Ahead of the Curve with Coco Mocoe

Thank you so much for listening to, rating and sharing the podcast! Send it to all your marketing friends. In today's episode, we react to these topics from a marketing perspective. Everything is based on opinion. 1. BookTok Drama (5:05) InTheKnow posted a great article recapping all of the booktok drama that went down this last week, if you want to read the full article. In short, a TikToker by the name of Kierra Lewis began fixating on hockey players after reading the smut novel 'Pucking Around' by Emily Rath. She began posting videos of real-life hockey players, one of which was Alex Wennberg. The videos became increasingly sexual and the Seattle Kraken hockey team even flew her out to the Stanley Cup. There she posted vulgar videos of players which could be seen as sexual harassment, in my opinion. TikToker, @mynameismarines, posted now deleted videos from Kierra Lewis in which Lewis talked about players strokes, her holes, and filmed hockey players without their consent during stretches with sexual commentary over the videos. Wennberg's wife eventually spoke out against the harassment that her husband and other players faced as a result of Lewis' videos. Seattle Kraken unfollowed Lewis and deleted all their booktok videos. Lewis claimed that the team used booktok for clout, insinuating that players should be okay with her sexually suggestive videos because it gave them 'fame'. This is all based on my own opinion of the situation. Let me know what your thoughts are. 2. Kai Cenat Riot (33:00) Twitch Streamer, Kai Cenat, tried to hold a PS5 giveaway in NYC last Friday and it quickly turned into a riot. The situation led to legal ramifications for Kai and his team. He was arrested and released Saturday morning but has to go to court. The charges are 'inciting a riot' among other things. Here are my thoughts on why live-streamers hold a specific type of fame and can turn out an audience that is sometimes bigger than A-List, 'mainstream' stars. The riot felt like Tanacon 2.0 but somehow even worse. Here is an article by AP recapping the event.3. Cardi B Microphone (51:00) Cardi B was recently performing in Vegas and threw her microphone at an audience member who splashed water on her. Where the story sparked my interest was TMZ reported that the microphone was being listed on eBay and is currently going for $99,900. The bids end tomorrow (Tuesday). But in my opinion, the microphone has yet to be verified. There are no identifiable features on the eBay listing. There are other listings on eBay claiming to be the same exact microphone. How do we know it is legit? --Thank you for listening to 'Ahead of the Curve with Coco Mocoe'. You can find Coco on social media (@cocomococe). Tune in every Monday morning for trending pop culture news from a marketing perspective. For business inquiries or guest appearances, email cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Listen to Nicky and Coco's new show 'Share Your Screen' on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow Nicky on TikTok @nicky.reardonIn this episode, we talk about the science behind fandoms. Refinery29 wrote a great article about this topic. We specifically focus on the fandoms around Doja Cat and Taylor Swift and their differing approach to handling that relationship. For business inquiries, email: cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Just a few years ago, Barbie was seen as a polarizing and sometimes hated figure - as documented in the 2018 documentary "Tiny Shoulder". Fast forward to 2023, Barbie could be argued as one of the most universally loved brands in the lead up to the release of the movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. But how did Mattel do it? To understand the branding of Barbie, we must first dive into her history. Did you know that the founder of Barbie, Ruth Handler, created the doll because she felt like only giving young girls baby dolls indoctrinated them into motherhood? There is a great article about Ruth Handler, the mother of Barbie, on Tablet Magazine (read here) You can watch "Tiny Shoulders" on Hulu. This episode is a deep dive into Mattel and the polarizing history of Barbie in the lead up to the 2023 movie. The reason I do not spend much time discussing the Barbie movie is because I stand with the SAG-AFTRA & WGA strike. This is more about the brand behind the doll, Barbie, and is not to be mistaken as a promotional piece of content for the movie. For business inquiries, email: cocomocoe@whalartalent.comYou can find Coco Mocoe on your favorite social platforms by searching @cocomocoe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Today's episode is on a guilty pleasure of mine, which is reality stars! Meet Courtney Bagby Lupilin (@courtneybagby), the founder of Little Red Management. She works as a talent manager to some of the biggest reality stars to come out of The Bachelor, Love is Blind, Teen Mom and more. Some topics we cover are: 1. How does she know what stars will have the biggest audience once a show ends 2. How do reality stars make money and stay in the limelight even after their season has come and gone3. She talks about a reality star who was fired from a network show then re-hired 4. We talk about what people do once their fame fades away 5. We talk about why so many reality stars are turning to podcasting 6. She talks about why some stars go broke and what they do afterwardsYou can find Courtney on TikTok (@courtneybagby) For business inquiries, email cocomocoe@whalartalent.com Thank you for listening and rating my podcast! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Mark Zuckerberg finally gets a win with Threads and Elon Musk does not appear to be happy. Plus, Threads seems to have changed the social media landscape over night. In a world where everyone is chasing short-form video, does this mark the move away from that? Sara McCord is a marketing and communications professional who I found on TikTok. She brought great thoughts to this discussion. You can find Sara McCord's blogpost on the topic here or find her on TikTok @SaraJMcCord -- Here is the article from NYT about the launch of Threads: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/technology/threads-downloads-twitter.htmlHere is the article from TechCrunch about how Twitter has managed since Elon Musk took over: https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/06/elon-musk-twitter-everything-you-need-to-know/ --For business inquiries, email: cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

When you are listening to this, I will be in Cannes Lion in the south of France. Thank you for all the opportunities you have afforded me as my audience. I have gone from an entry-level marketing employee to traveling the world to talk about marketing to some of the most brilliant people in the industry. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope I make you proud as my audience. --cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Are people growing tired of short-form videos, like TikToks and Reels? That is a loaded question with no right or wrong answer. But I do predict that we are about to see a resurgence of YouTubers and long-form media, like podcasting, as people seek out more substance than 10 second videos. Today I got to speak to Michael Lindsay and Matthew Schueller (@michaelandmatt) who grew their platform on YouTube and are now launching a podcast about their surrogacy and their fatherhood journey as a same-sex couple. You can listen to new episodes of 'Who's Your Daddy?' every Thursday! Mr. Beast talks about the resurgence of YouTube in his interview from the Colin & Samir podcast here. -- For business inquiries, email: cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

“The Idol” recently premiered on HBO Max featuring Lily Rose-Depp, The Weeknd, Jennie Kim and more. It is created by Sam Levinson who also created “Euphoria” and has been hit hard by critics, at one point having 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. I personally liked the first episode and I am interested to see more. Here is an article from Hollywood Reporter on Lily Rose-Depp's defense of the show. I talk to Jasmine Darya in this episode about the intersection of celebrities and fashion. And how the use fashion as a tool to elevate their image. We compare the old money approach of Sofia Richie vs the new age, somewhat exploitative approach of Lily Rose Depp on ‘The Idol’. Follow Jasmine on TikTok (@jasminedarya) — Thank you for reviewing the podcast!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

Today’s episode is with media & branding expert @culturework who I found after her coverage of the Tarte F1 trip debacle that took over the FYP recently. Here is an article by Refinery29 that summarizes what happened, for extra reference.Her insights were super valuable and I wanted to dive deeper with her to highlight the often unfair treatment of POC creators - not just by algorithms but by brands, as well. We also discuss the ‘Horses’ restaurant drama that started in West Hollywood and took over the internet. In this, we dive into the ethics of reporting on often gory crimes and where to draw the line when discussing true crime. Everything in this podcast is our opinion based on the public videos shared by the discussed party. Everything is alleged. You can find more about @CultureWork via her newsletter or TikTok.— For business inquiries and podcast sponsor requests, email cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com

This was an episode for the history books! I found Alegría on TikTok when she posted a TikTok about Succession and the Kardashians. I had to have her on the podcast to pick her brain even further. Find Alegría on social: TikTok: @alegría.irl Instagram: @wawa.jpgIn this episode, we talk about:  The Kardashians potentially modeling their new season on Hulu after Succession The idea of class and wealth in the U.K vs. the U.S.  The representation of class systems in the Succession characters  The idea of nepo-babies vs influencers  The TikTok algorithm and how they randomize your virality so it feels like gambling How the cast of Succession reflects different members of the Kardashians Gen Alpha being the first generation to not know their own handwriting The idea that visuals are a new form of language on the internet  The commodification of growing old For business inquiries or interview requests, email: cocomocoe@whalartalent.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cocomocoe.substack.com