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- Your ATTN Please || Saturday, 5 April
Your ATTN Please || Saturday, 5 April
You got some Big Ideas, pal?
…Seriously, do you? Because it feels like everyone’s forgotten what a Big Idea is. What ever happened to sweeping statements like Nike’s “Just Do It” that don’t just encapsulate a brand’s identity, but become part of the zeitgeist for years and decades? The truth is, they haven’t gone away - they’ve evolved. Successful brands today don’t make a splash by spitting out a tagline - they ARE the tagline.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?
Pop Mart’s Labubus pop off, The Switch 2 shakes things up & Yung Lean gets shot by arrows
Pop Mart profit more than doubles thanks to Labubus.
I’m honestly not surprised. Labubu fever has hit my generation like nothing I’ve seen before, going from blind-box collectibles to full-fledged fashion statements. Net income for the Beijing-based toys company rose 188% to 3.1 billion yuan (US$427 million) in 2024 compared to 1.1 billion yuan a year earlier, beating the 2.71 billion yuan analyst estimate. Full-year sales more than doubled to 13 billion yuan.
Labubu is a patented product of Pop Mart, and thanks to the dolls’ popularity, will continue to expand its global footprint with focus on North America and Europe. The brand also said it will be looking to collaborate with artists and brands to promote the “cross-boundary integration of pop culture.” Which I’m assuming means my collection will be getting some cool new friends. RIP my bank account.
Nintendo ups its game.
On Wednesday, the company announced that the Switch 2 will be released on June 5th. I speak for every gamer nerd, myself included, when I say we’ve BEEN WAITING for this moment. This is the longest Nintendo has gone between new console launches, with five to six years being the norm. However, with the Switch, it’s been EIGHT LONG YEARS. Which I assume will be good for sales, considering here is plenty of pent-up demand for the company’s most popular home console ever.
The Switch 2 includes several new features and capabilities such as in-game chat, and a new iteration of the Mario Kart series, whose predecessor game sold more than 67 million units on the original Switch. You will not be catching me outside past June 5th 😊 apologies in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
Yung Lean pushes boundaries with “Babyface Maniacs” music video.
The man, the myth, the legend, the icon is back with a new music video set in Chisinau, Moldova, where the Swedish rapper becomes the target for a huge throng of arrows as he navigates a surreal wasteland. The video is directed by Leo, whom the artist has forged a partnership with since his emergence in the early 2010s, and who has been a significant factor in defining his visual identity.
As always, Lean, real name Jonatan Leandoer Hastad, continues to push artistic boundaries and capture fans with his lyrics and visual storytelling – two key pieces that have made him such a beloved player in the cloud rap scene. Check it out here.
Anyway, that’s all folks!
-Sophie, Writer
DEEP DIVE
What ever happened to the Big Idea?
For decades, the Big Idea was the backbone of advertising.
During university, it was the one thing stressed to us to learn how to do right. The singular, powerful concept that drove campaigns and turned brands into cultural moments. If you could ace this, you were a class act. Destined for greatness in ad-land.
Think: Just Do It, Got Milk?, Think Different.
These are ideas so strong, they've transcended advertising and now exist as everyday language. But somewhere along the way, the Big Idea got reduced to a tagline. The industry became obsessed with short-term performance marketing, hyper-targeted ads, and optimisation. Creativity took a back seat, and in its place, we got a sea of forgettable digital noise.
So, is the Big Idea dead? Not quite. It’s just evolved.
We need to understand that the modern Big Idea isn’t just a singular campaign or tagline —it’s the whole brand itself. Today’s best brands don’t rely on a one-time concept; they craft an ongoing personality that consumers engage with daily. Instead of a single moment, it’s an always-on strategy, a living, breathing entity that shapes culture and conversation in real time.
Case study: Liquid Death
The brand sells much more than canned water. It’s selling a rebellious, anti-corporate, punk-rock attitude. Its Big Idea isn’t a tagline. It’s the entire brand’s personality. From its dark humorous tone to its commitment to sustainability, Liquid Death doesn’t need traditional campaigns. Every piece of content they put out reinforces their brand’s irreverent DNA.
Case study: Nike
Nike’s Just Do It started as a campaign but evolved into an ethos. It’s no longer just a slogan, but a guiding principle for everything Nike does. From athlete partnerships to social justice initiatives, Nike’s personality is one of inspiration, pushing boundaries, and championing movement. Their campaigns are just extensions of that larger identity.
Case study: Duolingo
Everybody knows the brand's chaotic social media presence, fueled by their mascot Duo. This green owl's shenanigans have made the company one of the most followed brands on TikTok. Instead of one big campaign, they’ve built an entire persona that keeps people engaged far beyond their app.
If the old Big Idea was about crafting one iconic campaign, the new Big Idea is about building a brand world—one that consumers can step into and interact with daily.
Here’s how brands can embrace this shift:
Think beyond campaigns. Build a personality that can sustain long-term engagement.
Be consistent but adaptable. Your brand identity should be strong but able to evolve with cultural shifts.
Engage with your audience constantly. The best brands today feel alive because they’re always in conversation with their consumers.
Take risks. Bold, personality-driven brands stand out in a sea of generic marketing.
The Big Idea isn’t dead—it’s bigger than ever.
It’s no longer just a campaign; it’s the glue that holds modern brands together. And in a world where attention is fleeting, brands that embrace this evolution will be the ones that truly last.
-Sophie, Writer
TREND PLUG
Give me your unhinged hacks
Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where traditional advice just won't do.
You need a solution that's obscure. Unheard of. Dare I say, unhinged. And that's exactly what this trend can deliver. Today's trend is simple: Creators are asking their audience for hacks that are anything but conventional. Problems they're trying to solve range from a migraine, creative block, or even getting to sleep. So whatever you need advice on, this trend is an easy way to crowdsource some help.
How you can jump on this trend:
First, think of a situation you want to ask your audience about. Create your OST, which should be along the lines of, "Give me your most unhinged hack for...". Overlay this over footage of you and add this sound.
A few ideas to get you started:
Give me your unhinged advice for pitching an idea to your boss
Give me your most unhinged hack for winning over a difficult client
Give me your unhinged ways to motivate yourself on a Friday afternoon
-Charlotte, Editor
FOR THE GROUP CHAT
😂Yap’s funniest home videos: WILD FAMILY TEXT
❤How wholesome: Young shaggy and Scooby Doo 😭
🎧Soooo tingly: Aesthetic Journal ASMR
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Hokkien Noodle Stir-Fry!
TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST
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ASK THE EDITOR
How much should founders integrate into brands? Can you make yourself too involved with the brand or is that just part of it these days? - Perry
Hey Perry!
Founder-led brands are becoming more and more common, and there's a reason: people want to connect to other people. So weaving your personal brand into your business is a really effective strategy. This may look like sharing your founder's journey on LinkedIn or TikTok/Instagram. Building in public like this is a great way to bring other people along for the ride and get them invested in your success.
You can then have separate brand accounts where members of your team can become other faces associated with your brand. This will help you strike a balance between integrating yourself into your brand while also giving it an identity of its own.
- Charlotte, Editor ♡
Not going viral yet?
We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.
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