The Marketer’s Storybook: Outrage Marketing, Sleep-Talk Ads & Sydney Sweeney’s Great Genes
From brain-rot memes to Coldplay kiss cam scandals, this week’s edition is bursting with creative storytelling, bold brand risks, and cultural heat. We’ve got IKEA turning sleep-talk into ads, TIME’s 100 most powerful creators, Sydney Sweeney sparking Wall Street debate, and Škoda reclaiming phallic Tour de France graffiti. You’ll laugh, you’ll debate – and hopefully you’ll also get inspired.
This Week’s Lineup:
- Astronomer’s Gwyneth Paltrow video offers a crisis playbook for CEOs
- Amtrak rides Gen Z relevance with chaotic memes
- CeraVe eliminates red tape and wins Gen Z
- Geico personalizes at scale with 8 campaigns
- American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney ads stir outrage—and growth
- TIME names the 100 most powerful creators
- IKEA’s most honest mattress reviews come from sleep-talkers
- OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a shopping engine
- Škoda hijacks Tour de France graffiti to champion women
- YouTube cracks down on AI slop and mass content
Quick heads-up: I’m currently in the market for my next great full-time role. I’d love intros to standout recruiters, marketing leaders, or companies I should be speaking with. In the meantime, I’m also open to select freelance and fractional projects, as well as paid keynotes and brand storytelling workshops. Thanks so much for any connections or recommendations you can share!
This Week’s Marketing Stories
A curated mix of breaking news, insights, and trends, each with actionable takeaways to inspire your marketing and brand storytelling.
1. Astronomer’s Gwyneth Paltrow Video Offers a Crisis Playbook for CEOs
After two married executives were filmed kissing at a Coldplay concert, data company Astronomer found itself at the center of an internet-fueled scandal most B2B brands never see coming. Instead of issuing a dry statement, the company partnered with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort agency and enlisted Gwyneth Paltrow to star in a sharp, satirical video. The response? Divided. Some praised the self-aware humor and bold narrative redirect, while others questioned the appropriateness of a lighthearted approach to a serious workplace misconduct issue.
Key Takeaway: In today’s media environment, the brands that win during crises are the ones that move fast, read the cultural tone, and reshape the narrative with intention. While Astronomer’s response was slightly delayed, allowing the scandal to spiral. The Gwyneth video ultimately froze the media frenzy and reframed the story on Astronomer’s terms.
But let’s be real: a scandal of this magnitude involving the CEO and HR head is indefensible. That said, the business must go on. The video generated unprecedented awareness for Astronomer and offered a chance to pivot the attention toward what the company actually does. Will it translate into leads and sales? Possibly – if the new leadership can rebuild trust, especially among more conservative buyers.
If I were advising Astronomer, I wouldn’t stop at one bold move. I’d use this moment to establish a new, creatively confident marketing tone as a strategic differentiator. Gwyneth doesn’t need to be a one-off. She could be a recurring voice in a refreshed brand playbook that signals a clean slate. Behind the scenes, though, Astronomer must stay in crisis-preparedness mode. A follow-up lawsuit or resurfaced details could reignite the backlash and they’ll need to be ready. Read more
2. Amtrak’s ‘Brain-Rot’ Strategy Breaks Through the Scroll
Amtrak is ditching legacy-brand stiffness in favor of absurdist humor, nostalgia, and “chaotic” content to woo Gen Z and Gen Alpha riders. The viral monster-truck-style reel that earned over 500,000 likes is just one example of how the national rail service is blending entertainment and information to stand out. With a lean team and the help of agency Little Buddy, Amtrak is leaning into TikTok-native language, sounds, and trends while still promoting its upgrades and new trains. The result? 60,000 new followers in a week, higher engagement across older content, and signs of shifting brand perception. But there’s a line: not every trend makes the cut, and brand-fit still matters.
Key Takeaway: Even legacy brands in regulated, slow-moving industries can drive relevance through social-led experimentation. But success requires consistency, trend fluency, and a clear line between clever and off-brand. Read more.
3. CeraVe’s Secret? Trusting Creators and Killing Red Tape
At 20 years old, CeraVe has more than doubled its business in the last decade and become a Gen Z favorite with 1B+ TikTok views and $1B in sales. How? By giving up control. The skincare brand’s “earned-first” model starts with fans already using the product and then handed them the mic with minimal interference. Influencers get the message and the product, but not a script. Behind the scenes, a nimble internal team and social “vibe-checkers” ensure content aligns with science and tone. Add humor (like Michael Cera as the face of “CeraVe”), speed, and creative trust, and you’ve got a playbook for modern brand-building.
Key Takeaway: Letting go of creative control can feel risky, but it’s the only way to move at the speed of culture. CeraVe’s success shows that trust, flexibility, and strategic guardrails beat rigid campaigns every time. Read more.
4. Geico Launches 8 Campaigns for 7 Products – Without Losing Its Voice
Geico just dropped its biggest creative effort ever: 60 video ads, 54 social spots, 50 audio placements, and 600+ assets across eight distinct campaigns. Each campaign is tailored to one of seven insurance offerings—auto, home, boat, motorcycle, RV, renters, and commercial auto—while still leaning into Geico’s hallmark humor and customer-first tone. From “Land You vs. Boat You” to “Subconscious News,” the work swaps mascot-led storytelling for hyper-relevant, insight-led scenarios that reflect the real-life identities and worries of different customer segments.
Key Takeaway: Geico proves that scale doesn’t have to mean sameness. By swapping one-size-fits-all messaging for market-specific narratives rooted in humor and real-life tension, the brand extends its relevance without diluting its voice. Read more.
5. American Eagle Courts Controversy—and Share Price Gains—with Sydney Sweeney Ads
American Eagle’s new denim campaign starring Sydney Sweeney set out to sell jeans but instead ignited a firestorm. The campaign’s central pun, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes/jeans,” was blasted by critics as tone-deaf and racially insensitive in today’s political climate. Though American Eagle claimed the wordplay was innocent, the visual cues—blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bare midriff—sparked accusations of eugenics-adjacent messaging. Still, the controversy boosted the brand’s stock price by 18%, and independent polling cited by the company claims 70% of viewers found the ad appealing. Despite TikTok takedowns and scathing think pieces, many consumers simply saw a celebrity in great denim.
Key Takeaway: Controversial campaigns don’t live in a vacuum, they live in a data ecosystem. American Eagle’s swift internal polling revealed broad appeal for the ad, reminding us that social media backlash is not always reflective of real-world sentiment. Smart marketers don’t just read headlines, they read the room and the data. In moments like this, it’s critical to combine social listening, sentiment analysis, and polling to take the full temperature of consumer response. Use that insight to decode the dominant themes, both positive and negative, and respond with strategy, not just spin.
If your brand finds itself in the eye of a cultural storm, don’t panic post or pivot blindly. Audit the response, identify your key audiences, and understand whether the controversy is fleeting noise or a deeper brand risk. The goal isn’t to appease everyone – it’s to make informed, values-aligned decisions that build long-term brand equity. Read more.
6. TIME100 Creators Reflect On A New Era Of Influence & Pressures That Come With It
With the launch of its inaugural TIME100 Creators list, TIME acknowledges what every brand marketer already knows: creators are no longer an extension of marketing—they are marketing. This global list honors the new gatekeepers of influence: individuals like Kai Cenat, Alix Earle, and Sean Evans who command deep audience loyalty across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Substack. TIME’s selection criteria focused on creators who built their success natively online, rather than migrating from traditional media. They evaluated reach, resonance, and business impact, with help from creator marketplace.
But influence isn’t always easy to wield. Many creators on the list admitted to feeling intense pressure, anxiety, and fear about saying the wrong thing in real time. Cenat, for instance, opens up about his anxiety despite his massive success. This emotional undercurrent isn’t just personal—it’s strategic. The volatility of influence today means creators, brands, and media companies alike must navigate a cultural climate where affinity can collapse in a day, and narrative control is everything.
Key Takeaway: The 2025 TIME100 Creators list is a clear signal: creators are defining culture and commerce, but they’re also navigating unprecedented reputational risk. For brands, this is a masterclass in influence strategy. The most effective brand partnerships now hinge on aligning with creators who don’t just have scale, but substance, credibility, and the emotional intelligence to weather high-stakes visibility. Marketers must vet for resilience as much as reach—and invest in storytelling strategies that support long-term trust, not just momentary virality. Read more.
7. IKEA Taps Sleep-Talkers for the Most Honest Mattress Reviews Yet
IKEA Canada just ditched scripted testimonials in favor of subconscious blurts – literally. In its new Sleep Talk Reviews campaign, the brand recorded sleep-talkers muttering mid-dream while lying on IKEA’s ÅKREHAMN and VÅGSTRANDA mattresses. Over 90 hours of footage from hidden mics and cameras captured surreal utterances like “Wheresh de bungee,” now turned into a quirky suite of audio, social, and OOH ads. The campaign was developed with agency Rethink to spotlight the mattresses’ comfort in a way no influencer ever could: unconsciously.
By turning jibberish into marketing, IKEA gets weird, warm, and wildly authentic, right as trust in traditional reviews hits new lows. The dreamy snippets are now live across Spotify, radio, and street-level billboards in Toronto, offering a refreshingly unfiltered contrast to polished brand content. It’s a clever fusion of product truth and brand storytelling that feels inherently human.
Key Takeaway: IKEA’s campaign is a lesson in emotional brand building through sensory storytelling. In an age when reviews can feel gamed and influencer fatigue is real, using subconscious behavior as social proof is both disarming and disarming. Smart marketers should ask: What organic signals already exist around your product experience and how might you reframe them as brand storytelling gold? Read more.
8. OpenAI Moves Into Ecommerce And Could Disrupt Google’s Ad Model Along the Way
OpenAI is testing a new ecommerce checkout system within ChatGPT that will let users complete purchases directly inside the platform. Merchants fulfilling these orders would pay OpenAI a commission, introducing a new revenue stream, especially from users of the free version. The shift signals a major move toward monetizing product discovery within AI conversations and follows its April partnership with Shopify, which provides checkout tech behind TikTok Shop.
This opens up fresh territory and risks. With AI already reshaping search behavior, in-chat transactions could pose a serious challenge to Google’s ad dominance. The move also brings up thorny questions around AI discoverability, as agencies and brands begin optimizing for “AIO” (AI Optimization) to influence chatbot search results. So far, OpenAI insists placements won’t be pay-to-play, but brands are closely watching how this develops, especially as OpenAI sharpens ChatGPT’s memory and personalization capabilities.
Key Takeaway: In-chat commerce could redefine how consumers discover and buy products. CMOs need to prepare for a world where your product isn’t found through a browser, but through a bot. Start experimenting now with how your brand shows up in AI discovery moments, and don’t wait for affiliate models to go mainstream – test and learn where AI-driven commerce can enhance your funnel. Read more.
9. Škoda Turns Tour de France Penis Graffiti Into a Bold Feminist Campaign
Škoda just pulled off one of the most unexpected brand activations of the year. With the Tour de France 2025 underway, the automaker’s 221st support vehicle isn’t delivering snacks – it’s delivering street art. Partnering with female illustrators Celine Dormeau and Erin Aniker, Škoda is transforming the Tour’s infamous penis graffiti into colorful, feminist murals to promote the upcoming Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The clever #WatchTheFemmes campaign flips juvenile vandalism into a powerful visual reminder to give the women’s race equal attention.
Rather than painting over the phallic outlines, Škoda’s creative agency FCB London embraced them, working with artists to reframe the visuals in ways that celebrate cycling and reclaim the space. It’s an activation that mixes humor, social commentary, and logistical savvy (courtesy of Global Street Art) with purpose-driven storytelling.
Key Takeaway: This is street-level brand storytelling at its sharpest. Škoda took something crude and culturally embedded and reimagined it as a campaign with edge, wit, and purpose. The lesson? Don’t look away from chaos. If it aligns with your values and purpose, look again and reframe it. That’s where the magic (and earned media) lives. Read more.
10. YouTube Tightens Monetization Rules as AI ‘Slop’ Floods the Platform
In response to a rising tide of AI-generated junk content, YouTube is updating its Partner Program monetization rules to crack down on mass-produced, repetitive, and inauthentic videos. The move, rolling out July 15, is aimed squarely at “AI slop,” aka content created via generative tools with minimal human input, like voiceovers slapped on stock images or deepfaked news stories. While YouTube says the update merely clarifies existing rules, the real story is that it’s drawing a harder line against algorithmically generated spam now flooding the platform.
Creators expressed concern that the update might hurt legitimate formats like reaction videos or clips-based commentary, but YouTube’s liaison Rene Ritchie insists those aren’t the target. Still, with AI tools lowering the barrier to entry, channels publishing AI-generated content are drawing millions of views. They’re also raising serious concerns about misinformation, user trust, and YouTube’s long-term value as a content platform.
Key Takeaway: This is a reputational pivot as much as a policy update. As AI makes content creation cheaper and faster, platforms like YouTube must balance scale with authenticity or risk becoming digital landfill. For marketers, the message is clear: Quality, originality, and human creativity still win. If your content feels mass-produced, it may be next on the chopping block. Read more.
My Stories
15 Big Ideas for CMOs from SXSW London
If you missed SXSW London this year, don’t worry! I was there, notebook (and keynote) in hand. From AI-fueled creativity to quantum culture, the BBC’s brand reinvention, and Tony’s Chocolonely’s neuromarketing strategy, the big idea was clear: marketers who blend cultural intelligence with creative bravery and operational sharpness will win. I also attended the invite-only Brand Innovators event, which quietly hosted some of the smartest sessions of the week. Read the full list
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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