Living in Sin - 025
This will get me canceled. But Mark Zuckerberg had a good idea.
Hi y’all!
I’m looking to connect with other PR pros on Substack! Can you drop a note telling me about your favorites if you're in the industry?
Pride
I’m really proud that 7Deadly is continuing to grow. I hit my first slow quarter earlier this year, and it really had me second-guessing whether I made the right choice by leaving my corporate career.
I’m so grateful for the growth trajectory we’re on over here now. Also very grateful to share that I’m now working on the PR for the incredible Daffney Allwein, a health coach focused on helping corporate high performers commit to wellness and holistic living. Daffney’s approach is all about empowering individuals to take control of their health through both physical and mental transformation. She’s helping people elevate their lifestyles in a way that’s sustainable and truly fulfilling. Stay tuned as we work together to spread her inspiring message and make wellness accessible to all.
Sloth
This week’s long read to luxuriate into comes from the Post, Grieving Parents Ask: Should They Freeze Their Dead Son’s Sperm?, because we love the ethically complex. The reporting focuses on Israeli families who have lost loved ones to the war.
From a PR perspective, this story highlights how messy things get when grief, technology, and ethics collide. There’s an inherent tension between honoring a deceased person’s legacy and respecting their autonomy. PR professionals working in sensitive fields—whether healthcare, tech, or bioethics—can learn from the delicate balance this situation requires. Crafting narratives around such intense human experiences demands an approach rooted in empathy, transparency, and respect for the parties involved. The best PR move is to guide the public in how far we can or should go in preserving legacies through technology and the ethical quandaries that come with it, while being mindful that the messaging doesn’t trend toward paternalism.*
Greed
I can't get enough of brands leaning into cannabis content. Hostess is under new ownership and ran with a 4/20 campaign to connect their beloved Twinkies and Ding Dongs to the holiday. Their "Munchie Mobile" tour, handing out free snacks near cannabis dispensaries in key states like New York and Maryland, is a smart play. From a PR standpoint, Hostess is not just selling Twinkies; they’re leaning into culture and timing.
Watch this space, I predict that in the next 3-5 years, we’ll see Twinkies take center stage in a Super Bowl commercial, similar to Doritos’ first foray into the category. When done thoughtfully, aligning with larger cultural moments, like cannabis celebrations, can make a brand feel more relevant, playful, and in tune with current consumer behaviors.
Gluttony
A shout-out for Judy’s Family Cafe; they’ve got the best TikTok presence I’ve seen in a while.
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Lust
Here’s the thing, I am just not a bachelorette girlie. I don’t love drinking** and I feel like I’d much rather go out on tour ahead of a wedding rather than get all my people together for a weekend. I’d much prefer a handful of 1:1s than a big group, but I’m lusting over the surge of luxury wellness retreats I’m noticing in the media landscape right now. I’m tempted to change my tune at the thought of making my besties go on a silent retreat complete with cold plunges and equally invasive and insane spa treatments.
From a PR POV, this market is projected to reach $1.3 trillion this year. Wellness tourism is a really sweet spot for storytelling. Consumers are hungry for transformative experiences, and brands that authentically tap into that desire are winning. For PR pros, it’s a reminder that the most powerful campaigns today aren’t just selling products; they’re selling a lifestyle. Whether it’s collaborating with wellness influencers, partnering with high-end resorts, or crafting immersive brand experiences, there’s endless potential for creativity. Lean into experiences that truly resonate with your audience’s desire to pause, reset, and reconnect. It’s not just good for business; it’s good PR.
Envy
Ok, this may get me canceled, but I think Mark Zuckerberg had a good idea. For the better part of the last decade, the market has been trying to produce a social media platform that connects you with your “real“ friends. I do occasionally have to trek to Facebook to lurk on media lead groups. For those of you who haven’t been on Facebook in years, it feels like the digitally-cluttered equivalent of a Marshall’s.
I don’t have enough practical exposure to be able to judge the tech/data/infrastructure impacts of wiping all your friends, but I love it from a PR POV. It’s big enough news, with strong enough consumer relevance to spark a wider conversation about how we connect online, and that’s exactly the kind of disruption PR thrives on.
Zuck’s idea of stripping down the platform to focus on a smaller circle of "real" connections is an intriguing way to create meaningful engagement. In a time when users are overwhelmed by noise and broad, impersonal connections, creating a sense of intentionality and intimacy could tap into the human desire for genuine social interaction. While everyone’s focused on chasing the next viral trend, Facebook could be setting the stage for a more thoughtful, nuanced approach to online engagement. (And duh, this would surely be valuable real estate to advertisers.)
Wrath
As always, I have no time for wrath, so instead you get a recent camera role gem: that feeling when you work in Earned and your pitch got forwarded to Sales:
okay bye, babes!
-M
*pun-intended
**or leaving the house really tbh