Arnold has made some good movies. He’s made some bad ones. But this one the world needs to see. It is the very definition of Defiantly Human. In a world divided, speaking to the good in people is more powerful than amplifying the bad.

Source: Twitter

Featuring: Kim Mazejka, Assistant Media Planner, Chris Mullaney, Assistant Brand Manager, Megan Canoni, Assistant Media Planner, Max DeLuca, Videographer/Editor, Nora Jerrett, Junior Copywriter, and Steve Gervasio, Junior Data Analyst

The Super Bowl has been a cherished part of American culture for over five decades and is enjoyed across many generations. In preparation, we polled six of our very own CPers to get their predictions ahead of Sunday’s game. With many athletes now coming from Gen Z, it was only appropriate to shine a light on some of our own members of this generation and their views on this major sporting event. Here’s what we learned: 

Brands need to be thinking outside the box.

What do you hope to see in this year’s Super Bowl ads? 

• Kim: Brands getting really creative and “out there” – I want to be  shocked and surprised.
• Chris: Ads that don’t over-rely on celebrities or TikTok trends.
• Megan: Something funny or emotional that tells a story.
• Max: I just want to see something different this year.
• Nora: I’m excited to see the long versions of the ads I’ll be seeing for the next year!
• Steve: Personally I don’t tend to care about the commercials as much as the game. However, I do pay attention to them to maybe get a laugh or two. 

Celebrities are not needed to make memorable spots. Some of the most successful ads get people thinking. Also, humor never hurts. 

What makes a successful Super Bowl ad, in your opinion? 

• Kim: Anything that makes people talk or gets people thinking. Humor definitely makes people want to share with each other but controversy also does. 
• Chris: Humor that actually makes sense for the brand. Also, ads that create conversation/buzz 
• Megan: Humor and meaningful messaging. I think celebrity cameos take away from the message.
• Max: Humor helps make a spot successful.
• Nora: Celebrity cameos and off the cuff humor. 
• Steve: Humor, an important message, and celebrity cameos are definitely three aspects of a commercial that will make the commercial stick in my mind. 

Brands have done well in creating spots that stick with us for years, and it seems like the new ads are more and more difficult to beat. 

Do you have a favorite Super Bowl ad?

• Kim: 2019’s Mr. Peanut was a wild and absurd move. I would love to see more spots like that. 
• Chris: I love the Tourism Australia “Dundee” ad from a few years back. 
• Megan: The Doritos commercials are hard to beat. 
• Max: There are too many memorable Super Bowl ads to pick a favorite. 
• Nora: I loved seeing Betty White as Mike for Snickers!
• Steve: I do not have a favorite Super Bowl commercial. I would say I remember companies more than specific commercials, like Doritos or Budweiser.  

It’s about more than just football.

What does the Super Bowl mean to you?

• Kim: Being together – whether it’s during the Super Bowl or talking about the game, halftime show, or ads afterwards.
• Chris: It’s an event that appeals to everyone in some way – people who like football, ad-lovers, foodies, etc.. I’m mainly in it for the appetizers. 
• Megan: I like the time spent with family and friends. Normally football games are about the game itself, but the Super Bowl is more about the experience.
• Max: Super Bowl festivities, the game, and the halftime show.
• Nora: An excuse to drink and eat in sweatpants with a fun halftime show!
• Steve: It’s about the game. As a spoiled Patriots fan, my memories are all around the victories/losses and experiencing those moments with family and friends. 

And the big question we had to ask.

 Who are you picking?

• Kim: Neither because they’re not the Pats! I hope it’s a nail-biter though.
• Chris: Bengals 
• Megan: Bengals 
• Max: LA Rams
• Nora: Bengals
• Steve: Bengals  

Regardless of the outcome, it is safe to say that this year’s Super Bowl will be a night that has something for everyone. Though we each have our own expectations for Sunday, one thing is for certain – we’ll be watching from the edge of our seats.

Robbie Field, Senior Creative

The Holidays are a busy time of the advertising year and the pandemic, on top of that, has made things even more hectic. As a creative in the industry, here are some things I learned that help make a successful shoot during this crazy, fever-dream pandemic world that we all live in. To do this, I’ll be using our most recent work as an example. A Christmas campaign for one of our biggest clients here in Dublin, Expressway.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Expressway, they are one of Ireland’s leading premium coach operators. They connect people all across Ireland and are a vital service for many communities. We wanted to create a campaign steeped in rich, defiantly human insights so the concept of connecting/reconnecting post-pandemic restrictions was the obvious choice. 

The campaign story follows the journey of two brothers who live in opposite parts of the country. They both have the same idea to connect with each other in person this Christmas and set out on their own epic adventure with the help of Expressway. We placed a significant focus on creating a cinematic experience while also keeping raw, defiantly human insights throughout. 

So, without further ado, here are some key learnings I found that make a successful shoot during the pandemic: 

Keep your team small 

Possibly the biggest change of the pandemic has been that every aspect of social and physical life has been either reduced or pushed away to a safe distance. However, the knock-on effect of this has been that working with a smaller team is something I have found to be a great benefit for executing a successful shoot.

Right from the beginning, our normal ways of working went straight out the window. Gone are the days when agency, client and production teams could all sit in the room and get answers to questions there and then. Now due to remote working, everyone’s schedules are very busy and there is often a delay in communication and getting answers on the spot can be difficult. A result of this is that decisions need to be made quickly, and more importantly, correctly.

Trust your team 

Working with a small team means there needs to be a lot of trust. I was fortunate enough to have great trust from our creative director. Being in an agency where there’s so much trust given especially by a creative director is a powerful thing. We were empowered  to make decisions throughout the whole process and were actively encouraged to do so. This gave us confidence to push the idea further.

I was also blessed to work with an amazing group who were all on the same page in terms of vision right from the start.

The first to mention was my art director partner whose immense talent and sound experience helped shape the outcome of the spot. We both worked hard at the very start to ensure we presented our idea coherently and simply to our brilliant clients. Getting client buy-in early on is vital to a successful campaign. And now, onto our amazing senior account manager who was by our side every step along the way. We couldn’t have gotten this campaign made without her. The three of us really became quite the team, bouncing from meeting to meeting and ticking off agendas and next steps along the way. 

So, having a great idea and working with a close team is one thing but getting it made is a whole different ball game. This leads nicely to the next key learning: 

Engage for stronger external relationships

It goes without saying that having a creative, organised and all-around friendly production team in your corner increases the chances of having a successful shoot. We couldn’t have been luckier on this project teaming up with a brand new production company, Rubber Ducks.

Right from the get-go, they were on another level. An important learning I found from this process was that showing enthusiasm and respect for the work that they do and actively getting involved with the production process from the start truly strengthens relationships and increases the chances of a successful shoot. 

So, enough chit-chat from me. Have a look at our Expressway Christmas ad.

Courtney Marlow, Public Relations & Social Media Manager

During a time when most people are (hopefully) looking at their phones less, marketers have to make moments on social media really count. Consumers are looking for guidance and tips when it comes to fine tuning shopping lists, decorating for holiday parties, entertaining guests, and finding the perfect gifts for loved ones. So how can brands join the conversation and actually HELP make these purchasing decisions easier for consumers? If you ask me… ‘tis the season for more influencer marketing. 

Sure, every part of a brand’s holiday marketing strategy is important, but influencers are called influencers for a reason – they are truly influential! Your everyday life decisions can constantly be influenced by those you follow on social media. For example, in a recent survey we conducted, we asked social media users whether they would be more likely to make a recipe if it’s posted by an influencer or a brand and a whopping 76% claimed that an influencer post would be more impactful. 

So how can you take advantage of influencer marketing amidst the chaotic holiday season? For starters, it’s important to identify your brand’s goals and priority products/services, the consumers you are trying to reach, and the types of influencers who would best resonate with your target audience and align with your brand. From giveaways and discount codes, to simply sharing gift guides and shopping inspiration, there is no better time to look to influencers as an extension of your brand. 

With all that said, here are five holiday influencer campaigns that made me say ‘Alexa, add to shopping list’: 

#SpanxGiving by @spanx: Aligned with its mission to empower women, the brand is teaming up with 12 different ‘girl boss’ influencers as part of its #SpanxGiving campaign. For each daily giveaway, people are encouraged to ‘like’ the post, follow @spanx and the corresponding influencer partner, and tag a Spanx-loving friend in the comments. (Example post) 

#PrimeLife by @amazon: Focused on highlighting Amazon.com’s wide selection of products and speedy delivery, participating influencers have been posting about their tried-and-true Amazon finds, encouraging their followers to check out various gift guides linked in their Instastories. (Example post) 

#MintedHoliday by @minted: Working with a large number of influencers to promote holiday cards available on Minted.com, partners have been posting their own card creations and sharing a 20% off discount code with their followers. With influencer-specific codes, the brand will be able to track the traffic and purchases driven by each partner. 

#CrateStyle by @crateandbarrel: As a way to create extra excitement around holiday decorating, Crate & Barrel has partnered with various influences, known for their home decor-focused content, to showcase products that make their homes festive and cozy. (Example post)

#WFMForTheHolidays by @wholefoods: With holiday grocery shopping and cooking in full swing, Whole Foods Market worked with a few food and lifestyle influencers to highlight their Thanksgiving menu, as well as encourage their followers to check out the store’s catering options. Overall, influencers highlighted Whole Foods Market as their one-stop shop for all of their holiday cooking needs. (Example post) 

Will you be decking the halls with influencer partners this holiday season? With the new year right around the corner, it’s a great time to learn, grow, and perhaps even change the way you work with influencers. I personally can’t wait to continuously watch the industry change and evolve. Cheers to that! 

Clark Shepard, Senior Copywriter

I was recently granted the great honor of judging the inaugural Campaign US Big Awards. The judges, as they phrased it, were comprised of the “next generation” of creative voices in advertising.” The people who are supposed to have their pencils on the pulse of what’s cool – and what’s soon-to-be cool. It was gratifying, and equal parts humbling, to be able to sit in with writers and designers from around the country as we dissected the very best work our industry produced in the past year. I came away with some friends, an invite to a catered event in NYC (forever here for free food), and insights. So many insights. Here’s a few of my hand-picked favorites. 

Digital is hot, but print will never die. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the maelstrom of social activations, hashtag movements and, dare I say, viral tweets, but let us not forget the paper matriarch who paved the way for all of it. Perhaps my favorite ad I voted on this year was simple in its execution, and brilliant in its message. 

You booked Brad Pitt for a commercial, so what?

As someone who has never worked on a campaign with a $20 million dollar ad spend, I can say this with conviction: We need to celebrate creative problem solving as loudly as we celebrate Super Bowl ads. The creative thinking required to put out award winning, needle moving work that 1) isn’t aided by a multi-million dollar budget and 2) doesn’t need a celebrity cameo to make noise is what will always impress me the most. 

Don’t be anti-social. Even though it’s hard. 

There’s a metric ton of platforms at our disposal these days. That’s not changing anytime soon. In fact, the only thing that is inevitable is that by the time our industry has completely caught up to Tik Tok, it will be replaced by something else. This thought scares a lot of people in our industry to not even try to master these tools. Resist that urge, friends. Jump in with both feet. Ride the wave. Try and fail. And fail and fail and fail. Because the more you actively fail, the closer you’ll get to striking gold. It probably won’t make sense when it happens, so don’t try to make too much sense of it along the way. Remember, our job as creatives isn’t merely to make the stuff. Our job is to experience the world – and sometimes the world is a Tik Tok dance. You laugh, but no one’s laughing harder than Applebee’s right now. 

So, what can we learn from all this? Here’s my take: there have never been more platforms for us to tell stories on behalf of our clients. It’s all a little scary if you pause to think about it. So don’t pause. Keep learning new tools, keep studying your peers, keep living your lives (and taking notes). Oh, and if you get asked to judge an award show, do it. Your work will be all the better for it.  

Learn more about Clark and the Campaign US Big Awards here: 

• Campaign Live: Meet the next generation 

• Campaign Live: Clark Shepard 

Brandy Shabowich, Assistant Marketing Manager & Coco Rich, Marketing Manager

The 2021 Fast Company Innovation Festival has come to an end. With its roster of A-list speakers, like Drew Barrymore and Robin Roberts, and thought-provoking sessions, we’re coming away inspired with new ideas. Here are our top takeaways, many of which resonate with who we are and how we approach our work at Connelly Partners⏤to protect brands from self-importance, to amplify their heartbeats, and to embrace empathy over entertainment.

A title is not what’s important. In the session, “The Case for Optimism,” Drew Barrymore discussed how titles may be necessary for context, and organization, but they also keep people in a lane, or a silo. Building integrated teams that utilize people’s strengths and passions creates a better functioning environment. At the end of the day, Barrymore stressed that “people only want to do what they want to do.” And they can be truly unstoppable if a fire burns within them. Let’s consider integration beyond department-diversity, and instead, strive to build integrated skill set/strength teams too. You’ll be amazed at the magic that happens when you allow people to use their creativity and work together in different ways.

Be a bright spot, not a blindspot. Another piece of wisdom we learned from Drew Barrymore is that we tend to believe that optimistic people are in a constant positive state, but that’s not the case. Seldom is optimism found easily⏤ and the kind of optimism that has merit requires fighting through the day to reach that ideal state of belief, hope and happiness. When faced with a mountain, don’t let your mind tell you that you can’t climb it. Turn around and look at the mountains you’ve conquered before. It’s easier to be pessimistic about life’s challenges, but working hard to look to the bright side will be even more rewarding. It might sound trivial, but by simply being as kind to yourself as you are to others and forgiving yourself like you forgive others will do wonders.

Stop treating ‘no’ like a stop sign. If you’ve heard of Good Morning America then you know journalist and anchor Robin Roberts. However, you might not know that she also owns her own production company, Rock’n Robin Productions. In “The Anchor: A Conversation with Robin Roberts,” she explains that a major lesson that she has learned through this business endeavor is to learn how to hear the word “no,” a lesson, she emphasizes, everyone needs to hear. And Roberts is not the first person to experience this. Just look at some successful people from the last century. They had to hear “no” a number of times. Take Walt Disney, JK Rowling, or even Stephen King for example. They were rejected and told “no” over and over. But, their resilience to keep trying instead of giving up paid off. 

In the  “Mastering Scale and Creativity with Reid Hoffman and June Cohen,” discussion, June Cohen, CEO of media company WaitWhat, emphasized the importance of being able to “interpret those no’s in a different way.” No can mean “not yet,” or “not quite,” or “not entirely sure.” It doesn’t have to be the end of the idea, or the end of the conversation. 

You only die once, you live everyday. When describing her outlook on life and finding her purpose, Roberts rebuked the idea of “YOLO – you only live once.” Instead she said, “You only die once, you live every day.” We are always becoming and evolving until the day we die. Knowing that we’ll be called to step up and lead at one point or another⏤ whether it’s in our personal life, professional life or both⏤ we are all leaders, regardless of our job title. Roberts believes good leadership requires understanding “three C’s and one E”: Confidence, Courage, Clarity and Empathy. 

We took away that being a good leader means being authentic and sincere and acting defiantly human. Roberts stressed the importance of this by explaining that, “people don’t care that you know [about their lives and situations] until they know that you care [about them].” Start listening to people more, checking in on them, and being there to support them. 

Process over product. You’ve probably heard the phrase,“It’s about the journey not the destination.” Never underestimate the journey. When we are going about our daily lives we typically find a groove. Allow your creativity to take you outside of that groove and explore new facets that are authentically you. In the “This Is Your Brain On Art” session, renowned American artist Judy Tuwaletstiwa calls this “finding new textures in yourself.” Instead of focusing on the finished product, Tuwaletstiwa stresses the importance of paying attention to how you’re getting there: the questions you’re asking yourself, the perspectives you invite in and the ways potential mistakes and pitfalls lead to discovery. 

Utilize the whole brain, not half. We need to be able to learn and move quickly to perfect our ideas and always be on the lookout for new inspiration to strike. June Cohen explained that, “not every creative person scores big – or even at all…[they] have loads of ideas, but don’t know how to channel them.” She believes that it is the entrepreneurs who help breathe life into those ideas. You need to be able to utilize both sides of the brain and always be ready to adapt. In the same session, the host of the Masters of Scale Podcast, Reid Hoffman, stated that, “you have to have a differentiated contrarian, but right theory, and your go-to-market theory and your product theory and your service, you have to  be constantly adjusting.” Changing our way of thinking by listening and moving quickly is something that is possible for anyone. 

Bottom line here is to always be on the cutting edge:  be ready for any new ideas, learn quickly from your mistakes and failures, and try again. Creativity and strategy are equally important to utilize together to achieve positive results for your ideas. If you are only relying on one side of the brain then you’re only reaching half of your potential. Surround yourself with right and left brain thinkers. 

Do your homework. In the “Inclusive by Design” session, it was made clear by innovative fashion designers and data experts, that not understanding your customer results in market segments being completely neglected and ignored. The fashion industry is a perfect example of this. If you juxtapose the plus size rack with the straight size rack, it is clear to see that fashion labels have not done their homework and do not know their customers. There are some fashion-based, data driven brands that are starting to ask the right question: “what do my customers actually look like?” Brands are looking for data now to assist with the design process. We are seeing technology that sites use to personalize and fine-tune the shopping experience. The answers to various questions allows for a personalized experience for the customer and the brand gaining valuable data to help understand the market. Instead of using size 0 mannequins to design with, many companies are utilizing data as well as 3D technology to understand the body and create products that better fit their customers. Though we don’t design clothes here at CP, we practice and preach the importance of gathering data to analyze and help optimize our work for clients. 

To sum all this up in just a few words: learn and create in all that you do. Try working with people you’ve never worked with before. Embrace the left brain and defend the right brain. And even when life tests us, optimism is always worth fighting for. 

For further reading about these sessions, check out the following articles:

• Drew Barrymore leadership style doesn’t rely on job titles
• Robin Roberts’s secrets of storytelling, leadership, and purpose
• Reid Hoffman and June Cohen on mastering scale and creativity
• The science behind the sights, sounds, and colors that make you happy

(Image source: https://www.eventbrowse.com/city/new-york/event/fast-company-innovation-festival-2021/)

Kelly Fennessy, Assistant Brand Manager

Music has always had a huge impact on the advertising industry. Advertisers have pulled inspiration from radio hits, MTVs videos, and movies for ages. Over the years, industry experts have honed their skills on selecting the best scores to drive their messages, distinguish their brand, and evoke emotion from consumers. Not only that, but advertising has also impacted the music industry, with popular ads leading to top charters. There is no doubt that music and advertising have a close and mutually beneficial relationship, but recently, that relationship has gotten a bit complicated. If the old saying is “video killed the radio star” then our newest media mogul, TikTok, has taken both radio and video to the slaughter house and massacred them in a slasher film fashion. TikTok took what video had heightened from radio and condensed it to fit the population’s growing need for short and digestible content. Just in 2020 alone, on average, individual users in America spent 20 hours monthly on TikTok, grossly surpassing apps like Facebook and Instagram. And brands are catching on to this growing phenomena. 

TikTok is providing a platform for all advertisers to take advantage of the power of music. The whole app revolves around song and user generated sounds. Brands can truly make an impact on audiences, with 68% of users saying they recognize a brand and remember companies when they use a popular TikTok sound or song. It is such a simple step that can drive sales forward. Even AdWeek has acknowledged that brands can no longer be static and safe with their social media content anymore. Social media has become its own creative platform in and of itself, and the smartest companies are leading the charge and leaving the rest of advertisers in the dust. 

Just this past summer, we have seen brands take advantage of this amplified obsession for musical ads within TikTok and outside of the platform. For example, Ocean Spray’s sales skyrocketed and the brand earned 15 billion media impressions in a month when a user took a simple video drinking their cranberry juice and skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Ocean Spray took advantage of this viral video by sending the user a truck full of cranberry juice. Such a simple clip causing an uptick in sales and brand recognition has led other companies like Walmart and Dunkin Donuts to encourage employees to take organic videos at work. You never know what may go viral.

Similarly, Wright Bacon hopped on the TikTok band wagon recently with their Bacon Beats campaign. They partnered with four popular TikTok music creators that turned their 19 minute vinyl of frying bacon into upbeat tunes that garnered an upwards of 975k impressions combined. Their experimental advertising also relied on user generated content, something that continues to entice audiences, especially on TikTok.

Outside of TikTok, other campaigns have highlighted how important audience creation and music is becoming. Reese’s recent OOH stunt of turning their boxes into music studios with an AR illustrates how the brand is recognizing audiences’ newfound infatuation with music in tandem with their growing desire to create. If content is king, user generated content and music are becoming its right hand in command queen. 

To further exemplify the growing importance of music in the industry, eMarketer has projected that the amount of paid music platform subscriptions will increase by 11% this year. Spotify even put out their new campaign, Song for Every CMO, that honors individual CMOs with their own music selection, while also showcasing how important audio is becoming in the advertising industry. Spotify wants companies to see how music can shape storytelling in new ways today, and notes how audio is no longer the same as radio. It is a new kind of beast. 

Even in our own Boston office, we have music pumping through the halls 24/7. It helps us stay productive, creative, and well, awake on a Monday morning. Every employee gets a chance to showcase their music taste when they are selected for a day to take control of the speakers with their own playlist. You could say we are already ahead of the game with this user generated content music trend. Who knows, maybe it’s subtly psychologically impacting our advertising? I hope it is. And I hope that other companies get ahead of the curve and utilize the power of music in their advertising. I can’t wait to see what crazy experiments the industry comes up with.

Chelsea Carrasquillo, Brand Planner

Here we are, a year and a half after the world was brought to a halt by the devastation of a global pandemic, and perhaps one of the most exciting beacons of hope that we’re coming out the other side has been the arrival of the Tokyo Olympics. While it won’t look like the Olympics of the past for many reasons, one of those is the thunderous arrival of the Gen Z Olympians. Irreverent, unpolished, but infectiously excited, these young athletes are—in their typical fashion—shaking things up, and they may just be what makes the 2020 Olympics so worth watching. 

The first digitally-native generation, they’ve grown up with smartphones in their pockets and therefore megaphones in their hands, and that’s led them to become a generation that values their individual and collective voice above almost anything else. It’s the unfiltered, expletive-laden Gen Z voice that can be heard ‘round the world this summer. 

Where previous generations have shown up to the Olympics poised and polished, a product of intense coaching with a reverence for the games, Gen Z athletes possess a unique balance of endearing, over-the-top excitement mingled with laid-back indifference. While you could equate their lack of polish (and lack of filter) with a lack of respect for their position, their genuine excitement is really rather endearing, and there’s something very pure in their presentation of themselves. Olympic athletes have always shouldered an immense amount of responsibility, and while it should be so, young athletes were often stripped of the ability to be kids and to behave as such. High-level athletes, especially at the Olympic caliber, are pushed from childhood not only in their sport, but also in how they represent their country. That comes with not just extreme physical burdens, but often mental and emotional burdens, as well. There’s something refreshing about the Gen Z athletes’ ability to brush that off and be unapologetically themselves. 

If anything, it’s apparent that Gen Z views their position on the world stage with immense gravity, recognizing that they’ve been granted a very public platform. The Gen Z and young Millennial athletes are amassing huge followings on social media, particularly on TikTok, and are using their platforms to give fans a behind-the-scenes look into what’s involved in their training, to introduce new audiences to their sports, to speak to the burden of competing at such a high level, and to serve as role models for a diverse group of up-and-coming athletes. 

Brands need to keep in mind that the values reflected in the Gen Z athletes ring true for the generation, and may be the key to connecting with this audience. 

Ensure a Foundation of Authenticity

Gen Z holds authenticity as one of their top virtues, and that’s something that can be seen in both their self-expression and in the way they interact with brands. The imperative for brands that want to establish trust with this generation is to ensure that they are prioritizing the things that Gen Z cares about (for example, social justice or the environment), but doing so in a way that’s authentic. This young generation is essentially a giant B.S.-detector and as a result, brands have to be able to walk the walk if they’re going to win them over.

Adapt to Gen Z’s Infamous Irreverence

Gen Z is a generation that doesn’t want to play by the rules, they want to rewrite them (remember when Daenerys said “I’m not going to stop the wheel, I’m going to break the wheel”?). There’s an interesting dichotomy that exists within the generation, and that’s that in that they don’t take themselves—or much society’s expectations—too seriously (see the lax attitude of some of the Olympians), but that there are some things they take extremely seriously (issues of injustice and equality, for one). Brands that want to connect with this generation have to find a way to share in that attitude. That could manifest itself in the transparency and authenticity previously discussed, or even in a self-deprecating sense of humor that’s so resonant with this younger generation. Brands have to tap into that Gen Z mindset that while some things should be taken seriously (e.g. activism), the rest can be laughed off. 

Make Room for Real Storytelling

Finally, brands need to understand that Gen Z’s desire for authenticity goes hand-in-hand with their desire for real content (i.e. real stories of real people). Apart from the Olympic competition itself, Gen Zers said that they’re most interested in the human interest stories of the athletes (19 percent) and behind-the-scenes footage of athletes training and socializing away from the competition (19 percent), which is precisely the content that the Gen Z athletes are providing via their social media. Brands that can feature this type of compelling, emotional storytelling and provide an additional platform for young people to tell their stories through their own voice will win the hearts of this young generation of viewers.   

Love it or hate it, Gen Z’s modus operandi is not to adapt to ‘the way things are,’ but rather to force the world around them to adapt. Personally, I’m excited to see the Olympics have a little less polish and a little more personality going forward.

Courtney Marlow, Public Relations & Social Media Manager

As a Social Media Manager, I’m always looking for inspiration from well-known brands, as well as hidden gems who are killing it in the social space. Bringing ideas back to the team has not only sparked creativity and gotten our wheels turning, but more importantly has taught me to never underestimate the power of humor. 

Whether it’s a new TikTok challenge, trending Twitter thread, or out-of-the-box content lane on Instagram, there is something to be said about a post that tickles your funny bone. Bigger budgets and higher produced content aren’t necessarily your ticket to loyal followers or a spike in sales. To put it simply, people shouldn’t take themselves too seriously and neither should brands (most of them, anyway). 

We’ve taken this to heart when making recommendations for our own clients, encouraging them to keep their social media content conversational, witty and in-tune with their audiences’ sense of humor. Doing so has taught me the importance of differentiating your brand and finding ways to highlight what makes you, you. From pulling an April Fools’ prank announcing that UNO Pizzeria & Grill was getting rid of deep dish, to hopping on trends with the Gorton’s Fisherman and designing the ultimate Fisherman Starter Pack, we continue to see high levels of engagement when keeping ‘laughs’ in mind as an important KPI!

Looking for inspiration? Over the past year I’ve stumbled across some must-watch accounts that have drawn me in with humor and keep me eagerly awaiting their next move. Here’s a roundup of brands to follow during your lunch break today: 

Bush’s Beans: Yep, beans. Most wouldn’t peg them to be funny, let alone have such an ownable presence on social media, but they certainly do. From short and witty tweets, to inspirational Bean Thoughts and a recent bean-inspired backyard giveaway, they really are killing the bean game.

Wendy’s: Wendy may look sweet and innocent, but you can always count on her to bring the sass. Be sure to mark your calendar for the next National Roast Day so you can witness @Wendys poking extra fun at its competitors and customers. This year Sun-Maid, Triscuit, T-Mobile and OREO were a few of the brands who stepped up to the plate to be roasted. 

Bud Light: Welcome to meme city. @budlight is exactly what beer lovers want and need. From humorously sharing reasons to crack open a beer, to joking about relatable moments at parties and everyday life, Bud Light will keep you laughing as you’re sippin’.  

Charmin: Yes, toilet paper can be funny. Keep your eye out for the latest bathroom-spired puns and thoughts during events including Wimbledon, the NFL draft and the Oscars. Tied to their #tweetfromtheseat series, Charmin is a great example of a brand who takes a product that most people don’t talk about, and opens people’s minds using humor.

Totinos: We’ve all craved pizza rolls at some point in our lives and Totinos taps into everyday moments we can undoubtedly relate to. From having a rough day and burning your mouth, to serving up appetizers or ending your day with a glass of ‘wine’, Totinos hilariously keeps its products top of mind. 

Bottom line? Numbers matter but so do laughs. After all, I’ve got Bush’s Beans in my pantry, beer in my fridge, Charmin in my bathroom, frequent late night Totinos cravings and a real hankering for a frosty from Wendy’s. Now that’s what I call marketing…