Fall is officially here and we’re ready for sweater weather. September closed out with a mix of playful ads, viral satire, brand blunders, and trending TikToks.
Here’s the September Marketing Minute.
A Bad Stunt in the Himalayas
Arc’teryx, a Canadian high-performance outdoor equipment company, made headlines this month after conducting a fireworks display in the Himalayan region of Tibet. Although the display was meant to be a colorful celebration of Chinese culture, critics quickly raised concerns about the project’s potential harm to the fragile ecosystem and the sacred significance of the mountain range for local communities. For Arc’teryx, the optics issue is that the activation contradicted its brand values and alienated its core audience.
Contrary to the old saying, not all publicity is good publicity. If an attention-grabbing stunt backfires, you end up with headlines that hurt rather than help. The real takeaway: stay true to your brand’s values because credibility beats cheap attention every time.
Anthropologie Is Selling Rocks
No, Anthropology is not really selling rocks. A TikTok user named Phoebe Adams posted a video of her pranking her partner by unboxing a rock that she claims to have purchased for $150 from Anthro. Understandably, her partner was appalled. The original video now has over 11 million views and sparked a viral trend where other women are pranking their partners. The best part is that Anthropologie got in on the joke, posting its own video in response to the meme and helping Adams pull off the prank in-store.
The takeaway for other brands:
- Be human and don’t shy away from a sense of humor and self-awareness. Anthro is known for selling eclectic items for seemingly unwarranted prices, and instead of being miffed at this joke, it doubled down.
- Speed counts. The team jumped on a user-generated trend immediately. Its quick thinking and instinct helped to further extend and amplify the trend.
TikTok Lives On
If you’re like us, you’ve been diligently keeping track of the status of TikTok. President Trump signed an executive order outlining a deal with China. Six of the seven board seats would be filled by Americans, ByteDance would retain less than a 20% stake and Americans’ data would be stored in the U.S. and inaccessible to China. If the proposition goes through, Oracle, one of the largest tech companies in the world, would be responsible for housing U.S. users’ data and controlling TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm. For brands, that means uncertainty remains the only constant. Whether TikTok’s future is in Oracle’s hands or not, marketers need to plan for shifting rules, new gatekeepers, and the very real possibility that the platforms they rely on today—or have stayed away from—may look very different tomorrow.
Affleck vs. Affleck
Dunkin’ continues to deliver creative, pop-culture-driven campaigns, with its latest ad featuring “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Jen Affleck, and well-known Bostonian Ben Affleck, to promote the brand’s $6 Meal Deal. While celebrity cameos are nothing new for Dunkin’, this unexpected pairing stands out for its clever thinking—bringing together two worlds no one would anticipate. For viewers unfamiliar with the Hulu reality show, Jen gained attention (and online hate) after incorrectly claiming she was married to one of Ben Affleck’s relatives. In a savvy move, Dunkin’ tapped into this viral pop-culture moment and its ongoing relationship with Ben Affleck to spark buzz, humor, and brand relevance.
See you in October.