A brief overview of what is currently trending in news, culture, and/or trending hashtags and formats.
#WorldSeries: The Toronto Blue Jays take Game 4 and tie the 2025 World Series, after an 18-inning Game 3 on Monday.
Wikipedia: Elon Musk has released Grokipedia, a supposed “more truthful” alternative to Wikipedia.
Hurricane Melissa: Category 5 Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica and Cuba, as it heads towards the Bahamas.
A deeper dive into a subject that is impacting culture on a macro level, beyond just the social space.
PR Stunts vs. Reality
What It Is: In a world of misinformation, deep fakes, and AI generative images, it’s become increasingly difficult to believe your own eyes. What used to be taken at face value now requires a second or even third look to ensure what you’re seeing is actually what it has been presented to be. This sentiment has translated into the advertising industry recently, with users becoming increasingly suspicious that large-scale world events are simply PR stunts being put on by companies to advertise or promote their latest drop.
Take, for example, the recent heist on the French museum The Louvre: in reality, it was a highly elaborate and planned robbery on the Apollo Gallery, but you can’t help but ask yourself, “is this actually just part of the promo for Now You See Me 3?” Or perhaps on the inverse, you were recently fooled by LeBron James’ The Decision 2 — the much-awaited sequel to the announcement he’d be taking his talents to Miami in 2010. Presented as a serious announcement, with much speculation that LeBron would finally be announcing his retirement, ticket prices to Lakers games skyrocketed to $500+ with fans clamoring to get one last look at the legend play. Unfortunately for those fans, The Decision 2 turned out to only be an ad for Hennessy.
Brand Takeaway: For brands, PR stunts can be incredibly engaging promotion. They allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the activation, with some even believing that the entire thing is based in reality. From this kind of immersion, we can create long-lasting connections between consumers and the companies they interact with. These bonds are, importantly, what bring the user back to see the payoff of the campaign. However, it’s important to first verify that the stunt won’t directly impact the people you’re speaking to negatively. While this may seem obvious, the last thing you want to do is create panic or a feeling of unsafety among your target audience.
Examples: 1, 2, 3
Four must-click links that crossed our feeds today.
John Pork has made his way to the Jeopardy stage.
Professor Quirrell takes on the ‘bees in the trap’ trend.
Head Coach Brian Kelly has been fired by LSU Football after a disappointing start to the season.
A mystery active Premier League player took part in the UK baller league last night.
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