Your ATTN Please || Wednesday, 14 May

May 14, 2025

What do UFC, Barbie, and Crocs have in common?

No, it’s not that they’re all slightly unhinged (although that’s also true). But they’re also brands that have built entire universes around themselves. We all know it’s not enough to just sell a product—the best brands give their audience a story to be part of. This strategy isn’t reserved for billion dollar brands. It’s something you can do, too.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Tesla sales plummet, Starlink kills “airplane mode” & Meta’s smart glasses raise ethical concerns

Musk’s politics see Tesla sales collapse in Europe.

The electric vehicle maker, which once dominated EV sales in Europe, is facing sales declines of more than 50% in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and the UK. I know that’s gotta sting. Sales in Germany weren’t quite as bad, falling 46% - still enough to make a certain billionaire squirm, I’m assuming.

This comes as no surprise. The headwinds were already looking suuuper unfavourable to Tesla, even before Musk decided to couple up with President Donald Trump and join the authoritarian makeover of the US government. But I fear this makes things look incredibly bleak for the fate of what once was at the forefront of the EV boom. What's the lesson here? Brands, choose your friends wisely.

United’s Starlink-powered Wi-Fi is the end of airplane mode.

In other, more positive news, Musk’s Starlink is doing gods work for international travellers tired of spotty in-flight WiFi, expensive connectivity fees, and the quaint notion that we can avoid work while flying (welp). Gone are (or will soon be) the days where airlines tell you to switch your phone to airplane mode before taking off. Now United Airlines is actually encouraging passengers to browse, stream and game to their little hearts' content.

Last year, United became the first of the big three domestic airlines to announce its plan to add Starlink-powered Wi-Fi to its fleet. The first commercial flights were expected to start at the end of 2025. That plan was recently accelerated, and now United says its first flights with Starlink will officially begin May 15th. “We’re bringing Wi-Fi from just like your living room to the skies — whether you’re streaming, gaming, shopping, or working,” says David Kinzelman, Chief Customer Officer at United. Hell yeah, David. We love you for that.

Meta forges ahead with facial recognition for its AI glasses.

Ahhh, surveillance over privacy. Coolcoolcool. Aperol and Bellini are surprisingly sweet codenames, considering they’re the ones Meta has given its new "super-sensing" AI glasses with facial recognition technology, according to The Information. Dystopia, you never were that far away after all x

Meta originally scrapped the idea for a facial recognition feature over ethical concerns. Because, yeah, it is freaking ethically concerning. However, the new report from The Information claims that a more business-friendly Federal Trade Commission has emboldened Meta to reboot its plans for the next generation of smart glasses. Aaaaand why does that not surprise me one bit?

Anyway, that’s all folks!

-Sophie, Writer

DEEP DIVE

We're in the era of brand fiction. Here's what that means for you.

Prepare to entertain or die.

According to Entertain or Die, a new report from Tracksuit and Small World, we’ve officially entered the era of brand fiction. And the only currency that matters now? Entertainment.

Your polished Instagram grid and vaguely aspirational mission statement won’t cut it. Today’s most magnetic brands are building their own in-house Hollywoods: constructed worlds filled with lore, characters, memes, and moments that consumers can escape into. These go beyond your regular-degular marketing campaign. They’re whole universes.

If you’re a brand, you can't just sell a product. You need to sell stories.

Liquid death is an example I often use for the many facets of what it means to be a good marketer. But one thing that makes it rise above other brands is that it's entertaining as hell. Not many brands can put Ozzy Osbourne (literally talking about boofing) in a campaign and not only get away with it but succeed in every sense of the word.

Tracksuit’s data backs up this strategy. Brands that entertain grow faster than their traditional competitors. Of the top 30 most entertaining global brands, 96% experienced revenue growth in the past year. Being fun isn’t fluff anymore. It’s a business strategy.

The four traits of modern brand fiction:

The most magnetic brands nail at least two of the following:

  • Humour (Liquid Death, Starface, Duolingo): Not just lol-worthy but meme-worthy. In other words, it's humour that travels.

  • Social content (Netflix, TikTok, Instagram): Always on, always performing, always in your feed.

  • Distinctive character (Houseplant, Games Workshop, Crocs): These brands know who they are and never break character.

  • Attention-grabbing power (UFC, Rhode, again Liquid Death): Because if you’re not breaking through the scroll, you’re just background noise.

Entertainment is no longer a layer on top of the brand. It is the brand, baby.

Enter: lore.

Some of the most successful brands behave like studios. They develop characters. They build worlds. They drop sequels, tease prequels, and reward fandom. It’s the Marvel-ification of marketing, without needing a billion-dollar box office and fifty-million sequels.

Need proof? Look no further than Brat, which turned Charli XCX into more than a pop star could ever imagine to be. She created a universe. From a surprise H&M pop-up concert in Times Square to the now-iconic Brat Wall in Williamsburg, she’s turned IRL stunts into cultural events. And it’s working. Her brand awareness jumped from 40% in July 2024 to 44% by February 2025.

While we’re all busy building lore online, the IRL side of brand fiction is booming, too.

Experiential marketing spend is up 10.5% globally, the first time it's exceeded pre-pandemic levels. We may live online, but the thrill of being there still hits different, especially when the offline event fuels online chatter.

Branded pop-ups, immersive events, collabs with musicians and creators aren't just flash-in-the-pan stunts. They’re chapters in a bigger story. And as we know story sells.

So, what can we learn here?

If your brand doesn’t entertain, it evaporates. Not immediately. Not with a bang. But slowly, silently, painfully. To the point where you wish the thing would just die because it's getting hard to watch. Whether you’re a water brand or a skincare line, you’re not just competing in your category. You’re competing for attention.

So build lore. Build laughs. Build something weird. Build something that begs to be screenshotted, stitched, and shouted across the timeline. I promise you it’s the golden ticket. 

-Sophie, Writer

TREND PLUG

“OH YEAH!”

It’s Miley, b*tch.

Today’s sound is a chaotic a cappella mashup from Hannah Montana. Overlapping vocals like “oh yeah”, “woo”, “put your hands up”… it’s giving mental collapse disguised as pop. No beat. No structure. Just pure overstimulation. So obviously, it’s TikTok’s new favourite way to show what it feels like to be deeply, mentally elsewhere.

People are using the sound as their internal monologue on crack. It’s for when your brain won't shut up and you're miles away from the moment. Think:

How you can jump on this trend:

Grab the sound. Film a video of you zoning out or staring into space like you’ve just blue-screened. Overlay text explaining the intrusive thought or chaotic moment that’s making this sound the soundtrack in your brain.

A few ideas to get you started:

  • Editing content I used to like and now suddenly hate

  • When I have 74 tabs open and they all feel important

  • Me in a job interview after being asked, “tell me about yourself”

  • Reading feedback that says “this wasn’t quite what we were after”

  • The sound in my head after accidentally liking a client’s 2019 post

- abdel, brand & marketing executive

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😲WTF: The pope effect is CRAZY
✨Daily inspo: “Everything you love…”
🎧Soooo tingly: Mushy clay
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Lahmacun

TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST

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ASK THE EDITOR

How do I become a thought leader in my written content? -Jeremy

Hey Jeremy!

As I'm sure you know, becoming a thought leader doesn't happen overnight. So if that's your goal, you need to be prepared to put out content on a consistent basis. Your content should centre around your unique take on what's happening in your industry right now. You don't need to position yourself as someone who knows everything. Instead, share what you've learnt through challenges you've overcome in your time in your field.

Another important part of building thought leadership is growing your network. Connect with people who are forward-thinking in your industry. Engage with their content and contribute your own thoughts to the conversation. The more you interact with people in your industry and share your insights, the more you'll be seen as a thought leader over time. Remember to keep your content authentic to you, which is how you’ll stand out as someone who has a fresh perspective!

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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