Anxiety sucks, if you have it.

But for brands? It’s just another marketing tool.

Terms that used to be reserved for a therapy session have now become product features. Put the words 'anxiety-relieving' or 'mood-boosting' on just about anything and you're onto a winner. But when does it become unethical to monetise people's actual struggles?

In today's newsletter:

• Brands are profiting off mental illness, and it's gross (find out how brands can actually support mental health rather than just pretending)

• How AG1 used influencers to scam the public (PLUS find out why this points to a much bigger problem in the $5.6 trillion wellness industry)

• Trend plug - Nope, my ride coming. I'm leaving.

• Ask the Editor - How do I start marketing a product for a new industry? 

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

p.s. Hey do you have a question about your content strategy? Just hit reply and I’ll answer it in Ask the Editor this week :-)

The hottest new accessory for the season? Mental illness…?

As the temperatures drop (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) and the leaves change colour, enter: The Sad Girl aesthetic.

Tear-streaked selfies, poetically vague captions about anxiety, and melancholy playlists? It’s OG Tumblr all over again, where trauma is très chic.

This would maybe be okay if it was for awareness raising purposes, heavy on the maybe.

However, this new aesthetic is more about romanticising suffering than anything else.

And now, as with anything that makes enough noise on social media, it’s become somewhat of a marketing gimmick. And the brands are moving in.

But in a world filled with anguish, is it right to capitalise on our collective suffering?

Got that summer(autumn)time sadness.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even Tumblr (yes, it’s still kicking) have turned mental illness into a mood board. The 'trauma-core' look is all about distressed filters, sad quotes, and oh-so-tasteful depictions of inner turmoil. Think, notes app ramblings and therapy speak.

Somewhere along the line, the serious message about mental health has gotten lost in the soft glow of ring lights and carefully curated cries for help.

Don’t get me wrong, vulnerability is powerful. But when suffering becomes the new 'it' look, there’s a problem.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

How AG1 Used Influencers to Scam the Public

Clint Carter once tweeted that 'the secret to making a successful podcast is you have to use Athletic Greens.'

What was the author and editor referring to?

AG1 is a moss-toned powder that costs $99 for a 30-serving bag. It promises to deliver 75 vitamins, minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics and adaptogens in one scoop.

The ingredients list is criminally long and full of wellness buzzwords. I mean, WTF is a 'Alkaline, Nutrient-Dense Raw Superfood Complex.'?

The brand claims AG1 is carefully formulated to nourish all the body’s systems holistically.

And their marketing makes you wonder how the human species ever survived before it.

AG1, which is essentially a multivitamin drink, had a meteoric rise in 2022. Every influencer, podcaster and health and wellness blogger appeared to be sponsored by the brand. And they were all claiming it was the solution to those 'hot girl tummy issues.'

Produced here in New Zealand, Athletic Greens quickly raised $115 million in venture capital, and the company’s valuation hit $1.2 billion.

All seems well, right?

Well, yeah. But it’s also, a scam.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Nope, My Ride Coming. I’m Leaving.

Your latest trend comes from last year's season of Baddies East.

If you don't know what that is, don't worry, cause I don't either. BUT I can explain what the trend is. It comes from one specific clip when a character called Tee says she's leaving a function by saying, 'Nope, my ride coming. I'm leaving.'

TikTokers are now using the sound to describe times they had to leave a certain situation. For example, 'me the second someone at the sleepover brings out a Ouija board' and 'me heading back to college bc my mom starting to treat me like I live here instead of a guest.'

How you can jump on this trend:

Simply use this sound with on-screen text describing a time you HAD TO LEAVE a certain situation ASAP.

A few ideas to get you started:

• When I walk into work and my work bestie isn't there

• Me when I see our social media intern come toward me while filming themselves

• Me when my manager asks if I can come see them for a 'quick chat'

-Carter, Intern

Today on the YAP podcast…

Ask the Editor

Q - I'm working on a new business idea in an industry I haven't worked in before. What advice do you have for me as I start to market it? -Steven

Hey Steven!

Obviously, there's so much that goes into starting a business. But one piece of advice I have for you is to test your ideas as you go. So many people have what they think is a great idea and they put all kinds of processes into place to deliver that product. Then, they're surprised when it doesn't sell!

It's easy to avoid that by talking to the people you hope will become your customers. Throw out what you're thinking about and see what sticks. Ask them what positioning appeals to them. Ask them how much they would pay for what you're offering (if they'd pay for it at all!).

Then you can make sure you're creating a product your audience wants. This will give you confidence that the work you're putting in now will turn into a viable business rather than a waste of time.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

For the group chat

😲WTF: A REAL LIFE IRON MAN SUIT?!!
❤How wholesome: These will never not make me cry
😊Soooo satisfying: Aren’t hydraulic press videos just the best? 
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: This burger looks INSANE!

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