Your ATTN Please || Wednesday, 12 March

Sorry, but waking up at 2:45am for your “morning routine” is no longer impressive (was it ever, really?).

The new flex is being able to afford to spend 3-5 business days on perfecting your homemade Cheetos recipe. Most of us can’t imagine having that kind of time, which is exactly why it’s so aspirational. And it’s why quiet, luxury fashion-foodfluencers are going off right about now. See ya later, hustle culture podcast bros.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Kmart dupe sparks outrage, How big brands are using influencers is changing & Recession fears rise

A Kmart dupe has sparked a classism debate on TikTok.

The $25 Long-Sleeve Oxford Shirt is the kind you’d find in any fashion girly's wardrobe. Thick blue cotton, drop shoulder design with an oversized, relaxed fit. It also happens to bear a striking resemblance to DISSH’s $139.99 Rhea Blue Cotton Shirt. The perfect dupe for less than a fifth of the price.

Viral outrage ensued. “I spent $130 on this shirt and now everyone thinks it’s from Kmart!” said one TikTok user. “Don’t make me do a Miranda Priestly on you” another said. “Do I have to remind you this is literally how fashion works. The DISSH shirt is also dupe in someone else's context.” “It’s a classist issue, that’s it. Imagine being upset about dupes.”

But seriously, you can’t really "dupe" something that’s been a staple in every dad’s wardrobe since the 90s. Obviously, this controversy reflects tensions within our consumption culture. Dupes democratise style and make runway-adjacent looks accessible. This pisses some people off. My advice? Save your money, buy the dupe, then go walk barefoot on the damn grass.

Speaking of brands, SXSW execs talk which brands ones are evolving influencer marketing strategies.

A panel discussion with marketers from Instacart, Crocs and Southwest Airlines detailed how influencer marketing is expanding. Here are the three main takeaways I pulled:

1. Increased investment. Brands are reallocating budgets from traditional digital advertising to influencer partnerships. This shift allows them to achieve similar reach goals more efficiently.
   

2. Authentic collabs drive success. Crocs has embraced collaborations with celebrities who are genuine fans of the brand, such as Post Malone and Justin Bieber. This approach has transformed Crocs' image from merely functional to fashionable, resonating more deeply with consumers.
   

3. Leverage platform specific features. Southwest Airlines has adapted to platforms like TikTok by partnering with influencers aligned with specific interests, such as food or music. Their "Shopifly" program featured influencers creating content from relevant locations, ending with a "book now" call-to-action. This effectively integrated platform features to drive engagement.

Finally, recession fears continue as the US stock market tumbles.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked, over 1,107 points, a 2.6 per cent drop, its biggest decline of the year. The tech giants AKA the Magnificent Seven: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla—all saw losses. And this, of course, led to the broader market decline. This drop follows an interview with President Trump on Sunday to discuss fears over his trade war/ tariffs and the potential impact on economic growth.

In the interview, he described the situation as "a period of transition," not ruling out the possibility of a recession. Obviously, this has spooked investors. Overnight, the yield on two-year US Treasury bonds fell back below four per cent in Asian trading hours following the President's comments.

Anyway, that’s all folks!

DEEP DIVE

Want to learn how to sell a "feeling"? Just look at fashion-foodfluencers.

Fashion, food, and a side of hedonism. Three of my favourite things.

It’s no doubt that I love the idea of chic women preparing and sharing beautiful, decadent dishes online. Which, I’ll admit, isn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff. We have our founding mothers Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson, and Giada De Laurentiis to thank for that.

But over the last few years, the fashion-foodfluencer hybrid has gained serious cultural momentum. And it's morphed into something more than just a niche. It's a lifestyle flex, a branding masterclass, and a new benchmark for aspirational content.

Cooking on social media used to be primarily functional—how to make a dish, how to follow a recipe.

Now, it’s aspirational. The presentation of food is just as important as the dish itself, with every plate curated to match the overall aesthetic. The kitchen has become a runway, and the fashion-foodfluencer is its model.

Creators like Sophia Roe, Laila Gohar, and Caro Chambers have elevated home cooking into a fully immersive, sensory experience. The lighting is perfect, the mise en place is just so, and the ingredients are artfully arranged like a still-life painting. There’s an air of effortlessness, but let’s be real—it’s a highly curated kind of nonchalance.

This aesthetic obsession with cooking ties directly into the soft life movement.

It's a rejection of hustle culture in favour of slow mornings, indulgent meals, and an intimate connection to daily rituals. Slow living is about reclaiming leisure as a goal, not a guilty pleasure. But here’s where it gets interesting: the fashion-foodfluencer isn’t just one thing anymore. The classic vision leans toward cashmere sweaters, delicate glassware, and perfect omelets. But newer creators are rewriting the script.

Enter: Gabbriette Betchel, Jordan Rondel and Holly Barnes, who bring a darker, edgier take to the genre. Less breezy linen dresses, more black cat energy. They prove that as long as you have a defined style, you can make cooking an extension of your personal brand—whether that’s giving Italian nonna with a leather jacket or grunge girl plating raw fish like it’s couture.

And it’s more than just cooking; it’s a lifestyle that signals quiet luxury and an appreciation for the finer things.

There’s an exclusivity to the ingredients used (you know, the good olive oil, the perfect market strawberries, the heirloom tomato). It’s less about what you’re making and more about how the whole thing feels. It’s kind of the culinary equivalent of the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. Except instead of Hailey Bieber’s glazed-donut skin, it’s a perfectly golden-browned sourdough pancake served on vintage china.

And let me tell you, it’s the reason my weekly grocery store trip is crippling me financially. Whether it’s soft and romantic or dark and moody, foodfluencers are selling a very specific kind of pleasure—one that feels intentional, refined, and maybe even a little hedonistic (in the best way possible).

So, how do they do it so damn well?

Unlike traditional food influencers (recipe first, personality second), these creators are the brand. Their style, voiceovers, and even the way they slice an onion become part of their storytelling. TikTok and Reels have made intimate, slice-of-life content thrive. And food fits seamlessly into that world.

Viewers aren’t just learning a recipe; they’re being invited into their favourite creator’s kitchen, and into a whole vibe. They want to know what candle is burning in the background, what sweater is being worn while making pasta, what playlist is playing while stirring a risotto. This level of personal curation is why audiences care—and why brands should, too.

It’s a masterclass in selling a feeling, not a product.

The fashion-foodfluencer movement proves that food content is no longer just about sustenance. It’s about style, identity, and the art of living well. And if you can capture that? You’re not just cooking. You’re curating a cultural moment.

-Sophie, Writer

WE’VE GOTTA KNOW…

TREND PLUG

Does anybody on here do voodoo?

This trend comes from TikTok’s most unhinged, Karen-hair-rocking (but real) queen, @yagurl_dee.

In the now-viral clip, she seriously asks if anyone can do voodoo because she wants to turn someone into a possum. The video is completely out of context, which somehow makes it even funnier. No one knows what the person did, but hey, whatever it was, it was bad enough to deserve immediate possum consequences. Now, TikTok is using the sound for moments when regular consequences just aren’t enough. Think:

• "When my manager doesn’t approve my time-off request" 

• "‘Yeah, but what about International Men’s Day?’"

How you can jump on this trend:

Film yourself lipsyncing the sound with on-screen text describing a situation where a normal consequence isn’t enough. Possum time.

A few ideas to get you started:

• When the client disappears for three weeks and then suddenly needs something “ASAP”

• When the ‘final final’ file is now on version 37

• When marketing gets blamed for low sales

-Abdel, Social Media Coordinator

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😲WTF: Major ship collision?!
✨Daily inspo: RIP Stan Lee ❤️ 
😊Soooo satisfying: Coffee perfection
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Smashed Greek pitas

ASK THE EDITOR

Q - I have a garment making business and have only ever posted on Instagram and Facebook. Is there any point being on LinkedIn? -Ashlee

Hey Ashlee!

It makes sense why you've focused on FB and IG up until now. But, if you have the resources to post on LinkedIn, you definitely should! Why? Because LinkedIn is full of business owners like you. That means when you share stories about your business journey, other people are going to find your content relatable. This relatability is great for building your brand.

Second, there aren't tons of product-based brands on LinkedIn. This means you have the opportunity to stand out in a way that is a lot harder to do on Instagram or Facebook. Third, I can almost guarantee you that there are plenty of potential customers on LinkedIn. And if you aren't there, you're missing out on opportunities to build your brand!

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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