This fortnight’s newsletter is coming to you from Kuala Lumpur, being written while eating my 6th serving of satay sticks for the week and I definitely am not mad about it. I could have easily written a newsletter based on all the conversations I’ve had with workshop attendees this week (seriously, the Malaysian marketing world is SO interesting) – but that might just have to be it’s own special edition.

As always, let’s dive right in.

Bundles of Burger King Joy: Why So Serious? 🍔

Let’s start with the latest Burger King campaign. People are getting worked up about it, and honestly, I don’t get why. It’s a fun, cheeky ad. Most people I know have planned for a post-birth feast of some kind (including champagne), so the idea isn’t even that far-fetched. Yet, here we are, with people losing their minds over it. Gotta love the internet.

PS – Check the full campaign video here

This is why so many brands get scared to push creative boundaries. The internet loves to go bonkers whenever something steps outside the box. But here’s where I land – ads like this are memorable. They get people talking. Burger King could have played it safe with a “get your Whopper for $13.95” deal, but where’s the creativity in that? Where’s the storytelling?

Creativity is what breaks through the noise. Sure, not every bold move will land with every audience, but playing it safe gets you nowhere. Brands need to embrace the potential of pushing boundaries. The lesson? Don’t let the fear of a little backlash hold you back from doing something that gets people talking.

I personally love this campaign. I think it’s EPIC. I’d also love to know how they got this footage – did they pay these people to get the home vids? Did they set it up? Someone TELL ME PLEASE.

The Power of Social Listening: Why It’s More Than Just Monitoring

You may or may not have seen this – but earlier in the week I posted about me bringing my entire desktop setup to Malaysia which took up half my suitcase (in pursuit of max efficiency of course), and it blew up. Before I knew it, the founder of Espresso Displays slid into the comments, connecting with me directly. Long story short? He not only offered me a solution that I loved but used the whole thread as inspiration for their next ad campaign. AND he sent me the ad. Hello social listening in action… I bloody love to see it!

The link to the post is here!

This is what makes social listening so powerful. It’s not just about monitoring what people are saying; it’s about acting on it. They didn’t just see my post – they took it, used it, and made it a part of their marketing strategy.

Social listening is more than watching conversations unfold – it’s about engaging in them and turning insights into action (Alix Earl being saved by Airbnb comes to mind!) . By paying attention to what your audience is saying, you can uncover opportunities to connect, solve problems, and even inspire new ideas. I’ve always been a big advocate for what a huuuuuuge opportunity social listening presents for brands, but this week was the first time I’ve been on the other side of the equation, the one being listened to. You want a good example of this tactic working? I’ll gladly write you a case study when I purchase my Espresso Display 🤓

Searching on Tiktok “How Best to Use TikTok Search Ads”

We’ve all been talking about how TikTok is the new Google for a while now. I mean, how often do you find yourself searching for something on TikTok instead of Google? (For me, it’s like 9 out of 10 searches these days.) So, TikTok introducing search ads with keyword targeting is kind of a big deal.

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for brands. Imagine you’re a local restaurant, and someone searches “best places to eat” in your city. Your ad pops up right there in the results, front and centre. Or you’re a tourism company and someone’s searching “things to do in <insert your city here>.” Boom, you’re in the mix. For influencers, educators, media outlets, EVERYONE trying to get in front of the right people at the right time, this is huge.

For so long, TikTok was seen as a top of funnel play – even with paid it was seen as a way to insert ourselves into the passive scrolling of TikTok users. Now though? We’ve got the opportunity to really convert on the channel. We’ve got an opportunity to reach people who are actively looking for recommendations and information. Whatever industry you’re in, the potential here is massive.

Vush x Bae Juice: The Collab We Didn’t Know We Needed

Can we take a moment to appreciate one of the best brand collabs I’ve seen in a while: Vush and Bae Juice. Two of their customer’s biggest problems – being horny and being hungover – solved in one fell swoop. This partnership is absolute gold.

Vush is all about fun and cheeky vibes with their products, and Bae Juice is keeping the hangovers at bay. They’ve sold the idea as the ultimate self-love duo and I give their marketing teams a solid 11/10.

What I actually love most about this partnership is how perfectly aligned the two brands are. The tone is spot on, the products make sense together, and the campaign hits the nail on the head for both audiences. So many brand partnerships feel forced or mismatched, but this one? It’s perfect.

Brand collaborations aren’t just about slapping two logos together; it’s about creating something that resonates deeply with both communities. If you’re thinking about a partnership, ask yourself: do we complement each other? Do we share the same audience? And most importantly, will this be fun and engaging for our customers? Because when it works, it REALLY works (just like this does).

Zucks With The Handball 🏈

People are confused, and rightfully so. There’s a new(ish) Apple fee when boosting posts on Instagram or Facebook through Apple devices, and this week I’ve seen so many people posting screenshots, trying to figure out what’s going on. ICYMI: Apple’s charging Meta an App Store fee, and Meta’s just passing that cost onto us. Gotta love it.

Even if I did agree with Meta passing on that cost to us (how nice if we could just pass on all our fees for using platforms 🙃), they aren’t communicating this well at all. Where’s the explainer? Where’s the question mark icon people can click to understand the fee? Where’s the transparency? People are finding out by accident – a textbook example of poor communication. It’s a good reminder for all brands – if something changes, especially something that affects your customers’ wallets, TELL THEM. Don’t leave people to figure it out themselves.

Transparency builds trust, and in a world where customers are increasingly skeptical, that trust is invaluable. The worst part? There’s a really easy way to customers to avoid this charge – just boost the post on desktop instead of through your app. But, is that information easy to find for the customers? Nope! Has Meta made a big effort to educate their customers about this? Absolutely not. Do Meta care? Mmmmm I don’t think so.

Also, Meta – maybe you could just cover the fee yourselves next time? K Thanks.

That’s it for another fortnight of my marketing thoughts! See you on October 18 for another edition – I’m off to go find some mango sticky rice.