly suits those awkward (or sometimes empowering) moments where you gotta tell it like it is.

TikTokers have sunk their teeth into this single, specifically one part where Biebs sings:

"But if you need time, just take your time, honey, I get it, I get it, I get it."

(Not really sure why this line - let alone this song - was the music of choice for this trend. My headcanon is that Bieber is telling you, the viewer, to "take your time" to process the big ass bombshells being dropped.)

From reminding people that reality TV isn't their real life to telling people to NOT farm for followers, there's a multitude of ways you can slam some firmly-held beliefs.

How you can jump on this trend:

Take this sound and film yourself doing anything, as long as it's engaging and/or relates to what you're about to say (just don't talk, as the music will cover it!)

On your finished clip, write "This might sting a little but..." Put it at the top of the video and make sure it stays there the whole time! Then, when you think the timing's right, have a second bit of text appear explaining your spicy take.

A few ideas to get you started:

This might sting a little but... Pizza parties aren't a good reward.
This might sting a little but... Work-life balance means you DON'T take work home with you.
This might sting a little but... Companies should pay for your headphones, you shouldn't have to bring your own.

- Devin Pike, Copywriter

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: That look of defeat
❤How wholesome: Teacher making school a happy place
🎧Soooo tingly: this sealed the deal
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: DIY Sushi bowls

ASK THE EDITOR

How would you approach storytelling in content for a B2B brand? – Kei

Hey Kei!

Don't get hung up on the term "business-to-business." Instead, think of B2B as people-to-people. Remember, you're not actually selling to “a business.” You’re selling to individuals who work inside one. And those are the people that need to connect with your content. So if you focus on human stories and relationships, you’ll stand out. Don’t overcomplicate it. At the end of the day, it’s always about people.