Need to Know #30 SheerLuxe’s AI Stumble, Musk Declares War, Meta’s Threads One Year On, and Heineken’s Forgotten Beers

Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit attempting to sue companies who choose not to advertise on X, accusing brands such as Mars and Unilever of conspiring to make the platform lose “billions of dollars in advertising revenue”.

Musk Declares War on Advertisers

The action was filed against the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and individual companies, which Musk believes are unlawfully working together in a violation of US antitrust law.

Brands that withheld or withdrew advertising from X were acting through the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a body set up to help the industry address the monetisation of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms. It was the industry group that basically invented the standards for content on social media.

This lawsuit comes from the same company who told advertisers to “go f**k themselves”, the company that ripped up agency trading deals in 2023 and has pulled the plug on content moderation teams. Oh, and the same company that recommitted to GARM and its principles last month.

The news comes after Musk shared a fake Telegraph article claiming Keir Starmer was considering sending far-right rioters to “emergency detainment camps” in the Falklands.

Musk deleted his post after about, but a screenshot captured by Politics.co.uk suggests it received nearly two million views. 

In the piece, Musk shared an image posted by the co-leader of the far-right group Britain First, Ashlea Simon, which she captioned with, “we’re all being deported to the Falklands”. Is it any wonder brands have pulled the plug on advertising when the platform’s owner condones, posts and shares hate speech, violence and misinformation?

Not fancying the legal fees involved with fighting Musk, WFA closed GARM, a small, not-for-profit initiative. Only brands have the power to hit X where it hurts until they see positive change, so it’s imperative that as an industry we stand against toxicity and let them know we can’t and won’t fund it. 

AI Editor Backfires for SheerLuxe

SheerLuxe’s recent blunder with its AI editor, “Reembot,” is a stark reminder of the ethical pitfalls in the rush to embrace artificial intelligence. By presenting an AI as a human colleague, the magazine grossly underestimated the public’s sensitivity to job displacement and diversity issues. The shared photo and Instagram post of the imaginary fashion and beauty editor posing with human colleagues upset many for being tone deaf and ethically questionable. 

There are real-world concerns about AI taking jobs and readers felt as if the role was outsourced to a bot: “There’s an abundance of real human women looking for jobs in fashion journalism, and yet this is how SheerLuxe opt to use their resources?!” wrote one commentator on Instagram, while another wrote: “Instead of hiring an actual woman of colour or a plus size woman, you’ve made a virtual one? Disappointing.” 

When introducing AI personalities, brands should be mindful of what impact they’re making on society and the real benefits to their audience. Customer service chatbots, for example, act as a great gateway into brands, reducing friction in waiting times, yet most will defer to a human representative if a query is too complex.

If virtual personalities have a place, it’s in a fantasy world, not the real one. This clearly sets them apart from human counterparts, and people intuitively understand the difference. In China virtual personas are generally kept separate from the real world. Liu Yexi, China’s most popular AI influencer, lives in a fictional universe. She doesn’t share an office with colleagues as Reem claimed.

AI, like any technology, should be a supplement, not a replacement to human experiences. Ultimately, any execution should avoid gimmicks and be founded on understanding the people they wish to engage. Brands that fail to pair innovation with this empathy risk alienating audiences.

Heineken’s Forgotten Beers

For International Beer Day Heineken launched a campaign that carried an unexpected message: it’s not about the beer – it’s about the good times you share with others.

We all know the universal invitation, “Want to grab a beer?” Whether it’s “¿Te apetece una cerveza?” or “On va boire une bière?”, this simple question is recognised worldwide as a call to connect. But for Heineken, what matters most isn’t the beer you drink, it’s the moments you create together.

Heineken has always placed sociability at the heart of its brand. Freddy Heineken famously said, “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid,” a Dutch term that embodies the feeling of good times and togetherness. It’s this spirit that the brand seeks to capture in the campaign.

The ad, soundtracked to Debussy’s “Claire de Lune,” highlights scenes of beers forgotten on the sidelines of parties, football matches, and gatherings. The message is clear: the best part of having a beer isn’t the beer itself, it’s the connections made and the memories created.

In a world where digital overload and longer working hours increasingly impact our social lives, Heineken reminds us of the importance of coming together. A global study found that nearly a quarter of the world’s population feels lonely, and 6% don’t feel connected to others at all. Heineken wants to change that by encouraging more genuine social interactions.

This isn’t the first time Heineken has tackled the barriers to socialisation. Earlier this year it introduced The Boring Phone, a device with no internet, social media, or apps, designed to help people focus on the moment rather than their screens. And in 2022, it launched The Closer, a bottle opener that automatically closed work apps when a Heineken was opened.

Even during its 150th anniversary Heineken focused not on its legacy but on the idea that it doesn’t matter how you drink or even spell the brand name, as long as you’re having a good time. This sentiment was further emphasised with the creation of the Good Times Index, which measures the conditions needed to create those special moments.

What have we learnt? Heineken continues to prioritise good times over everything else – even beer itself. The message is simple yet powerful: as long as you’re connecting with others, the beer can wait.

Why Brands Are Embracing Threads: Lessons from Cinnabon, Calm, and Life360

It’s been a year since Meta launched Threads, the text-based platform designed to rival X. While initial excitement saw 70 million users sign up in just 48 hours, the buzz may have quieted, but Threads has quietly become a vital part of the social media strategies for brands like Cinnabon, Calm, and Life360.

For Calm, Threads has been a game-changer. Growing its audience from 200,000 to over 645,000, Calm attributes its success to a human, conversational tone. “We want to be seen as another friend in your feed,” said Jane Hong, Calm’s head of social. This approach has resonated with users, making Calm’s presence on Threads a key priority.

Cinnabon and Life360 have adopted similar strategies, focusing on creating lighthearted, engaging content that feels more like a conversation than an advertisement. “It’s a chance for consumers to see the humans behind the brand,” said Hannah Gregus, social media manager for Cinnabon.

Navigating a Platform Without Ads

Threads’ lack of paid advertising has levelled the playing field for brands, forcing them to rely on organic content and community management. This echoes the early days of X, where organic reach was key. Brands that are thriving on Threads are the ones embracing this challenge, using the platform to build genuine relationships with their audience.

One of the advantages of Threads is its simplicity, allowing brands to post text-based content quickly and easily. Users can post photos, videos and other media in addition to text on Threads, but the majority (63%) of all Threads posts are text-only, according to platform data. This has made it a valuable testing ground for ideas that can later be repurposed for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. For instance, Life360 has found success turning popular Threads posts into Instagram carousels, resulting in higher engagement rates.

Text posts often perform best for Cinnabon, Calm and Life360, too, which allows the three brands to push out multiple posts per day because they’re far less time consuming than producing TikTok videos or Instagram Reels. 

Engagement Over Follower Count

While Threads is still growing, with around 200 million users compared to X’s 600 million, the engagement on the platform is notable. Life360, for example, has 23,000 followers on X and 38,000 on Threads but sees far more interaction on Threads. This suggests that users on Threads are more inclined to engage with brands, making it a valuable platform for those looking to build deeper connections with their audience.

The Future of Threads for Brands

As Threads continues to evolve, with features like a trending topics feed and hashtags being added, brands are still figuring out how best to leverage the platform. However, the consensus is clear: Threads presents a unique opportunity for brands to reach engaged audiences in a space that’s less crowded and less reliant on paid promotion.

As VaynerMedia’s Nick Miaritis put it, “There’s no downside, only upsides” to investing time in Threads. For brands willing to experiment and engage organically, Threads could still be the next big thing in social media marketing.

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