the newsletter, every issue.
Eight hundred and eighty-five editions of yap, sat in one place. One long read every friday morning. Always free.
Eight hundred and eighty-five issues.
Why vertical soap operas are all over your feed right now
Vertical soap operas are dominating social feeds with 30-second melodramas designed for mobile consumption and algorithmic engagement.
Digital intimacy in the age of parasocial everything
Parasocial relationships define modern digital culture as audiences form one-sided bonds with creators who monetize emotional proximity and fake intimacy.
How to make customer reviews your secret weapon
Customer reviews drive purchase decisions, especially in beauty. Learn ethical ways to incentivize authentic reviews for social proof and conversions.
Reputation is the new ROI
Modern brands face constant reputation battles as social media transforms marketing into real-time moral warfare where meaning matters more than traditional ROI.
From feed to front window (how the internet has colonised the corner store)
Physical stores now resemble algorithm feeds, selling viral TikTok products and adopting internet aesthetics as online culture colonizes real-world commerce.
Is brand differentiation overrated?
Brand differentiation might be overrated. Byron Sharp's research suggests distinctiveness and familiarity drive growth more than being radically different from competitors.
Post-truth marketing: How do you build a brand when no one believes anything?
With media trust at record lows of 28%, marketers face a post-truth landscape where belief matters more than facts and coherence builds brand authority.
The internet as a mood board for selfhood
The internet has transformed identity into curated mood boards, where we build ourselves through aesthetic choices and purchases that signal who we want to be seen as.
The romance of logging on (and what marketers can learn from it)
The internet shifted from destination to atmosphere, changing online behavior. Marketers must build intentional digital spaces rather than broadcasting into the void.
How brands can do Halloween the right way (because we’re so over fake cobwebs & pumpkins!)
Halloween marketing needs elevation beyond plastic decorations. Brands should embrace ritual, mystery, and transformation themes to create meaningful seasonal campaigns.
Storytelling as a balm for cultural collapse
In our chaotic digital world, brands should return to mythmaking and storytelling as meaning-making devices to create coherent narratives that anchor cultural conversations.
The free fall of context: What does anything actually mean now?
Digital culture has collapsed into meaningless chaos where context switches so fast nothing retains meaning. Brands must choose between joining the noise or anchoring real conversations.