Since U Been Wrong

Dis is how we do it

Wisdom 💡:  Disney is showing that even the most iconic logos can have a little identity crisis, slicing up its famous wordmark to introduce Hulu content on Disney+ in Canada. The cheeky “Hu Dis?” campaign combines pieces of both brands’ logos with familiar faces like Kim Kardashian, turning text-message slang into billboard brilliance. It’s a bold move for a company that typically guards its branding like a Disney princess guards her happily ever after, but the clever wordplay is earning rave reviews. Disney proves that when it comes to clever branding, sometimes you have to split to make a splash. 

Gen Z ya later

Wit 😁:  Gen Z’s purchasing power is on track to hit $12 trillion by 2030, and brands are discovering that the fastest way to lose their attention is to give off major “how do you do, fellow kids?” energy. Smirnoff is shaking things up with Troye Sivan’s cheeky humor, while Hinge is swiping right on BookTok-inspired romance to woo a generation that’s notoriously hard to impress. Both brands are proving that connecting with Gen Z means embracing their quirks, speaking their language and knowing when to be polished versus perfectly unhinged. The lesson? You can’t manufacture cool, but you can avoid getting ghosted by a generation with a finely tuned cringe detector.

Since U Been Wrong

Wisdom 💡: Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn boutique Art of Play have struck a sour note, turning a customer service complaint into a full-blown PR showdown. After Clarkson blasted the shop over a disputed encounter, the business rightly defended itself but kept the feud alive with sarcastic social posts and a jaw-dropping new $15 million price tag on the mechanical bird at the center of the drama. While celebrities should think twice before unleashing their fan bases on small businesses, brands should remember that defending their reputation doesn’t require winning every round of a public spat. In the end, both sides could’ve used a little less Stronger and a lot more Walk Away.

Pepper Pick

This October, don’t let a PR nightmare haunt your brand! 🎃 Check out this Peppercomm article for tips on tackling controversy, warding off reputational scares and keeping your crisis comms strategy from becoming a real-life horror story.