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- Your ATTN Please || Thursday, 10 April
Your ATTN Please || Thursday, 10 April
Trump called it “Liberation Day.” Wall Street called it “$2 trillion gone in a day.”
On April 2, the president delivered on his long-promised threat: sweeping tariffs across a wide range of U.S. trading partners. The stock market shed over $2 trillion overnight. And if you listened closely, you could hear the distant scream of marketing budgets being slashed in real time. But fear not, because your tariff survival guide is here.
-Sophie, Writer
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARKETING TODAY?
Beef tallow shortages loom, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders delayed & Bieber teases new fashion line
MAHA’ supporters want to replace seed oils with beef tallow.
The issue? There’s simply not enough. Unless you live under a rock, you would have noticed beef tallow having its moment over the last year and half. Tallow was once a staple in American food culture (even the chips at McDonalds were fried in the rendered beef fat until 1990). However, its popularity declined when dieticians began promoting low-fat diets and plant and seed oils over animal fats. Until now.
Championing the comeback is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who lowered a raw Thanksgiving turkey into of bubbling pot of beef tallow in a video posted to social media last November. “This is how we cook the MAHA way,” he says during the video.
However, this has agriculturists wary. Besides palm oil, there’s no alternative to seed oils that could possibly have the size and scale to meet global consumer demand. And they're cautioning that a mass switch away from seed oils isn’t feasible. They say the movement from seed oils isn’t supported by science and their products derived from soybean and canola crops are, in fact, healthy. But boys will be boys and the mansophere will keep doing, you know whatever their fearful leaders tell them to. Just don’t be surprised when we hear the words "global shortage" enter the chat.
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are delayed due to tariffs.
Look, I couldn't care less about the stock market, truly. BUT THE TARIFFS DONE TOOK THE NINTENDO LAUNCH DOWN WITH THEM. Last week, gamer nerds rejoiced at the announcement of the Switch 2, set to be released on June 5th with pre-orders beginning on April 9. But later that same day, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs, including 49% on Cambodia, 54% on China and 46% on Vietnam. And guess where more than half of Nintendo's hardware is imported from?
Nintendo then reported that pre-orders would no longer begin on April 9 as originally planned, “in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” This is literally one of gaming’s biggest launches in years. Now tariffs threaten to disrupt the launch. And, pray tell, how are we supposed to distract ourselves from how horrifying everything is????
Justin Bieber teases his new fashion label, SKYLRK.
The whole time everyone’s been talking about Biebs crashing out, little did we know that the pop star had actually been cooking. He recently took to Instagram to drop hints of his new fashion venture SKYLRK. Nothing has been fully revealed yet, but it appears the label will encompass fashion, footwear and accessories. If Drew House was anything to go off, we already know the fit and quality are insane. I’m sure the hypebeast kids are waiting with bated breath for this one. Check out all the teaser posts here.
-Sophie, Writer
DEEP DIVE
A marketer's survival guide to tariffs, tumult & trouble
As we all know, when the economy panics, marketing is always first on the chopping block.
Prominent ad-spending forecasts have already been cut. CMOs are rewriting their roadmaps. And somewhere out there, a junior strategist is wondering whether now is a good time to go back to school. But we marketers are nothing if not resilient.
In recent years, we’ve weathered pandemics, privacy implosions, platform chaos, and more. We’ve built entire brands on borrowed time and rented attention. Best believe we know how to pivot. So here’s your Tariff-Era Survival Guide to help you ride out the economic chaos, prove your value, and maybe even come out of this smarter and stronger than before. Maybe.
Trump’s tariff move is obviously triggering recessionary alarm bells, and fast.
The economic ripple effects are already being felt, especially in industries heavily reliant on international supply chains. Consumer confidence is wobbling. Purchasing cycles are stretching. And while Wall Street is losing its mind, Main Street is about to tighten its purse strings. All of this spells trouble for marketing departments, which are often still treated like cost centres instead of growth drivers.
But if there’s one thing marketers know how to do, it’s adapt. We’ve been here before. COVID turned marketing into a survival sport. Cookie deprecation forced us to rebuild from the ground up. The creator economy imploded. Algorithms algorithm’d. And yet, we kept our brands moving forward.
Here’s how to bring that energy back:
Reevaluate your messaging. What felt aspirational last month may now feel out-of-touch. If your audience is watching their wallets, your brand should read the room.
Double down on customer retention. Your existing customers are gold. Show them love. Lean into loyalty programs, email flows, and real human comms.
Stay flexible. That six-figure video shoot might need to become a clever UGC campaign. Constraints fuel creativity—just ask every agency in 2020.
The budget cuts are coming, but you don’t have to go down with them. Remember:
Ruthless prioritisation is your best friend. Focus on what’s actually moving the needle. This is not the time for vanity metrics.
Own your audience. Your email list, your blog, your SMS database—these are your lifelines. Don’t let Meta or Google dictate your reach right now.
Performance marketing > spray-and-pray. Every dollar must work harder. If you can’t measure the ROI, it’s not going to survive the next board meeting.
Some of the best marketing in history came out of budget cuts and existential dread. For example…
Airbnb leaned into brand storytelling during the 2008 crash and became a household name.
Wendy’s turned a sleepy Twitter account into a cultural juggernaut with basically no budget.
You? You might finally get to try that weird campaign idea that never got green lit when times were “normal.”
Small budgets = fewer approvals = more chances to take smart, strategic risks.
And if you want to keep your seat at the table, learn how to sell what you do in their language. Here’s how:
Frame marketing as growth insurance. Remind leadership that brands that cut visibility during downturns often take years to recover.
Come armed with data and narrative. Finance loves a chart. The CEO loves a story. Give them both.
Align with business priorities. Show how your work supports short-term revenue and long-term brand health.
Most of all, DON’T STRESS. This is not the end of marketing. It’s the moment we prove our worth.
When every dollar counts, great strategy becomes non-negotiable. We aren’t out here merely selling products. We also help people make sense of the chaos. So, let’s do what we do best - read the moment, adapt fast, and keep the brand alive when everyone else is just trying to survive. You’ve got this.
-Sophie, Writer
TREND PLUG
Time to enter the sting zone
In his ongoing quest to get bodied by insects on YouTube, Coyote Peterson hit the internet with this iconic countdown:
“I’m about to enter the sting zone… with the tarantula hawk.” Then he says: “1… 2… (inhale) 3. Ahh!!” The music? Terrifying. The stakes? Non-existent. But that didn’t stop TikTok from turning it into the perfect build-up for moments that feel like life or death… but are actually just mildly embarrassing. It’s all about the over-the-top tension vs. how dumb the actual situation is. Perfect for:
How you can jump on this trend:
Use the sound and add text explaining the stupidly small (but secretly devastating) thing you’re preparing to face. The bigger the build-up, the funnier the payoff.
A few ideas to get you started:
Me refreshing views 12 seconds after posting
Me checking the deck I confidently said was “ready to go”
Me watching my own story like it wasn’t me who posted it
-Abdel, Social Media Coordinator
FOR THE GROUP CHAT
😲WTF: Scientists brought back an extinct wolf
❤How wholesome: he really said “umm ok”
😊Soooo satisfying: perfectly sliced metal sheets
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Lomo Saltado
TODAY ON THE YAP PODCAST
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ASK THE EDITOR
Q - As a founder, should I focus on my personal LinkedIn or my brand account? -Becka
Hey Becka!
If you’re just starting out on LinkedIn, I would focus your efforts on your personal account first. LinkedIn is full of business people, so it's a great place to create content about your founder's journey. This will humanise your brand and help your audience start to feel invested in your success. Over time, you can use the platform to build your professional network as well as your personal brand.
If you have the resources, you can also post content on your brand account. This could be more like updates about what's happening in your industry or content about your team (if you have one). However, I would put more emphasis on creating content for your personal LinkedIn before doing too much with your brand account.
- Charlotte, Editor ♡
Not going viral yet?
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