Your ATTN Please | Wednesday, 3 September

Your audience is made up of zombies.

Their wandering eyeballs mindlessly watching, scanning, reading. Fingers scrolling, swiping, and (if you’re lucky), tapping “buy now.” Or that’s how we seem to think of them, at least. We track demos and behaviour, but we forget there are actual human beings on the other end of those data points. And we forget what they do is influenced by their emotional state. But once we tap into the power of building mood, we can move with their current state rather than trying to interrupt it.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?

Anon group funds influencers, Artist “revamps” McDonald’s ads & ChatGPT intros parental controls

Wait, high-profile democratic influencers are being secretly funded by a dark money group???

Turns out the “influencer economy” isn’t just about skincare codes and Stanley cups. WIRED dug into a secretive program where a dark-money giant, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, funnels cash into a nonprofit called Chorus, which then pays left-leaning influencers up to $8K a month. There's just one catch: mum’s the word on who’s bankrolling it.

Over 90 creators, reaching 40 million people, have signed on. The whole thing reads less like grassroots activism and more like some fkd up, hush-hush brand deal for democracy. Critics are calling it shady. And that’s because it is.

Anonymous graffiti artist pushes back against consumerism by vandalising McDonald’s posters.

Now here’s some activism I can get behind. The anonymous graffiti artist was interviewed by The Drum about their mission to challenge consumerism and push back against the noise, brands and corporations that crowd our daily lives.

“Honestly, I was just walking to the shops one day. Back then, it wasn’t even the bus stops. It was this huge billboard on the side of a building. And I just thought, I’m sick of seeing all this McDonald’s and gambling crap everywhere.

“So, I went home, grabbed a pen, came back and scribbled something on it. That was it. But then it snowballed. Someone saw it and said, ‘Have you seen what someone’s done to the McDonald’s ad?’ And they were properly laughing about it. So, I thought, ‘Alright… I’ll do that again.’" And again they did.

“I’m a big fan of direct action. I don’t want to advocate any kind of violence or crime as such, but I do I feel this is a fair way to get at corporations. They can afford to lose a couple of places at some bus stops. I don’t imagine the shareholders are going to be crying into their champagne.”

They describe their upbringing by hippie parents who “have never really gone along with authority. Not lawbreakers, as such, but people who are just a bit ‘two fingers up to that.” Go figure.

Another teen just took their own life after consulting with ChatGPT.

16-year-old Adam Raine killed himself after what his family is calling “months of encouragement from ChatGPT.”

Open AI will now be introducing parental controls and is considering additional safeguards, such as setting an emergency contact who can be reached with “one-click messages or calls” within ChatGPT, or an opt in feature that allows GPT to reach out itself. These cases are becoming all too common. And the solutions are far too reactive, without any proactivity imo. My heart goes out to these kids and their families. I pray that better systems are put in place before we lose any more.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

DEEP DIVE

From eyeballs to goosebumps: marketing in the age of emotional context

For too long, marketers have acted like human beings are nothing but spreadsheets with eyeballs.

Mapping demographics, stalking behaviours like Joe Goldberg in an episode of You, then patting ourselves on the back for targeting precision.

Content merely became information delivery. Ads became data points. And then it was all “wait, why does no one care anymore?” Well, silly, that’s because people don’t buy because of information. Information is not what moves people. Emotion is.

We are entering a new era where the question isn’t just who’s watching? It's how are they feeling when they see this?

Call it mood-based media, or even feeling-first advertising, but what it really is, is a refusal to treat people as passive audiences. It's the recognition that the mood, tone, and affect of the content surrounding an ad deeply shapes how that ad is received.

Someone watching a crime drama, skin buzzing with suspense, literally on the edge of a panic attack, is not the same human being as someone curled up in a cosy YouTube vlog haze. So, why would we speak to them as if they are?

The context isn’t just genre; it’s emotional priming.

The irony here? Emotion has always been advertising’s oldest lever. That’s how it all began, with a feeling. Emotion. This-soap-makes-you-feel-this-clean-and-godlike type beat.

From the tear-jerker Christmas commercials to the adrenaline-charged Nike spots, the best campaigns have never been made to inform. They were made to be felt.

What’s new is that, for the first time, we can begin to measure and optimise for emotional context at scale. AI sentiment analysis, biometric feedback, streaming data, all tools that point to a frontier where brands don’t just target by category, but by state of mind.

If you want to play in this new era, forget blunt-force targeting. Build with mood.

But how do you actually do that?? Think less like a media planner and more like a composer, drawing on a palette of emotional states:

1. Curiosity / wonder 

Context: tutorials, explainers, science TikToks.

Brand play: tease the unknown, frame your product as the “next step” in discovery.

Style: open loops, cliffhangers, big reveals.

2. Tension / suspense 

Context: crime dramas, horror, heated debates.

Brand play: either be the release valve or double down on the drama.

Style: sharp pacing, contrasts, problem/solution arcs.

3. Joy / excitement 

Context: comedy, sports highlights, viral challenges.

Brand play: mirror the fun, amplify the high.

Style: fast cuts, celebratory tone, humour.

4. Calm / comfort 

Context: ASMR, wellness, cozy vlogs.

Brand play: position as soothing, safe, reliable.

Style: slower pacing, soft tones, gentle language.

5. Inspiration / aspiration 

Context: fitness reels, motivational talks, transformations.

Brand play: align with growth and human potential.

Style: uplifting arcs, before/after storytelling, empowering calls to action.

6. Nostalgia / melancholy 

Context: retro playlists, memory-sharing, old-school aesthetics.

Brand play: tap into heritage, comfort, continuity.

Style: warm tones, vintage callbacks, slower pacing.

7. Outrage / righteous anger 

Context: activism TikToks, political commentary.

Brand play: tread carefully—align authentically or offer a solution.

Style: bold, urgent, rallying cry energy.

8. Awe / transcendence 

Context: nature docs, space content, live performances.

Brand play: evoke scale, vision, possibility.

Style: cinematic visuals, soaring language, grandeur.

The next great campaigns of the world won’t come from brands that outspend or out-target.

They’ll come from brands that can read the room. Who can sense the emotional current of a moment and ride it without breaking the spell. It’s not just what people are watching, but how they’re feeling while they watch it, and then knowing how to slip your brand message seamlessly into that emotional current.

If your brand can’t do that, it won’t matter how many impressions you bought. You’ll just be another interruption in someone’s feed. And we are so done with interruptions, babe.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

TREND PLUG

I think I like you better…

The audio blowing up right now comes from Reneé Rapp’s track where she sings: “I think I like you better when you’re across the f*cking country.”

It’s sassy, petty, and perfect for calling out those people, habits, or situations you only like when they’re far away from you.

Creators are using the line as a clapback moment, pairing it with on-screen text about relationships, friendships, or annoying everyday scenarios. Most videos set up the thing they can’t stand up close, then drop the line as the punchline. Examples:

• “Me when me and my man are fighting over where to eat.”

• “When dating long distance comes in clutch after the break up.”

These are only here because they're funny, NOT because they’re relatable...

How you can jump on this trend:

Use the sound with text on screen describing a situation where something or someone is tolerable at a distance but unbearable up close. Keep it playful, snarky, or dramatic.

A few ideas to get you started:

• That client feedback email that starts with "love it, but…"

• Brainstorm sessions that should’ve been an email

• The person in the office who microwaves fish

- abdel khalil, brand & marketing executive

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😲WTF: Man builds town for his pets 🤯 
❤How wholesome: This girl loves her grandad
😊Soooo satisfying: bArt Simpson
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Creamy garlic butter + tomato pasta

ASK THE EDITOR

I know I should be posting content about my new jewellery brand but I can never bring myself to make content. What should I do? - Ella

Hey Ella!

This is such a common thing that holds so many people back from posting content. And I hate to say it, but you just have to get over yourself and do it anyway. It may help to remember that no one is sitting there waiting for you to post. And you’re never going to learn how to make good content if you’re standing still. So just do something (anything) to get the momentum going, then whatever you do, don’t stop!

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

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