💎 Daytime raves, stealth drops, and the end of feed-first marketing
If you’re not studying soft launches and spreadsheet strategy yet, you’re already behind. Get smarter this week with the full breakdown for premium subscribers.
💎cultural gems💎
The moments and media catching our eye…
📰 TikTok news creator Aaron Parnas has found a way to break through by giving Gen Z the “TL;DR.”
📱 UNC at Chapel Hill is teaming up with an influencer marketing agency that used to work with Alix Earle to turn their student-athletes into influencers.
icymi, we broke down Alix’s partnership with SipMARGS and why its resonating with Gen Z here.
🪩 Did you go “soft clubbing” this weekend? Last week we talked about how some coffee shops where hosting daytime coffee and matcha raves. Now there’s a term for it.
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💰 Following Coachella, Revolve has found themselves in a $50 million class-action lawsuit. The crime? Allegedly deceptive marketing practices.
✍️ Commentary and advice TikToker @hellotefi is bringing her talents to The Cut with a new advice column.
👯♀️ While testifying in Meta’s anti-trust trial, Zuckerberg shared that Facebook and Instagram users are spending less and less time consuming content from “friends.”
📧 Substack creator
talks about setting his Substack to paid in order to boost his discoverability in the platform.🕺 The team at The Jennifer Hudson Show breaks down all the planning that goes into the viral “spirit tunnel” franchise.
👀 Just a taste…
Last week’s free trend [hi, sober matcha raves 👋] was a hit, so we’re doing it again.
This week, we’re serving up a quick look at another trend we’re seeing crop up everywhere: Gen Z’s “lock-in” mentality and why marketers need to start designing for hyper-focus [not endless feed scrolling].
🔒 Gen Z is in their locked-in era
Forget multitasking. Gen Z is locking in. Finals szn? They’re locked in. Trying to hit 10K on TikTok? Locked in. Gym rat era? Locked in [and protein-shake-coded].
This isn’t hustle culture 2.0. It’s hyper-focus with boundaries, dressed up in curated playlists, aesthetic productivity vlogs, and group chat accountability. It’s giving “this is my personality for the next three weeks” and honestly? It’s working [they even made Canva schedules look cool again].
Why it matters for marketers:
This generation isn’t just buying into self-discipline, they’re branding it. If your product, campaign, or content can help someone zero in on their “main character mission,” you’re now part of their lock-in routine [and that’s where real loyalty lives].
Create moments that support a specific era, not just a vibe. This isn’t about being everything at once. It’s about being exactly what they need when they’re locked in on one goal [focus is the new flex]. Your next campaign should probably come with a Spotify playlist, a screen time limiter, [and maybe a Google Calendar template too].
And speaking of locking in... This Thursday, we’re dropping a Q&A with screenwriter and marketer Kristen Tepper, who’s out here proving that staying locked in on your goals [and building your personal brand without trying to be an influencer] is how real opportunities happen. Stay tuned for the latest in our #ForYou, From Them Q&A series on 5/1.
Reminder: this is just a taste. Every Monday, our premium subscribers get two full trends that are strategy-shaping, pitch-deck-worthy, Slack-thread-certified. If you want the full download to sound sharper at your Monday morning standup [and steal a little group chat clout], you know what to do. ⬇️
Culture first, numbers second? Cute. But the brands winning right now know you need both at once.
This week for premium subscribers, we’re digging into:
Skylrk and the Rise of Soft Launch Brands [Why Bieber’s non-launch launch is the new blueprint for brand building]
The Era of Brand Mathletes [Why the marketers winning in 2025 are just as good with data as they are with culture]
Upgrade to premium, because these are the trends your CMO is about to ask you about. Better to have the answers ready.