Ep 08 - IPhone Duo, Sydney Sweeney, & Bad Marketing Advice

Most business owners treat marketing like a race. Be first. Go viral. Get everyone talking, and the customers will follow. But after building websites and brands for hundreds of businesses, we've watched that race lose more often than it wins. Attention is easy to buy. Being remembered for the right thing is the hard part. Chris and Kendra take on the week's marketing headlines: Apple's new iPhone Duo (a name Microsoft already used on a foldable in 2020), the Sydney Sweeney ad everyone is talking about, a round of marketing would-you-rather, and the worst advice floating around social media right now. Some of what they land on might surprise you. Almost none of it has to do with being first, being loud, or being everywhere. If you've ever been told you don't need a website, or you're about to ask someone to make you a viral video, listen to this before you spend another dollar chasing attention. In this episode: Why Apple rarely launches first, and wins anyway The ad everyone is talking about that almost nobody can name Email or paid ads: the one we'd give up forever (it isn't the one you'd guess) The client trade-off we'd make every single time Five pieces of viral marketing advice to ignore (one came from a marketer) Want marketing built on a plan instead of a hack? Visit https://bryckroad.com/ to start the conversation. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at Bryckroad Creative. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube at Marketing Made Creative. Go make your brand impossible to ignore. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:31 iPhone Duo, Sydney Sweeney, and bad marketing advice 01:01 Apple unveils the foldable iPhone Duo 02:03 Microsoft already made a Duo in 2020 04:04 The hand photo and the meme trolls 06:00 Being first means nothing if nobody remembers it 07:35 When a competitor steals the idea and does it better 09:05 First to market vs. getting it right 10:05 iPod vs. Zune 10:58 You can't make a viral video 11:57 Domino's jumps on the Duo 12:40 The Sydney Sweeney ad: what's the product? 14:36 The American Eagle jeans ad 17:07 Shock value and the old GoDaddy ads 17:48 The commercial that made us cry (and forget the brand) 18:48 Would you rather: hated but remembered, or liked but forgotten? 19:18 One viral campaign or two years of slow growth? 20:46 Boring but trustworthy, or exciting but flaky? 22:08 Give up email marketing or paid ads forever? 24:54 One client who pays double, or three easy clients? 26:24 Bad marketing advice from social media 26:58 "You don't need a website in 2026" 30:09 "Post three times a day minimum" 30:59 "AI can write your entire content calendar" 32:30 "If it's not going viral, it's not good content" 32:59 "Copy your competitor, but cheaper" 33:57 Wrap-up