The Marketer’s Storybook: A Week Of Wacky Jobs, Beer Face Rollers and Bringing Back The Harlem Shake
Thank you to everyone who reached out to help with my YouTube issue! While it’s not completely resolved, I’m working with an excellent rep, and things are moving in the right direction.
This past week, I’ve been putting the final touches on my TechChill keynote speech, Storytelling in a Crisis. If your company or conference is interested in having me as a speaker for a storytelling talks or workshop, please reach out – I’d love to connect.
In London, I attended art exhibitions at The London Art Fair and the Moco Museum, which was such a creative recharge. This week’s image below is from the Moco! I’ve always been fascinated by the stories and inspiration behind artists’ work.
This week’s newsletter is packed with weird, wonderful and timely marketing stories – from AI-powered search trends to Valentine’s Day sneaker releases and a few quirky brand campaigns that pulled at my marketing heartstrings. Let’s dive in!
This Week’s Marketing Stories
A curated mix of breaking news, insights, and trends, each with actionable takeaways to inspire your brand storytelling.
1) Brands Are Seeing an Influx of Traffic from ChatGPT and Google Gemini
Viv and Joe & Bella are two brands seeing massive spikes in traffic and sales from AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Their secret? Detailed, data-driven content that aligns with AI tools’ focus on context and transparency. Read More
Key Takeaway: Companies need to invest in thorough, contextual content to stand out in AI-powered search results.
2) Burger King Is Hiring a “Whopperologist”
BK is seeking someone to evaluate Whopper quality across Auckland City, New Zealand. This playful campaign promotes quality while grabbing media attention. Read More
Key Takeaway: Creative job listings can build buzz and reinforce product quality messaging. This also makes for a great regional marketing campaign as you could expand this to other countries and even have an annual convention for the Whopperologists to convene and share their beefy, juicy insights.
3) Coors Light Introduces the Chill Face Roller
Combining skincare with beer? Coors Light launched a face roller that uses a chilled beer can to reduce puffiness and boost relaxation. Read More
Key Takeaway: Unexpected product collaborations can drive buzz and consumer curiosity. I like how this campaign appeals to women by tapping into an existing beauty trend of ice rolling your face. It feels a bit out of KFC’s playbook, with the company created limited edition pool floats of the Colonel, a romance novella, sunscreen that smells like fried chicken, and many more. And I’m here for it! Now, I hope this goes without saying, but it’s probably a good idea to wash the can before trying this at home.
4) For Valentine’s Day 2025, Brands Are Releasing Love-Themed Sneaker Collections
From Adidas’ Sambae V-Day to Nike’s rose-patterned Air Force 1, brands are capitalizing on love-themed designs this season. Read more
Key Takeaway: Who knew Valentine’s Day has become a sneaker gifting occasion!? I worked for PUMA back in the day and this wasn’t something I remember from that era. But what I do remember is that seasonal collections based on collabs, timely occasions, and cultural moments can drive sales while giving customers a limited edition drop to collect.
5) How Google Cloud Helped Levi’s Ride the Baggy Jeans Trend
Levi’s leveraged Google Cloud’s data capabilities to identify the resurgence of baggy fits across demographics, influencing marketing and design decisions. Read More
Key Takeaway: I thought this was such an interesting article – and so relatable for many companies with a lot of disconnected data like Levi’s. By bringing it together, Levi’s uncovered an interesting trend to inform impactful marketing strategies.
6) Instagram Hides Search Results for “Democrats” Amid Bug Claims
Meta faced criticism after Instagram blocked hashtag results for “Democrats,” igniting debates over political bias and platform trust. Read More
Key Takeaway: Transparency in addressing platform issues is key to maintaining user trust and brand safety. There was also an issue where Meta users claimed they were forced to follow the new American President and Vice President (without the ability to unfollow), which was also claimed to be a technical issue. Meta has denied this.
7) Kind Snacks Embraces Gen Z’s “Bed Rotting” Trend
Kind Snacks leaned into the TikTok trend of bed rotting—self-care days spent in bed—with giveaways and a curated essentials kit. The hoodie that attaches two people together is quite clever, as are some of the stunt-y activations I am starting to see on the brand’s Instagram account featuring people in the hoodies in beds in random outdoor locations. Read More
Key Takeaway: Does anyone else shudder a bit at the thought of bed rotting? I am clearly too old for this trend! By tapping into viral trends, companies can forge deeper connections with younger audiences. Just make sure the trends you’re trying to tap into are a fit for your brand before embracing a trend for trend’s sake. I also liked the tie in with Bravo’s summer house stars Ciara Miller and Amanda Batula as the reality TV personalities are often filmed laying in “bed rot” while gossiping about their fellow cast-members antics.
8) Nearly 10 Years Later, Tumblr TV Launches to All as a TikTok Alternative
With TikTok’s uncertain future, Tumblr TV has evolved into a video feature aiming to attract creators and users. Read More
Key Takeaway: Wait, Tumblr TV!? I loved Tumblr back in the day as an inspiring visual platform but then it sadly got taken over by adult content. Timing product launches around cultural moments can boost adoption and engagement, but I haven’t been able to explore this one yet. Let me know if you want me to write a blog post reviewing the new Tumblr TV and how the platform has evolved.
9) Sephora’s First-Ever Global Film: “Beauty and Belonging”
Sephora’s new documentary explores beauty through diverse perspectives, aiming to redefine inclusion in the beauty industry. Read More
Watch the full film here:
Key Takeaway: I really enjoyed watching this. It takes a page from Dove’s playbook, but what’s unique about it is that it features Sephora employees and brand founders. This makes the storytelling very authentic and strengthens brand purpose. I found it especially moving to hear the stories of employees who felt like Sephora was a safe space for them to be themselves.
10) Trump Discussing TikTok Purchase with Multiple People, Decision in 30 Days
TikTok’s temporary U.S. comeback is tied to ongoing negotiations over ownership and national security concerns. Read More
Key Takeaway: This is the latest episode. I personally don’t forsee TikTok leaving the United States but I’ll keep my recommendation of diversifying your social platforms to mitigate risk amid regulatory challenges. Invest in your owned channels like websites, blogs, and email.
11) Why IKEA Is Going Viral Despite Being a Decade Late to the Harlem Shake
IKEA embraced nostalgia marketing by reviving past viral trends like the Harlem Shake to promote its loyalty program. Read More
Watch IKEA’s take on the Harlem Shake here:
Key Takeaway: Nostalgia marketing resonates deeply, creating emotional bonds with audiences and reigniting engagement. But let’s be honest – simply tapping a nostalgic trend won’t make you go viral like IKEA. It’s all in how you select the right trend that appeals to your audience and also how you execute it. IKEA’s Harlem Shake execution is really well done – I found myself laughing and smiling while watching it. And clearly I wasn’t the only one!
My Stories
Here’s two great case studies around humorous community management and a weird yet wonderful influencer campaign that led to best-in-class brand storytelling:
- How Ikea Singapore Brings Humor To Community Management https://jessicagioglio.com/ikea-singapore-community/
- Why Lenovo’s Why Weird and Wonderful Global Influencer Campaign Works https://jessicagioglio.com/lenovos-good-weird-project/
And, here are the latest YouTube videos for my travel and lifestyle channel:
Join me over the Christmas holidays in Boston for festive and snowy walks, plus lots of good food:
A hotel review of the new CitizenM in Boston’s Back Bay:
Super Useful Links
🏮 DeepSeek: Everything You Need to Know Right Now Read Azeem Azhar’s detailed breakdown on LinkedIn, covering the meteoric rise of DeepSeek, the Chinese AI firm that’s shaking up the market. From its cost-effective R-1 reasoning model to its open-source accessibility, DeepSeek is making waves with innovations that rival OpenAI at a fraction of the cost. The ramifications are significant—geopolitics, AI adoption rates, and even Nasdaq trends are being impacted. Big Tech, take note.
Key Takeaways:
- Cost Breakthrough: DeepSeek’s R-1 delivers OpenAI-level performance at 10% of the cost.
- Open-Source Innovation: Freely available and designed for modest hardware, R-1 is igniting rapid developer adoption.
- Industry Disruption: Low-cost AI is challenging the dominance of Big Tech and GPU giants like Nvidia.
Unlock More of My Stories
🌍 Website: JessicaGioglio.com Your one-stop shop for all my books, speaking engagements, and blog posts on marketing and storytelling.
📚 Books:
- The Power of Visual Storytelling: Learn how to shape a visual story around your brand using images, videos, GIFs, infographics, and more. Get your copy here.
- The Laws of Brand Storytelling: The definitive guide to using storytelling to win over customers’ hearts, minds, and loyalty. Grab it here.
📱 Social Media:
Let’s connect and keep the conversation going!
Until Next Time
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re here for marketing trends, storytelling inspiration, or both, I’m so grateful to have you along for the ride.
Keep telling the stories that matter, Jessica