Did a former Manchester United star just have a breakdown on live TV?

Nope. Eric Cantona was just part of a marketing stunt that drove $4 million in earned media.

During a live TV interview, Cantona ripped off his mic and blazer, walked up to the camera, and announced that fans would now be able to watch English Premier League footy live on streaming service Showmax.

As far as marketing stunts go, this is one that can teach us a thing or two about getting attention!

In today's newsletter:

• Eric Cantona's live TV stunt pays off (plus what you need to think about before trying a marketing stunt of your own!)

• How brands can tap into the power of livestreaming (before every other brand catches on to this strategy!)

• Trend plug - Do you know you have 30 minutes?

• Ask the Editor - How do I know when to change my content strategy?

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

'The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will be live.'

Did anybody else see Eric Cantona literally break out of the matrix and completely derail the Showmax Matchday Live broadcast last week?

The Manchester United icon turned a routine segment into a bizarre philosophical outburst. And he left everyone watching thinking, 'WTF did I just witness?'.

I mean, I was genuinely concerned over his wellbeing. It felt like I was watching a full-blown menty b in real time.

But that’s not what was happening at all. In fact, what I was seeing was Cantona pulling off one of the boldest live television stunts in recent history. One that has captured the attention of brand enthusiasts and football fans alike.

Wait, what happened?

Football fans in Africa tuned in to their local feed of the Premier League's official game day show, Matchday Live, last Friday.

Things started out completely routine and innocent. Host Julika Stuart introduced two former Manchester United players as guests--Owen Hargreaves and, of course, the legendary Eric Cantona.

But things quickly began to feel off. Cantona said minimal words and was not interested in answering questions properly, leaving Hargreaves to pick up the slack. It was around the five-minute mark that sh*t got crazy.

Cantona stood up, ripped off his blazer and tie, pulling out his microphone and disturbing the green screen in the process.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

How Brands Can Tap into the Power of Livestreaming

Watching someone talk absolute sh*t in their bedroom for hours on end is crazy.

But apparently, it's a booming industry.

Live video content is no longer a novelty. In the entertainment industry, the popularity of livestreaming has skyrocketed over the last few years.

In the last quarter of 2023, almost 30% of internet users worldwide reported watching livestream content weekly.

This content style is on fire, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. According to eMarketer, 176 million Americans are projected to tune in to watch their fave content creators go live by 2025. (Kai Cenat, I’m looking at you.)

We brand marketers battle tooth and nail daily for consumers' time and attention. Meanwhile, many of them are giving quite a bit of that precious time and attention to livestreamed content.

In short, it looks like it’s time for brands to tap into livestreaming.

Think about it this way. The kind of connection fostered between streamers and their audience is one that simply cannot be achieved with regular, one-sided video content.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Do You Know You Have 30 Minutes?

Originating from reality TV Show Flavor of Love, this simple trend is taking over TikTok with over 22k videos to the sound.

So you'd better hurry because, as the clip goes, 'Do you know you have 30 minutes? Yes thirty!'

In the sound, one of the contestants is reminded they only have 30 minutes left to finish what they're doing. So this is why now, TikTokers are using this sound to describe situations they themselves or others get into where they’re running short on time.

For example, 'telling teenagers their parents are going to stop paying for things shortly' or 'me telling the freshman how long their friendship is going to last.'

How to jump on this trend:

Start with the trending sound. Then, think of something you or others are running out of time to do and create onscreen text to describe it. Film yourself lip-syncing the words to the sound. Easy!

A few ideas to get you started:

• Me when the intern tells me the task I gave them to do is nearly done. (I know they're lying)

• What my stomach says to me as I take my first sip of coffee

• When the client is on slide 5 out of 30

-Carter, Intern

Tune in to the YAP Podcast

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Ask the Editor

Q - I've recently started a new content series but none of the videos have gone viral yet. How long do I keep going before giving up and trying something else? -Jenni

Hey Jenni,

Here are two things you should look at when figuring out whether you should keep going with your series. First, if you haven't already, you should show your content to people you know and ask whether they ‘get’ it without you having to explain it. Sometimes, we can be so in the weeds with our storylines that we overcook them.

The second thing you should do is look at your engagement levels. You might have high retention and decent views, but the app just isn't pushing your videos that much. This might mean the algorithm hasn't yet caught on to the fact that this is good content and it should push it to more people. In this case, it might mean you don't have a video that goes off until you've done several in the series.

If you look at both of these things and people don't get your content and your engagement isn't good, then it's probably time to start making some tweaks to your idea. That doesn't mean throw everything out. But try simplifying it, then keep on adapting based on your analytics until you figure out what works.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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