Why social-first brands are doubling down—and how your brand can keep up
As we all know, social media is no longer the “fun” channel. It’s the frontline for brand strategy, customer experience, and measurable business growth. In Deloitte Digital’s 2025 State of Social Research, and across ListenFirst’s platform data, three patterns emerge that separate thriving brands from the rest: investment deliberately in community building, getting smarter about content formats and collaborators, and finally bridging the gap between engagement and conversion.
Community: Stop Broadcasting, Start Building
Today’s consumers don’t want a billboard. They want a back-and-forth. Deloitte reports that 73% of consumers expect a response from brands on social—yet many brands still ghost or automate in ways that feel robotic. And while 51% of companies are now using GenAI for community responses, efficiency isn’t a replacement for authenticity.
That’s why social-first brands are investing in scalable ways to create personalized interactions, even across large audiences. Expect to see more brands adopting layered response models—AI for triage, human for nuance.
Content: Don’t Get Starstruck—Get Strategic
Influencers aren’t optional—they’re expected. But too many brands are chasing celebrity endorsements that cost more and deliver less. Deloitte’s report highlights that while 81% of brands still prioritize mega creators, the real ROI comes from micro and mid-tier creators, where 48% of social-first brands say they see their best returns.
Here’s the kicker: consumers follow nearly twice as many creators (13) as they do brands (7). That means if your brand voice only lives on your owned channels, you’re missing the broader conversation—and the conversions.
Format Matters
Choosing the right voice is only half the battle. Choosing the proper format is just as critical. ListenFirst’s analysis of the best-performing S&P 500 content reveals key insights:
Rank
Brand
Platform
Format
Engagements
Response Rate*
1
Mastercard
Instagram
Reel
973,326
407.5%
2
Smuckers
TikTok
Gallery
3,274
182.5%
3
Henry Schein
Facebook
Image
10,969
57.0%
4
The Walt Disney Co
Facebook
Link
4,244
36.6%
5
Grindr
X
Text
51,445
12.1%
Luxury Fashion
Despite an average benchmark engagement of just 3,522, brands like Calvin Klein and Gucci surpassed 2M engagements using TikTok and Instagram video and gallery formats.
Top cultural collabs that performed:
Brand
Partner
Engagement Rate
Format
Platform
Gucci
Jin (BTS)
6.43%
Video
TikTok
Jacquemus
Central Cee
5.65%
Video
TikTok
Calvin Klein
Cha Eun-woo
5.01%
Gallery
Instagram
Dior
Unknown Creator
4.77%
Reel
Instagram
Conversion: From Likes to Leads
According to Deloitte, most brands are meeting only 69% of their social media business objectives. That stat cuts to the heart of the conversion challenge: social is too often measured in vanity metrics, leaving its true business impact unaccounted for.
This isn’t a strategy gap. It’s a measurement failure.
Social-first brands are tying platform performance to tangible business outcomes—traffic, purchases, app installs, RSVPs, and more. ListenFirst’s vertical data offers further insight:
Instagram drove 91% of new followers in Pet, Home & Hardware
TikTok and Instagram together made up 76.4% of all engagement
Video accounted for 67% of all cross-platform engagement in early 2025
YouTube led video views with 59.2%, ahead of TikTok and Facebook
TikTok had the highest response rates for hardware brands—especially with evening posts
Conversion isn’t just about clicks—it’s about aligning content to funnel stages:
Platform
Role in Funnel
Instagram
Product discovery + trust
TikTok
Cultural spark + action
YouTube
Product deep dive + loyalty
Facebook
Retargeting + reminder
X
Low value for most B2C brands
Brands that map content strategy to these roles aren’t just getting seen—they’re converting.
Strategy Wins. Not Scale.
The brands thriving in 2025 aren’t just throwing more money at social. They’re doing fewer things—smarter. They’re choosing collaborators based on resonance, not reach. They’re shifting spend away from legacy platforms and toward formats that move people. And above all, they’re measuring success in outcomes, not optics.
Social isn’t a separate strategy anymore—it’s the connective tissue between brand, audience, and business growth.
Want to See Where You Stack Up?
Whether you’re optimizing creator strategy, testing content formats, or finally tying engagement to conversion—ListenFirst can help:
📊 Benchmark your brand against top performers in your category
🌟 Identify quick wins across platforms and content types
🚀 Track full-funnel performance, from first impression to final click
Let’s turn your social investment into real-world results.
Let’s be honest: for most people outside the gaming space, trying to understand the video game industry can feel like being dropped into a sandbox game with no map. There’s jargon, subcultures, studio names you’ve never heard of, and more genre types than you can track.
But if you’re in media, entertainment, or marketing, the time to figure it out is now. With our work and collaboration at ListenFirst spanning both AAA and indie studios alike, I put together a crash course to help teams understand the space and determine where they can actually add value.
Here’s the breakdown, in human terms.
Step One: What Even Is a Game?
If you’ve ever compared a Netflix Original to a Universal blockbuster, you already get it. Games also come with developers, publishers, and distributors—but unlike film and TV, these roles often overlap.
Take GOTY Astro Bot, for example, which spans a wider team:
Developed by Team Asobi
Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment
Distributed by PlayStation Studios
Only available on PlayStation 5
Meanwhile, League of Legends is developed, published, and distributed entirely by Riot Games for PC.
The point is, with this wide range of differences, we can’t expect to mix & match comparisons. A single-title debut release won’t stack up against a multi-decade franchise, nor will an indie publisher compete against a brand new system.
And if you’re totally new here: “system” could be console, PC, or mobile. For comparison’s sake, mobile is not our focus today (bless their gacha rolling hearts).
Game Genres = Audience Signals
Gaming genres aren’t just vibes. They’re how devs define gameplay, and how players self-select into communities, or pick out their next title purchase. Think of it like the difference between a rom-com and a horror movie—different fans, expectations, and KPIs.
Some common ones:
First-Person Shooters (Call of Duty)
MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena – League of Legends)
Battle Royale (Fortnite)
RPGs, Simulation, Platformers, and about a thousand subgenres I’m sparing you from.
Smart publishers don’t try to win every genre—they specialize. The same logic applies to marketers. You’ll get better insights and Engagement by zooming in on genre-specific communities instead of chasing mass appeal.
So, Who Are Gamers Really?
Let’s clear this up: “Gamers™” (the toxic Mountain Dew stereotype) are not the majority. In reality, players fall across a spectrum:
Pros: These are your Let’s Play streamers, eSports athletes, and influencers. It’s their job to game as much as possible.
Former Gamers: Still holding on to their love, but are on a break. With a little effort, they can be won back.
Casuals: (That’s me!) Your widest net, and your loyalest fans.
Newbies: Fully hooked by adaptations like The Last of Us and Arcane, but unfamiliar with the industry and intimidated by the lore.
Every one of these groups interacts with games differently, from how much they spend to how they engage with brand storytelling. They also have wildly different levels of tolerance for things like microtransactions, graphics quality, and community participation.
Also, don’t forget the community layer. When given the opportunity, gamers are self-sustaining and adept at building lasting ecosystems. Cosplayers, fan artists, writers, and modders will take what they’re given and run marathons with it. Encouraging this creative spark can bring explosive success to brands.
Console vs. PC: The Great Divide
If you’re marketing to gamers, you need to know where they play. Console and PC audiences have unique preferences and points of contention:
Topic
Console
PC
Preference
Easy access, mass appeal
Custom builds, higher specs
Media
More likely to want physical copies
Prefer digital (but wary of loss of access)
Concerns
Backwards compatibility, DLCs
Anti-cheat, performance optimization
Fun fact: This division is intentional. Crossplay between PC and consoles is rare, even when a game is available on all platforms. For example, Overwatch players on PC and console will never end up in the same lobby.
What Gamers Care About (and What They Don’t)
Let’s talk values. The average gamer isn’t losing sleep over ray tracing benchmarks. They’re thinking about:
Is the story compelling?
Does the amount of playtime justify the cost?
Do I actually own the game I paid $70+ for?
Are the microtransactions aggressive or cosmetic?
Does the studio treat its people like humans?
Why is this game full of bots and cheaters?
Gamers keep tabs on studio leaders and decision-making, measuring them carefully against their personal ethical standards. They aren’t afraid to take to social media or reviewbomb titles to get their opinions heard. You need sentiment data before you need a crisis PR plan.
Events Still Matter—Even Without E3
RIP E3 (1995–2023), but the showcase calendar lives on. Publishers now control their own announcements through streams and community events like:
PAX East / PAX West
Tokyo Game Show
Summer Game Fest
Gamescom
The Game Awards (hello, Game of the Year goals)
Nintendo Direct
Sony State of Play
Xbox Games Showcase
These events matter because players show up in droves to test new games, share feedback, and build buzz. It’s not just B2C hype—it’s community R&D.
Esports: Big Numbers, Bigger Stakes
Esports is where gaming meets pro sports energy. Tournaments like LoL’s Worlds, Dota’s The International, and Evo draw hundreds of millions of viewers, mostly men, ages 18–34.
A few things to note:
These events are live—think arenas with spectators and referees
Most leagues are run by the game developers themselves
Female representation is still alarmingly low
Southeast Asia dominates the community, but is growing rapidly across the US and Europe.
If you’re a brand looking to sponsor, partner, or simply understand the value of esports, analyze the genre, audience, and title before jumping in.
Ownership Is Dying, and Players Know It
Let’s get into the real tension: the death of ownership.
Many systems are phasing out physical games. You can now buy a PlayStation with no disc slot. That means:
No backwards compatibility
No game preservation
No resale or offline access
And if a publisher decides to sunset a title? It’s gone. Poof. Doesn’t matter if you paid $70—there’s no cartridge box to keep.
Players are dismayed and scared by the loss, but brands see it as a compelling move toward analytics, control, and ongoing monetization. It’s the same debate we’ve had with streaming TV. Now it’s happening in games.
So What Can You Do as a Marketer?
This is where ListenFirst shines—and where many game publishers need the most help:
Campaign benchmarking (against self, competitors, and genre norms)
Sentiment analysis (especially across Reddit, Discord, Tumblr, Bluesky, and niche communities)
Crisis response tracking
Community feedback loops (where most studios are still guessing)
Anti-cheat behavior insights (yes, seriously)
Because when a title tanks over unaddressed bots and cheaters, it’s not a gameplay issue—it’s a trust issue.
Final Thought: It’s Not Just a Game
The best way to understand gaming is to stop treating it like a subculture. It’s not fringe—it’s foundational. The fans are passionate, vocal, and often ahead of the cultural curve.
Marketers who get it right do more than sell—they help build worlds.
“There’s no such thing as a bad game. Just people who weren’t the right audience for it.” – Me, probably forever
Want a copy of the full deck or a breakdown by genre? Drop me a note—I’ll send it your way.
Diving In: The White Lotus & the Future of Product Discovery
When luxury meets location: How HBO’s The White Lotus is reshaping brand strategy.
The third season of The White Lotus is more than a ratings success—it’s a marketing moment. Set in Thailand and centered on a new cast of morally murky vacationers, the show has become a cultural catalyst for fashion brands, tourism boards, and lifestyle marketers alike. With an average of 15 million viewers per episode and unprecedented international buzz, HBO’s darkly satirical drama is now a case study of how entertainment can drive product discovery and consumer aspiration.
What’s Happening?
Influencers on TikTok and Instagram used the show’s weekly episodes to drive affiliate sales of “White Lotus-inspired” fashion, travel packages, and beauty products.
The White Lotus Season 3 is HBO’s most-streamed Max original globally.
Viewership jumped 57% from Season 2, with 2.4M tuning in for the premiere and 15M per episode across platforms.
Luxury fashion houses (Chanel, Loewe, Jacquemus) made direct cameos via on-screen styling, while brands like Banana Republic and H&M launched capsule collections tied to the show’s aesthetic.
ListenFirst Social Performance Snapshot
At the midpoint of Season 3, The White Lotus delivered significant social Engagement across platforms. Between February 16 and March 9, the show generated 5.5M total Engagements, mainly driven by TikTok, which accounted for 59% of all activity. Max’s owned handles led the performance, contributing over 3M Engagements.
Key creative trends included:
Split-screen assets with dramatic captions and audio performed best across TikTok and Instagram.
Gallery posts outperformed single images, especially when layered with ominous music and key visual cues.
Character-driven memes consistently led Engagement, particularly featuring fan favorites like Chelsea and Rick.
Behind-the-scenes content showing cast members in candid moments performed exceptionally well, highlighting continued appetite for authenticity.
Meanwhile, lower-performing assets included:
Compilation clips without dialogue or strong narrative hooks
Static memes featuring less popular characters like Kate or Laurie
Posts that relied heavily on visual branding (e.g., hotel logos) rather than emotional resonance
These findings reinforce that engagement thrives when content taps into emotional arcs, visual storytelling, and recognizable characters.
Do you want to know what content resonates in your genre and, more importantly, why? Hit up your LF Account Manager or Strategist to get your Content Analysis report!
Brand/Marketer Implications
Influencer Acceleration: Creator campaigns tied to The White Lotus aesthetic can move faster than traditional brand pipelines, often dropping stylized “shop the look” content within hours of new episodes.
Product Placement as Narrative: Brands like Away and Camilla, which organically appeared in early seasons, have leaned into the connection with limited-edition collections that blend storytelling with commerce.
The Timing Trap: While post-season 2 campaigns (e.g. SKIMS’ Valentine’s Day spot) capitalized on fan sentiment, some season 3 activations dropped before audiences connected with the characters, sparking concerns of overexposure.
Platform & Cultural POV
The White Lotus has emerged as one of the few remaining “mass monoculture” shows, creating shared viewing moments in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
The show’s aspirational yet critical tone complicates how consumers interpret branded tie-ins. Luxury is both celebrated and satirized, making direct alignment a risk-reward equation.
TikTok creators have made the show’s fashion moments part of broader trend cycles, from Jacquemus sunglasses to Sicilian resortwear and Thai kaftans.
Key Takeaways for Marketers
Be in the story, not just next to it—products that appear on-screen carry more substantial cultural weight.
Let narrative momentum guide activation timing.
Equip creators to move at the speed of cultural conversation.
Avoid overbranding; subtle references can create deeper resonance.
Consider earned relevance over engineered aesthetics.
Final Thought: Narrative Integration: The New Brand Standard
The White Lotus demonstrates that future brand relevance lies in narrative integration. Marketers must do more than appear in the cultural zeitgeist; they must actively enrich it, shaping stories consumers truly want to experience.
The White Lotus Public Social Stats as of May 5th, 2025
From unhinged tweets to nostalgic pop-ups, Chili’s is proving that brand legacy isn’t a liability—it’s a marketing advantage.
Chili’s opened its doors in 1975 as a quirky burger joint in a converted postal station on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue. With a Southwestern flair and a laid-back, neighborhood vibe, the brand quickly expanded, becoming synonymous with casual dining throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. Signature items like baby back ribs and the Triple Dipper turned Chili’s into a household name, but as fast-casual trends evolved, its cultural relevance began to fade.
For years, Chili’s was more meme than must-visit. Just a relic of early-2000s dining culture known more for Triple Dippers than trendsetting. But in 2024, something shifted.
Without a rebrand, menu overhaul, or flashy new name, Chili’s has reentered the cultural conversation and not by accident. The brand has transformed from punchline to cultural player through platform-native content, unapologetic food fandom, and a chaotic-yet-confident tone.
This is what happens when a legacy brand stops chasing relevance and starts owning it.
Want to dig in even deeper? Check out the ListenFirst Quick Service & Fast Casual Restaurants brand set to see all the brands mentioned in this article and more.
What’s Happening: From Meme Energy to Real-World Moves
Chili’s resurgence is rooted in a modern playbook: don’t sanitize the brand, amplify what makes it distinct. Across platforms, the chain has embraced tone, timing, and community to drive real engagement.
X: The brand fully embraced absurdist, meme-literate humor with one-liners like “If your man isn’t taking you to Chili’s tonight, break up with him!!!!!!” Paired with surreal visuals, like baby back ribs floating in space, Chili’s racked up 348,762 engagements in Q1 2025.
Instagram: Chili’s highest-volume platform (659,789 engagements) is powered by lo-fi “bad flyer” design, mouthwatering close-ups, and punchline-driven carousels. Every post is engineered for scroll-stopping humor and hunger.
TikTok: On TikTok (305,588 engagements), the brand thrives on behind-the-scenes chaos, employee humor, and UGC-style food stunts. The tone is unpolished and personal, key to resonating with Gen Z audiences.
Offline Activations: Chili’s has taken its internet energy into the real world with IRL moments built for shareability. From a parody “Buy Now, Pay Later” booth in NYC to a The Office-themed pop-up in Scranton, these stunts doubled as content and earned media.
The Results:
#6 in total social mentions (113,408) in Q1 2025
+41,285 new followers across platforms
Outpaced Applebee’s (+8,054) and BJ’s (+2,190)
This isn’t just noise. It’s equity in action.
What Competitors Are Missing
Chili’s isn’t just winning on content—it’s pulling away from peers in both Engagement and tone. Other casual chains have history, but few have found a way to make it resonate in today’s culture.
Hooters: Despite broad name recognition, the brand is struggling to stay relevant. With just 17,305 engagements and 2,190 mentions in Q1. As cultural values shift, its core identity is increasingly viewed as outdated or out of step, making its legacy more of a liability than an asset.
TGI Fridays: Closed 36 locations in early 2025 and is now exploring a “bankruptcy bounce-back” strategy. On social, just 38,579 engagements and 5,843 mentions suggest brand fatigue and declining visibility.
Red Lobster: Under new CEO Horace Dawson, the brand is simplifying its menu and investing in loyalty and delivery infrastructure. Q1 results: 96,028 engagements and 10,671 mentions—a modest but meaningful step toward cultural relevance.
Olive Garden: Still strong (823,080 engagements and +25,190 new followers), though its more traditional tone leaves room for evolution.
Texas Roadhouse: Consistent but quiet, with 104,068 engagements and 9,442 mentions—solid performance without a clear cultural POV.
These examples reinforce a key truth: brand memory is not the same as brand momentum. Even once-iconic brands can lose ground without evolving their voice and values in a cultural climate that values inclusivity, self-awareness, and originality.
Internal Alignment: Culture Drives Content
Chili’s didn’t just get louder on social—they got smarter. In an age where most brands are chasing the next viral format, Chili’s found its voice by leaning into a few consistent, fan-fueled pillars that now define its social identity.
It all starts with food fandom. Every chaotic meme or offbeat caption still circles back to what matters most: craveable comfort. Whether it’s a $5 margarita or “11 a.m. beer energy,” the content always leads with appetite.
Then there’s internet literacy, a quality that sets Chili’s apart from brands trying too hard to speak the language of TikTok and Instagram. Their posts riff on fan comments, remix native meme formats, and easily tap into platform jokes. It never feels like they’re crashing the party.
Creative repetition builds a sense of community. The recurring phrase “I am what I am” shows up in surreal visuals and inside jokes, creating a thread for fans to follow and remix.
And they’re not doing it alone. Influencer alignment has helped extend Chili’s tone across foodie and humor verticals. Partners like @callmebelly, @salt_hank, and @devourpower don’t just promote—they play. The brand has become a sandbox, not a script.
But the real reinvention happened behind the scenes.
When CEO Kevin Hochman took the helm in 2022, he pushed for more than just punchy tweets. He pushed for cultural alignment. “We wanted people to feel proud to say they’re a Chili’s person,” he said. That internal pride now shows up in every caption, carousel, and kitchen-side video.
The impact has been measurable:
Restaurant morale is up
Customer traffic has increased
Net Promoter Score (NPS), a key indicator of customer satisfaction, has improved over the past 12 months
The social wins reflect something deeper. This is a brand that finally feels like itself again.
It’s also worth noting that Chili’s isn’t chasing polish. They’re leaning into formats that invite interaction rather than admiration:
Carousel memes with indulgent food and punchy copy
Behind-the-scenes reels featuring staff humor and day-in-the-life content
Polls and prompts that blur the line between engagement and R&D
Micro-campaigns tied to food holidays like National Margarita Day and Triple Dipper Tuesdays
These aren’t just posts. They’re inviting participation, and the audience is RSVPing in droves.
Key Takeaways for Marketers
Be loud, not random: A bold tone works when it’s rooted in product and pride.
Know your platform lanes: Tailor execution—X for chaos, TikTok for reels, IG for visual humor.
Create your own trends: Chili’s doesn’t chase vibes—it shapes them with a distinct POV.
Let culture lead: Internal buy-in empowers experimentation and multiplies creative confidence.
Remix nostalgia: Legacy isn’t outdated—it’s remixable IP waiting to be refreshed for today’s scroll.
Final Thought: Legacy Isn’t Lame—If You Own It
Chili’s isn’t chasing trends—it’s curating them. By blending millennial nostalgia with Gen Z’s taste for irony and vibe checks, it’s become more than a restaurant—it’s a brand with lore, fans, and momentum.
The broader truth: Legacy brands don’t need reinvention. They need recontextualization.
In today’s feed economy, the most future-facing move might be to own your past—and make it weird.
Chili’s Public Social Stats as of April 20th, 2025
What happens when pop stardom, space travel, and corporate cheerleading collide in 2025?
Katy Perry’s recent Blue Origin space flight has triggered one of the year’s clearest case studies in backlash culture and brand volatility.
Meant to be an inspirational moment—spotlighting female astronauts and “empowering content”—Perry’s journey quickly veered off course as fans and followers questioned the timing, tone, and context. The controversy was amplified by a viral Wendy’s tweet and fueled by mounting critiques of celebrity-brand alignment in a climate-conscious, crisis-aware digital world.
Want to dig in even deeper? Check out the ListenFirst Quick Service & Fast Casual Restaurants brand set to see more about Wendy’s and the competitors vying for social greatness.
Backstory
Blue Origin x Katy Perry
Founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin is a private aerospace company focused on commercial space tourism. While often positioned as a symbol of technological progress, the brand has come under fire for its environmental impact, billionaire-centric model, and the perceived frivolity of space travel in the face of urgent crises on Earth.
Katy Perry, known for her chart-topping pop hits and flamboyant persona, has long positioned herself as a cultural chameleon, pivoting from playful bubblegum pop to polished pop activism. In 2025, she joined Blue Origin’s first all-female crew, a mission framed as both historic and empowering. Her participation was intended to highlight inclusion and possibility, but it also spotlighted the growing gap between celebrity spectacle and public perception.
This moment also resurfaced Perry’s long history of public controversy. Over the years, she’s faced accusations of tone-deaf performances, culturally insensitive visuals, and even inappropriate on-set behavior, including allegations of sexual harassment that resurfaced in a 2019 report from Vice & Paper Magazine. While Perry has not reallyresponded directly to these claims, they’ve contributed to an ongoing perception that her brand of empowerment can, at times, ring hollow. Critics have noted a recurring pattern: messaging that aims to be empowering but is often perceived as lacking nuance or empathy in execution.
It also came at a moment when Perry was already facing scrutiny. Her latest album, 143, has underperformed both critically and commercially. Lead single “Woman’s World,” a track intended to be a feminist anthem, stalled at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fans and critics questioned not only the track’s message but also her decision to work again with controversial producer Dr. Luke. Though Perry framed the song as empowering, many saw the collaboration as a misstep—undermining its intended message.
Coupled with lackluster follow-up singles and an album rollout described as “uncommonly messy,” the space flight—and its accompanying brand spectacle—landed within a cultural climate already skeptical of Perry’s current positioning. Rather than functioning as a triumphant cultural moment, the Blue Origin launch became entangled in a broader narrative: a pop star navigating a shaky comeback in an era that demands more authenticity and accountability.
Would the same scrutiny have been placed on Chappell Roan or Britney Spears? There’s no way to know, but it raises important questions about who gets cultural grace during a misstep. Perry’s high profile, history of calculated pop comebacks, and perceived dissonance between message and execution made her a particularly easy target in a social media ecosystem that thrives on contradiction.
Wendy’s
Founded in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, by Dave Thomas, Wendy’s has long positioned itself as the witty, rebellious alternative in the fast-food space. Known for its square burgers, signature Frostys, and “fresh, never frozen” messaging, the chain became a cultural mainstay in part due to its irreverent advertising. In the digital era, that voice has carried over to social media, where Wendy’s has carved out a distinct identity built on snarky comebacks and meme-friendly humor. Its social strategy—once praised as groundbreaking—has occasionally crossed the line, raising questions about tone, timing, and the fine balance between boldness and backlash.
What’s Happening?
On April 14, 2025, Katy Perry posted a video from her Blue Origin flight, captioned:
“Still processing this incredible journey… making room in space for all – 143”
The video drew 1.7M likes on Instagram but also tens of thousands of critical comments, including:
“Nothing like the elite sending the elite to space.”
“You guys could’ve fed millions of people with all that money!”
“Us: sipping oat milk through soggy paper straws / Them: launching Katy Perry into space.”
Just hours later, Wendy’s posted on X:
“I kissed the ground and I liked it” (a play on Perry’s own lyrics), racking up 166,216 engagements.
Many users called the tweet “tone-deaf,” “brand cringe,” and “trying too hard to stay relevant.”
The brand didn’t stop there. On April 14 alone, Wendy’s posted a series of snarky follow-ups:
While some posts drew praise from fans of Wendy’s trademark sass, others sparked frustration over the brand’s overuse of levity around a moment increasingly seen as culturally tone-deaf.
According to ListenFirst data:
Perry lost 504,000 followers across platforms in 3 weeks after the announcement, with the most significant single-day drop occurring on April 15th, 2025—the day after the Blue Origin slight and Wendy’s tweet thread, with a combined net loss of -51,309 followers.
Engagements rose +127%, but much of it was negative sentiment or parody
Public impressions surged +236%, and video views jumped +215%
Wendy’s saw a different kind of attention:
Lost 23.6K followers in the same period (-64% compared to previous)
Engagements rose +58%, totaling 360K, and public video views hit 4.28M (+472%) — largely attributed to the viral tweet thread
Public impressions surged +501% to 24.5M, though it’s unclear whether the follower loss is directly tied to the tweets or part of a broader trend
The backlash escalated further when an anonymous source, quoted in People, criticized Wendy’s for using its platform to “publicly demean a woman” and called for an apology to Perry. “Wendy’s didn’t make a joke—they made a choice,” the source said, adding that it was “painfully ironic” coming from a brand whose mascot is a woman.
In a public statement to People, Wendy’s responded: “We always bring a little spice to our socials, but Wendy’s has a ton of respect for Katy Perry and her out-of-this-world talent.”
The Blue Origin flight, which featured the first all-female crew, included journalist Gayle King, pilot & partner of Jeff Bezos Lauren Sánchez, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics expert Amanda Nguyen, and producer Kerianne Flynn. Still, the trip drew criticism for its environmental impact and cost.
This isn’t about space—it’s about perception vs. intention, and what happens when a brand (or celebrity) misreads the room:
Risk #1: The “Empowerment” Playbook is Worn Thin
Perry’s caption framed the space flight as inclusive and inspirational, but audiences, especially Gen Z, are increasingly skeptical of billionaire-led stunts that are presented as altruistic or empowering. In this case, the backlash wasn’t just about the spaceflight; it was about the dissonance between the elite nature of the act and the message of universal empowerment. For brands, this moment echoes past critiques—like the backlash to “pink” consumerism or Nike’s celebration of female athletes while failing to support them behind the scenes. When empowerment is used as a brand wrapper for privilege, the gap between message and reality becomes the story.
Risk #2: Reactionary Posting by Brands = Dangerous
Wendy’s tweet thread was on-brand for their social tone, but poorly timed for the cultural mood. Their post generated a major spike in impressions and video views, but also led to significant follower loss and criticism that undercut their intended humor.
Risk #3: Engagement ≠ Endorsement
Yes, impressions and video views spiked for both Perry and Wendy’s—but net sentiment declined, followers dropped, and Perry’s relatability rating (qualitatively measured through TikTok and comment sentiment) took a hit.
Platform & Cultural POV
This controversy taps into platform-specific backlash mechanics:
TikTok: Dozens of viral stitches and duets mocked the launch with soundbites like “Eat the rich” and memes on “late-stage capitalism.”
Reddit: Threads across the platform, posted on subreddits such as r/AskFeminists, dismissed the flight as a “stunt” with a top comment simply saying, “It wasn’t a ‘feminist’ space flight. It was a celebrity publicity stunt. Women =\= feminist.” Other comments resurface old articles where Katy Perry referred to herself as an “environmentalist” with added eye-roll emojis.
Instagram: High-profile comments and verified creators (e.g., @melaniiemurphy’s viral oat milk joke) amplified the irony of eco-conscious fans watching a pop star launch into space.
X: Fast-moving memes and sarcastic replies outpaced traditional media coverage. The Wendy’s thread itself became a meme template, with replies mocking both the brand and Perry’s messaging.
We’re seeing a breakdown in the “relatable celeb” model. The same platforms that built Perry’s cultural capital are now surfacing the tension between fame and relevance.
Key Takeaways for Marketers
🔍 Reputation > Reach: Katy Perry’s post reached millions, but follower loss shows attention isn’t always positive.
🛌 Pause Before Posting: Brands should think beyond real-time engagement and ask: Does this moment match our values?
🎯 Tone > Timing: Wendy’s tweets hit the wrong note at the wrong time. Be funny, but not flippant—especially around loaded topics.
📉 Monitor Fan Sentiment, Not Just Metrics: KPIs can mislead. Qualitative analysis of comments and creator response is just as critical.
🚀 “Empowerment” Isn’t a Free Pass: Space travel, climate optics, wealth signaling—it’s all up for scrutiny. Brands need to contextualize or risk blowback.
Final Thought
In 2025, virality without values is a risk. As the backlash cycle speeds up, the question for marketers isn’t just “how loud can we be?” but “do we know what we’re echoing into?”
Wendy’s Public Social Stats as of April 20th, 2025
Metric
Value
Follower Growth
23.6K
Total Followers
15.4M
New Posts
70
Engagements
360K
Response Rate
0.15%
Public Impressions
24.5M
Public Video Views
4.28M
Wendy’s data is sourced from the ListenFirst Quick Service & Fast Casual Restaurants brand set.
Diving In: Factory to Consumer – TikTok vs. Luxury
The Factory Feed: How TikTok Is Rewiring the Fashion Narrative From the Inside Out
For decades, luxury fashion relied on mystique: heritage branding, vague references to craftsmanship, and the aura of exclusivity. But TikTok isn’t buying it anymore.
A wave of Chinese manufacturers is going viral by revealing what they claim are iconic designer goods’ true origins — and costs. From $5 Lululemon-style leggings to $50 Louis Vuitton lookalike bags, the message is clear: skip the markup, skip the middleman, and buy straight from the source.
This is more than a fleeting trend. It’s a full-on social and economic narrative shift. On a platform where the algorithm rewards transparency, curiosity, and chaos, these factory-floor TikToks are exposing the fault lines in luxury fashion’s foundation.
China’s TikTok Factory Invasion: A New Front in the Trade War
One of the most prominent figures fueling this trend is TikTok creator @senbags2, whose videos have garnered millions of views before being taken down. In one viral post, he claimed that 80% of luxury handbags are made in China — a statement that resonated widely with TikTok audiences despite sparking controversy. His videos often featured virtual tours of bustling factory floors and claims of insider access to production lines used by top luxury labels. While brands have refuted these claims, the content’s popularity reflects a broader public appetite for what feels like a peek behind the curtain.
Many of these viral TikToks are a direct response to recent trade tensions. As the U.S. ramps up tariffs on Chinese imports (with proposals of up to 145%), factories and creators in China are fighting back — not through politics, but through content.
The result? Highly produced videos, factory walk-throughs, and influencer partnerships showcasing how and where luxury goods are really made. Some call it marketing. Others call it propaganda. Either way, it’s working.
With over 10 million views, one video claims to sell yoga pants made on the same production line as Lululemon for $5-$6. Another shows a Louis Vuitton-style bag being stitched in a brightly lit factory, offered to TikTok viewers for $50. Many videos directly reference American consumers, urging them to buy before tariffs drive prices even higher.
Factory workers have begun revealing tags and labels marked “Made in China” on products from well-known American fashion brands—challenging long-held perceptions of domestic craftsmanship and raising questions about origin transparency. AI-generated satire clips — like Trump and Elon Musk assembling sneakers — add an extra layer of spectacle to the mix.
This isn’t just about access; it’s about power. As one creator put it, “We make all the cards.”
From Exposure to Explosion: The Rise of F2C (Factory to Consumer)
The trend has sparked explosive growth for platforms like DHgate, which shot from #352 to #3 in the U.S. App Store overnight. TikTok Shop and other grey-market channels are also booming, as consumers flock to buy goods that appear nearly identical to luxury products for a fraction of the cost.
It’s the logical next step in a world trained by DTC (direct-to-consumer) marketing. Consumers, especially Gen Z, are no longer content with accepting brand storytelling at face value. They want to see the supply chain. They want to know who’s making their goods, where, and for how much.
This aligns with Gen Z’s shift toward de-influencing, quiet luxury, and values-based shopping. The flex is no longer the logo. It’s the knowledge.
Additional reporting from Chinese publication Jing Daily notes that while some of the claims made in these videos may exaggerate or misrepresent brand affiliations, the trend has still managed to reshape consumer perceptions — both inside and outside of China. They highlight how this type of content walks the line between myth-making and truth-telling, with some factories using savvy marketing tactics to suggest ties to top luxury houses without explicitly naming them. The result is a form of “strategic ambiguity” that resonates with curious, price-sensitive audiences eager to believe there’s a cheaper, smarter alternative to traditional luxury.
Reporting from the Australian Financial Review further illustrates how some of these videos take viewers inside Chinese factories that purportedly produce for major luxury brands. These clips often blend real production insight with sensational claims, feeding a broader narrative that encourages viewers to bypass traditional retail channels and purchase directly from manufacturers. The videos—ranging from satirical to informative—capitalize on TikTok’s visual immediacy to build a compelling storyline about cost, origin, and access. The impact lies less in verifying claims and more in shaping how users feel about brand markup, exclusivity, and transparency.
What the Internet Thinks: Transparency vs. Propaganda
Reddit comments on the trend highlight the divide. Some praise the transparency:
“There are higher tier reps from specific factories in China that source high quality material that is the same level as designer brands.” – u/Excellent-Baker8390
“There’s a misconception pushed through racist Western propaganda that Chinese always = bad… the workers are most likely Asian, and many times Chinese.” – u/MozuF40
Others are more skeptical:
“Sometimes they claim to make Birkins or LV bags. I live near Hermès workshops that produce them — and I’m very much not in China.” – u/Spiritual-Pumpkin473
“This is definitely Chinese propaganda. Gullible people are buying right into it.” – u/Swimmingindiamonds
Either way, consumer behavior is shifting. Social platforms are now the battleground where brand perception is made and unmade.
The Rise of Factory Content Creators
While Chinese factories lead the charge, a growing class of content creators is helping fuel this new obsession with how things are made. One standout is William Lasry, founder of Glass Factory, a social-first platform that showcases vetted manufacturing partners.
Lasry gained traction by posting videos about where popular streetwear brands manufacture their goods. His platform now has:
487K TikTok followers
112K Instagram followers
100M+ video views across channels
Glass Factory’s motto, “No more gatekeeping,” reflects a cultural shift toward radical transparency. Lasry and his team vet factories based on quality, ethics, and labor conditions, and they highlight both trusted partners and red flags. Their work underscores the growing demand for behind-the-scenes knowledge, especially from Gen Z consumers and aspiring fashion entrepreneurs.
What Luxury Brands Can Do to Respond
This wave of TikTok-fueled transparency isn’t going away. To stay competitive and credible, luxury brands need to evolve their communication strategy and operational storytelling:
Own the narrative with controlled transparency. Highlight your supply chain in a way that feels authentic, not defensive. Offer factory footage, worker stories, and ethical sourcing proof before someone else does.
Invest in selective visibility. Not every part of the process needs to be revealed, but being candid about materials, labor standards, and production partnerships builds trust.
Partner with credible creators. Tap into the movement by collaborating with supply chain-focused influencers who can authentically vouch for your brand’s practices.
Reinforce the “why” behind the price. Show your audience what goes into your product beyond stitching—design heritage, innovation, fair labor, sustainability. Don’t just sell a logo, sell the legacy.
Embrace localization with global honesty. If you produce in China or other lower-cost regions, don’t hide it. Contextualize it. Show why your factory is exceptional, not shameful.
In a world where transparency is a currency, brands must treat their supply chain like a front-facing asset—not a liability.
What This Means for Fashion Brands and Marketers
Narrative control is over. Brands no longer own their story. The supply chain is now content.
Transparency is the new luxury. Gen Z wants receipts, not rhetoric.
Social commerce is borderless. TikTok and DHgate are building a shadow fashion economy that bypasses traditional channels.
Brand trust is up for grabs. In a world of instant exposure, even heritage brands are vulnerable.
For marketers, it’s no longer enough to talk about values. You have to show them on camera, in real-time, on the very platforms where your customers are being re-educated.
Final Thought
The fashion world has always sold a dream. But on TikTok, the dream is being decoded, dissected, and in some cases, dismantled. Luxury isn’t dying — it’s being redefined. And the factory floor, once hidden behind brand mystique, is now center stage.
Luxury brands on social, ranked by Engagements for April 9th 2025 – April 15th 2025
