☕ ESPRESSO SHOT

Morning, gap-hunters.

RushTok is back, brands are crashing the sorority scene, the NFL is back in stunt-ad season, and OpenAI just lobbed GPT-5 into everyone’s feeds.

Today’s mix: cultural trend-hijacking done right, a new discovery channel gunning for SEO’s crown, and why your brand might need to prep for AI search before your competitors do.

No BS, no “thought leadership,” just the plays worth stealing.

GAP OF THE WEEK: Culturejacking 101, Crashing Sorority TikTok

The hole:
Most brands join cultural moments after they’ve gone cold, turning potential virality into awkward brand cosplay.

The wedge:
#RushTok is the one week a year where millions of eyeballs binge videos of PNMs (Potential New Members) showing off OOTDs (Outfits of the Day).

Last year, Poppi, Tarte, Altar’d State, and Gymshark sponsored events and content before the rush hit mainstream. This year, smart brands are already in the mix, hooking Gen Z’s micro-trend before CPMs spike.

Why now:

• TikTok is still the fastest culture-to-commerce pipeline (and cheaper if you’re early).

• RushTok’s 2024 impressions topped 100M+ in under a week.

• Micro-influencer packages around niche events deliver higher engagement than broad influencer drops.

Exit vision:
Map out your own “cultural calendar” with at least 3 events your ICP cares about but your competition ignores.

Sponsor early, go light on overt branding, and make the moment about their scene, not yours.

⚡ TWO-MINUTE GAPS

Burrito-Proof Beauty (Chipotle + Wonderskin)
→ “Lipotle” lip stain collab relaunched, sold 30K units in a week, pulled 41M social impressions. For Chipotle, it’s brand relevance, not burrito sales.
(Source: Chipotle)

Bud Light’s NFL Parachute Play
→ Peyton Manning parachutes into a game (and a billboard) to kick off the season. Experiential + retail tie-ins keep Bud Light visible beyond broadcast.
(Source: Marketing Brew)

GEO > SEO?
→ Generative Engine Optimization is rising as LLMs become product-recommendation engines. AI-sourced retail traffic is up 1,200% YoY.
(Source: Adobe Analytics)

SPOTLIGHT: OpenAI’s GPT-5 Goes Public

The model drop everyone expected….except OpenAI skipped the slow rollout.

GPT-5 is now free to all users (with a usage limit), picks its own reasoning depth, and costs less than GPT-4o for developers.

For SMBs:

• No more model-picking, just faster, more accurate answers.

• Built-in shopping and product search options are coming (watch this space).

• Cheaper API = easier to build GPT-powered workflows without enterprise budgets.

WEEK IN 3 TWEETS

🤯 STAT OF THE DAY

3.3K%: YoY growth in retail traffic from generative AI during Amazon Prime Day.
(Source: Adobe Analytics)

🧨 VIRAL STORY OF THE DAY

The De-Influencer Boosting Popcorn Sales

An anonymous social media manager at Daadi Snacks, a small NYC family-run popcorn brand, is going viral not by doing influencer collabs, but by roasting influencer culture.

Their deadpan TikTok skits mocking “phony foodie” tropes have hit millions of views, grown Daadi Snacks to 300K TikTok followers and 150K on Instagram, and nearly wiped out inventory at pop-ups.

A few offended influencers sent threats, fueling even more buzz.

Sometimes, the best marketing is punching up or, simply put, roasting.
(Source)

⏭ CLOSING LOOP

We publish Monday through Friday.
Forward this to the marketer still trying to “go viral” by copying whatever’s already on the For You Page.

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