The Rise of “Deepfake” Ads and the Marketing Genius of Liquid Death

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.

Don’t Be Boring: The Marketing Genius of Liquid Death

We love this analysis of the metal-inspired hydration company and how it capitalized on positioning itself as different from every other water brand on the market. Some truly great insights in here when thinking about how to differentiate yourself from the competition, whether it’s your foundational story or a single marketing campaign. We particularly like the sentiment from this quote by the founder: “When coming up with marketing ideas, the team asks themselves, ‘What would be the dumbest thing we can do for this?’” [Read More]

WSJ: “Deepfakes” of Celebrities Have Begun Appearing in Ads, With or Without Their Permission

The advent of a new technology often occasions a conversation about the ethics surrounding that technology (just look at self-driving cars). With “deepfake” facial mapping effects, stars such as Elon Musk, Tom Cruise and Leo DiCaprio have been used by brands to advertise products and services, sometimes against their will. The media and advertising industries will need to establish new legal precedents to govern this technology in the coming years, but right now we’re living in the Wild West of Deepfakes. Proceed at your own risk. [Read More]

Nathan Baugh: What I Learned from the Top Storytellers of All Time

Marketing guru Nathan Baugh aggregated ideas from some of the greatest storytellers he’s studied (Tolkien, Jobs, RR Martin, Nolan) and codified them into learnings. Read this thread if you’re looking for a better way to connect with followers and fans. According to Baugh, the most important basis of any great story is the idea of emotional truth, or “the portal through which we see ourselves in a story.” Appeal to your audience on an emotional level and the stories you tell them will improve. [Read More]

Soccer can transform the African cultural and creative ecosystem (Quartz)
Sports Equinox 2022: When NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB games collide (Axios)
This obscure shopping app is now America’s most downloaded (MIT Technology Review)
Why are touring musicians facing a mental health crisis? (Consequence of Sound)
A Twitter thread full of brilliant guerilla marketing campaigns (Marketing Max)
A conversation about songwriting between Kendrick Lamar and Rick Rubin (GQ)

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