Unhinged & Unfiltered: Social Media Strategies Only A Gen- Z Could Create

Podcast Transcript

Ella Gunnell: All right, welcome to another episode of the Untamed podcast. I'm Ella.

Jess Boozel: And I'm Jess.

Ella Gunnell: And today we're going to be talking about something kind of fun. We're going to be talking about brands and companies who have super unhinged social media strategies. This is something that I feel like we're seeing more and more these days, especially on TikTok, where brands are acting less professional on social media and they're kind of showing their true colors and you can tell that like, it's just a 24 year old behind the screen.

Jess Boozel: I'm so excited to dive into this because I feel like the way that marketing has evolved over the years. Like if you were to see 10 years ago, what we're doing now, you'd probably have a heart attack just because it isn't necessarily unprofessional, but it's definitely more laid back than it ever has been before.

Ella Gunnell: No, literally, and it's something that even like I'm 25 years old, I'm like kind of right on the cusp of like millennial and Gen Z. But even sometimes when I see some of the things that these companies are doing, even I'm like a little shocked. Like it's not the social media that like I know. And so it always is a little shocking for me when I see like random brands and comments commenting, like they’re a Gen Z or just commenting like funny things or just accounts that like their whole strategy is being unhinged. I'm always like taken it back a little bit, but I think that that's kind of the point is they want to add like that shock value. So that way, like they can, they can stand out. One of the accounts that I always think of that just is a classic example of having an unhinged strategy is Duolingo. I think they've kind of gotten famous off of doing this. They're always commenting outrageous stuff on people's videos. And the videos themselves are kind of, like, out there. I feel like brands do this because it's a really good way to add shock value and stand out in a crowded space. Because, like, take a brand for Duolingo, for instance. I don't think that they would have the most exciting social media presence if they did it like everyone else did it. Like, they're just a language learning app. What could they really do to, like, be exciting? So they're like, what, you know, our brand isn't really that exciting. Like we could do the traditional social media strategy and that would be fine. Or we could go the total opposite way and do these outrageous videos. And it's, it's working for them because their videos go viral all the time. Everyone knows who they are and it's because of their social media presence.

Jess Boozel: Yeah. And I think another brand that's doing it really well. And like you said, they didn't really have a reason to really go viral and people pay attention to them. And that's Chipotle. They have a really great marketing strategy because they use all the trends that are going around and they have a mix of like the actual promotional stuff that you normally see from a fast food place. And then they work in the trends. Like I saw a girl eating her burrito. And she was saying, see how I eat my burrito. Very demure, very mindful. See how I'm not messy. Like she was doing that. So they bring it into their brand and it works so well.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, I think Chipotle is a good example of doing that. Just cause like you said, they kind of incorporate their, the trends into their brand and then it like still feels on brand, but I just feel like Duolingo took it to a whole other level because I feel like some of the stuff that they post isn't necessarily like promoting their app necessarily or their brand presence. Like the point of it is literally just to like be unhinged.

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: So I do feel like there's like levels to it that you see of the unhinge.

Jess Boozel: Yeah. And I think whenever people see that they're like, I would have never got on this app before, but now that I think that they're funny, I'm going to use it type thing. And I've seen like a lot of Tik Toks that are like. They, Duolingo has a streak, so if you do it every day, you get like a streak, kind of like Snapchat. And so, a lot of TikToks I see are about people having their Duolingo streak. Like, they have to say like a sentence in a different language or something a day for it, their, to gain a streak.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, another brand that I think does kind of like what you're saying like some of their stuff they incorporate trends, but some of it is more like on brand is the Paralympics and when I tell you that some of the videos that I've seen are, they're not as like directly shocking as Duolingo but some of them you're like, oh, is this okay? Like they'll kind of use weird sounds or audios where you're almost like is this really the Paralympics main account and then you go to it and you realize that it is. And I think that that strategy has got me several times because I've seen several of their videos I'm like, is this the real Paralympics account and I go and check and it's the real Paralympics account and they're the ones putting out these videos And it's it's making me go to their account and watch more of their videos. So kind of an interesting strategy. It's definitely a little bit like edgy and iffy I would say because it's kind of in a realm where it's like you don't know want to make fun, but it's like almost doing that and so you you like go to the comments immediately you check the page immediately and I feel like you just want to see what other people are thinking too. Like are other people feeling like this content is a little edgy or is it just me?

Jess Boozel: Yeah, it's definitely walking a tight line between, is this ethical or is it just weird to be posting as a brand? But, I think it's funny whenever you go in the comments and like you said, you're kind of validated with other people thinking the same thing, like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe this brand like this is their account type thing and then it's also funny whenever you kind of disagree with what the brand's doing and then you go in the comments and you're also validated in that and they're like, why are they posting this? I feel like that happens on a lot of videos.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah. So true. Whoa. Yeah. So true. And I feel like that is part of the strategy. Because any time that a video can get you to go to the comments, and you're just binging through the comments and that video is playing on a loop in the background the whole time, like, that is key. And that's a really good strategy. Especially, like, if the video is a little bit shorter so that way it's just constantly looping while you're reading through all the comments.

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: That's like how I do social media, like I love reading comments. I love going to comments. Whenever someone shuts off their comments, I feel like betrayed almost because I'm like, I can't see what other people are thinking and I can't see if they're thinking the same thing as me. Why would you shut off the comments?

Jess Boozel: That's funny because whenever I see someone shuts off the comments I'll go to the rest of their page and I'll look at either the video before or after sometimes they only shut off the comments on that video so other people like me will go to the before video or the after video and comment on there and talk about the other video on this other Tiktok if that makes sense. But sometimes they completely cut them off and you can't see anything which is no fun.

Ella Gunnell: I literally saw that the other day. I think that there is a, I think it's Alix Earle. Let me see. Have you heard about the Alix Earle scandal happening?

Jess Boozel: Yes, I have, yeah. She put out a Instagram story, was it Instagram? And a lot of people were upset that it was only for like 24 hours. They're also saying that she's just like pushing the blame to whoever gave her that advice, like her PR team basically. She's blaming them for not saying anything, which hasn't done her any good.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, I don't, I honestly haven't looked too much into it. I just know that like, people are mad at her right now because every single video, that I see of hers has just like comments under it like about the situation so even-- Even if you shut off a specific video and like a specific video that are going to attract the comments people will just go to your other videos and comment the same thing.

Jess Boozel: Yeah. I know our name for this podcast was going to be Unhinged Social Media. And I think this honestly goes into it. And it's great to talk about because it is something serious and it is, does involve PR, but. Basically, Alix is saying that her PR team told her to keep quiet, and they went as far as trademarking the, I don't know if you've seen the Ask.fm messages, but they have trademarked the Ask.fm messages, so someone on Twitter, or not Twitter, someone on Reddit went and put the screenshots of these messages on and they basically reached out to them and were like this is trademarked content you can't use this, blah blah blah and that's whenever people got really upset whenever it was made known that she was now trademarking it and people got so upset because they're like you didn't just ignore it for a month, but you also trademark your racist comments. Like that is very messed up and then that's whenever she finally came out with the story and said hey I'm gonna acknowledge this. I got some advice. It was ill-- Ill mannered advice, but it wasn't supposed to be harmful or something of that ordeal basically blaming her PR team. But also she made it a 24 hour story that goes away and she has been posting like normal again. So, whenever that story's gone, her apology for it and her acknowledgement that she did something wrong is gone. And she posts like, five to four times a day. So like, it's like, you could have kept an apology video up. You could have done a little bit better.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, it's very interesting because we were talking about like brands like companies but I think people forget that like people like Alix Earle yes, she's a person, but she's also a brand.

Jess Boozel: Oh yeah, 100%. Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah so when like stuff like this happens I feel like people have a hard time separating the two. I don't know. I don't know what it is, but I think that, I don't know where I'm going with this. I just feel like people forget that she's not just a person. Like she has a whole team behind her.

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: And like her brand is just as thought out as like any of these other brands like Wendy's or the Paralympics or Duolingo. Like, everything they do is kind of a strategy.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, I totally agree, and while it's a different type of unhinged brand, it still is very unhinged.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, like her brand I feel like is kind of just being unhinged.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, it really is.

Ella Gunnell: Her Tik tok bio says hot mess in it.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, her podcast is called Hot Mess.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah. Oh boy, well she is a hot mess right now. But yeah, speaking of comments the other thing that I have seen brands do beyond just like posting kind of unhinged content is they'll be even if they don't post that kind of content they're gonna be in people's comments posting kind of unhinged things like the other day. I was on some random video I don't even remember what video I was on and CeraVe which is like a skincare company. Posted something that I would have expected, like, a teenager to post. Like, they posted kind of like a funny, snarky comment under someone's video, and I was like, CeraVe what are you doing here?

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: It's just so random. The brands that you see in comments of sometimes the videos mention them. Sometimes the videos are just like viral videos. And so they, they know that you're going to check the comments. And so they want you to like, see that they're there in the comments, like giving you a reminder, like, hey, we're still here. Like, don't forget about us.

Jess Boozel: Yeah. I think it's funny because that's exactly what is making people realize like these aren't big brand companies. This is just a 24 year old on her phone having fun, basically. I mean, it's still your job. Marketing is a job, but marketing is fun. And I think that whenever you think of marketing, you think big people sitting in offices spending all day thinking about the perfect thing to put out there. In reality, it's probably a 24 year old girl sitting on her bed laughing at comments and laughing at her responses as CeraVe. And I think the trend where you show who you are on accounts has really become popular because people are now seeing people behind these big brands like Duolingo. I can't remember the girl's name now, but it was some random girl that basically revealed herself as Duolingo. If you don't know the TikTok trend, it's a song that goes like, who am I going to be today? Or something like that. And it's a carousel photo. So it's like her picture and then who am I going to be today?

Swipe. And it shows her access into the Duolingo account.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah.

Jess Boozel: Which think is really cool and funny that we're seeing faces behind these brands.

Ella Gunnell: Yes, I've seen that trend too, and it's just so relatable, like, especially like, like that's literally us. Like, we're the 25 year old people behind the screen, like, acting like we're a specific brand, but really, like, it's just me. But no I've literally seen that, that trend and I, I relate to it so hard. I saw it, someone, obviously it's just like random people and like, sometimes they have a following and sometimes they don’t. Like I know personally, I'm not active on TikTok. , But you'll like swipe. And I saw one girl, it was like the Kamala Harris HQ TikTok account or another.

Jess Boozel: I think I saw that too. Ella Gunnell: You saw that one? Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: It was, you swiped, it was another random girl you swiped. And it was the two D'Amelio's Dixie and Charlie. Yeah.

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: She was in their accounts. And so it's just so funny. Like, and so relatable. Like, yeah, this is literally just like the life of a social media manager. Like it's just little old me, behind the screen, but we have to like post on behalf of these like big brands and stuff like that.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, the one time, my dad, I don't know if you know who Stacey Davidson is, and he's on like a car show, he's a host of a car show, and my dad bought some merch from him, and he commented something on his Facebook one time about the merch that he had bought, basically saying like, I love this, and the Stacey Davidson account replied back saying, thank you, Roger, or something like that, and he showed me, and I was like, that, that probably is not Stacey Davidson himself, that is someone like me that is sitting behind the screen. Commenting that back to you. That's not him.

Ella Gunnell: No, literally. That's so true. Like how you're talking about with like influencers, kind of like Alix Earle, where like, yes, they're a person, but they also have a brand and a lot of them are really good at replying to comments. Some of them are not. But some of them are really good at replying to comments, but I just, even though it like sounds like them, just I know that it's probably not them.

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: I, I mean, it's still great that they're replying to comments and having someone respond to their comments, and I bet that it made that that person's day that he got responded to. But just like being behind the scenes, I'm like, there's no way that they're going through and replying to all of these comments because that would take way too much time. I'm sure that they have someone doing it for them.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, with smaller influencers, I definitely think it's them looking at them, but bigger ones, like Alix Earle, Alix, honestly, even I question. I sort of feel like it's her, but you never know, but like the D'Amelio's and stuff, obviously, we've seen it's not them.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah. Even, even if they, I, I'd be interested to see how it works with some of these big influencers, because obviously they are still very involved in the content. Like a lot of brands that we deal with, personally, are companies. So, they're not super, super involved with making the videos because, like, they're not on camera. We're just making it for them. But when you're an influencer, like, you have to film the videos. Even if you're not the one editing it, you probably still oversee that. And if, even if you're not responding to at least some of the comments, someone's probably responding on your behalf and they need to sound like you. So it's very interesting. Like there's one level of like embodying a brand, like what we do for most of our clients where they're like company and we just kind of learn like the tone that they want to respond us with or that they want us to respond with, and like their voice and things like that. But then there's like a whole other layer where it's like. You have to be on someone's team who is like an actual person and you need to sound like that person and create content like that person. So that way people don't feel, because I feel like that's the key, is people need to not feel like influencers have a team. They need to feel like it's just them posting behind the screen. Otherwise it kind of like ruins the experience for people.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, I completely agree and I see that a lot even with our clients still I see that because we have a lot of TV shows. Those I feel like it's obvious that we're not actually part of the TV show like we're none of the characters type thing but then we have some personal brands that I feel like people don't always know that I'm not them type thing.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, so true. And that sometimes we still do like as a social media company, if there's a specific question, we'll go to that client and we'll say, how would you answer this? Or we'll come up with like an FAQ, guide with them. So that way, like we can answer things on their behalf in like the way that they would want us to answer. So even if someone else is answering for the influencer, it doesn't mean the influencer isn't always involved or the personal brand isn't always involved because we still make sure to get their input, especially on like important questions or questions we might not know the answers to.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, that's very true. So moving on. I have a video for you Ella and I want to say this is two years old and I don't even care I don't want anyone coming for me saying that it's old because whenever you guys see it it is like it was made yesterday. Like it is very funny. It is very Gen Z everything that we're talking about unhinged brands. This video sums it up with the comments, the video. And I searched. Although you see those things very often on your For You page, when you go searching for it, it is hard to look for. But I found this example that I would like to share, and I think it sums everything up.

Ella Gunnell: And just so everyone knows, I have not seen this video yet. At least I don't know what video it is. Maybe I've seen it, but I'm about to click on it and watch it.

Jess Boozel: It is, I believe, a UK airline. I'm not 100 percent sure on it being a UK airline, but, I know it's like not an airline in the United States. So, I don't know if you've seen it before, but it's very funny. Very excited.

Ella Gunnell: Okay, so I actually have not seen this particular video before, but I have seen this account. And you're right. They're like, I think that they're kind of like a budget airline. Kind of like Spirit or something. And so they're like, how can we like have a social media presence where people aren't just roasting us all the time? And I think that this is their answer. Like they just do funny videos like this, but this is hilarious.

Jess Boozel: I thought it was so funny that they used Timothée Chalamet and not only that but like it's we talked earlier about videos that you watch and then you open the comment section and someone comments like I didn't even realize this is you type thing and I'm pretty sure that is a comment on the TikTok.

Ella Gunnell: So funny. Okay. Let me look through some of these comments. Someone says,

Jess Boozel: Yeah.

Ella Gunnell: Ryanair, what is this? Someone said, please who runs this account?

Jess Boozel: But also look at the responses and the way they're responding people, to people as well. Cause they, they're kinda sassy.

Ella Gunnell: To the someone to the person who said please who runs this account. They said if only you knew.

Jess Boozel: There was another video that was more recent, it wasn't as fun as this one, but it was more recent and somebody commented, I'm flying your airline tomorrow and they commented back, no one asked.

Ella Gunnell: Okay. Ryanair's a good example of, they they posted something like not only do they post unhinged content but then they're a really good example of replying back to people which I love and their responses are hilarious.

Jess Boozel: It is hilarious because you wouldn't have thought that an airline would have this type of branding online, but I feel like specifically with TikTok, because we are talking about TikTok here. We haven't really got into marketing on Facebook or marketing on Instagram. Although Instagram and TikTok are similar, they still are a bit different because I feel like on TikTok you're able to go buck wild. Like you are able to do these crazy funny things and it just makes sense for you. If you were to do it on Facebook, I feel like it would be a little different. You'd need a little bit of warming up to you. But on Instagram, it's like a middle ground. It's like, sort of professional, kind of where like, your beautifu airline pictures would be, maybe mixed in with some funny content, but then like I said, TikTok, fair game, do whatever you want, be funny, it's fine.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, you're so right. I don’t think we, I don't know if we really clarified that, but, I do not think this would work on Facebook. We have some accounts that are, we are geared towards a younger audience, and so they do really well on like Instagram and TikTok, but then that same account on Facebook just does not do well. I just feel like it's a totally different, audience there. And you have to be professional, otherwise all the old people, all the boomers on Facebook would be offended. They wouldn't understand it.

Jess Boozel: 100%

Ella Gunnell: They wouldn’t get it.

Jess Boozel: 100% This is a marketing strategy that is working, but working for certain people.

Ella Gunnell: Yes, it's very specific. It has to be, it has to be if you're trying to appeal to Gen Z, because if you're trying to appeal to older people, this is not it. They will not think it's funny. They might even, honestly, they might think your brand, like they might think less of your brand if you behave in this way. Just because in their eyes it’s like not professional, but to a Gen Zer, they're like, oh, this is relatable. Like someone on the Ryanair account commented, why do I relate to Ryanair? So it's just, they're really just making themselves like. It's almost like they want you to know that there's like a person behind the screen and it's not just the company because I think they're trying to come across as like more personal.

Jess Boozel: Oh, yeah, absolutely. And it's like walking that tight line that we talked about with the Paralympics. Like, there is a point where you are appealing to one type of audience and you have to weigh out, is it worth it to make this audience happy to potentially lose this other audience? That's a decision that has to be made whenever you're talking about doing strategy that's unhinged and more personal like this.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, now that you've said that let's kind of get into the nitty gritty and that is as social media managers is this a strategy that we recommend? Do we like it? Do we not like it? What do you think?

Jess Boozel: As a Gen Zer, I love it. I think it is very funny. I think that it makes your brand more relatable. And like I said before, there are a lot of things where you don't normally think of that brand, but then you see them on your social media interacting the same way that you would, and suddenly their brand is in your mind. So I think it is effective. The Facebook and losing the older generation, like I said, you have to toggle with that, whether you think that that, you have to toggle with that, whether you think that demographic is good for your brand or if you care more about bringing in the younger generation and that just all again goes back to what is your brand and what do you want from it? If you want Gen Z, I say 100 percent go full fledged, be funny, do what you need to do to get your name out there and to get yourself in people's minds.

What do you think?

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, I agree with that. I kind of still struggle with it a little bit though because I don't know if like as a social media manager say a brand came to me like not. Not like a comedian or something. But like a brand like Ryanair or a brand like Duolingo and they came to me and they said, we, you know, can you run our social media? What should our strategy be? I feel like I would have a hard time sitting in front of executives and being like, listen, this is what I think you need to do. I think you need to just like be totally unhinged and let us act like ourselves on your account on behalf of your brand. I, I feel like I would have a very hard time presenting that and saying like, this is a legit strategy. But at the same time, it is a legit strategy because like you said, it is working. And a lot of these brands that Gen Zers may not have cared about before, like Duolingo or like Ryanair, they care about and they're going to follow these companies and they get that brand recognition. They get that name recognition. And that eventually is going to pay off for them. So, I don't know, I still feel conflicted about it, but I will say that I feel like for certain brands, especially on TikTok, like if your goal is to grow on TikTok, especially with a Gen Z audience, then this is a very valid strategy for you. And it might feel different than what you are used to seeing and how social media used to be. But you also have to keep in mind that like, social media isn't even the same as it was five years ago. Like, we can't always just be averse to change because like, that's the way it's always been. If stuff is working, that's our job to recognize that and to apply that where we think it makes sense.

Ella Gunnell: So, I don't know.

Jess Boozel: No, that was said perfectly. I love that. And you're so right. Social media, honestly, it took a huge shift in 2020. And what we've seen since then has been so much more personable. And it, like you said, it's about rolling with it. You got to go with it to do what you need to do, because even though you're used to sticking to the same thing, because that's what you know, the same thing that happened in 2010 isn't what's happening now.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, it's so true. It, I mean, yeah, social media has changed so much. TikTok has changed so much. Every, everything has changed so much. It's changing all the time. And that's our job as social media managers. Like, Hey, this is something that we're seeing is working. Should we maybe think about having some of our clients do this? And I think that that would be a tough, a tough persuasion. Like, I don't know how I'm thinking of some of the clients we have right now. And I'm like, would they go for this? I don't know if any of them would.

Jess Boozel: I, yeah, I don't really think any of them would. But we have an older demographic for clients, so that's different. Like I said, age definitely is, it's a matter.

Ella Gunnell: Yeah, for sure. And at the, at the end of the day, you do have to think about like, what is best for your brand, and what your goals are specifically and who you're trying to appeal to. So obviously take all that into account. But stepping out of my social media manager role and just into like the roles of someone who uses TikTok and like a consumer, I would way rather see a brand that's having fun with their content and is like relatable to me than a brand that's like doing the same thing that everyone else does.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, I completely agree. And this is a talk for another time, but I truly think TikTok changed the game for everyone and for social media completely.

Ella Gunnell: Oh, yeah.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, TikTok changed everything. And that's why I think whenever we jumped into this, our minds automatically even went to TikTok. Like, we didn't discuss Facebook and Instagram until later in the conversation. It was because we realized, oh, there are other platforms. I know we could seriously do a whole other episode

Ella Gunnell: about how Tiktok changed the whole social media space. But yeah, Tiktok is just like its own little weird planet but I love it. I love Tiktok it's my favorite social media platform for a number of reasons again we could do a whole episode about this but part of it is because of stuff like this.

Jess Boozel: Yeah, there we go. We have our next episode. Maybe not the next one, but we have another topic to add to the list.

Ella Gunnell: Keep an eye out for that. Okay. Well, that was everything about unhinged brands. Unhinged brands on TikTok specifically, what we feel about that, what they're doing and overall, we just love it. So. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Untamed Social Podcast, and we'll see you in the next one.

Jess Boozel: Bye guys!

Ella Gunnell: Bye!