The Architecture of the Queue
Waiting in line has turned from a nuisance into the point. With third spaces gone, the queue gives people shared presence and proof of effort. Brands can turn launches into real-world gatherings and treat the line as part of the experience.
Read the full thing →The Ghost of Hipsters Past
The beanies, vinyl and craft obsession of the 2011 hipster became the standard vocabulary of mainstream brands. Subcultures invent what the mass market later sells. Brands should study today's odd, high-friction subcultures to see what comes next.
MarketingThe “Stolen Valour” of the Automated Holiday Campaign
Prada and Levi's leaned into human craft for the 2026 holidays. Dior marketed its festive film the same way, then animators spotted AI interpolation glitches. If a brand uses AI, it should say so, and if it claims craft, it should pay for craft.
CultureThe Youth Shift Is in the Ballot, Not Just the Demographics
Exit polls show voters under 30 moved sharply left in 2026, and young outsider candidates are a big reason why. Social video let them skip party gatekeepers and talk plainly about housing, food and healthcare. Institutional authority is losing ground to individual voices.
Beyond Maxxing: The Case for Mining What You Have
Looksmaxxing, sleepmaxxing, careermaxxing: the optimisation culture has left everyone exhausted. The counter-trend is mining what you already have, and brands can sell subtraction as a premium feature.
The Credit Card Multi-Pass Paradox
The heavy metal prestige card is losing to a stack of niche cards built for rent, groceries or EV charging. The lesson for every brand: own one recurring friction point instead of the whole lifestyle.
Corporate Neutrality: What Does It Look Like in 2026?
Every supporting act walked off Ed Sheeran's Loop tour and left him playing alone. For small brands, the lesson is not to pick a political side. It is to protect the community that built you.
Your New Health Metric Is the Recommended Dose of Art
A UK report sets a Recommended Dose of Art: an hour a month looking at original work in a museum. Studies link it to lower depression risk and a bigger cortisol drop than viewing the same art on a screen. Most adults never hit it.
The Unbreakable Glass of Reputational Gravity
A viral clip showed rioters failing to break the glass front of a Louis Vuitton store, and the Chinese glass maker Henxinfeng used it to show off its product. Real-world proof beats a polished studio demo, the same way old infomercials stuck because they showed the thing working. Brands should watch for moments that naturally prove what their product does, and stay out of tragedy for traffic.
Escaping the “Meat Proxy” Trap in the AI Boom
Eugene Healey's term for people who forward AI output without reading it is the meat proxy, and he says they will be the first casualties of the AI boom. His fix is to interrogate every answer: force a one-line thesis, ask what is being assumed, and look for the evidence that would break it. Then use the output as raw material for your own original take.
The Automated Factory of “Cool”
Cool girl tutorials package the same jacket, bun and lip liner for millions of people at once, which turns cool into a uniform. Real style has always started on the fringes and looked odd at first. Brands like Dickies and Carhartt last by making simple, sturdy products and letting each customer decide what they mean.
The PR Backfire of the Anti-Dupe Crusade
Charlotte Tilbury's line that a dupe dupes the consumer set off a wave of videos showing cheap alternatives to her products. In a cost of living squeeze, budget beauty reads as access, so attacking it reads as gatekeeping, and the quiet loss of her cruelty-free label made it worse. Premium brands win on product proof and community, and a dupe is only a threat when the product has nothing else to stand on.
Jennifer Lawrence and the Death of the Celebrity Cash Grab
Jennifer Lawrence joined Instagram and launched a hair care line, and the internet read it as a recession indicator. Audiences now know how the celebrity brand incubator works, so a famous name on a generic bottle reads as a warning. The brands that last, like Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty, win on what the product actually does.
She Went Viral by Accident... Then Built a Media Empire
Roi Wilkey cold-called for three months and got told no every time. Then she posted one video that hit 27 million views. Eighteen months later, revenue was up 114%.
Stanley sits down with Roi, founder of Burst Digital, on growing up with no money, the 100-day challenge that changed everything, and the one DM that made her quit posting for three months.
Two people from the same background, chasing the same thing. This one gets deep.
Chapters:
00:00 Who is Roi
01:00 Going all in on personal brand
03:40 The 27 million view video
05:56 Speaking on stage when you're scared
15:31 Chase views, not followers
18:21 Growing up with no money
20:47 Cold calling and getting told no
30:10 Handling hate online
48:08 What's next: teaching and community
59:37 Splitting the agency and the brand
01:04:00 AI and the future of the work
Follow Roi and Burst Digital: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roimata-wilkey-69355976/
More Stansplaining: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGtLx0IRRmrMW3k61LJSZZyJ76alId8kW&si=E5lmTN2J_LvGNKgB
Follow Stanley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleychenry/
#Stansplaining #PersonalBrand #Marketing #Entrepreneur
YouTube BANS AI Slop, KFC Goes Gritty, and Gen Z Learns to Drive in Fortnite
Subscribe to the newsletter now: https://www.yourattnp.lease/subscribe?ref=94emEwsTgRIn this episode of the YAP Podcast, we dive into five wild marketing stories shaking up the internet this week:🍗 KFC’s Comeback Era – The Colonel is back, but this time he’s scowling. We explore KFC’s gritty rebrand featuring The Bear’s Matty Matheson and ask: can a fast food mascot have a redemption arc?🎮 The General x Fortnite – T-Pain is now your driving instructor. We talk about how The General Insurance i
She Went Viral by Accident... Then Built a Media Empire
Roi Wilkey cold-called for three months and got told no every time. Then she posted one video that hit 27 million views. Eighteen months later, revenue was up 114%.
Stanley sits down with Roi, founder of Burst Digital, on growing up with no money, the 100-day challenge that changed everything, and the one DM that made her quit posting for three months.
Two people from the same background, chasing the same thing. This one gets deep.
Chapters:
00:00 Who is Roi
01:00 Going all in on personal brand
03:40 The 27 million view video
05:56 Speaking on stage when you're scared
15:31 Chase views, not followers
18:21 Growing up with no money
20:47 Cold calling and getting told no
30:10 Handling hate online
48:08 What's next: teaching and community
59:37 Splitting the agency and the brand
01:04:00 AI and the future of the work
Follow Roi and Burst Digital: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roimata-wilkey-69355976/
More Stansplaining: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGtLx0IRRmrMW3k61LJSZZyJ76alId8kW&si=E5lmTN2J_LvGNKgB
Follow Stanley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleychenry/
#Stansplaining #PersonalBrand #Marketing #Entrepreneur
Why You Should Start a Second Page: Emma Katja
Eat the Menu is back.
This time Stanley is at Broken Lantern with Ems Toast — food content
creator, digital marketing strategist, and the person running a secret
second channel her main audience doesn't know about.
The format this episode: One Perfect Bite. Every dish, one perfect
mouthful. Then rank them all until one winner remains.
We talk about why she started an incognito second page, why her smaller
page outperforms her bigger one, what strategy actually means in marketing,
why organic and paid content need completely different structures, and how
she films every single weekend and still hasn't burned out.
Filmed at Broken Lantern — 198 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011
Follow Ems Toast:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/emstoast/?hl=en
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@emstoast
Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/@TASPodcasts
STANSPLAINING — new episodes every week
World's Most Common Passwords
you won't believe how predictable people are with passwords. see the world's most common ones and find out if yours made the list.
Open series ↗
Building a Profitable Creator Business Without Brand Deals w/ VJ Cooks
Vanya Insull is the creator behind VJ Cooks, one of New Zealand’s most successful food brands, built from simple, affordable recipes into a multi-revenue digital business. In this episode, Vanya breaks down exactly how she turned content into a scalable company. From cookbooks and brand deals to a high-performing website and a subscription meal-planning app, this is one of the most practical, transparent conversations we’ve had about monetising an audience. If you’re a creator trying to turn views into real income, this episode is a blueprint.
Open series ↗
Stanley Henry's AUT Guest Talk
exclusive guest talk from stanley henry at aut university. discover proven social media strategies and marketing insights you can't find anywhere else.
Open series ↗explore by topic.
AI
AI tools, automation, analytics, and the intersection of technology and organic content.
Explore ↗
Audience & Community
Dark social, private communities, direct-to-fan relationships, and the shift to owned audiences.
Explore ↗
Content Creation
Video production, copywriting, hooks, visual design, and the craft of scroll-stopping content.
Explore ↗
Creators & Influence
UGC, EGC, influencer strategy, and the business of building creator-led brands.
Explore ↗
Social Media Platforms
Algorithm updates, platform mechanics, and tactical guidance for TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and beyond.
Explore ↗
Trends & Digital Culture
Memes, trends, Gen Z behaviour, and the cultural forces shaping how audiences engage online.
Explore ↗