Joanna Hughston’s Post

As part of my #bookclub, I’ve been diving into a book that really struck a chord with me, especially given the author’s personal history with abuse. I find myself disappointed by the missed opportunity to align the marketing with a greater purpose. The author has openly discussed her challenging upbringing, including her experiences with abuse. Given this context, it feels like a natural fit to see a collaboration with organizations that support victims of abuse or those facing homelessness. However, Blake Lively missed the mark by prioritizing the promotion of her new hair care #brand instead of bringing attention to this important issue. In a time when consumers are increasingly looking for brands that stand for more than just profit, aligning with social causes is not only the right thing to do—it’s smart business. Unfortunately, the current #marketing strategy seems to overlook this connection, focusing solely on product promotion of #blakebrown without tapping into the deeper issues that are addressed in the book and the film. This is a conversation worth having: How can we encourage brands and creators to use their platforms not just to sell, but to serve? How can marketing be leveraged to bring about real, positive change? What are your thoughts? Comment below ⬇️ #Marketing #PurposeDriven #SocialImpact #BrandStrategy #itendswithus

"When we think of what drives consumers, we often think about what they are proud of. 🤔✨ What do they want to be seen drinking? 🥤 What label do they want to be seen wearing? 👗 What do they want to be parked on their driveway? 🚗 What do they want to post on social? 📱 What do they want to share? 🤳 But how much do we consider the opposite force? 🤨 Next in his column, Strategy and The City, Ogilvy UK's head of strategy, Matthew Waksman, discusses the power of shame and how brands can use it. 📝🔍 Read Here: https://lnkd.in/ed9E6wiS Ogilvy WPP #ConsumerBehavior #BrandStrategy #Marketing #PrideAndShame #OgilvyUK

Have you been seeing the conversations around Blake Lively and her latest release, It Ends With Us? Social media has never had a storm bigger than this ⛈️ and no doubt this is partly down to Lively’s fanbase when she played socialite Serena in Gossip Girl coupled with her very public marriage to Ryan Reynolds. They’re pretty much an A-list couple but social media has been talking about them and not in a good way. Most content creators feel Lively has ignored the deeper themes of It Ends With Us, which features heavy themes including domestic violence, to promote herself and her haircare line. ⁉️Why is this important? ➡️It shows a shift in attitudes on social media about celebrity culture and marketing, and how audiences want more authenticity from the people they follow and look up to. However we exist within marketing, we need to take note of the change we’re seeing at the moment. Audiences are looking for more honesty and openness from brands while also demanding higher standards for the products or services they’re investing in. Their time and money is precious and if the messaging of a brand doesn’t come off as genuine about who they are and what they stand for, then they’ll lose the customer base as well as their loyalty. 🦇To quote a Batman film, The Dark Knight, “you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” If we want brand longevity, it’s important to constantly audit our messaging and see what does, and more importantly, doesn’t resonate with the current audience. In the case of Blake Lively, it seems her PR team is rushed off their feet right now. #Hollywood #BrandMessaging #Branding #Marketing

Hey everyone Absolutely love this new work from MullenLowe for their Lynx ( AXE) account. The spots are hilarious.  link to article here: https://lnkd.in/gqnDxqky   https://lnkd.in/gdTnmAqq https://lnkd.in/gfPcvbga   Quote from the ECD on the approach:  “We know there will be die-hard fans of the campaign, and there will also be offended individuals,” he explained. “What we try here is pushing humor to the extreme, always aiming to be faithful to the ideas, and trying to forget the fear that comes with making certain jokes. The filter we chose was to ask ourselves at every step: ‘Is it funnier this way?’ And if the answer was a laugh, we went ahead with it.”   Why it matters: What resonates with me with these 2 spots is that they stayed authentic to the vision. Pushing the limit and staying true to the brand and its core audience. These are great reminders when fighting for and defending work. The work is brilliant. From the casting, to the "look" all of it. As a creative lead helping to get work across the finish line from that initial Rd1 presentation to finish and keeping the idea intact is HARD. Being able to always ground the work and rationale around the decisions made in what got everyone excited in the first place is key to helping move the work strategically to the end. Clients will always appreciate this point of view as it helps them to make decisions and get their colleagues onboard. In helping guide clients through this process and making their jobs easier, we are doing one of my most critical aspects of our jobs when forming relationships which is building TRUST.

Love this article on the double standard of fandoms and how female-led fandoms and communities are finally getting their due respect. "These developments are especially notable, as the interests of female fans have traditionally been ignored, infantilized and even stigmatized. Girls screaming their hearts out at a concert is a punchline; boys screaming at the television when their team loses is part of a normal Sunday ritual." Also some great tips on how brands can honor their fangirls and communities and put that energy at the heart of their business. https://lnkd.in/eSahmn62

I’m at the point where I will gladly pay the Linkedin subscription fee To not show me posts from fashion exec bros using shiny new buzz words like community to exploit women I will buy it rtf NOW C-suits are unbelievably talking about culture after decades of shaming everyone but wh*te men You know what is trending in culture today? Actually it’s more like a revolution The collective action of silly TikTokers you think you can trick w/emojis girl power nonsense has led to a colossal take down of Hollywood’s elite in just 3 days #blockout2024 #choppingblock #hungergames #eattherich –billions of views & millions of videos But they wouldn't know that b/c they're not immersed in culture People are tired of fame for fame’s sake while war & poverty ravages the districts w/inhumane suffering And like clockwork #paidad Business of Fashion reported on the glamor of the Hunger Gala an hour ago if they were immersed in culture i/o of paid to tastemake they would have retracted it Instead they reported BALENCIAGA & Tommy Hilfiger bought tables for 2 hours for $350K while most of their employees ate cake or maybe it was cereal as the CEO of Kellogs recently told poor families to do People w/2-3 full time jobs can’t afford groceries Write about something interesting please b/c everyone else is in the hunger games This deep chasm isn’t new Of course, CEOs & plastic celebrities who teach women to hate themselves have always been out of touch Now people are holding them to account They could have great influence instead J Lo calls journalists covering the Met “bottom feeders” And the CEO of Wayfair tells employees to stop being lazy - just work more This is why the rise of creators on TikTok People totally distrust the "influencer" system what are you even paying for? Celebrity does not equal influence, it never did, but to keep paying the 1% the facade went on What is this made up EMV metric of which you parade that just pays mega corporations billions to report on monopoly money So people are calling for less capitol, more district On TikTok Shop B/c that's where real people make life changing money after you fire them due to your own ineptitude Here’s the thing about the next wave of commerce (creators as brands) Creators tend to care about people as people Instead of just as prospects Fashion as all industries since the internet has evolved to speak ever more scale Yet speaking community really well is the job this era B/c people have more important things to do than participate in your race to the bottom People no longer have to swallow the toxic legacy media shoved down their throats They'll help their communities to receive value from the content they freely contribute Exec bros are utterly unprepared to operate communities that are spaces of shared influence and value I couldn't be more excited to serve #thegreatfashionreset #creatoreconomy #contentistheproduct #tiktokisthestore #tiktokmademebuyit

A few months ago, I participated in a conversation on TikTok - in a variation of the now infamous Man vs. Bear conversation—that unexpectedly went viral, reaching 1.8M views, 127K likes, and 5K comments. The prompt asked Black women, “If you are alone in a conference room, who would you rather walk in, a White man or a White woman?” My response built on the Man vs. Bear analogy by hypothesizing that, in corporate environments, Black women often would choose and fare better under White male managers than White women or some instances Black women managers. My hypothesis is that this is due to a lack of identity overlap—both in race and gender—which reduces potential friction or competition. Additionally, White men, having historically held the top positions in corporate structures, may feel more comfortable distributing resources without perceiving those beneath them as a threat to their standing. While I don’t believe this is an absolute rule, identity overlap can sometimes create a dynamic where managers feel like there can only be "one," making them more hesitant to uplift others with similar backgrounds. This nuance was echoed in the thousands of comments agreeing with my take. The overwhelming response highlights the pervasive nature of these dynamics in corporate settings, and it reminds me how crucial it is to advocate for diverse and inclusive leadership that understands and addresses these challenges head-on. Although I’m very proud of this viral moment on TikTok, I was initially hesitant to share it here. However, given the important conversations happening around DEI, I thought it might resonate with some of my connections. You can watch the TikTok here: https://lnkd.in/egVWpAdA 🖤

🌟 Creator Spotlight: James Charles 🌟 James Charles, the first male CoverGirl, has faced significant controversies and challenges in his career. Explore his journey and how he's leveraging TapeReal to rebuild his brand and connect with his audience in our latest blog post. #JamesCharles #BeautyInfluencer #ContentCreation #TapeReal #BlogPost #CareerJourney

I was recently featured in an interview for Forbes magazine, discussing ageism and the deeply offensive ageist LinkedIn advertisements. It's an honor to have been a part of it. #AgeismAwareness #StopAgeism #ForbesFeature #LinkedInAds #EqualityInTech #DiversityAndInclusion #AgePositive #InclusiveMarketing #RespectAllAges #FightAgeismInTech #ageism https://lnkd.in/gVTFGfVA

Sounding "woke" and "in tune" with political discourse is tempting for any brand trying to align with the cultural moment. But when marketing strategies are tied to real movements, real identities, and real struggles—in other words, politics—the outcome can be disastrous for everyone involved if the move is not genuine. In my latest piece for MediaCat Magazine, I explore how brands often conceptualize political issues as just another territory to conquer. Politics, however, should not be trivialized, and the brands that truly understand this and are willing to stand with the oppressed are the ones that will ultimately contribute to societal progress and reshape the cultural landscape. I, of course, discuss the "Bumble Fumble," which will go down in marketing history as one of the biggest faux pas, but I also cover Bud Light's performative allyship with the trans community (because I'll never forget) and Kellogg's positive stance in featuring a pregnant woman on their packaging. Give it a read! (it's accessible to all): https://lnkd.in/ekWvKuE5