Your ATTN Please || Monday, 21 April

Welcome to marketing in 2025, where everyone’s either getting laid off, going viral…

…or building a personal brand in hopes of being laid off and going viral. The vibes? Off. The job market? Worse. You studied for 4 years just to become good at making moodboards and explaining your “why” in a Slack thread. And somehow, Karen from Finance still thinks TikTok is a joke. If you’re feeling like a very tired, slightly feral marketer in a sea of chaos—congrats. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

-Sophie, Writer ♡

DEEP DIVE

A reality check & roadmap for disillusioned Gen Z marketers

It’s 2025 and the vibes are off.

The job descriptions are chaotic and everyone’s wondering whether that $60k degree was just a gateway to unpaid internships and Canva burnout. If you're Gen Z, fresh out of uni with a marketing diploma and a LinkedIn full of “open to work” badges, this one's for you.

If you think the industry kind of feels like a joke right now, you’re not wrong. But it’s also like, not that funny. Surely the job titles are made up. Is everyone lying about KPIs? And somehow, there are 17 layers of approval to post a single Instagram Story.

Add in mass layoffs, corporate greenwashing, and entry-level roles that demand 5 years of experience and mastery of Adobe, Hubspot, Google Ads, TikTok, Excel and astrology? Yeah. No wonder you’re disillusioned.

This is the absurdity of marketing’s current state: where saying the right things matters more than doing the right things.

Where fluff wins over function. Where “brand voice” is sometimes just…vibe with a font. But… you got the degree. So, now what? Well, your degree isn’t useless. But it is incomplete. The real skills that get you hired today? Most of them, unfortunately, are not taught in your overpriced textbook. Here’s how to close the gap:

1. Pick a speciality and go deep. Brands don’t hire “marketers.” They hire email nerds. Growth hackers. Social strategists. SEO goblins. Pick a lane and learn everything about it. If you can prove you drive revenue (not just reach), you’ll never be unemployed for long.

2. Make stuff. Publish it. Share it. Want a job? Start marketing yourself. Build a portfolio. Write mock briefs. Start a newsletter. Post breakdowns of campaigns you love (or hate). Show, don’t tell. Your personal brand will probably get you hired before your resume does.

3. Learn the business of marketing. Understanding CAC, LTV, conversion funnels, margins, and product-market fit makes you so much more valuable than someone who can pick a pretty font. Be the marketer who can talk to finance and creatives. That’s rare—and powerful.

Okay, but then, how do you actually get HIRED in this economy?

You’ve got the skills, now what?

1. Go where the growth is. Not every company is cutting budgets. Look at healthcare, SaaS, AI, fintech, niche DTCs with cult followings. "Boring" industries often have money.

2. Slide into DMs (strategically). Cold emails work, but only when they’re good. Research the person. Compliment their work. Offer value. Don’t ask for a job—ask for 10 minutes to pick their brain (then blow them away.)

3. Say yes to the weird stuff. Small projects. Freelance gigs. Helping a friend’s mom launch her Etsy shop. All of it counts. Every “small” project is a case study waiting to happen. Build proof. Then build leverage.

Your degree was the start – not the whole strategy.

You’re not crazy for feeling disillusioned. This industry is messy. But it’s also fun, fast-moving, creative, and full of potential for people who are scrappy, curious, and committed to doing work that actually matters. You don’t need a perfect job. You need a foot in the door, a brain that never stops learning, and a little bit of internet delusion. Good luck, mwah x

-Sophie, Writer

DEEP DIVE

Is the paperback dead?

Not a chance.

Every few years, someone tries to declare the paperback dead. And yet, my local bookstore is still packed. And I may or may not have just spent $100 on books I’ll likely never read but will look f*cking fantastic on my coffee table.

The truth is, while e-books and audiobooks have changed how we consume stories, the paperback isn’t going anywhere. It’s just evolving—because some things can’t be replaced by technology. And yes, I will die on this hill.

Paperbacks are all about the smell, the feel, the ritual.

You can’t dog-ear a Kindle. You can’t crack the spine of an audiobook. And no one has ever inhaled the scent of a freshly downloaded PDF and sighed in contentment (I don’t think). Paperbacks are an experience, not just a medium.

There’s a reason why indie bookstores and secondhand bookshops are still thriving. People love the tangible, tactile ritual of reading. It’s about more than mere words. It’s the weight of the book in your hands, the satisfaction of flipping pages, and the quiet defiance of unplugging in a hyper-digital world.

Books are a status symbol (even if you never read them).

Not to call anyone (or myself) out, but let’s be real, some books exist purely for aesthetic reasons. A well-styled bookshelf is truly the ultimate home decor flex. Extra points if you’ve buried yourself into each and every one, of course. Hardcover classics, oversized coffee table books, and curated “intellectual” collections signal taste, personality, and (sometimes) a level of pretentiousness we all secretly admire. Meanwhile, a Kindle is just… a Kindle. No personality. No vibe. Yas queen, give us nothingggg.

Digital may be convenient, but it’s just not the same.

Sure, e-books are great for travel. Audiobooks make multitasking easier. But do they replace the real thing? Not at all. Studies show that people absorb and retain information better when reading physical books compared to screens. Actually, it’s said that retention is up to six times better. There’s also the attention span factor—on a Kindle or phone, notifications are just a swipe away. A paperback asks for your full attention and, in return, offers a kind of mental immersion that digital media struggles to replicate.

Despite being the “digital generation,” Gen Z has embraced physical media in unexpected ways—vinyl records, film cameras, and yes, paperbacks.

Maybe it’s rebellion against screen fatigue. Or maybe they just know that books look better in a #shelfie (sorry). Either way, younger readers are helping keep bookstores alive, proving that paperbacks still have cultural currency.

The paperback isn’t dead. It’s just becoming more than a reading tool. It’s a comfort object, a design element, a piece of nostalgia that technology can’t quite replicate. So, while e-books and audiobooks have their place, there will always be a demand for physical books—whether we read them or just use them to make ourselves look smarter.

Long live the paperback.

-Sophie, Writer

TREND PLUG

Think twice? I didn’t even think once. 

TikTok’s latest trend is for the chronically impulsive (aka all of us).

The soundbite comes from a chaotic little clip where someone says: “They always say you should thinks twice… I, I didn’t even think once.” And honestly? That’s my whole life summed up. TikTok has adopted this as the soundtrack for unhinged decisions and zero-regret delusions. Whether it’s buying a $90 candle, getting bangs, or DMing your situationship just to see what happens, this audio is the anthem for doing it anyway. Some of my fave examples:

• Crashing out over Marvel hotties

• Making the wrong move in Jenga

• Me at 4am choosing to read another fanfic instead of sleep.

How you can jump on this trend:

This trend is for brands (and people) who embrace the messy. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a hunch, a vibe, and a willingness to say “screw it” for the plot. Use this sound and create on-screen text telling your audience your smooth-brain moment. Bonus points for dramatic zooms or deadpan delivery.

A few ideas to get you started:

• Accepting that internship that only paid in “contra”

• When you opened 42 tabs, created a Notion board, and still missed your deadline

• Giving the medium ugly guy a chance only for him to turn out worse than the others

-Sophie, Writer

FOR THE GROUP CHAT

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: visual representation of my week
❤How wholesome: BearCore
😊Soooo satisfying: Carpet cleaning!
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

ASK THE EDITOR

How should I choose which Trend Plugs I should do for my brand? - Liam

Hey Liam!

This totally depends on your brand and how you want to show up on social media. I don't suggest doing trends just for the sake of it. If it doesn't fit with your brand, it will come across as inauthentic.

The best way to use these trends is to customise them to fit your brand and audience. So if one of the ideas we've given works really well, that's great! But the examples are more to get you thinking about how you could apply it to your business. The important thing is to only use trends when they make sense for your content strategy.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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