Denim, dodgy chocolate and diet pills
It’s Scrolls #7 - rolling along nicely now! It's your Friday fix of the latest twists and turns in social media, served up with a side dish of freshness.
This week it's all denim, dodgy chocolate and diet pills 👇
SCROLL-STOPPERS
Billie Eilish drops Dubai choc 🍫🎵
Everyone’s coming to terms with Taylor’s engagement 💍
Gap take a swing at American Eagle ad 🇺🇸🦅
Serena reveals she is using GLP-1 🎾💉
TikTokers “stop talking…” with Stranger Things audio 🤐
…and dueting with Dilemma by Kelly Rowland 🎤🎤
Marks & Sparks' launch M&S Man 🧍♂️🚀
POV: BRANDS NEED TO BALANCE VIRALITY WITH VALUE
Going viral is brilliant. Millions of views. Thousands of comments. Overnight fame feels great.
There’s not much more satisfying in social media than helping a challenger brand outreach their media budget with creativity that lands them an awareness win.
But, awareness doesn’t = revenue.
Zaria Parvez has left Duolingo after a masterclass in virality. There’s little doubt that would’ve been her brief. She nailed it.
The Duolingo owl became the king of memes, a subversive tone-of-voice paired with a native instinct for trends that made the Duolingo brand a touchpoint for internet culture.
All that at just 26 years old.
Although, from a user base of over half a billion, only 10 million are active paying subscribers. Zaria’s green owl has been everywhere. But a 98% dormant user base could be the result of the product not finding prominence in that strategy.
That matters.
Without conversion, brands risk being entertainers first, businesses second. That’s particularly relevant to challenger brands that measure every touchpoint for commercial impact.
Virality is the spark that starts the process. Value happens when the fire keeps burning.
The smartest brands are starting to juggle both. Not just chasing eyeballs, but creating content that moves people deeper into the funnel. From awareness → engagement → purchase.
That shift is becoming urgent. Budgets are tighter. CAC is higher. Founders want ROI, as well as eyeballs.
Social growth can come from being unhinged and playing to the algorithm. Commercial growth has to bring in the product.
Brands that nail this balance win twice. They stay culturally relevant whilst building revenue engines.
The future of social media isn’t just about going viral. It’s about turning impressions into impact. Followers into customers.
Because fame without fortune doesn’t last.
