Happy Sunday!

What better time to step away from the chaos for a bit to catch up on everything you’ve missed in marketing recently?

Here are our fav articles from the last week…

Yes, marketers are actually using your phone to listen to you
tl;dr - A major marketing firm has been caught using 'Active Listening' software to monitor smartphone conversations for targeted ads, confirming long-held suspicions. Other tech brands like Microsoft have also faced backlash over concerns around consumer data…[Read more]

How Selena Gomez's personal brand made her a billionaire
tl;dr - Selena Gomez has just become a billionaire, largely through the success of Rare Beauty. However, it’s her authentic personal brand that has attracted an audience of fans who love and support everything Selena does…[Read more]

Are 'sustainable' products as green as they claim to be?
tl;dr - While products boast labels like ‘sustainably sourced’ or ‘made from recycled plastic,’ many of these claims can’t actually be proven. As consumers demand transparency, marketers must prioritise honesty to maintain trust in their brand…[Read more]

Gen Z is fuelling a Halloween spending frenzy
tl;dr - Halloween’s more popular than ever, with holiday sales reaching $12.2B in 2023. Gen Z has become obsessed with Halloween, making it a trending topic on social media each year. Brands can capitalise on the excitement by tapping into these trends, especially on TikTok and Instagram…[Read more]

'Thursday' takes the stigma out of dating apps
tl;dr - Dating apps are seeing users leave them in droves as many experience ‘dating fatigue’—swiping endlessly with little to show for it. Thursday, a dating app that only works one day a week, gives users a sense of urgency to act on their matches or risk having to wait until the next Thursday…[Read more]

Zalando's new campaign has some of the biggest stars asking "What Do I Wear?"
tl;dr - Zalando taps into the universal struggle of picking what to wear, with the help of fashion icons Lukas Abbot and Willem Dafoe. The new campaign acts as an extension of a repositioning for the brand - after 15 years in the fashion game…[Read more]