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- Your ATTN Please || Thursday, 20 February
Your ATTN Please || Thursday, 20 February
Imagine telling your marketing team you’re going to drop social media.
No Instagram stories. No TikTok trends. Just vibes. Can’t imagine it? Yeah, me neither. For the amount of organic reach you can get on socials, why wouldn’t you tap into that? Well, LUSH decided to ghost their audience on socials back in 2021. And, 4 years on, they say they’d do it all over again.
- Charlotte, Editor ♡
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?
Ozempic Hurts Grocery Sales, The Internet ❤’s Anglerfish & Elmo Makes Running Not So Hardcore
Helloooo my beauties!
Remember, I love you very much. Look at all that I’ve done for you. And also remember that I really want to try Coca-Cola Orange Cream. Much to think about.
Anyway, here are your daily snippets. Mwah x
First: "Kroger & Walmart expect GLP-1 drugs to grow pharmacy sales but hurt grocery."
What a fkn headline LOL.
Wanting to sell a product that hurts your core offering because it makes people not want said offering is hilarious to me. Because we live in 2025, and things really do be like that. Retailers seem to be facing a double-edged sword with how GLP-1 drugs could impact business. On one hand, the products are hyper-popular, exploding into the scene in 2024, and selling like hotcakes ever since.
However, the diabetes-turned-weight-loss-drug literally suppresses appetite. Meaning there’s a fear from retailers and food manufacturers that GLP-1 use will impact grocery spend, and therefore profits.
Households with at least one person using GLP-1 medication cut their grocery spending by about 6% within six months of taking the drug. And with nearly 15 million U.S. adults taking GLP-1 medications, what foods they consume is changing. So companies need to change what they sell and how they market their products.
Next! An Anglerfish swam to the surface. And the internet lost their collective minds.
The Black Seadevil, as it’s officially called, was spotted near the surface, 2000 meters off the coast of the Canary Islands. The observers managed to capture the first ever footage of the species that usually resides in the deepest parts of the ocean. And this resulted in an onslaught of memes with people humanising the ghastly looking fish.
This is just another example of the utter randomness of the internet. And how, if the chronically online community decides to run with something, there’s absolutely no stopping it. This goes to show, you can try to curate viral moments all you like. But you’ll never be Black Seadevil Humpback Anglerfish with tears down her eyes as she witnesses the sun for the first time. Sarry.
Finally! Elmo and On encourage a softer approach to running.
The sports brand featured our favourite fuzzy friend in its new campaign, touting the idea of “Soft Wins.” This is a nice contrast to the regular-degular high intensity approach we usually see from athletic brands such as Nike, that focus on winning at all costs. And who better to bring some sweet soft encouragement than beloved Elmo?
Not everyone needs to take a hardcore, no pain no gain approach to running, especially not a cheerful and curious little monster like Elmo. This campaign seeks to challenge the run culture and mentality surrounding it, shaping a more inclusive experience. And I feel like this would be effective. Because if anyone is going to get me to run, they’re gonna have to be damn patient and kind about it. Watch the adorable spot right here.
And, that’s all folks.
-Sophie, Writer
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DEEP DIVE
Can a Brand Thrive Without Social Media? Lush Thinks So.
In 2021, Lush Cosmetics pulled the plug on its corporate accounts. And, according to its marketing director, Annabelle Baker, they’ve never looked back.
Lush’s exit from social media wasn’t a spicy marketing stunt, it was a deliberate ethical stance.
The company cited concerns over mental health and the exploitative nature of algorithm-driven engagement. Rather than feeding the content beast, Lush pivoted to what Baker calls “curating fandoms” in other spaces. Now, they rely on community, brand advocates, and old-school marketing tactics to maintain relevance.
“We wouldn’t ask our customers to meet us down a dark and dangerous alleyway – but some social media platforms are beginning to feel like places no one should be encouraged to go,” the brand said in a statement at the time of their departure.
“We feel forced to take our own action to shield our customers from the harm and manipulation they may experience whilst trying to connect with us on social media.”
For many brands, this would be a death sentence. But Lush isn’t just any brand.
It’s built on strong ethical positioning, die-hard customer loyalty, and an in-store experience that draws people in.
It also benefits from years of being deeply embedded in online beauty culture. So even without an official online presence, people still talk about Lush. Now, the brand is effectively letting its audience do the marketing for them.
Lush’s strategy works because they have such a deeply established brand identity and a dedicated audience. But for newer or less culturally ingrained brands, the story might be different. Here’s what marketers should consider before following suit:
How strong is your brand’s community? Lush has a literal army of loyal fans who will spread the word organically (pun intended.) If your brand doesn’t have that kind of built-in advocacy, disappearing from social media could make you literally invisible.
Do you have alternative engagement channels? Lush still engages customers through email marketing, events, and collaborations. Brands going off the grid need a clear plan for staying connected.
Are you financially secure enough to take the risk? Social media is a cost-effective way to reach a massive audience. Cutting it out means relying on (often more expensive) marketing methods.
What’s your unique edge? Lush’s anti-social stance aligns with its broader ethical messaging. If there’s no deeper brand purpose behind quitting social media, it might come off as an empty gesture.
Lush’s move is intriguing. It’s also commendable as hell. But most brands can’t afford to ghost their audience. Social media remains a crucial player in discoverability, engagement, and conversion.
That being said, Lush’s approach does offer a valuable lesson: brands don’t have to play by every digital rule to stay relevant. Cultivating a strong brand identity and prioritising real customer relationships can be more powerful than chasing algorithms.
So, can a brand thrive without social media? If you’re Lush, yes. For everyone else? Probably not. But it is worth rethinking how dependent your strategy is on platforms you don’t control.
-Sophie, Writer
TREND PLUG
Blasting Fetty Wap on a JBL Speaker
Some TikTok dude woke up one day and thought, what if I introduced historical figures to Fetty Wap?
So he threw together a slideshow of old pictures, slapped “Again” on it, and asked how the pilgrims would react if he pulled up to the Mayflower with a JBL speaker. Boom. 700K+ likes later, and now the internet won’t stop imagining what it would be like if Fetty Wap soundtracked history.
For this trend, people are throwing his songs onto historical moments, movie scenes, and random life situations like they’re all one aux cord away from a Trap Queen renaissance. Even brands like Jetstar Australia hopped on, claiming the first aeroplane in Australia was definitely bumping Fetty.
How you can jump on this trend:
Using the sound, the formula is simple. Take a moment and ask, what if Fetty Wap was there? Brands can turn their origin stories into something unnecessarily dramatic. Personal brands can use it to flex their first big moment.
Use video footage relevant to the situation, then add OST to give context.
A few ideas to get you started:
When HR pulls up to the all-hands meeting with the JBL blasting “Trap Queen”
When the intern connects to the conference room speaker and accidentally plays “679” at full volume
When the CEO walks into the quarterly review meeting with “My Way” playing like it’s their WWE entrance
-Abdel, Social Media Coordinator
FOR THE GROUP CHAT
😲WTF: is this a good idea?
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ASK THE EDITOR
With FB, IG, and the million other time-sucking things needed for small business, I don't have time for TikTok, so I let my 14 year old son start and manage that account. Recently he's having some success with some posts getting views in the millions. We know TikTok can be monetised eventually. Do you have any tips? -Renée
Hey Renée!
First of all, congrats to your son for getting some amazing viewership! That's so cool! As for monetising on TikTok, right now the platform doesn't offer monetisation to creators in NZ. However, since you've already gotten good engagement with those videos, you could try repurposing them on YouTube shorts or Facebook. (Here are some helpful articles about the requirements around monetising content on YouTube and Facebook.)
Although we don't know when NZ creators will be able to monetise on TikTok and Instagram, it will likely happen at some stage. In the meantime, you should absolutely continue building your brand on both of those short-form video platforms. What you will eventually be able to sell to your audience there will likely make you more money than what you'd get from the platform anyway.
- Charlotte, Editor ♡
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