Brief Encounter

Robert Irwin’s in his jocks and – we were not ready for this. Bonds has just launched in the US, and what better way to say “G’day, America” than by getting Robert Irwin down to his Bonds basics? Yep — the wildlife warrior is now the underwear warrior, and he’s serving us croc-wrangler meets Calvin Klein. The campaign essentially taps into two classic Aussie stereotypes Americans can’t get enough of: we’re super chill… and everything here can kill you. Sitting back in a very homely Aussie backyard on a plastic lawn chair (think Kath Day-Knight), they’ve created a campaign that pretty much says “we wrangle snakes, wrestle crocodiles, and wear bloody comfy undies while doing it.”

We reckon it’s a very clever and funny campaign that will pay off when it comes to building awareness about the brand in the US. And hopefully make a few sales, provided Trump’s tariffs don’t scare them away.

Short Order

We talked a lot about short-form video content in our last episode of The Brief—so when this new piece from Social Media Examiner landed, the timing couldn’t have been better. Co-created by Michael Stelzner and Pat Flynn, the article explores how a structured, repeatable short-form video series can do more than just rack up views – it can become a powerful pillar of your broader content and marketing strategy.

Flynn’s own 60-day experiment, “Should I Open It or Should I Keep It Sealed?”, started with zero expectations and ended up generating over a billion views, five-figure monthly revenue, and real-world brand opportunities. By focusing on consistent formats, faceless storytelling, and smart production workflows, he created a loyal following and a daily viewing ritual for his audience, and he never even had to show his face.

Whether you’re building brand awareness, growing your audience, or looking to create new revenue streams, this is a brilliant read on how short-form video can strengthen your entire content strategy.

Miyazaki Meltdown

If your feed’s been flooded with anime-looking dogs, wistful toddlers in flower fields, or your mate Tom reimagined as a Ghibli-style forest wizard, you’re not alone.

OpenAI just dropped a massive update to ChatGPT’s image generator, and it’s kind of a big deal. This new version uses something called an autoregressive algorithm (tech nerd speak for “it’s freakishly good at understanding what you mean and turning it into a picture”). The results? Magical. Moody. Miyazaki-core (Hayao Miyazaki is the legendary Japanese filmmaker who created the animated films, My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away). And it is incredibly impressive. Demand spiked so hard, it broke ChatGPT, with Sam Altman (who also updated his profile pic, Ghibli-style) posted on X, “It’s super fun seeing people love images in ChatGPT, but our GPUs are melting.”

People are loving it — but of course, there’s also a rising wave of “umm, copyright?” energy from artists watching their signature style become a drop-down option. Hayao hasn’t spoken directly about this latest situation, but his past remarks on AI animation have gone viral again. In a previous interview, he expressed deep disdain for an AI demo, saying it left him “utterly disgusted”. He said he would “never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.” “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” he added. “I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.”

Is it creativity? Is it chaos? We think it’s a little bit from column A, and probably a little more from column B.

Cart & Dart

Today’s consumers are swiping, scrolling, and side-eyeing your marketing strategy — and spoiler: they’re not that impressed. Klaviyo’s Future of Consumer Marketing report spills the tea on what really matters to modern shoppers, and it’s not your “10% off for new customers” banner. With insights from over 8,000 global consumers and B2C leaders, the report uncovers what gets people to buy, bounce, or come back. As it turns out, first-time buyers want receipts, in the form of reviews and real feedback. As for repeat customers, they’ve got their eyes locked on price. And the top reason people abandon their cart? A better deal elsewhere. Ouch.

But it’s not all bad news — the report’s also packed with gold for brands willing to ditch the guesswork and start building smarter, sharper customer experiences. If you want to stop shouting into the void and actually connect with your audience (the kind that sticks around), this is your must-read.

Boost or Bust?

This year’s federal budget serves up a few helpful nuggets for small businesses and marketers trying to ride out the cost-of-living crunch. There’s $150 in energy bill relief for households and small biz, tax cuts that’ll boost consumer spending down the track, and more support for first home buyers and tradies. If you’re in retail? Keep an eye on that — more homeowners and more tradie cash usually means more spending on furniture, tech, appliances, and the local café round.

For marketers and suppliers in green energy or sustainability-focused industries, it’s worth noting the government’s tipping in $2 billion to expand the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and $3 billion to help produce Aussie-made green metals like aluminium and iron. There’s a clear push to back local innovation — and with a fresh $20 million “Buy Australian” campaign launching, it’s a good time to lean into homegrown storytelling in your branding. This article has a good budget break down.

That said, the current global picture is a bit of a mess. Trump’s tariffs have rattled markets, and as of April 7, 2025 the Aussie dollar has plunged below 60 US cents — its biggest single-day drop in 17 years, with potential for it to drop further. For businesses importing stock or running ads in USD, it’s a margin killer. So yes, the budget’s offering a few helpful boosts, but the real winners will be businesses that think local, move quickly, and get creative with how they market through the noise.

Keen To Dive In?

If you love what we’ve shared above and want to be kept in the loop with our weekly email, The Brief, you can sign up here. We’ll only send you things we love and think you’ll find useful, and you can unsubscribe at any time. And if you need some help exploring any of the above within your own marketing strategy, or you need a rebrand, a custom website built from scratch, Google or social ads, print materials, blog posts – or the whole lot – we’d love to chat. Drop us a line here.