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Your ATTN Please || Tuesday, 29 April

Your ATTN Please || Tuesday, 29 April

April 29, 2025

What’s the 1 thing you need to turn your brand into a money printer?

Loyalty. When you have it, your customers will fall over themselves to buy from you. They’ll defend you in group chats. And they’ll pay 25% more without blinking—because you’re the one brand they trust not to screw them over. So how do you inspire that kind of irrational loyalty? Well, read on, my friends.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Sinners makes history, SZA makes a beauty brand & Khloe makes protein-packed popcorn

Sinners just made cinematic history (and you absolutely have to go watch it).

Run, don’t walk. I am so serious, y’all. Not only is this the greatest film I have seen in years, but you also get two Michael B. Jordans for the price of one. And if that ain’t a deal, I don’t know what is. Sinners, released on the 17th of April, just towered over the box office for a second week in a row, scoring a massive $45 million.

Ticket sales declined a mere 6% from its $48 million start, making the film an absolute rarity, with a sophomore outing that nearly matched its debut. The fact that it’s a horror film makes that even more impressive, considering the genre is known for a sharp fall after opening weekend. All shot in film and made for IMAX, this is one you have to experience on the big screen. Just go. Thank me later.

SZA announces Not Beauty makeup line, available exclusively on the “Grand National Tour.”

I know, we’re all sick and tired of celebrity makeup brands. But SZA can do no wrong in my eyes. ALSO, her face card delivers every damn time so why would I not want to use her products? I suppose that’s how celeb-beauty works. During an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, she told J. Hud., “People ask about my lip combo all the time. And I am a yapper, right? I’m like a certified yapper, I’m always talking, I’m always singing and I felt like I needed something that lasted so long.”

Girl, me too. “It all came out of necessity. So I pretty much just designed my own formula.” The line includes glosses, creams, liners, stains, and more, and will only be available via pop-up activations on the “Grand National Tour.”

With Khloud, Khloe Kardashian will release a Protein-Packed Popcorn.

Protein is important, I know. But the “protein-ification” of snacks is almost laughable at this point. When a damn Snickers bar is touting its protein content on the front of the wrapper, you know it's so over. Individualism has given rise to this type of product positioning, with brands showcasing a product's protein and vitamins on the front of their packaging rather than the back.

Khloe Kardash is the latest to jump on the food trend with her Khloud Protein Popcorn. This will come in three different flavours: white Cheddar, olive oil and sea salt, and sweet and salty, with each flavour containing 7 grams of protein per serving. Where on earth does the protein come from, you ask? Well, it's from the popcorn’s “Khloud Dust,” which is a blend of milk proteins and seasoning. Hate all you like, but I would not be opposed to having this in my daily snack lineup lol.

Anyway, that’s all folks!

-Sophie, Writer

DEEP DIVE

Why consumers pay more for brands they trust (& how to become one of them)

Money is tight. Wages are stagnant. Rent prices are borderline offensive.

And still — still — a shocking number of people will happily fork over 25% more just to stick with their favourite pair of butt-lifting sculpting scrunch leggings. That’s not just brand loyalty. That’s emotional monogamy lol. So, what gives?

Turns out, even in a cost-of-living crisis, value doesn’t just mean “cheapest option.” It means the brand I trust not to screw me over. And that's the kind of trust you can’t slap a discount sticker on.

Loyalty isn’t logical. It’s emotional.

We like to think we’re rational shoppers. Budget-savvy, spreadsheet-fluent, cold-blooded comparison clickers. But really? We’re just looking for a little comfort in the chaos. Our favourite brands become a kind of emotional support blanket. They’re the reliable ex who never ghosted us. The friend who always picks up. The skincare that doesn’t break us out or betray us.

Why this kind of attachment runs deep:

Loss aversion. We fear losing what works more than we crave something new
Status quo bias. Switching takes energy, and we’re all emotionally overdrawn
Consistency craving. In an unhinged world, knowing exactly what to expect feels revolutionary

So yes, someone might absolutely pay $42 for mascara they know won’t smudge, even if there’s a dupe for half the price. Because who’s going to trust a stranger!? Not me.

Value ≠ cheap. Value = worth it.

People aren’t just paying more for the product. They’re paying for the experience. The vibe. The promise kept.

Consumers want:

Fast, friendly customer service
Predictable quality and performance
A feeling of alignment (“this brand gets me”)
And (we all know it) a little sparkle of main character energy

This is why Trader Joe’s can quietly raise prices and still be beloved. Why people sob when Glossier discontinues a product. And why Patagonia can charge what it does with a straight face The values match the price tag.

But don’t get cocky, because loyalty has limits.

Let’s not confuse loyalty with a lifetime contract. Because the minute a brand starts phoning it in? Consumers notice. And competitors are just waiting to pounce.

Customers will absolutely jump ship if:

The experience starts feeling transactional or stale
Another brand offers a better product at a similar price
Trust is broken through bad service, bad ethics, or just bad vibes

So while yes, people will pay more for you, they’re not doing it out of charity. It’s conditional love, babe. Conditional on you showing up.

So what should brands actually do?

This is where the marketers lean in. Because the opportunity is massive, but so is the risk of losing relevance.

If you want to be the brand people would rather pay more not to leave:

Show up consistently. Your packaging, your tone, your product—it all needs to feel like you.
Deliver what you promise. Surprise and delight? Great. But first, do what you said you’d do.
Listen like a human. Be accessible. Be responsive. Be less like a FAQ page and more like a friend.
Evolve without losing your soul. Growth is good. Selling out? Not so much.

And above all, make them feel something. Comfort, joy, inspiration, nostalgia, whatever your flavour is, lean in. Because in 2025, people aren’t loyal to logos. They’re loyal to how you make them feel.

Customers will pay more for trust. They’ll stay loyal if you deliver. But the minute you stop being worth it? They’re gone. Brand love is real, but it’s earned. And if you want to be “the one,” you’d better keep acting like it.

-Sophie, Writer

TREND PLUG

The Jaws theme trend

This trend uses the Jaws theme while you move across the screen side-to-side, getting closer to the camera each time.

The more tense the music gets, the closer you get. Basically you’re the shark, but for whatever petty thing you’re stressing about. Each pass across the frame = you getting closer to "biting". Creators are using this trend for those moments where they’re trying to act calm, but are internally circling like a maniac—or circling around the fridge like a big back (I've been there). Think:

How you can jump on this trend:

Grab the sound and set up your phone. Then, move across the screen slow and steady to the music. Write the situation you’re creeping up on as your on-screen text. Closer. Closer. Closer. Bite.

A few ideas to get you started:

Me hovering over the email I’ve ignored for a week
Me when a coworker says “quick call?” with no warning
Me checking if my post flopped 3 minutes after posting it

-Abdel, Social Media Coordinator

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😲WTF: They wanna dim the SUN?!
✨Daily inspo: enjoy being while becoming
😊Soooo satisfying: guess the colour!
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Skillet creamed corn chicken!!

TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST

Want even more “YAP”ing? Check out the full podcast here.

ASK THE EDITOR

I've been posting about my copywriting business on Instagram, but how do I grow my account faster? - Shelley

Hey Shelley!

If you want to grow your account faster, you should try to create as much content as you can. If you're only posting a few times a week, that's not enough to get your content out there. Think about it this way. The more people see you, the more familiar you'll become. And, as you post more, you'll start creating better content. You'll slowly build an audience of people who like what you have to say. Eventually, you'll reach a tipping point where your growth speeds up as your videos get better.

That said, if you're just starting out in your business, you will get clients much faster by getting in front of people in person. Building a brand on socials is a long-term strategy, but you should also be going to industry events and networking as much as you can. This will help you grow your business while you’re building up your audience on socials.