Photos of misspelt names on Starbucks cups have circulated social media for YEARS.

But what if the brand has been deliberately spelling names wrong, just to get us to post about it?

Ok, it’s not that hard to believe. But getting your audience to create UGC about your brand is a pretty effective strategy. And it’s one you should be using (if you aren’t already!).

In today's newsletter:

• Why Starbucks spells your name wrong (find out just how powerful UGC can be & how you can use it to promote your own brand)

• A24 goes from film distributor to lifestyle brand (their strategy includes sending creepy dolls to people & catfishing singles on Tinder 😳)

• Trend plug - Me on my way

• Ask the Editor - How to turn social views into $$$  

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

Why Starbucks Spells Your Name Wrong

I have the most basic b*tch name in the world.

And yet, even Starbucks has spelt my name wrong more times than I can count.

Is it a prerequisite for Starbucks employees to be completely illiterate? Or is it the workings of a genius marketing ploy?

Wait a second… you mean to say the $89 billion company lied to us???? Shocker.

Not only do they know how to spell your name (it’s Sam, are you really surprised?), they’ve been employing you to do their marketing for FREE for years now.

Starbucks has been putting names on cups since 2012. And they’ve been strategically misspelling them this whole time.

Why? Because they know that we are putting that sh*t straight on social media.

While misspelt names aren’t exactly a positive brand interaction, they don’t turn people away from the brand, either.

In fact, seeing someone’s story of ‘QAYTE’ instead of ‘KATE’ is most likely going to evoke a little chuckle out of you. It will also plant the need for a venti white mocha (quad shot, 2 shots on bottom, two on top, almond milk, extra hot) into your subconscious mind. (Also yes, that’s a real order I found on Reddit. Pray for our baristas.)

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

If you’re a cinephile like me, you’ve heard of A24 films.

The NYC-based entertainment distribution company has claimed a meteoric rise to fame over the last 5 years. This is despite operating in some of the most anxious and uncertain times of the modern film industry.

Through an unending list of high-profile releases, A24 has done well to fill the visible void in the indie film market.

However, I do always wonder, how the hell did a distribution company get this cool? It’s unusual that a company of its kind would even garner this much attention, let alone notoriety.

Distributors have always used marketing to drive awareness of films. That’s how they make the business profitable. Traditionally, they market the films, not themselves. This renders the brand name irrelevant (with the exception of Disney.)

So the awareness that A24 has managed to achieve is astounding. In fact, it’s common for those who don’t even consider themselves cinephiles to still claim (though paradoxical) 'I just love A24 films.'

The distributor-turned-studio transformed what would be a silent role in the industry into a lifestyle brand. How? By tapping into their audience with both clever marketing and powerful positioning.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Me On My Way

Today's trend uses this clip featuring the character 'Syndrome' from the movie The Incredibles, who seems to be walking very confidently.

Tiktokers are using the CapCut template and this sound to describe hypothetical or real situations where they would be just as confident. For example, 'Going to the toilet after clocking into work 45 mins ago,' or 'Me going to interact with my family for the first time in 12 hours.'

How to jump on this trend:

To participate in this trend, just use the CapCut template of Syndrome walking and think of an OST (on-screen text) that fits your brand/niche.

A few ideas to get you started:

• 'Me on my way to tell my boss we need more coffee (I've had 4 just this morning)'

• 'Me on my way to have my third mental breakdown of the week (it's Monday)'

• 'Me on my way to tell my work bestie some new hot gossip'

-Carter, Intern

Tune in to the YAP Podcast

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Ask the Editor

Q - How can I retain viewers and convert them into sales on Meta? - Candice

Hey Candice!

If you're wanting to make sales from your organic content, it's not something that will happen overnight. Instead, you have to put out great content that resonates with your audience on a consistent basis, adding in calls to action without creating salesy content.

If you want to make sales quicker, you should look at a paid campaign on Meta Ads. Just make sure you're optimising these for sales by setting up your conversion events properly!

You can run a dedicated remarketing campaign targeting your organic viewers. But the latest best practice is to run an Advantage+ Shopping Campaign, targeting a broad audience (generally everyone in your addressable market). 

When you do it this way, Meta will factor in a variety of signals, including your organic engagement, to deliver ads to people who are most likely to convert. For most people, this provides the cheapest cost per sale. 

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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