Your ATTN Please || Wednesday, 12 November

Thanks to American Eagle, we all know by now Sydney Sweeney has “good jeans” (yes, despite how that sounds).

And we also know Coca-Cola doesn’t GAF about the fact that the public hates AI Christmas ads (since they just rolled theirs out for the second year in the row). Then, LeBron James teased a career-shifting announcement, only to share that he’s doing a cognac collab. All three caused public backlash. And, along with that came a whole lot of attention. So, like, are they ragebaiting us on purpose? And if so, is that a strategy we should actually consider legit?

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Learn how to pitch ideas so well, your clients will beg you to take their money.

You know the feeling. The client’s nodding politely, but their eyes have glazed over.

And it’s clear you haven’t just lost them. You’ve lost the deal.

Well, that doesn't have to be you anymore. Because in this 90-minute session taught by Nathan James, Executive Creative Director at The Attention Seeker, you’ll learn the real art of selling subjective ideas (from someone who’s worked with some of the world’s biggest brands).

If you want to know how to:

✅ Keep the room hooked from your first sentence to the final slide
✅ Nail the 3-nod method that gets instant buy-in, every time
✅ Use their objections to strengthen your pitch

...this workshop is for you.

Forget “we’ll think about it.” You’ll leave this session knowing how to make every client say, “please take my money.”

Thursday, 4 Dec | 8:30 - 10am NZT | $49

Save your seat

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Gen Alpha is gaslighting us, Creators are the new celebs & Internet Archive now has 1 trillion pages

Is Gen Alpha being absurd on purpose?

I mean, they kind of always have been like this. But I think they may have duped us all this time. It’s the oldest trick in the adolescent handbook: Say something silly, stump adults, repeat until the end of time. The latest example being 6-7. Last month, Dictionary.com chose the term as its word of the year, acknowledging it as “impossible to define.”

It’s the same way they’ve been arbitrarily putting “skibidi” into the middle of their sentences or creating “Italian rot” like Ballerina Cappuccina. Perhaps these are all attempts at being unknowable by the generation of digital natives, whom are constantly on display. Like, they’re throwing us off the trail by being nonsensical little freaks. And I’m here for that. For as long as there has been slang, there has been an older “how do you do fellow kids” ahh generation trying to understand its meaning. They're just smart enough to exploit our curiosity.

Make-A-Wish is seeing a record surge in requests to meet content creators.

Social media stars are now rivalling Hollywood names in cultural influence, particularly with the younger generations. This doesn’t surprise me with the popularity of platforms like YouTube and TikTok amongst Gen Z and Alpha.

According to Axios, requests to meet internet personalities now make up 32% of the wishes granted within the entertainment industry. And, in the last year alone, 50 creators and influencers became first time wish granters. Leslie Motter, Make-A-Wish CEO, says creators wishes have more than doubled in the last 10 years, and expects it to “grow exponentially in the future.” This really underpins the fact that creators are the shapers of digital culture today. It also emphasises the crazy amount of influence they really have.

Internet Archive stores 1 trillionth webpage.

The digital storehouse is an invaluable resource and has spent three decades preserving the web for posterity. Organisations and groups have attempted to shut it down through lawsuits over the years. But the site remains strong, despite having to remove more than 500,000 books from the Internet Archives Open Library collection for copyright issues. Any threat to the Archive is an existential threat to the preservation of digital and internet culture and needs to be protected at all costs.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

Is ragebaiting actually a good marketing strategy?

Last week, LeBron James teased “the decision of all decisions” on his social media.

Fans freaked TF out, and so came a wave of online speculation. Was he retiring? Switching teams? The last time Lebron announced something, it was his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat in 2010 during a live ESPN special, literally called “The Decision.” So fans were on high alert, not taking the mention lightly.

And then, surprise, it’s just a cognac ad.

The stunt delivered “all-time high” engagement for Hennessy. The strategy? Harvest emotional attention, then shift it into a product plug. The outcome was a bunch of understandably pissed off fans.

Look, angst, confusion, speculation are all cheap viral fuel.

And folks obviously became upset. One headline: “He weaponized his looming retirement … as a tool of late-stage capitalism.” Yikes.

I feel like I’ve starting to notice this kind of negative attention farming become a common strategy among brands as of late. And it's painfully obvious they’re all trying to do one thing: rage bait us into engagement.

Another example of this is American Eagle’s recent campaign with Sydney Sweeney (yes, that one).

It was tagged “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” (yes, gross pun on “genes”). The ads triggered critique for alleged dog-whistle references to eugenics: blue eyes, blonde hair, talk about “traits”… critics flagged this as tone-deaf or worse. Meanwhile AE got piles of coverage, including from major political figures. The uproar amplified awareness.

This is what I mean when I say the backlash can’t be accidental. To me, it seems calibrated. Because when there’s already public speculation surrounding your (Republican) political views, why would you do a campaign that reads like a thinly veiled support for white supremacy and eugenics?

And finally, Coca-Cola.

The brand’s holiday ad campaign leaned on generative AI landed with plenty of “soulless,” “creepy” reaction from consumers. Yet the brand says it was one of their top-tested ads in history and they’re doubling down on pushing the envelope.

It’s another example of stirring discomfort, stirring commentary, inducing shares, then trading that engagement for brand relevance. At heart, controversy = attention = (hopefully) conversion.

So yes, I’m convinced that brands are intentionally courting polarisation and controversy as a growth hack. Let’s break it down.

Why ragebaiting works:

In a saturated media environment, simply being “nice” and “safe” doesn’t spark conversation. If no one says “Wait… what did they just do?” then the campaign disappears into feed-noise.
Controversy triggers earned media. Consumers ranting, news outlets covering “brand under fire”, political figures weigh in. Hello, free amplification.
Engagement metrics reward strong emotions (positive or negative). If people are riled up, they comment/share. The Hennessy campaign saw >12% engagement rates, well above benchmarks.
And finally, vulnerability. When you inflict “Should we talk about this?” in an ad, you force a second wave of mentions, which many brands appear willing to accept as part of the plan.

But here’s the rub:

There’s a thin line between purposeful provocation and tone-deafness. With American Eagle, when the pun “genes/jeans” triggered memories of eugenics, the brand stumbled (or ran headfirst) into a cultural minefield.
There’s also brand risk. Goodwill burns faster than cheap hype. LeBron’s ad got accused of “burning through some of the goodwill he had worked so carefully to cultivate.” That’s hard to come back from.
It shifts brand identity into reaction mode. Rather than shaping a narrative, you become synonymous with “Did they just do that?”
Long-term impact. Short viral bursts feel good, but does that turn into sustained loyalty? Diminishing returns loom when the audience catches on.

So what should marketers do instead?

Ask: “Are we pissing people off for the sake of being seen? Or are we genuinely sparking a meaningful conversation that aligns with our brand purpose?”
Make sure the controversy ties back to something meaningful, not just a stunt. Hennessy tied it to cultural relevance and LeBron’s status; AE probably missed the meaningful tie and got headline noise instead.
Pre-test the “upside risk” of the blow-up. If your campaign invites backlash, are you ready for that spin cycle?
Focus on what happens after the spike. Engagement is lovely. But what does it convert into? Brand affinity, purchase, advocacy? Make sure you’ve got the bridge.

The bottom line is, yeah, I believe they're doing it on purpose.

These campaigns look like they’ve been through five rounds of safe review, yet they drop something borderline and edgy anyway.

That’s too coordinated to be an accident. For marketers, the lesson isn’t “avoid all controversy.” It’s “own the narrative, align the risk with your brand, and make sure the engagement earns something.”

Letting chaos just happen? Probably not the smartest path. Take it from someone who did that in her personal life all of her 20s.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

"I have dreams, like you—no, really"

Everyone's got dreams - but your dreams might not be for everyone.

Today’s trend is a mantra taken straight from Disney's 2010 classic Tangled, specifically the song "I've Got a Dream", in which Flynn Rider sings (under the threat of pub thugs):

"I have dreams, like you—no, really. Just much less touchy-feely. They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny. On an island that I own. Tanned and rested and alone. Surrounded by enormous piles of money"

It's a great sound bite for you profit-hungry tycoon-wannabes out there! But even if you're not driven by sunshine and dollar signs, you've definitely had to uncomfortably explain your aspirations to people who just don't get it. From asking business students why they chose their degree or explaining why you don't want to have kids, we've all been backed into a corner and essentially forced to say "I value my peace... and money".

How you can jump on this trend:

Put the camera on yourself, use this sound and lip sync with Flynn's lines (written above for your convenience!). Then, add onscreen text explaining a situation where you've had to justify your uncommon and/or money-guided ambitions.

A few ideas to get you started:

Explaining to people why you left your old career path for business
When you're asked to do office Secret Santa but gifts are $50 minimum
Being asked to go out for after-work drinks, but at home you've got Netflix, leftover pad Thai and the place to yourself

- Devin Pike, Copywriter

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😲WTF: Mogged by her own cat
❤How wholesome: Oldies-turned-influencers???
🎧Soooo tingly: Wax Butter Cracking ASMR
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Filipino Lumpia!!!

ASK THE EDITOR

How can I stay as authentic as possible when sharing content on social media? Let’s say, in building a personal brand while remaining genuine and true to myself, providing value and sharing my journey and stories with people. - Jeff

Hey Jeff!

The first thing to accept is that you’ll never capture all of who you are in your content (and that’s okay). You’re a person with many sides who shows up differently in different contexts, and you'll exhaust yourself if you try to capture everything. Instead, think about who you’re speaking to and how you want to connect with them. Then, choose the parts of your story that feel right to share with that in mind.

If your goal is to provide value and share your journey, don't overthink it. You can start by talking about what you’re learning right now. That could be insights from your work, studies, or everyday experiences. Share the ideas you’re exploring, what’s inspiring you, and your own takeaways. Authenticity isn’t about showing everything. You just need to show enough to build a genuine connection with the people you actually want to reach.