“Oops, there it goes! Guess I’m unreachable now.” There’s this funny love/hate thing most of us have with technology. Like we’re addicted to it, but simultaneously loathe how anxious being constantly connected makes us. Which is why there’s a growing trend of people going analogue—for days, or even weeks at a time. But make no mistake. This is not about nostalgia or wishing for simpler times. It’s about taking back control. Placing physical boundaries between us and technology where no digital limits exist. And for brands, this desire is actually a massive opportunity…

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Lectures After Dark is part classroom, part post-work hangout for marketers who like their insights served with wine, from some of the best academics in NZ. And for our final one of the year, we’re hearing from Dr. Shahper Richter, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Auckland Business School. So if you’re down for a thought-provoking talk, bring your questions, ideas, and mid-week existential dread to 43 Ponsonby Road. We’ll bring the good vibes.

Thurs, 4 Dec | 6pm - 7:30pm | Freeman & Grey | $25

How do you know what’s real these days? And I don't mean “is this a real video of rabbits on a trampoline?” As marketers, this sentiment goes way deeper.  Once it was revealed that Cracker Barrel's “rebrand backlash’ turned out to be heavily bot driven and manufactured for engagement, one thing became clear: the bots are hijacking the party. And artificial networks are increasingly launching and amplifying narratives around brands.

So, why does it even matter? Well, because it means what looks like consumer heat could just be algorithmic noise. The obvious result being traditional social listening is losing its edge. Firms are now using narrative-intelligence platforms to filter out fake volumes and get back to real human voices. This is something that seems increasingly more difficult as we descend into whatever this next era is.

The recommendation from Marketing Brew is to not simply react, but have your crisis playbook ready, monitor the real vs. the fake, and lean into trusted creators and straight-up polling. Good luck, soldiers.

In a wild twist, activists under New Save Collective are using the gaming platform to simulate what happens if you get stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They’ve set up role-play events so players can practise handing over ID, recording detentions, or simply learning what their rights are, all in a (somewhat absurd) video-game setting.

But the real aim isn’t to perfectly depict these scenarios. This is about community-building and trust-building in a space that’s easy to ignore. Gamers are reclaiming territory that’s been used for propaganda or recruitment and flipping the script. Gotta love gen Alpha.

Girl, in THIS ECONOMY? Fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Dior aren’t just showing off bags anymore—they’re opening restaurants. According to Bon Appetit, these dining experiences inside stores are a savvy shift: instead of selling bags and shoes, brands are selling atmosphere, loyalty, and experience.

At Printemps New York, shoppers grab cocktails between designer shelves. Café-Dior, Tiffany’s Blue Box Café and LV’s monogram-maximalist menu are all in on the trend. I guess objects alone no longer cut it. Bougee experiences, however, do. Luxury is now about showing up, staying longer, posing for the ‘gram and then maybe buying later (after a few too many cocktails.)

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Do you ever wake up in the morning, open your eyes for the first time of the day, and instead of taking in the soft golden glow of the sunrise, or your lovers face, snoozing gently next to you, go straight to the little beaming blue light machine and start racking up dopamine like it’s going out of fashion?

Don’t lie. We all know you do.

Why? Because the nefarious little devil has you by the balls. Which explains why, right now, somewhere in Washington, DC, a bunch of adults are willingly carrying flip phones again.

Not ironically, or for an aesthetic y2k photoshoot. And not because they’re doing some twee Wes Anderson challenge on TikTok.

Just like the majority of us.

So, they’ve joined a project called Month Offline, run by a shadowy little crew named Dumb and Co., who hand you a TCL flip phone, give you a 404 number, and basically send you on your way.

Well, not really. There’s actually a whole curriculum, a support group, and a bar called Hush Harbor where smartphones get shoved into tiny jail cells before you’re allowed to enter. The only way to apply is by calling a 1-800 number and leaving a voicemail like you're auditioning for America’s Next Top Luddite.

Some culty ass sh*t huh? (in the best way possible)

Come on now, we’re not all sitting around longing for the era of T9 texting or blurry photos of your feet in Chuck Taylors with hearts drawn all over them.

The nostalgia discourse is tired. I’m tired of writing about it. I’m sure y’all are tired of reading about it. And I feel we need to stop reducing the issue to “people are craving simplicity.” My brother in Christ, they’re drowning in overstimulation and looking for the nearest flotation device.

How do I know? Because SAME.

The internet has basically become a giant freaking global anxiety sprinkler system, misting us with panic every thirty seconds. One girl’s offhand TikTok about “the toxins in your pillows” spirals into a national health scare. A trend turns into a collective self-diagnosis.

The timeline invents a new moral emergency before you’ve even brushed your teeth.

The digital world is producing its own brand of mass hysteria. A collective, low-grade panic that spreads through feeds like mould. And we’re all feeling it, exhausted by it.

The constant alerts, the pace, the outrage Olympics, the endless content pipeline, it’s too much stimulation and not enough meaning. This is why movements like Month Offline feel so magnetic. Because they’re selling people a place to put the chaos down.

A flip phone becomes a physical boundary, a new number becomes a buffer, and a phone-free bar becomes a sanctuary. A safe haven away from all the digital noise.

Because let’s be honest, accountability is hard when your apps are engineered to entice you like horny sirens at midnight. The “just use your phone less” advice stopped working years ago. We don’t need discipline; we need scaffolding.

Which brings me to the actual point:

The digital wellness industry has been stuck in the aesthetic of beige mindfulness and lavender-scented coping mechanisms. Consumers are bored of the “breathe and visualise a meadow” approach. The vibes aren’t vibing.

People want something else entirely: Relief. Structure. A way to exist without the constant static. A way to feel like their brain belongs to them again.

Can you supply them with that?

But it has to look different. It has to look like:

Offline rituals with actual social gravity. Tools that slow you down without making you feel like a fkn failure. Spaces that let people vanish for an hour without explanation or over analysation.

We need cultural infrastructure, not meditation apps with ocean sounds. Not ashwaganda silent retreats with mushroom tea and questionable ethics.

And that’s where the digital detox economy is heading.

Not backwards. Not toward nostalgia. But into a future where constraints become a feature, not a flaw. A world where opting out occasionally is seen as normal, even aspirational. A world where being unreachable isn’t rude, it’s actually the most sane thing you can do.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Where everyone around you is WAY too united, way too enthusiastic, and way too in-sync about something absolutely trivial. And you’re just standing there like Squidward, trying to stay normal.

The sound comes from The SpongeBob Movie, the scene where Plankton turns on Karen’s “Plan Z” mind-control system. And suddenly, the entire population of Bikini Bottom becomes Plankton-brainwashed cult members. Everyone’s chanting “ALL HAIL PLANKTON,” and Squidward is the only one who’s aware, confused, and in panic mode going "What's going on?"

People are using the 21-year-old sound (yes actually 21, unc) to roast situations where a group is way too aligned for no reason, the delusion is spreading like the plague, and you just feel like you're straight up being gaslit.

My favourite examples include:

Using the sound, film yourself looking confused, cornered, stressed, or quietly observing chaos. The OST is you pointing out how it feels to be the only one not drinking the kool-aid.

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, brand & marketing exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos Pew pew
✨Daily inspo DIY birthday card for your loved ones
😊Soooo satisfying Ten oddly satisfying photos
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight One-pan Greek chicken and risoni

Hey Freya!

Yes, you absolutely still need a website, especially now that people are using AI tools for search (not just Google). These models rely on clear, trustworthy website content to pull answers from. So when it comes to creating web content, the focus should be shifting from SEO to GEO (generative engine optimisation).

Focus on creating a homepage that clearly explains who you are and what you do. Make sure you also include a few evergreen pages that answer the real questions your customers are asking. Clear site structure, FAQs, and structured data all help AI crawlers read and understand your website. There's obviously a lot that goes into GEO, but starting here will set your website up to be discoverable, as you don’t want to rely on social media alone.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡