Engagement Rate Edition 08
Katy Perry traveled to space in 11 minutes. Wendy’s says “send her back”.
What’s trending:
Tariff Workarounds | Thanks to TikTok, consumers have figured out how to pull an uno reverse on Donald Trump's imposed tariffs by going directly to the manufacturers of their favorite brands. Chinese manufacturers are flooding the feed showing how many luxury brands are produced from their factories, shipped to Europe, exponentially marked up, and then sold to shoppers worldwide. TikTokers have started to share manufacturing lists to aid in sourcing certain items.
Kardashian Crumbl Review | In other important world news, the Kardashian-Jenner Crumbl cookie reviews had social buzzing this week. Khloè's Cookies and Cream Skillet Cookie and Kendall's Cookie Dough Cupcake Cookie (these are real names) garnered the most positive reactions. Pour one out for Kourtney's Flourless Chocolate Cake. The sweet treat was put through the Internet gauntlet: example A, B and C. Sorry, Kourt.
Asked ChatGPT | ChatGPT and its oddly curious prompts are back yet again. The flavor of the week? "I asked ChatGPT to turn my pet into a human." A great use of resources, honestly. The results ranged from cute to weird to something we maybe didn’t need to see but will be with us forever.
Minecraft in Theaters | Movie theater employees are still recovering after Minecraft’s opening weekend. Minecraft enthusiasts flooded movie theaters but they did more than just watch the premiere. During a scene in the film where we see the “chicken jockey,” fans rejoiced by screaming, throwing popcorn and drinks, bringing a live chicken, and filming it all for social.
Platform updates:
TikTok adds more ad placement controls, new guide to brand safety tools (Social Media Today)
BeReal brings ads to US after a successful launch in Japan and Europe (eMarketer)
LinkedIn launches new mini-site of posting tips (Social Media Today)
Instagram tests “lockable” posts to enhance engagement (Social Media Today)
X announces NBA Portal to encourage sports engagement (Social Media Today)
Instagram launches monthly performance recap in-app (Social Media Today)
Brands, collabs + product launches:
Rhode x 818: At Coachella, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner came together for a dreamy desert celebration, blending beauty and spirits in a vintage-inspired 1970s setting of the 818 Outpost. Rhode ran a photo booth experience, offering branded coins for snapshots and complimentary lip tints, while 818 Tequila served signature cocktails amid a star-studded guest list.
Barbie x Lebron: LeBron is stepping into the spotlight as Barbie’s latest "Kenbassador". The partnership celebrates confidence, self-expression, and dreaming big, featuring a special edition doll that reflects LeBron’s influence on and off the court.
Westin x Goop: Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop has launched “Sleep Training for Grown-Ups,” in partnership with Westin Hotels. This free, three-part video series is aimed at helping adults improve their sleep quality, particularly while traveling.
Things we’re resharing:
Things that have missed the mark:
Blue Origin Space Flight: On Monday April 14, Jeff Bezos’ space tourism company, Blue Origin, blasted off with the first all-female flight crew aboard. The crew consisted of six women: aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe; civil rights entrepreneur Amanda Nguyen; Bezos’ partner Lauren Sánchez; singer Katy Perry; journalist Gayle King; and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
The flight was touted as a triumph of feminism, a win for science, and a celebration of human curiosity. However, it’s been met with serious backlash on social media from individuals, celebrities, and journalists, alike. Many have called out the cost of the trip (both environmentally and fiscally), along with the hypocrisy in celebrating this flight as a win for feminism, particularly when this interview including a quote by Perry wishing she could bring her glam team to the 11-minute trip to space was published by Elle.
Even brands have jumped in on the criticism of the flight, with Wendy’s replying to a tweet about Perry with: “Can we send her back”. Frosty!
Content in Culture:
Gen Z is shifting their consumer habits based on values (Ad Age-Harris Poll)
40% of Gen Z adults have stopped using or purchasing from a brand because its DEI approach contradicted or reversed previous efforts (eMarketer)
56% of adult Gen Z respondents are more likely to purchase from a brand that prioritizes social issues like same-sex marriage and reproductive rights.
76% of Gen Z respondents agree that a company’s openness to its DEI commitments is more important now than in the past
AI-generated action figures were all over social media. Then, artists took over with hand-drawn versions (NBC News)
Artificial intelligence-generated action figures (dubbed a “starter pack” for a specific person) permeated social media feeds last week as people fed images of themselves to ChatGPT and asked it to package them and their tailored accessories into miniature toys.
Very quickly in response, artists began circulating their own hand-drawn versions of the trend, shared on various social media platforms under the hashtag #StarterPackNoAI, to counter the wave of AI-produced content.
Guest spotlight: Jordan Schwenderman
What's an example of something cool you saw in your industry/discipline recently?
As everyone from fashion bloggers to veteran journalists are looking to monetize their work and personal brands, Substack is going through another renaissance of newsletters, blog posts and think pieces from creators and writers of all kinds. Originally launched in 2020, Substack has once again become the hot platform for influencers, reporters and your online mutuals to share their thoughts with a free or paywalled newsletter. Some argue that Substack is becoming oversaturated, while others think that the platform is here to stay as an alternative source for news and culture. (But don't worry, this is not a plug to get you all to subscribe to my Substack.)
Are there any trends or bigger strategic ideas you're seeing this week?
The public competitor to X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, held a conference last month focused on using its open-source AT Protocol (ATProto) data to build an ecosystem of new apps. In stark contrast to the model of Big Tech companies like Meta and Google, Bluesky and other companies are hoping to decentralize and democratize the digital and social spaces. With the still-looming TikTok ban and recent boycotts of Meta and X, will there be a growing interest in apps that are designed to work together in an open, user-focused "social media web"? Check out ATProto alternatives to your favorite doom-scrolling platforms.
Who is your favorite brand or handle to follow?
As a typical Gen-Zer, I get a lot of my news from social media. @them is my go-to for national and trending news, @phillyinquirer is (of course) my local media handle of choice, and @todayingaypod is a great source of feel-good news stories and features!
What’s Happening on CL Socials: