Your ATTN Please || Wednesday, 18 June

There’s a classic storytelling mistake marketers make all the time.

We cast our brand as the hero. It sounds harmless, right? We’ve all been told to tell a good story or “make our work more narrative-driven.” But too often, that story starts with us, our features, our journey, our grand reveal. Meanwhile, the audience are left on the sidelines, watching a movie they’re not in. So, what’s a brand to do?

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Not your average “online” event 👀

TechTALK is a 2-day virtual summit hosted entirely in the metaverse.

This immersive event is for anyone who wants to understand how AI and IoT (internet of things) are reshaping the future. Think SIMS meets TED talks, but way more interactive and way less buzzword-y.

Over 2 days, you’ll get:

✔️50+ talks on the latest in tech innovation
✔️Real-time access to exclusive keynotes from global leaders
✔️Hands-on workshops to help you apply what you’ve learnt

Plus, you’ll hear from 2 of our own:

👉 Stanley Henry’s speaking on Transforming industries & infrastructure
👉 Jony Lee’s on the 5 Under 30 panel

And yep, marketers, this is for you. Because if you touch audience behaviour, brand strategy, or anything digital? What’s happening in tech is definitely your business.

15-16 July | All online | $99 USD

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Sabrina Carpenter breaks the internet, Kid rotting’s the new summer trend & Trump Mobile is a thing

The internet is arguing about Sabrina Carpenter and the World is on Fire.

“it’s satire”, “she’s oversexualizing herself for the male gaze”, “it’s objectifying”, “it’s obviously ironic.” WHO CARES. Touch grass. Not only is the song (imo) not worth raving about –we’re currently facing mass deportations, the potential beginning of WW3, worsening humanitarian and climate crisis by the DAMN DAY.

The album cover, which features Carpenter on her hands and knees, at a man's feet while he drags her by her hair is… certainly a choice…But honestly. You all need to go outside and maybe even throw your phone in a river. ANYWAY.

“Kid rotting” ??? the trend where parents let their children go wild this summer?

Hell yeah. Bring it back to the good ol’ days (2004) where parents just set their kids loose onto the streets in the summer and didn’t have the foggiest idea where they were until 7pm when they came back sunburnt and hungry.

Okay, maybe the current state of the world doesn’t allow for such carefree activity. But American parents are apparently rejecting expensive, overscheduled summers of camps and activities, according to the NYT. One parent reported spending $40,000 on occupying her three children for just eight weeks. Like? In this economy. Yeah nah, y’all can make your own fun. A survey even found that 30% of parents go into debt or defer payments for summer camps. Welp, screen time it is. Maybe you could teach them how to day-trade bitcoin.

WTF is Trump Mobile and why does it look so bad?

Coming to you this fall! A Trump branded, gold finish smartphone for those who love to be insufferable. It’s not just a phone though. The Trump family is launching an entire mobile network with a single plan called “The 47 Plan” for $47.54 a month. The plan offers the same coverage as the big three networks and will work on other phones but is apparently more suited to the “T1.”

Details for the phone are hella sketchy. The product page includes a photoshopped image of a brushed gold phone with a “T1” logo and US flag on the back (lmfao). The triple camera layout appears similar to recent iPhone Pro models at first glance, but the lenses are strangely spaced, and, uh, where’s the flash? Then the page is rife with errors: a processor section that doesn’t list a processor, RAM that’s described as storage, and the boast of a “5000mAh long life camera,” which I’m guessing was meant to say battery. The list goes on, as does my laughter. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

Why your brand story is the wrong story to tell

I'm sorry to say it, but your brand isn’t Frodo. Your customer is.

You’re not the hero. You’re the guide. The mentor. The wizard in the corner with a roadmap, a lantern, and a sick asf beard (because why not.) The sooner you shift your role in the story, the more powerful your marketing becomes. Come along now, my marketing magus, let me show you how.

First, if you need a refresher, this is the hero's journey framework. It is very important.

1. The Ordinary World – Where your customer is now

2. Call to Adventure – Something’s not working

3. Crossing the Threshold – They commit to change

4. Tests & Trials – It’s not easy

5. The Transformation – They grow

6. The Return – They’re better for it

Now apply that to marketing and reframe your role.

How? Start by tuning into the problem your audience is facing.

Don’t lead with your product. Lead with empathy. Your job is to articulate their challenge so clearly that they feel seen, maybe even relieved that someone finally gets it. From there, introduce the promise: the transformation they’re looking for, the better version of themselves they want to become. That vision should be bold, believable, and emotionally resonant.

Now - and only now - bring in your product, not as the star of the show, but as the essential tool that helps them win. It’s the sword, the map, the training montage. You are not the destination. You're the enabler. To build trust, show proof. Not just glossy testimonials, but real stories of real people overcoming the same challenges. Let them see themselves in the success.

And finally, when they’ve grown, changed, or achieved what they set out to do, don’t take credit, give it. Celebrate them. Make them feel like the legend they’ve become. That’s how you earn loyalty. That’s how you get remembered.

Positioning your brand as the guide doesn’t mean you fade into the background, either.

In fact, the guide is often the most beloved character in the story. They’re the trusted expert, the teacher, the cool older sibling with the hack that changes everything. Great guides don’t show off. They show up.

They make the hero stronger, braver, and more capable. And in return? The hero remembers them and tells the world!! Yay.

So, ask yourself:

• Are we talking about the audience or to them?

• Are we trying to be impressive, or trying to be helpful?

• Are we showcasing our product or showing how someone uses it to level up?

If your content doesn’t feel like it’s guiding someone somewhere... it’s probably just talking into the void. So if you’re stuck staring at a brief, remember this:

You’re not here to be the hero. You’re here to hand the hero the sword. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

Remember when he cheated on you, though?

Was there ever a more delusional character in the history of TV than Kelly Kapoor from The Office?

Today's trending sound comes from a conversation where Pam is listening to Kelly talk about how "great" her toxic relationship with Ryan is. The audio goes:

Kelly: He's so sweet. He pointed to my latte and he said, "Kelly, that will be the colour of our children."

Pam: "God, yeah, he's so great... Remember how it felt when he cheated on you, though?"

Kelly: "Which time?"

And now, creators are using this sound to describe moments where they (or someone else) is living in their own (fictional) version of reality. For example, when my patient tries to get me to like her bf but he didn't take care of her after surgery or me trying to give my friend a reality check she needs.

Because we all have those moments where we're just a littttle delulu, right?

How you can jump on this trend:

You can either use this trend for a situation where someone else is being totally delusional, or for a situation where you're the one with your head in the clouds. Grab the trending sound. Then, you can either lipsync this with someone else, with one person being Kelly and the other being Pam. Or you can pretend Kelly's offscreen and just film yourself lipsyncing Pam's lines. Use OST to give context and that’s it!

A few ideas to get you started:

• My colleague telling me how the finance dept is actually really fun

• Me convincing myself that taking on *just* 1 more project will be fun

• When the client wants us to try their "cool TikTok idea" even though their last 9 ideas have all flopped

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST

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

ASK THE EDITOR

How important are reels compared to other types of content on Instagram? -Celia 

Hey Celia!

If your primary goal is to grow your audience, Reels are currently the most effective content format to do that on IG. Short form video allows you to capture attention quickly and tell a compelling story in a short time frame. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use the other features on the app!

Stories are great for building community and static posts can great for going in-depth into a topic, especially if you want to create educational content. However, Reels offer the best algorithmic push and the highest audience engagement. So my suggestion is to prioritise your content in this order: Reels first, stories second, and static/carousel posts third.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Not going viral yet?

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.

WHAT DO YA THINK?

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