Gen Z still do not “Got Milk,” even when Big Milk has Aubrey Plaza
Sources have shown for some time now that Gen Z and Millennials are just not buying the “real milk” thing, no matter how many campaigns try to sway them away from their plant-based beverages. But, in another attempt, Aubrey Plaza recently starred in an ad for “Wood Milk,” a “0% nutritional value, 100% fake” product made up by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), the same company who founded the “Got Milk?” campaign. In it, she shows the process of making the fake milk alternative, before concluding, “Is wood milk real? Absolutely not. Only real milk is real.”
On TikTok, the full ad racked up 23.4M views, and though the comments are highly amused by the inventive marketing, the actual message didn’t have so much success. One TikToker who posts weekly environmental news covered the ad in a “Sunday Circular” video, and the comments expressed disappointment in Plaza for doing the ad. One comment reads, “Aubrey Plaza getting into bed with big milk is the biggest disappointment of 2023,” while others say “Love Aubrey Plaza, but the dairy industry sucks.”
YPulse data shows that of the plant-based products they eat and drink on the regular, plant-based beverages—like alternative milks—are the most popular with Gen Z and Millennials. Whether it’s because they can’t have dairy as a dietary restriction, want more eco-friendly options, or simply prefer the taste, plant-based drinks are certainly here to stay with young consumers.
Can Bluesky really rival twitter as it sends out invites?
Months ago, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and other ex-Twitter employees, announced they were sending their new social platform Bluesky into beta—a possible rival to Twitter as it seemed everyone would run from Elon Musk as owner. Now, the app is sending out invites and giving users shareable codes, making it the exclusive space every Twitter user wants in on, if only to know what’s happening there (and to see if it will really overthrow the bird app). So far, several major Twitter accounts have taken up use of the app, most notably the viral account @Dril, who has been “dunking on Twitter for the past little while and has been a key advocate of the #BlockTheBlue campaign to block people with Twitter Blue verification checkmarks.”
sixteen of you stand before me, but i only have fifteen blue sky invites in my hands pic.twitter.com/wm3B4PuK7i
— rax ‘leads with her crotch’ king (@RaxKingIsDead) April 28, 2023
YPulse data showed back in December that young Twitter users were not yet ready to abandon ship just because of Musk’s ownership. But now, viral tweets under the trending topic of Bluesky show promise that apps like Mastodon never fully picked up. One tweet with over 500K views and 7.5K likes reads “if there’s going to be a social media that can actually take away users from twitter, i genuinely and unironically believe that bluesky is going to be the one to do it.” Others say that once Bluesky is out of its invite only phase,Twitter will really feel the user loss—but only time will tell.
Also on Twitter: Blue check marks are coming and going, seemingly at random, but most celebs aren’t bothered
This week on TikTok: Users are categorizing their look, again, by “bunny, fox, deer, or cat pretty”
This week, the hashtag #BunnyPretty has been on the rise as TikTokers determine whether their beauty aligns with a bunny, cat, deer, or fox. TikTok’s Creative Center shows the hashtag has been used in 2K posts over the last week alone, adding 9M views to the tag’s overall 35M. Top videos show users with four different corresponding filters on, asking viewers to help them decide which matches their look and vibe best. Other videos show what look / features they think most align with each type; for example, one video defines “bunny pretty” as having a round face, doe eyes, and soft features.
Other recent trends show this is a part of a bigger trend on the app, letting users define themselves through putting certain aesthetic features into categories that function almost like personality quizzes. Also this week, users have been posting about couples and friendship duos who fit in the “golden retriever or black cat” dynamic. Before that, the app was all over the “Bouba and Kiki effect,” relating everything under the sun to two abstract shapes. In the same way that Millennials loved their Myers Briggs and Enneagram personality types, Gen Z on TikTok love to identify with aesthetic categories that come with a defining vibe—which is why #cores were a ruling fashion trend last year.
Links We’re Passing:
TikTok: This viral Gen Z poet is being accused of massive amounts of plagiarism
Users are showing baby pics of their S.O.s and best friends in a wholesome trend
Two women are facing tons of hate for mocking an influencer taking a selfie video in public
Marketing: Nissan hopped on the Lofi Girl trend, and it’s totally working
Work: A video of a CEO demanding more in-office commitment has gone viral for how awful it was
Gaming: EA sports is rebranding Fifa, one of young consumers’ favorite video games
