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‘Limited Edition!’ ‘Only 1 left!’ ‘Don’t miss out!’

Scarcity, real or contrived, is the oldest trick in the marketing playbook.

When done right, it’s a tactic that can make your products fly off the shelves (see: Birkin bags). But use it too often and your brand can become a total joke. So how do you use just enough FOMO to create urgency without overdoing it?

In today's newsletter:

• How to use scarcity marketing (without overdoing it!)

• Life360 uses nightmare fuel to market location tracking app (check out the truly shocking scenarios in this campaign)

• Trend plug - Never in a million years

• Ask the Editor - 3 video content ideas for brick & mortar businesses

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

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One of the hottest marketing plays of our time is as old as the devil himself.

You might think scarcity marketing is a modern invention.

But, in reality, it’s been around since biblical times. Case in point: the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Think about it—he basically just used the scarcity principle on Eve.

'Forbidden fruit, you say? The only thing in the garden you can’t have?' Sounds irresistible, right?

How is that any different to a 'limited-edition Birkin bag' or 'exclusive member-only sale'?

This is why Eve’s not to blame. At the end of the day, she’s just a girl.

It’s a universal human truth: we want what we can’t have.

The boy everybody says is bad. The pair of shoes you just can’t financially justify. The last slice of pizza at a party. When something’s almost out of reach, suddenly it’s the only thing we care about. That’s the magic of scarcity marketing.

It’s a strategy built on FOMO and the art of making you feel like this could be your last chance ever (spoiler: it usually isn’t).

But why does it work? And how can brands use it without coming off as, well, a little desperate?

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Life360 Uses Nightmare Fuel to Market Location Tracking App

A woman is stuck in the bathroom of a church during a funeral.

'I’m trapped in here! Get me out! HELP!' she screams, hoping one of the attendees will come to her rescue.

Unbeknownst to her, and the guests, her voice is carried through a vent situated directly under the casket of the dearly deceased. This causes chaos throughout the venue, ultimately bringing Grandma abruptly out of her final resting place.

You’ve got to love a commercial in which the deceased rolls out of their casket into the laps of screaming mourners.

'When most clients say "we want you to scare us," they don’t really mean it,' Hannes Ciatti, CCO of Alto, told ADWEEK.

But location sharing app, Life360, didn't just mean it. They said it with their whole chest in their latest campaign with Alto, 'Family-Proof Your Family,' hilariously showcasing worst-case scenarios of family situations gone wrong. And, in the process, demonstrating how a simple app could prevent them all.

The funeral mishap is just one part of three in the campaign. In this series of ads, the brand also introduces Tile, a tracker and competitor of the AirTag.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

Trend Plug - Never in a Million Years

This TikTok trend comes from one of the greatest TV shows EVER, The Boondocks.

(If you don't know The Boondocks please get your things together RIGHT NOW.)

The specific scene TikTokers are using is one where two characters are arguing about the lady's looks. She says, 'One day, I'm gonna have eyes as blue as the summer sky,' and the guy quickly replies with, 'B!$CH YOU AIN'T NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS....'

TikTokers are now using this trending sound to talk about things they wanted to have some time in their life. However, something got in the way or it simply didn't happen.

For example, 'Me at 10: I'm gonna get married right after college' or 'one day, I'll fit into a size 2..... a sweet treat'

How you can jump on this trend:

Simply, lip-sync along to this sound. Split your on-screen text up with the sound. So when, 'I'm gonna have eyes as blue as the summer sky' is playing’, tell that one thing you desperately want.

Then, when 'B!$CH YOU AIN'T NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS....' plays, either replace that OST with the thing that stopped you from getting what you wanted, or completely get rid of the OST.

A few ideas to get you started:

• 'One day, I'm gonna have 100k followers'

• 'One day, I will get over my undying coffee obsession'

• 'One day, my intern will say something useful'

-Carter, Intern

Today on the YAP podcast…

Want even more ‘YAP’ing? Check out the full podcast here.

Ask the Editor

Q - I own a homewares store and want to start making video content but I don't know where to start. Do you have any ideas for me? - Lizzie

Hey Lizzie!

Honestly, the possibilities are endless for creating videos for your niche. It may take some time to figure out what kind of content you are able to make on a regular basis, but the best way to figure that out is to start testing.

So if you just want to dip your toe into video content, here are a few ideas you can try:

1. Decorating how-to: Film yourself styling a set of shelves, putting together a centrepiece, or making a beautiful bed. Record a voiceover explaining what you're doing and why so your audience can learn why you're making the choices you are.

2. New season trends: Talk through your new stock and explain why you've chosen those particular pieces. Give your audience insider tips about what items are going to be trending in the next few months.

3. Behind the scenes: Create a time-lapse video of you restocking your shelves, unpacking boxes, or even sitting at your computer doing your accounts. Record a voiceover talking through the 'unseen' things you do to keep the business running (and the challenges that come with them).

And if you’re really serious about learning to create content that goes viral, you might be interested in our Cohort.

It’s where we share everything we’re learning about what’s working on the social platforms right now and give you feedback on your content each week :-)

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

For the group chat

😲WTF: The election is getting CRAZYYY! 
😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Went from scary to funny real quick 🤣 
✨Daily inspo: Profound Pondering will change your life 💕 
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Creamy Cajun Chicken 😋 

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