Good morning and happy Tuesday, email gang! 

If you wonder why you didn’t see me in your inbox yesterday, it was because my newsletter account was blocked. I contacted customer service, who solved the problem, and now I’m back with issue #04 🤩 

You probably also notice some major glow-ups in the newsletter design, and you're right! Last week, I rebranded my newsletter to “Gen Z in Marketing” with a fresh mission and goal.

When I started this, I wasn’t sure of my end goal. But now I know I want to help marketers like me thrive without burning out. The marketing industry moves fast, and staying updated is crucial. So, I aim to make this newsletter your go-to resource for news, updates, and advice on building a successful marketing career and finding community support.

Here’s what to expect:

• Latest marketing trends and news

• Campaign and ad inspo

• Deep dives on hot topics

• Handy tools like templates

• Career tips and advice

• Memes

• And more!

I'm super excited about this change, and I hope you are, too! Now, let’s dive into this week’s newsletter 👇️ 

Hot Stories 🔥 

Top marketing news from the past week 🤫

Meta:

• Meta Provides AI Options To Help Brands Engage With Customers via DM (this is an important update, especially for social media managers who want to save time!) 

Instagram: 

• I already reported this update on last week's issue, but since it’s important, let’s revisit it: A new update lets you see a creator's insights from the past 30 days and find similar ones. However, this feature is not yet available to all users. Currently, it looks like it's only accessible to some business accounts, allowing them to view creator insights and consider potential collaborations, as well as some creators who have decided to share their stats.

•  Instagram now lets you invite collaborators after a Reel has been posted.

• Instagram's sharing metric is becoming crucial for post success after a recent update that encourages users to send their posts to friends via notifications. This update follows Adam Mosseri's announcement that 'shares per reach'—how often a post is shared compared to how many people saw it—is now a priority metric. While this could boost visibility, it risks becoming spammy and isn't scalable for all creators. This change definitely signals us marketers to focus more on creating shareable content.

X: 

X (formerly Twitter) is adding Khloe Kardashian to Its original video creator slate, as part of its efforts to become a video-first platform. This move aims to diversify content and attract more users by leveraging popular personalities and enhancing user engagement, positioning X to compete with other social media platforms.

Youtube:

Brands can now purchase shoppable Instacart ads on YouTube, allowing viewers to buy products directly from video ads. This integration enhances the shopping experience by seamlessly connecting content and commerce. Instacart and YouTube aim to boost user engagement and drive sales through this new feature, reflecting the growing trend of integrating e-commerce with digital media.

Threads: 

• Instagram highlights new threads on IG profiles, which reminds us marketers of the importance of Threads for growth (yes, also on Instagram). If your company doesn't have an account yet, take this as you sign to start one! 

• Threads has launched its API (yay), which means you can now use third-party scheduling tools to manage your brand's Threads presence at scale. 

Reddit:

Reddit has launched updated Conversation Ads to promote interactive and engaging discussions. These ads enable brands to insert questions directly into their ad units, encouraging user responses and participation. If your brand's target audience is on Reddit, this new option could be worth considering for better engagement.

Going VIRAL 👀 

Justin Timberlake's mugshot broke the internet at the beginning of last week and inspired some epic memes. Check it out:

Those memes definitely were the highlight of my week 😭 😂 

Another great campaign I loved this week: Blank Street Coffee had Sabrina Carpenter serving espressos in their London store to promote her new song “Espresso.” Super creative and fun, right? But, they got a lot of backlash for a caption that seemed out of touch, with people accusing Carpenter of “cosplaying as the working class.”

They should have seen this coming with this year's "anti-elite" trend (which I covered in a LinkedIn article). This is a reminder for us marketers to always consider the worst criticisms and whether our brand can handle them before executing a creative campaign.

Top marketing campaigns of the week 💬 

The idea? The creators and celebs' “intern” team will release “summer projects” that promote various Dunkin iced drinks. For example, Twitch streamer SypherPK will bring Sparkd’ Energy by Dunkin’ into a gaming activation. The initiative is part of Dunkin's strategy to leverage influencer marketing and stay relevant among younger audiences by tapping into the creator culture. More here.

Ben & Jerry’s is launching their first ad campaign in years, calling for more activism. With current global issues, this campaign is timely and relevant. The ad focuses on climate change, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ pride, aligning with Gen Z’s desire for authentic and purpose-driven marketing. As noted in Marketing Dive, the campaign emphasizes activism at a time when many brands are cautious of backlash, making it a bold and impactful move by Ben & Jerry's.

Interesting reads to expand your knowledge 👋 

And that’s a wrap for this week’s newsletter! If you are still reading, thank you for supporting and hopefully enjoying this issue.

See you next Monday!
love,
Sharon 💕