Welcome to scam-girl summer; Gen Z just found out Prince William and Kate Middleton used to party; after publically criticizing Instagram, Kylie Jenner is now — of course — blowing up on TikTok; and here’s an excellent look at where celebrity children are going to college this year (“congratulations to them all, even the ones going to Brown”).
HOW NEW MEMES LIKE ‘LITTLE MISS’ REKINDLE OLD CHALLENGES FOR BRANDS, adage
The golden rule for brands and memes: Unless you, as a brand, are going to be one of the first few (I’m talking fewer than five) brands to jump on a meme, you’re going to inevitably look lame.
The “American Girl doll” meme, another format that entails creating a character out of a hyper-specific experience or trait, has been leveraged by marketers from Dunkin’ to PETA to OKCupid. UPS tweeted one too, but instead of prompting laughs, it effectively became a forum for people to lodge general complaints about the company.
LOVE ISLAND STILL TURNS HEADS FOR FAST FASHION, bof
With millions of viewers tuning to watch ITV’s popular reality dating show, Love Island has become a coveted marketing moment for brands eager to get their bikinis, bodycon dresses and ultra-skinny jeans in front of the show’s mostly Gen Z and Millennial audience. This year, the series is sponsored by eBay — but fast fashion’s presence has still loomed large this season.
THE GEN Z WHISPERER, elle
Parade founder Cami Téllez gets the fashion magazine profile treatment she so deserves!
Following a clever launch strategy of gifting its underwear to just about every cool Gen Zer on Instagram, it has continued to grow through sold-out collaborations with the likes of Juicy Couture. Its community now numbers over 10,000 ambassadors, or Parade Friends, who spread the word about the brand in exchange for early access to products, free samples, exclusive experiences, and the encouragement to post themselves posing in their newest skivvies on Instagram—that is, if they’re comfortable doing so.
WEB3 NEEDS MORE BIMBOS, i-d
High-profile women in Web3 (Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Randi Zuckerberg) employ the language of the girl boss in encouraging women to build their wealth and beat the bros at their own game — but the new internet is demonstrably lacking in vibes. Could hot crypto queens could be the answer to that problem?
A 1,232-SWIPER POLL, thecut
A fascinating, if harrowing, look at dating in 2022 via more than a thousand current and former app users. “I got pregnant from a one-night stand off of Tinder. He wanted me to get an abortion, but I kept the baby.”
GEN Z IS RACKING UP CREDIT CARD DEBT ALMOST THREE TIMES AS FAST AS EVERYONE ELSE AS INFLATION SINKS IN, insider
Compared to a year ago, credit card balances for younger people increased by 30%.
One last thought:
first link is wrong :) great newsletter!