What a week!

In addition to mustache-gate 2024 driven by unreasonable superstitions around the Mets MLB playoff fortunes relying on Greg’s facial hair, we hosted our first-ever GrowthSource event. 25+ marketers joined for some interesting 2025 consumer trends, great food and drinks, and…get this…free beer from Brooklyn Brewery! 

Shameless Plug – Register for the next event in Q1 HERE. 

This week, we examined some unique initiatives from the WNBA, the tragedy exacerbated by misinformation hampering recovery efforts, and the creative way that McDonnell’s (intentionally misspelled) launched a new chicken sandwich. I’m hungry. 

Thanks friends…see you next time!

Becky & Greg  

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Grab attention: WNBA teams are going to creative lengths to campaign for awards

TL;DR: It’s award season for the WNBA, and many teams are campaigning for their athletes and coaches with stand-out campaigns, including player-themed juices with a local juice bar, a chocolate record-breaking set, and a set of custom hot sauces.

Takeaway: When it comes to award campaigns, you can’t always know how much voters are paying attention to your brand or people. And if your people are working so hard to stand out, your campaign to get them awarded should be equally unique. Plus, these campaigns serve a secondary purpose of generating extra publicity for your brand. Who doesn’t want to grab a special edition juice from their favorite player? These campaigns can be a fun opportunity to flex your team’s creativity and lean into outside-the-box ideas.

Consider:

• When your brand is up for an award, how can you go above and beyond the standard application process? Most brands will go for the bare minimum, but you have an opportunity to stand out from the crowd with a targeted award campaign.
• These specific campaigns leverage local businesses, community collaboration, trends, and humor – which is why they feel more creative and unique rather than purely promotional. How could your brand leverage these approaches? The more outside the box, the better!

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Control the narrative: Misinformation and misleading information have hurt hurricane response efforts

TL;DR: In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, there has been a great deal of misinformation on social media about response efforts from local governments, FEMA, and the American Red Cross. Many of these organizations have struggled to combat these messages and relay their useful, actionable information.

Takeaway: Public chaos invites the opportunity for more misinformation and disinformation. Once you’ve lost control of the narrative, it can be incredibly hard to reclaim. This is why it’s so important to get ahead of the rumors and convey plans before the disaster happens – especially in cases like these where storms are, in large part, predictable. Brands and organizations need to relay information across as many channels as possible before misinformation can spread. Now, many of these disaster response organizations are addressing the misinformation head-on, which is a useful approach once the damage has been done. And still, many audiences who already believed the misinformation may not be swayed by official statements.

Consider:

• Can you predict what disasters are to come? Find out as much information as possible so you can build the narrative before things turn to chaos. Ensure your messaging remains consistent and firm to avoid any additional confusion.
• If your organization is involved in misinformation or disinformation, the situation may be mostly out of your hands. Address the misinformation head-on with clear, consistent statements. Answer questions in jargon-less, simple language that allows anyone to easily understand the dangerous allegations.

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Make your own dupe: McDonald’s opens “McDonnell’s” to launch its new Chicken Big Mac

TL;DR: McDonald’s launched its new Chicken Big Mac with a pop-up experience in Los Angeles called “McDonnell’s.” The lookalike dining experience was hosted by Chain, a restaurant concept that reimagines classic food chain establishments.

Takeaway: Dupes are super popular right now worldwide – especially with younger audiences. So, instead of competing with the dupes, what if you just made your own? McDonald’s is clever for launching its new version of a classic with a new version of itself. Instead of fearing that other brands are going to take your place and trying to keep consumers locked on your brand, you can stand apart by leaning into the fear. Make an alternate reality version of your product and let that be your differentiator.

Consider:

• At the end of the day, dupes exist as a cheaper, more accessible version of the real thing and often attract a younger, more budget-conscious audience. That may not be who you’re trying to target. Ask yourself if the average dupe audience is the audience you’re looking to attract.
• If you are interested in attracting a dupe-loving audience, what would the dupe of your product or brand look like? If dupes of your product or brand already exist, take note of them. How are those alternate versions more attractive to audiences than your original version?

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