Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, and I must be the marketing manager at Heinz, who let not one, but two racially insensitive ads go live this past week.

I’m not sure how a company so large managed to let that slip in this day and age, but the ‘incident’ serves as a glaring reminder of why cultural competency should be a priority for brands.

In today's newsletter:

• A saucy slip up (how to learn from Heinz’s mistakes)

• Loyalty programs without the loyalty? (let’s create one that’s actually valuable!)

• Trend plug - Bot ahh trend

• Ask the Editor - How do I get engagement on LinkedIn?

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

Someone’s getting fired at Heinz.

Because how TF do you let not one, but TWO racially insensitive ads go live in the same week?

Having to apologise twice in 7 days is lowkey embarrassing. C’mon now.

On Monday, Heinz issued a mea culpa over its 'Smiles' campaign, which featured images of smiling people with ketchup smeared around their mouths.

Seems innocent enough, right?

Wrong.

One of the images that portrayed a Black man has sparked major criticism for its uncanny resemblance to blackface imagery and minstrel shows from the 19th and 20th centuries during the notorious Jim Crow era.

Before you roll your eyes and scream 'woke,' – take a look at the image. It was literally the first thing I thought when I saw it, which means hundreds of thousands of others saw the same.

In response to public outcry, Heinz has since acknowledged the oversight.

They said, 'As a consumer-obsessed company, we are actively listening and learning. Although the campaign was meant to tap into a current pop culture moment, we recognize that this doesn’t excuse the hurt it may have caused.'

Heinz promised to remove the advertisement and to improve future campaigns.

Crisis averted – so one would think…

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

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How to Create a Bussin’ Loyalty Program

With personalisation on the rise, loyalty programs are gaining popularity once again.

When done right, they’re a win-win for customers and brands alike.

However, in the past, loyalty programs were… kinda sh*t.

Some even prompted customers to switch sides, with little to no benefits to the customer.

As they regain their position as a tool for customer engagement and retention, one must ask: what makes a loyalty program actually worthwhile?

To be truly effective, you have to go beyond simply offering points or discounts.

So here are some key factors that contribute to making your loyalty program truly stand out.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Bot Ahh Trend

One of Will Smith's lesser movies I, Robot has turned into one of the best memes in recent history.

If you remember just under a month ago when Henry Danger made his resurgence back into the world, this trend is very similar to that.

TikTokers have taken one specific screenshot from I, Robot and have paired it with Alicia Keys’ 'No One' to show situations where they tend to make a blank face that represents all types of emotions. For example, ‘When I'm faking being sick and someone says, yea u do look rough’ or, ‘how I look at my mum when the doctor asks for my name.’

How to jump on this trend:

Simply, use this photo and this sound to describe any situation where you have nothing else to do than make this face. (Tip: it's usually a situation that's made you feel shy, coy or embarrassed.)

A few ideas to get you started:

• When my manager asks how the project is going but all I've done today is watch TikTok

• When I say I'm tired at work and someone tells me to go to bed earlier

• Me watching someone who makes triple my salary struggle to save a PDF

-Carter, Intern

Today on the YAP podcast…

Want even more ‘YAP’ing? Check out the full podcast here.

Ask the Editor

Q - We have a company LinkedIn page but we're not getting much engagement on there. Should I get my team to start posting about the business on their own accounts, too? - Alex

Hey Alex!

Yes, you should absolutely get your team to start posting on LinkedIn. This can be such a great way to get more visibility for your company because everyone will be reaching their own network.

Start by talking as a team about what topics you want to cover in your content. Each person should have content pillars relevant for them. But, as a team, you should have some common threads that express what your company does and what you stand for.

I’d also suggest having your team invest time into engaging with other people's content. LinkedIn is all about networking, so you'll get the most out of it if you make it a 2-way conversation rather than only posting.

For the group chat

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Am I allowed to laugh at this?
❤How wholesome: We don’t deserve animals
😊Soooo satisfying: I love restock tok 
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Honey Garlic Chicken

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