🌟 Instagram has announced its annual “Creators of Tomorrow” listing.

🖼️ Spotify now lets you create custom cover art for your playlists.

💕 Why brands are racing to get involved in running clubs.

👾 IKEA appoints ‘grumpy gran’ as the face of its new gaming range.

⚠️ Meta introduces controversial auto-adjustments feature for ad accounts.

🫧 Lexus partners with Universal’s “Wicked” for a 360-degree marketing campaign.

🌅 Opinion: The era of paid, ad-free social media Is here.

🎣 Here’s why Mucinex’s Mr. Mucus is on Tinder.

We know you’re seeing it, too. Brands are starting to cater to Gen Alpha’s frankly bizarre sense of humor, and it’s working.

Let out a collective sigh, and let’s break down how they’re doing it.

Sour Patch Kids. They were already uniquely positioned to tap into a sense of playful rebellion that resonates with Gen Alpha. Through socially-native, non-sensical content and chaotic memes, they’re able to play on the edge and stay true to the core brand. Plus, their interactive content engages Gen Alpha by encouraging tagging and sharing.

Nutter Butter. They have leaned so far into the unhinged that they might have scared off some elders, but they’ve connected with the kids through absurdism, unpredictability, and Internet randomness. The content is short, it’s punchy, and it’s apparently very funny. This is a lesson in embracing the weird.

Crocs. They’ve always led with self-awareness. They’re not for Cool Kids, but they’re for kids that are cool. They stay relevant with Gen Z and Gen Alpha (Zalpha, if you will), by strategically hopping on Internet jokes and trends, like “crafting and yapping” and “Crocsmaxxing.” In short, they’re authentic, and that goes far with the youths.

Take a closer look at Marketing Dive.

Glazed is the first visual product analytics tool that integrates directly with your UI designs in Figma, Sketch, etc.

That means anyone on your team can access user insights in seconds—no silos—and no event names or Slack pings required.

Build custom funnels with a click directly from your designs, and understand and optimize how your UI is used through click and screen heat maps.

Quick, tell your designers!

Place a Classified Ad in a Friday edition of The Daily Carnage for just $99.

What you get:

• 200 characters 📣
• An internal link 🔗
• Your ad lives on our site indefinitely 💛

Let’s get it on the calendar.

Milk-Bone and director Sammi Cohen made a trailer for a movie that we really wish was real.

We meet a dogless woman who thinks she’s perfectly happy—despite incessant pity from her dog-loving friends and family—until one fateful meet-cute with a Dachshund changes her life forever.

The trailer will appear in movie theaters and through in-cinema out-of-home placements.

The rom-com, with all of its beloved tropes, is rumored to be back, and Milk-Bone didn’t miss a beat.