Your ATTN Please | Monday, 8 September

Remember when you could draw the customer journey as a cute little funnel?

Ad → click → cart → purchase. Ah yes, those were simpler times. Now, customers bounce around the internet like pinballs. One minute they’re discovering your product on TikTok. The next, they’re checking out Reddit reviews. They add it to their cart, abandon it, then finally buy 3 weeks later while doomscrolling at 1am. It’s messy. It’s chaotic. The only way your brand will survive the crazy? You gotta lean in.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

PRESENTED BY PLANABLE

The hashtag debate is over. Here’s the actual playbook for 2025 👇

Still arguing with clients about whether hashtags are relevant?

Or worse, are you stuffing captions with 30 random tags and hoping for the best? Here’s the truth: hashtags aren’t dead. But the way most marketers use them is doing nothing for reach.

Planable's FREE hashtag guide shows you how to:

✅ Use hashtags when they count (and stop wasting time on them when they don't)
✅ Confidently win client debates with a clear, platform-by-platform cheat sheet
✅ Avoid hashtag fails that kill your credibility

PLUS you'll learn the 1 thing that will make or break your content strategy in 2025.

Finally, know exactly when you should be using hashtags (and when they hurt your reputation).

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Shein vendors profit off Luigi Mangione’s face, LEGO gets hit with tariffs & Nike asks “Why do it?”

Shein is using Luigi Mangione’s face to sell shirts (free my boy).

For a split second my little heart skipped a beat. Had our prince made a comeback? Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the man in the floral button-down was just the work of some convincing AI. It’s well known that ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein use bots to identify popular themes and memes from social media to incorporate them into their listings. In the weeks following the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the internet exploded with Mangione merch, and basically anything related to the case.

The vendor, Manfinity, likely generated what seemed popular on social media i.e. Mangione's smiley face and put it on a shirt listing lololol. Shein has since deleted it, but someone always saves it on the Archive.

LEGO’s famous Pick a Brick service now unavailable in US, thanks to tariffs.

I didn’t think the administration could take more from us. But you can now officially add LEGO to the ever-growing list. Due to America’s ever shifting trade policies, LEGO has stopped shipping more than 2,500 pieces from its Pick a Brick program to both the United States and Canada. Welp.

Nike reframes "Just Do It" as "Why Do It?"

I’m writing this on a Friday afternoon after one of the longest, most taxing weeks of my life. And honestly, this sentiment, slaps. Because yeah, WHY DO IT!? Nike!? Someone!? Give me a freaking reason. Potentially not what the performance sport brand meant but each to their own interpretation right? Ha. “Just Do It” has been Nike's rallying cry since 1988. But needed a little tweak to fit the more modern audience. And who better to champion that tweak than Tyler, The Creator?

“Why do it? Why would you make it harder on yourself? Why chance it? Why put it on the line? … You could give everything you have and still lose… but my question is, what if you don’t?,” Tyler asks in voice-over. The ad then cuts to a full-frame “Just Do It” image and ends with a cackle from the 34-year-old talent. Yup. That’s better. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

The e-comm game has changed (here's everything you need to know)

Buying something online has never been so dangerously easy. It’s almost inescapable.

I used to be the kind of person that couldn’t leave the house without spending $100. Now I don’t even have to leave the house. I just be spending. Living beyond my freaking means. One scroll, one swipe, one double-tap, and suddenly, the algo knows I’m destined for yet another impulse buy.

And before you act like you’re above alladat, think about that Stanley Cup you definitely didn’t need, or the TikTok find that delivered before you even had your breakfast (hello, new lip stain, heatless curling rods and glass-skin-facemask).

Welcome to the wild west, where consumer behaviour is unruly, non-linear, and majorly unpredictable.

And yet, brands that know how to saddle the chaos and run with it are the ones building real, sustainable edge. But howwww? You ask. Let’s first take a look at the state of the “new shopper.”

Multi-channel is the norm. In 2025, 40.4% of e-commerce sales originate from consumers engaging across multiple channels, not a single funnel.

Higher spenders, higher loyalty. Omnichannel shoppers spend up to 35% more and drive a 30% higher lifetime value, compared to single-channel buyers.

Winning customer expectations. A staggering 88–90% of shoppers now expect seamless, consistent experiences across online, mobile, and physical stores.

Social commerce exploding. In 2025, social commerce sales are expected to hit $2.1 trillion globally, growing even bigger in 2026.

Video is everything. Short videos reign (as we all know). 62% of shoppers prefer video over static posts when discovering products. Meanwhile, livestream commerce already generated billions and is projected to hit $68 billion in US sales by 2026.

It’s clear to see that the consumer journey is not at all linear, but instead a fluid, hyperconnected, mood-driven mosaic. Meaning, brands must meet audiences wherever they are, always.

So how do you guide strategy in this era? Basically, there are three frameworks:

1. Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD)

Move beyond demographics; understand why someone buys. Are they buying that drink bottle to feel trendy? To belong? To simplify life? JTBD uncovers the emotional, functional, and social jobs driving purchases, and points to where to meet them.

2. Service-dominant (S-D) logic

Value isn’t delivered, it's co-created. Across touchpoints, marketing becomes service: experiences, interactions, personalisation, community. S-D logic helps you shift from pushing products to nurturing value ecosystems.

3. COBRA (Consumers’ Online Brand-Related Activities)

Consumers don’t just consume; they contribute and create. They watch reviews, post unboxings, leave micro-reviews. Build strategies that invite consumption and creation, because today’s content is co-authored.

Alright then, let’s build out your modern commerce strategy.

1. Fuse experience with commerce. 

Experience-led leadership isn’t all about the buzz—it literally powers growth. Brands like Officeworks and MECCA in Australia have blurred the line between product and service, making every interaction emotionally and contextually rich. That’s the good stuff right there.

2. Embrace video first and social commerce (duh).

Live commerce isn’t just streaming—it’s real-time conversion. In 2023, live-stream sales hit nearly $919 million globally, and U.S. livestream e-commerce is set to rise from $50B in 2023 to $68B by 2026. Combine this with short-form video (Reels, TikTok) to inspire, educate, convert.

3. Deliver true omnichannel fluidity.

The future of omnichannel is now. Integration of payments and experience - whether online or in-store - matters. UK contactless payments already account for 38% of all retail spend; fragmented systems cause friction and lost trust.

4. Lean into AI and personalisation. It will save your freaking life.

Consumers want AI in shopping now. No really, 71% say they want generative AI integrated into their experience according to Reddit. Use AI for recommendations, storytelling, and real-time fulfilment; provided it’s human-centred, transparent, and trust-enabled, of course.

5. Measure beyond last click.

Traditional attribution breaks in this fluid world. Track cross-channel behaviour, understand how touchpoints interplay, and reward co-creation and engagement, not just conversion.

So, if the consumer journey is spaghetti, here’s the fork you need to eat it with:

1. Understand motivations, not just demographics. 

Use the Jobs-to-Be-Done lens to uncover what people are really hiring your brand for; status, convenience, connection, or self-expression.

2. Design for co-creation, not broadcast. 

Consumers are no longer just buyers; they’re also collaborators. Reviews, unboxings, TikTok hauls are all brand assets. Build strategies that invite participation (hello COBRA framework).

3. Make commerce feel like service. 

According to Service-Dominant Logic, value is co-created, not delivered. That means treating every touchpoint as an opportunity to enrich, not just transact.

4. Build seamless omnichannel flow. 

Payments, inventory, experience, and communication must connect across every touchpoint. The consumer doesn’t distinguish between “channels” and neither should you.

5. Use AI to power adaptability, not rigidity. 

Generative AI can personalise, recommend, and predict, but it should always serve human creativity. Think fuel, not autopilot…

Long story short: in 2025, there’s no “one-size funnel.”

There’s experience, fluidity, and emotional intelligence. And those are precisely the things only brands, i.e. you, not algorithms, can create.

So: design for impulse. Fuel curiosity. Spark co-creation. Because in this wild, algorithmic shopping era, that’s where loyalty, and magic live.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

That’s…not a flex

This trend comes from a viral courtroom clip where a mother rudely cheers after being told that a man is not the biological father of her child.

Judge Caprio interrupts her with the iconic line: “That cheering you did, what you cheering? I’m a single mother with nobody that loves me or my child. What you cheering for?!” The moment has been clipped and remixed across TikTok, gaining traction after being paired with Love Island USA drama.

Creators are using this sound to poke fun at people who brag about things that aren't really worth bragging about, or to acknowledge sayings that backfire when you really think about it. For example, “I skip my class and never do my work” or hearing someone say that they “don't know what they are learning cause they use chat gpt for all their assignments”.

How to join in on the trend:

To join in, use audio, then think of a situation where someone boasts about something that sounds like an achievement, but is actually questionable or negative when you think about it. Set up your video with a caption that explains what the person is “bragging” about, then lipsync the judge's response for a snappy comeback.

A few ideas to get you started:

• When your coworker jokes about forgetting every meeting

• When your coworker brags about doing a task that's a part of their role

• When a brand says they know how to go viral but haven't used our tactics

- Bella Vlasich, Intern

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: So, who wants takeout?
❤How wholesome: Does she count as a carry-on?
😊Soooo satisfying: wait what
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: 5 ingredient dinner

ASK THE EDITOR

I want to get my small business on TikTok but haven't spent much time on the platform. Where do I start? -Sara

Hey Sara!

The best thing you can do is get on TikTok and play around. Every platform has its own culture, so it's a good idea to do some research to see how people behave on TikTok. Spend some time scrolling and pay attention to what kind of content is performing well. Follow a bunch of people in your industry so you can see what they're doing. Pay attention to which of their posts get a lot of engagement and which ones flop.

Then, once you've done a little homework, just start posting! It might take some time for your audience to find you, and that's ok. If you keep tweaking what you're doing based on the feedback you get, you'll eventually figure out what will work for you.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

PSST…PASS IT ON