Thursday, July 17th

📊 Did you know?

Amazon’s Prime Day hit $24B in U.S. sales, and influencers drove nearly 20% of it. That’s a 15% jump from last year, with creators converting shoppers 10x better than social media alone.

(Amazon, 2025)

💡 Learn from this: When your influencer trip backfires

Let’s talk about Waterboy.

The electrolyte powder brand threw a creator trip in Tulum in July.

Think influencers, palm trees, hangovers.

And then came the backlash 👎️ 

Here’s the short version:

They put their brand’s TikTok in the hands of a new hire… on her first day.

She’s a great creator. But the content? It felt more like her personal account than a brand storytelling tool.

@waterboycan

leave your guesses below lol #brandtrip #waterboy #tulum #nightout #drunkest #hydrate

Instead of showcasing rehydration, product benefits, or influencer moments with Waterboy…

Most videos showed people being drunk, hungover, or filming chaotic pilates classes with zero product context.

@waterboycan

help @Ken Eurich @bran_flakezz

One video hit 1.3M views.

But comments weren’t asking “where do I buy?” — they were asking “what even is this brand?”

Here’s what went wrong (and how you avoid it):

🎯 No narrative = No strategy

Great content doesn’t mean great brand recall. They got reach—but no relevance.

If you spend 5–6 figures on a trip, make sure your product is in the spotlight at least once per day.

🧠 Execution > Vibes

Giving creators freedom is smart. But that doesn’t mean no structure. A simple shot list, a pre-trip brief, and a shared content plan could’ve aligned everyone.

✨ Your social manager isn’t your entire brand

Madi Marotta is great at going viral. But the brand content became about her, not the product. You can let creators lead—without letting the brand vanish.

Here’s the fix:

Next time you run a brand trip or event:
→ Brief your creators before they land
→ Mix fun + focused content (one for reach, one for ROI)
→ And please… schedule 1–2 posts daily that clearly show your product in context

Need help structuring a brand trip or creator campaign?

👉 Let’s talk strategy → (you get a free first month)

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