Latest Stories from Charlie
Were we wrong about Marty Supreme?
A few months ago, we heralded A24 for its viral, Gen Z-focused marketing. Now, only two months later, Timothee Chalamet has fallen out of public favour, and Marty Supreme has lost nearly every award at all major shows, including the Oscars. What happened? Well, the Oscars came and went…and Marty Supreme picked up zero awards. It follows on from a largely unsuccessful awards run across the board, with the film missing out on...
Gen Z men have regressive views on gender roles…but why?
New survey data has found that almost one-third of Gen Z men believe a wife should ‘always obey her husband,’ among other traditional gender norms. Why are young men seemingly so regressive when it comes to equality? Are Gen Z men’s opinions on gender roles and women’s rights regressing? New data is reigniting a debate that has been underway for several years, as Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership...
Authors protest AI at London Book Fair with ‘empty’ book
Over 10,000 writers have contributed to ‘Don’t Steal This Book,’ an empty publication that only contains a list of their names. Organised by Ed Newton-Rex, the book will be given out for free at the London Book Fair in protest of AI tools stealing the intellectual property of creatives. Thousands of writers have added their names to ‘Don’t Steal This Book,’ an ‘empty’ publication that has been printed to...
Gen Z are yelling in public and pretending to auramax
The latest ‘auramaxxing’ TikTok and Instagram trend has Gen Z yelling in public before taking a misleading picture. It is hilarious and has unsurprisingly gone viral. In need of a confidence boost? Looking to maximise your social aura? Forget the gym, have you tried yelling embarrassing nonsense in public to gain everyone’s attention for an Instagram picture? This is the latest Gen Z trend currently making waves on TikTok and Instagram,...
How McDonald’s marketing misfired
McDonald’s CEO, Chris Zempczinski, was mocked last week for ‘eating’ a new Big Arch burger weirdly and referring to it as a ‘product.’ His behaviour and the ensuing backlash demonstrated a fundamental, widening disconnect between corporate types and the average consumer. So…we’re guessing you’ve probably seen McDonald’s CEO, Chris Zempczinski, awkwardly ‘biting’ into the new Big Arch burger by now, right? If you haven’t, we covered it this week, taking...
McDonald’s CEO mocked for weirdly ‘eating’ new burger
Chris Zempczinski described the new McDonald’s Big Arch burger as a ‘product’ in a new promotional video, before taking the smallest possible bite. The bizarre, awkward post has been mocked heavily online. What happens when an awkward CEO takes a fake bite of a new ‘product’ they’re promoting for social media? Viral hilarity, of course! We are, of course, talking about McDonald’s CEO Chris Zempczinski, who became the latest target of...
Passengers stranded as airports close amidst US-Israeli strikes
Thousands of flights were cancelled on Monday as air travel faced major disruption following US-Israeli strikes. The Trump administration has indicated that upheaval could last another four weeks. Global air travel has faced major disruption as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran this week, with thousands of flights cancelled and passengers stranded. According to The Guardian, airline and travel share prices have fallen sharply after several days of...
Sinners’ Delroy Lindo thankful for ‘support’ after Baftas incident
Delroy Lindo has said that he is ‘thankful’ for the ‘support and love’ that both he and ‘Sinners’ co-star Michael B. Jordan have received following an incident involving Tourette's Syndrome activist John Davidson at this year’s Baftas. Delroy Lindo, ‘Sinners’ co-star alongside Michael B. Jordan, has said he is ‘thankful’ for the ‘support and love’ shown to the pair after an incident with Tourette's Syndrome (TS) activist John Davidson...
Why brands are struggling to keep Gen Z spending
Economic uncertainty and permanent stress have young people reluctant to fork out cash on purchases they don’t need, at least according to the latest research. What’s causing this hesitation to spend? Are brands and marketers facing a potential crisis in 2026? New research by The Robin Report has described Gen Z as ‘checked out,’ claiming that they’re ‘spending less and expecting more from retailers.’ The data suggests that young consumers...
Why has the Winter Olympic village run out of condoms?
Athletes in Italy have reportedly run out of condoms, which are offered out for free at the Olympic Village every year. More are ‘on the way’ say organisers, though athletes say the initial supply was unusually low. There’s a crisis happening at the Winter Olympic village in Italy, and no, we’re not talking about the athlete who confessed to having an affair on live television. Reports from anonymous athletes...
