The assassination attempt has taken over social media.

Within hours, brands were marketing merch plastered with Trump’s bloody face. Not to mention the political ads that have been inspired by the event.

But there’s a bigger question at play here—as conspiracy theories run rife and brands capitalise on the hype, how will ad platforms respond? And how will marketers be impacted by the fallout?

In today's newsletter:

• Assassination attempt poses ethical questions for ad platforms (and what this means for us as marketers)

• Why smart marketers are investing in 'advergames' (find out why your brand needs to build a presence in the metaverse)

• Trend plug - Boring, boring, boring!

• Ask the Editor - How do I get my clients to love me?!

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

p.s. If you're reading this and you want to start creating viral content for your brand, our cohort program is set up to help you do that. Lucky for you, registrations for our August intake are now open! Learn more.

Hello my lovely readers.

Just checking in on you guys. There’s a lot going on right now!

War in Ukraine, war in Palestine, war in the Congo. The UK has a new government. The climate crisis is here. We don’t know what information we can trust. And I can’t get that Sabrina Carpenter song out of my head.

We’re living through some pretty hefty historical events.

Oh yeah, and we just witnessed former President Donald Trump almost get assassinated live on social media.

Which I’m sure isn’t news to anyone here. But whether you hate him or love him (I’m not judging), we can’t deny it has a significant effect on us, the election, and of course, the media and marketing landscape we operate in daily.

We’re already seeing the effects of this major political event unfold in our industry.

After all, in the words of Kamala Harris, 'You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.'

The assassination attempt highlights the thin line between profit and ethics that platforms are walking as we edge toward the election.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Why Smart Marketers are Investing in ‘Advergames’

An online space where people from anywhere in the world can do anything.

Construct buildings, run businesses, battle enemies, play sports, attend concerts – together.

This sounds like some hopeful, albeit unrealistic, virtual utopia.

But it’s actually the idea behind the founding of online gaming platform Roblox.

Simple, yet ambitious, especially for 2004.

Today, Roblox has a market cap of $25.93B.

A number that continues to rise as Roblox grows into a corporate marketing playground for brands.

Advertising to children is strictly regulated, but 60% of the platform's 70 million active daily users are under the age of 16. Nonetheless, household brands have flooded the platform with interactive marketing since the announcement of its in-game ad roll out in 2022.

And Roblox aims to rake in a hefty $1B from them.

The eventual goal is to make Roblox a destination for all aspects of virtual life. And to turn a profit in the process, creating a robust digital economy.

But Roblox isn’t just slapping ads on virtual billboards. They’ve created a whole new ad format.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Boring, Boring, Boring!

Today’s trend comes from a clip of Nigel Farage saying 'Boring, boring, boring.'

Creators are using this sound and this CapCut template to call out situations that they find to be quite boring. Some examples are 'when my work bestie wants to actually do work' and 'spending time with people who have no childhood trauma'.

How to jump on this trend: 

Use this CapCut template and this sound. Then choose any background photo you like and come up with on-screen text that describes something super boring.

A few ideas to get you started:

• 'When my client doesn't want to make a TikTok because "it's too crazy" and "doesn't fit [their] brand image"'

• 'When my manager says I can't have a 2-hour lunch break'

• 'When I have to email clients for the rest of the day'

-Carter, Intern

Tune in to the YAP Podcast

We’re breaking it down for you.

Listen to the YAP podcast Tuesday - Saturday, where we talk about everything that’s happening in marketing right now so you’re always in the know.

Watch the full podcast here and subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you never miss an episode.

Ask the Editor

Q - I just got hired as an account executive and want to know how to get my clients to love me. What's your advice? - Kailey

Hey Kailey!

Here are two things to think about. First, you need to work on getting to know your clients as humans rather than just as clients. This means figuring out what they like and don't like. What they care about. When their birthday is. What their kids' names are.

They need to understand that you actually care about them before they'll trust you. So you have to put in the work to build a solid relationship (it won't happen overnight)!

The second thing is to overdeliver whenever possible. This might mean getting something to them earlier than you said you would. Or maybe it means delivering 10 videos when the contract says you only need to do 6. Overdelivering shows them you really want them to succeed. And that's how you build trust!

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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