00:00:00
How far can being hot take you?
00:00:02
Sydney Sweeney.
00:00:03
Sydney Sweeney.
00:00:04
Sydney Sweeney.
00:00:04
Sydney Sweeney. Guys only want one
00:00:06
thing,
00:00:06
and that's apparently Sydney Sweeny's
00:00:08
bath water. You asked for it, so you
00:00:09
know what we did. Our team and Sydney
00:00:11
kept her bath water from this bath and
00:00:13
made soap with it with Sydney's
00:00:14
permission. Sydney's bath water bliss.
00:00:17
This is not a prank. Her bath water is
00:00:19
in every brick and it smells incredible.
00:00:21
We did this to help you wake up and pay
00:00:22
attention to the ingredients in your
00:00:24
soap. There's never been a better time
00:00:26
to switch to natural soap.
00:00:30
You can take the dude out of the
00:00:32
country. You can't take the country out
00:00:34
of it, dude. You can't take a country
00:00:35
out of it, dude.
00:00:41
[Music]
00:00:47
This video is brought to you by Shopify,
00:00:48
but more on that later. If there was
00:00:50
someone born to be a role model, it must
00:00:52
be Sydney Sweeney,
00:00:53
the biggest star.
00:00:55
Casually in major HBO shows.
00:00:57
Okay.
00:00:58
Bye. The darling Amumei Armani Lanes.
00:01:01
Nobody wants dry, flaky lips, am I
00:01:03
right? A star in Forbes and the
00:01:05
Bathwater Bliss soap commercial that
00:01:07
became the best thing that ever happened
00:01:09
to millions of teenage boys to creepy
00:01:12
old men. Hello, you dirty little boys.
00:01:15
Are you interested in my body? Watch.
00:01:18
Well, you can't have it because this
00:01:21
isn't for boys. It's for men.
00:01:26
which for a limited time is 20% off at
00:01:29
only $1,600.
00:01:32
That's $103.61
00:01:35
per month and completely sold out. Boy
00:01:37
math. And let's not forget being the
00:01:39
aspirational model of hey dude shoes.
00:01:44
These are the shoe of my people, the Hey
00:01:47
Dudes.
00:01:47
Hey dude.
00:01:49
Except there is one small problem. Even
00:01:53
the hottest perfect image worth $40
00:01:55
million can crumble if the magic of hot
00:01:59
girl marketing becomes a curse instead.
00:02:01
I have an unexplainable hatred towards
00:02:03
Sydney Sweeney.
00:02:04
I feel like people only see me as the
00:02:06
girl on TV who screams, cries, and has
00:02:09
sex.
00:02:11
Sometimes it's all three at the same
00:02:12
time.
00:02:16
The curse of being desired but not
00:02:19
respected. Known but not defined. A
00:02:21
brand with flashy packaging, but no one
00:02:23
cares about the substance except as
00:02:26
history has whispered. In the cases of
00:02:28
earthshattering sex symbols, Britney
00:02:30
Spears, Megan Fox, Marilyn Monroe, how
00:02:33
soon will this pretty package rot away?
00:02:40
What is the difference between a Beyonce
00:02:43
and a Britney Spears? Why do girls love
00:02:45
Sabrina Carpenter, but not so much
00:02:47
Sydney Sweeney? And how can you build a
00:02:49
brand that lasts longer than just a
00:02:52
Danish face?
00:02:53
This is such a hard question for me.
00:02:54
That's exactly the mystery we'll uncover
00:02:56
today. But not only that, as your
00:02:58
marketing bestie who graduated top 1 who
00:03:01
graduated top 1% UCLA business
00:03:03
economics, we're going to explore how no
00:03:05
matter if you have a bombshell body or
00:03:07
not, you, yes you, can build a
00:03:10
successful brand to help you down your
00:03:13
career. Because by brand, I don't just
00:03:15
mean slapping your name on a soap.
00:03:16
Branding is about how your future
00:03:18
client, future boss, future boyfriend
00:03:20
sees you. And yes, you have one. I'm
00:03:24
creating this series to analyze pop
00:03:25
culture brands from a marketing
00:03:27
perspective because I want all of us to
00:03:29
unlock the potential to build businesses
00:03:31
and personal brands.
00:03:33
I have gained so much confidence and
00:03:36
self-awareness through Cassie. I think
00:03:37
that the female body is a very powerful
00:03:40
thing. Join the free email list below
00:03:41
for additional marketing knowledge and
00:03:43
let's break down the three branding
00:03:45
crises of Sydney Sweeney and the
00:03:48
branding SOS in the end. But how do you
00:03:50
build a business if you're not Sydney
00:03:52
Sweeney? Well, even if you don't have
00:03:54
the body or bathwater, just like Gym
00:03:56
Shark skims, Kylie Cosmetics, you can
00:03:58
start a business on Shopify. And you
00:04:00
won't believe how easy it is, anyone can
00:04:02
start a business on Shopify. Guests on
00:04:04
the podcast like Cassie from Blogotties
00:04:06
and Sarah from Satch Beauty are crushing
00:04:08
it on there. Shopify is designed to make
00:04:10
life easier for entrepreneurs from
00:04:12
beginners to big brands by providing
00:04:14
tools that simplify selling such as
00:04:16
Shopify Psychic that creates content and
00:04:19
executes task for you like a pro. Not to
00:04:22
mention the simple drag and drop store
00:04:24
editor, easy to use marketing tools, and
00:04:26
a back office that oversees all your
00:04:28
operations. Imagine having a digital
00:04:30
assistant that helps you sell products
00:04:33
seamlessly both online and in person.
00:04:36
Even if you can't hire Sydney Sweeney,
00:04:38
Shopify can bring the same magic to your
00:04:40
business to turn your business dream
00:04:42
into a reality today. Go to
00:04:43
shopify.com/zo
00:04:45
unlimited and see what is possible for
00:04:48
you. As this Reddit post suggests, who
00:04:51
actually is Sydney Sweeney? What is so
00:04:53
special about her and why are people
00:04:55
talking about her? Most people know
00:04:56
Sydney Sweeney is famous without really
00:04:58
understanding why.
00:05:00
Everyone hates Sydney Sweeney. Well,
00:05:01
Sydney Bernice Sweeney wanted to become
00:05:03
a serious actress. At just 13, she
00:05:06
presented her parents with a 5-year
00:05:08
business plan to pursue acting.
00:05:09
They realized I was very serious about
00:05:11
what I wanted, what my dreams were.
00:05:13
And acting she did. From 90210, Criminal
00:05:16
Minds, Grace Anatomy, Handsmaid's Tale,
00:05:18
to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It
00:05:20
wasn't until Cassie and Euphoria, a
00:05:22
teenager with a promiscuous reputation
00:05:24
that brought Sydney to the main light of
00:05:26
pop culture.
00:05:27
I have never ever been happier. except
00:05:30
was it Sydney in the spotlight or
00:05:32
Cassie? The first impression fallacy, as
00:05:35
we touched on in the episode about
00:05:36
Millie Bobby Brown, is when your initial
00:05:38
image is so strong it becomes impossible
00:05:41
for people to see anything else, no
00:05:42
matter how much you evolve. It's the
00:05:45
she's so hot she must be not so deep or
00:05:48
she's hot but she can't act syndrome.
00:05:50
The biggest misconception about me is
00:05:52
that I am a dumb blonde with big tits.
00:05:54
Even worse, it becomes a self-fulfilling
00:05:56
prophecy where the role keeps
00:05:58
perpetuating in everything you do. And
00:06:00
Sydney, she walked into the Hollywood
00:06:02
room as the internet's dream girl.
00:06:04
I feel like people only see me as the
00:06:06
girl on TV who screams, cries, and has
00:06:09
sex. Sometimes it's all three at the
00:06:12
same time.
00:06:12
So now, no one wants to believe she's
00:06:14
also the producer, the businesswoman,
00:06:17
the aur leading to branding crisis
00:06:20
number one, over sexualization without
00:06:22
control. Oh my god,
00:06:25
that's an unbelievable
00:06:26
see the end of this on Twitter.
00:06:27
Sydney became known for how she looks
00:06:29
before what she does. The euphoria and
00:06:31
white lotus personas blurred into her
00:06:34
public image. Having a hot girl image is
00:06:36
not the problem. Sabrina Carpenter also
00:06:38
leaned into this hyper feminine persona
00:06:41
with sarcasm. The branding crisis that
00:06:43
Sydney Sweeney faces is that the image
00:06:46
controls her, not the other way around.
00:06:49
There is a marketing win here and that
00:06:50
is controlled controversy. Whether you
00:06:52
love or hate the bathwater campaign,
00:06:55
you're talking about Sydney Sweeney.
00:06:56
Hence, a lot of free organic marketing
00:06:59
towards her profile, such as this Kevin
00:07:01
Duron review that says, "Five stars,
00:07:03
money well spent, warm, peaceful, no
00:07:06
noise. Is he getting commission or
00:07:08
what?" But this comes with a caveat.
00:07:11
Marketing without a good product is just
00:07:13
wasted eyeballs. If Dr. Squash Soap is
00:07:16
the be all and end all highlight of her
00:07:18
career, then so be it. Get this down.
00:07:22
Dr. Squatch body wash for men who prefer
00:07:25
natural. But what happens after you sell
00:07:27
out this batch of soap or another? Or
00:07:30
another? Do you launch a meme coin like
00:07:32
the Hucka girl?
00:07:33
What's one move in bed that makes a man
00:07:35
go crazy every time?
00:07:36
You got to give him that huck to
00:07:38
with a beautiful bright future. Either
00:07:40
way, it's a win for Dr. Squatch because
00:07:43
even after Sydney, they can just use
00:07:44
another bombshell blonde and continue
00:07:46
selling soap or whatever appeals to the
00:07:48
male fantasy. But for Sydney, what
00:07:51
happens after the soap? Is she ready to
00:07:53
retire as a soap girl? Or finally
00:07:56
confront the fact that despite all these
00:07:58
commotions, no one really is here for
00:08:01
her true talent.
00:08:04
And not only is she being exploited like
00:08:07
an object right now,
00:08:10
she affects me. You're swooning over
00:08:12
Sweeney.
00:08:13
I'm swooning over Sweeney.
00:08:14
She also lost respect and connection
00:08:16
with a female demographic. Sydney, what
00:08:19
are you doing?
00:08:20
What the [ __ ] Are the bills really that
00:08:23
high you had to become Cassie in real
00:08:25
life?
00:08:25
Sydney previously complained so much
00:08:27
about the public objectifying her.
00:08:29
Why is she objectifying herself?
00:08:30
Leading to branding crisis number two,
00:08:32
the male audience trap.
00:08:34
Congratulations on probably I would say
00:08:36
one of the biggest launches of the year
00:08:38
with Bathwaters List selling out
00:08:40
instantly today. Having a male-centric
00:08:42
audience might get you fast fame, but it
00:08:45
is rarely sustainable for a long-term
00:08:48
brand equity, especially for women in
00:08:50
entertainment, fashion, or business. And
00:08:52
here's why that kind of fan base can
00:08:54
become a liability rather than legacy. A
00:08:58
validationbased branding is a trap. Face
00:09:00
card never declines. Except in an age
00:09:03
where Margot Robbie can be called mid.
00:09:05
Do we realize that it is the fastest
00:09:07
depreciating asset anyone can own. For
00:09:10
not that long ago, Margot Robbie was in
00:09:12
the exact similar situation as Sydney
00:09:14
Sweeney. Seen as the blonde bombshell of
00:09:17
the moment and severely undervalued for
00:09:20
a talent.
00:09:21
Stand up and give me a twirl.
00:09:22
Now,
00:09:25
when your appeal is built on being
00:09:27
desired, not understood, your value
00:09:29
becomes external, subject to trends.
00:09:31
aging and attention spans. The second
00:09:34
you stop catering to the male gaze, they
00:09:36
swirl and suddenly the engagement dips.
00:09:39
We'll talk about how Margaret Robbie
00:09:40
broke this curse in a bit. But B, no
00:09:43
buying power, just viewing power. Mimi,
00:09:46
double tap, but they don't convert. The
00:09:48
bathwater sub collab is an exception.
00:09:50
But luxury fashion, skincare, wellness,
00:09:52
aspirational media, these markets are
00:09:55
driven by women. If your audience is 70%
00:09:57
men and you're trying to launch a
00:09:59
lifestyle brand, good luck moving any
00:10:01
product. It's probably one of the
00:10:02
reasons the Demios had a hard time
00:10:04
selling neon heels to the little teenage
00:10:06
boys who follow them for their looks.
00:10:08
I love you so much. We love you so much.
00:10:11
Let's go.
00:10:11
I love you, Charlie. Go.
00:10:13
Hence for Sydney Sweeney, she'll be
00:10:14
stuck in selling soap or anything
00:10:16
sexual. See, no community flywheel.
00:10:19
Women build community. They talk,
00:10:21
comment, tag, recreate the makeup looks,
00:10:23
buy the outfit, start a Pinterest board
00:10:25
or thread. Men, they lurk, they consume,
00:10:28
they don't co-create. That means no
00:10:30
fandom, no movement, no brand moat.
00:10:32
Sabrina Carpenter has fans. Beyonce has
00:10:35
fans. These are also hyper feminine
00:10:37
women. But Sydney Sweeney, she has
00:10:39
followers who only follow her because
00:10:41
she's hot. But the minute her followers
00:10:44
find someone hotter to spend their soap
00:10:46
money on, or god forbid she has any
00:10:48
slight changes to her appearance, these
00:10:50
are the first ones to dip. No wonder
00:10:52
Cassie gets up at 4:00 a.m. for an
00:10:54
anxietyfilled marathon of beauty
00:10:56
routine. And that's the difference
00:10:57
between Heburn and Monroe. Both are
00:11:00
iconic, gorgeous women. But one embraces
00:11:02
aging gracefully without ever losing
00:11:04
queen status and the other is constantly
00:11:07
harassed because of her pretty privilege
00:11:08
and serves as a cautionary symbol for
00:11:10
most women rather than an aspirational
00:11:13
figure. This is why Beyonce is still
00:11:14
crushing it on her world tour as a queen
00:11:17
she is at 43. While Britney Spears feels
00:11:19
like a distant memory. Who are the most
00:11:21
powerful influencers who can withstand
00:11:23
time and aging in the digital age? Oprah
00:11:26
and Martha Stewart. One's a billionaire
00:11:28
and the other is worth $400 million. And
00:11:30
that comes with the accumulation of
00:11:33
time, the arc enemy of hot girl
00:11:35
privilege. Because remember, hot girl
00:11:37
privilege is not a real business plan.
00:11:39
It's a depreciating asset that can get
00:11:42
you in debt. Even Kim Kardashian, who
00:11:44
started out as a sex symbol, eventually
00:11:46
pivoted to the girls girl side by
00:11:48
becoming somewhat relatable
00:11:50
cuz it's iconic
00:11:52
and I love to do iconic [ __ ]
00:11:54
and aspirational as a female
00:11:56
entrepreneur.
00:11:57
I have the best advice for women in
00:11:58
business. Get your ass up and work.
00:12:01
And that is the biggest difference
00:12:02
between Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney
00:12:05
Sweeney. One appeals to the female
00:12:06
audience, one appeals to male. One has
00:12:09
true fans, the other is relying on her
00:12:11
body to sustain followers. One is in
00:12:13
control of her hyper femininity and
00:12:16
mocks the male gays.
00:12:17
Hey man,
00:12:19
which yes, I know the internet is mad
00:12:20
about the manchild cover, but I think
00:12:22
it's an interesting and sarcastic play
00:12:24
on the male gays, which in itself is a
00:12:26
genius marketing strategy. More on that
00:12:27
later. and the other is being controlled
00:12:30
within the realms of the gays, never
00:12:32
having much to say or a voice at all,
00:12:34
leading to branding crisis number three,
00:12:37
playing it too safe. Ironically, while
00:12:40
playing a risque image, the brand
00:12:42
underneath is a bit bland. Sydney is
00:12:45
undeniably stunning, but so are
00:12:47
thousands of other it girls on your for
00:12:49
you page. What makes her different? What
00:12:51
does she stand for? She's playing
00:12:53
characters, not showing character. And
00:12:56
that's the issue. She does not drive the
00:12:58
conversations. Sydney Sweeney trends
00:13:00
when others write the narrative. Rolling
00:13:02
Stone shoots, Euphoria monologues,
00:13:04
bathwater soaps. But when was the last
00:13:06
time she posted, said, or did something
00:13:08
that shifted the culture on her own
00:13:10
terms? And when terms defined by others
00:13:12
aren't exactly making her likable, like
00:13:16
the soap that is quote unquote setting
00:13:18
women back a thousand years. That's an
00:13:20
issue. What is asking about your soap?
00:13:22
Where did that where did that idea come
00:13:24
from? It just came out of the air. And
00:13:26
for someone who actually wants to be
00:13:27
taken seriously as an actress, producer,
00:13:30
a creator, not just a muse, known for
00:13:32
her nude scenes, here are some rebrand
00:13:34
thought starters. First, tower shift.
00:13:37
Margaret Robbie faced the exact dilemma.
00:13:39
Naomi and the Wolf of Wall Street was
00:13:41
stunning, sexualized, and
00:13:44
underestimated. But instead of milking
00:13:46
that role forever, she used it as a
00:13:49
launchpad, not a life sentence. How?
00:13:52
While everyone was still casting her as
00:13:54
the hot blonde, she stopped waiting for
00:13:57
serious roles, funded and produced them
00:13:59
herself. Ita 2017 incredible performance
00:14:03
and repositioned her as the underdog
00:14:05
anti-heroin started building a relatable
00:14:08
girls brand. Promising young women 2020
00:14:10
genre blending feminist revenge Barbie
00:14:13
2023 postmodern brand subversion. She
00:14:16
created culture IP Barbie and signed off
00:14:19
with her own name. She let the work
00:14:22
speak louder than her words. The lesson
00:14:25
here, if they don't give you the role,
00:14:27
create the role yourself. Second, hyper
00:14:30
feminine as a weapon of choice. Here's
00:14:32
what Sabrina Carpenter gets right.
00:14:34
Pretty is expected. Personality is
00:14:38
addictive. Yes, she's hot, but the
00:14:40
personality hits first. The humor, the
00:14:42
camp, the drama. She's a walking
00:14:44
punchline with main character energy.
00:14:46
Man, this is not a beauty calendar.
00:14:50
and makes jokes out of the bad girl
00:14:52
trope in a smart, self-aware, and
00:14:54
hilarious way. Now, control Controversy
00:14:56
is always a slippery slow because even
00:14:59
Sabrina Carpenter can draw
00:15:00
misunderstandings, especially with her
00:15:02
new album release. But the difference is
00:15:04
she already built a strong enough
00:15:05
foundation where her core fans
00:15:08
understand. The main message behind her
00:15:10
giriness is always a play on her appeal
00:15:12
and that she is in control. Whether
00:15:15
that's men fighting over her to their
00:15:17
death, her at her ex's funeral to her
00:15:19
newest music video with a bird landing
00:15:22
on the turtle symbolizing that she as
00:15:24
the bird can fly away any minute and
00:15:26
will not let the men slow her down. She
00:15:29
has a choice to pick the next ride, the
00:15:31
next man. Sabrina doesn't reject the
00:15:34
feminine. She chooses it as her weapon.
00:15:36
Sydney Sweeney is on the wrong side of
00:15:38
that weapon. But the good news is the
00:15:40
revolver is actually in her hands. Third
00:15:44
association. This is everything and
00:15:46
anything that she is associated with
00:15:48
from the people to the brands. The soap
00:15:50
collaboration of bathwater bliss and
00:15:52
dude shoes just further removed her from
00:15:55
the aura of an it girl and any potential
00:15:58
aspiration from the female gaze.
00:16:00
I have never thought you could describe
00:16:02
a shoe as looking punchable, but these
00:16:04
look absolutely punchable.
00:16:06
It's an easy cash grab and sure can be a
00:16:08
cheeky joke, but damages the long-term
00:16:10
brandability of the Sydney universe.
00:16:13
Doing something unconventional does not
00:16:15
need to damage your brand. Look at
00:16:16
Charlie XX. She moved from forgettable
00:16:19
mainstream pop to brat. Yet, that only
00:16:21
added to her brand. Addison Ray began
00:16:23
doing very campy bits, but that only
00:16:25
made her a mystery. Don't play with
00:16:27
sarcasm if you have to explain it.
00:16:29
Girl boss, you can do it. You go, girl.
00:16:33
You were born to shine. And we're kind
00:16:35
of just having fun being a bit sarcastic
00:16:38
with it. It's very slapstick. Whether
00:16:40
you're an entrepreneur or building your
00:16:42
own brand, for homework, take out your
00:16:44
notes app. Ask yourself first, what is
00:16:47
your first impression trap? What trait,
00:16:49
role, or label are you still boxed into?
00:16:52
Second, scroll through your own content.
00:16:54
If someone cropped out your face, would
00:16:56
your brand still be recognizable? Third,
00:16:58
write a caption, or bio without
00:16:59
mentioning your job, looks, or niche.
00:17:02
Can you still make people feel
00:17:04
something? If you learned something
00:17:05
here, send it to someone you love. Give
00:17:07
it a fivestar rating. Free email list
00:17:09
resources. All links are below. This is
00:17:11
your marketing bestie, Zoe Unlimited.
00:17:13
Episodes are available on all podcast
00:17:14
networks, Apple, Spotify, YouTube. And
00:17:16
if you like this video, make sure to
00:17:17
check out these other two I made just
00:17:19
for you.
