Are people getting tired of "unhinged" brands?
I think times are changing...
What’s up, everyone! Hope you all are prepared for the massive snowstorm. Stay warm, relax, and be safe.
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FAVORITE CONTENT OF THE WEEK
“Everyone be quiet — my show is on!.” That’s the feeling you get when watching Cluely’s reality TV-inspired show about their office life. Cluely is a software company that started a scripted series back in September 2025. Directed by creator RemyZeee, the show is so well written, and the characters deliver. It’s successful too, with each episode generating millions of views. Definitely recommend giving them a follow - you won’t regret it.
Are People getting tired of Unhinged brands?
Short Answer. Not quite yet. But I’m noticing consumer sentiment shift negatively toward brand actions that seem unhinged. And while I understand the thinking behind this behavior from brands, it appears consumers are reaching a point of fatigue with unhinged social.
Hear me out.
A few days ago, DoorDash went viral on X with a witty post about the snowstorm. They playfully warned women to be extra careful with the man they decide to cuddle up with while snowed in. The running internet joke on black Twitter for years is that these situations may require a plan B at some point. DoorDash obviously didn’t say this, but that’s exactly what the post implied.
The Tweet went viral..currently has 14.4 Million Views
For the record, DoorDash’s social team’s thinking behind it is super smart. 10/10 execution in terms of identifying relatable situations their customers may be experiencing. The snowstorm was major news all week, so it made sense to speak to it if it aligned with your brand’s products or services. Social teams should always adopt a cultural timeliness mindset, because that’s where good turnkey content opportunities emerge. I liked the post when i first encountered it. Thought it was clever from my marketing pov, but then I noticed the response to it.
The post itself was polarizing.
I spotted more negative reactions to the post than positive. People specifically called out the post for being cringe and echoed their distaste for brands trying to be relatable with “Gen Z Speak.”
Interestingly, if you go on LinkedIn, marketers are praising DoorDash’s post.
Two completely different receptions. The views, the virality, the attention are what today’s marketing landscape rewards, but at what cost?
Both things can be true. I just want to put the mirror to our faces as brand marketers for a moment.
What is the end goal with unhinged content?
The engagement is amazing. I get it. 14 million views for a simple post has to be worth something. That’s considered a win metrically, but does it really matter if people overwhelmingly didn’t like the content?
Here’s a small sample of the replies on X:
Maybe there were a ton of positive interactions too, I just wasn’t seeing many.
The goal here isn’t to spotlight DoorDash’s post; it’s just a great example of seeing both sides of unhinged content. The Social Team crushed— shout out to them, but the reaction from users inspired me to spark this conversation because, whether you like it or not, the unhinged approach is potentially reaching its expiration date.
And DoorDash isn't alone in this.
Let’s look at the Wendy’s situation last April. The brand that literally wrote the playbook on unhinged social received backlash for trolling Katy Perry’s Blue Origin Spaceflight. When she returned from the mission, Wendy replied to Pop Crave’s post with “Can we send her back?” The backlash was immediate. Even People Magazine ran a story pressuring Wendy’s to apologize. The irony in this is that Wendy’s pioneered this entire approach, so to see them getting called out for the same strategy that made them famous was wild to me. What worked in, let’s say, 2021 for Wendy’s landed completely differently in 2025. Same unhinged playbook, different reception. That feels like a shift.
For the past 5 -6years, unhinged marketing on social emerged as a viable approach for brands to break through the digital noise. In a Gen Z-dominated world where TikTok is king, brands aimed to adopt their audiences' language, humor, and chaos to create a real connection. Led by brands like Wendy’s, Duolingo, Ryan Air, Liquid Death, etc, the strategy is essentially used to meet customers where they are.
It made perfect sense. And it WORKED.
It worked for me, too. During my Foot Locker Days. I went viral for this unhinged tweet. It became Foot Locker’s most engaged post of all-time. Got covered by major outlets and everything. Different from back then (just a few years ago), actions like this from brands were more widely accepted by the general public.
It no longer feels that way.
Maybe it's the oversaturation today that's turning people off. There are more brands than ever trying to be cool and relatable. We've reached a point where it's no longer a differentiator for creating a strong social brand presence. Just look at random viral posts from TikTok creators. You'll find multiple brands in the same comment section, trying really hard to get a viral comment. Everyone's been talking about Romeosshow's Dr Pepper Jingle, and one of the things I've noticed (I couldn't help myself) is how many brands commented, asking her to make a jingle for their brand. It came off super forced to me.
Unhinged relatability isn’t a differentiator anymore. And when everyone’s doing it, no one stands out.
Social Media is entertainment. People scroll to be entertained, and they share content with friends and family that makes them feel something. As a result, brands have no choice but to figure out ways to break through. It’s a hard job, and yes, being unhinged is a way to do it, but I wonder if we’re just patting ourselves on the back sometimes for high engagement while ignoring consumer sentiment.
Virality and brand affinity aren’t the same thing. You can rack up millions of impressions and still turn off your audience if they feel like you’re being performative.
I’m not saying abandon cultural timeliness or creative risk-taking. Social teams should absolutely stay plugged into the cultural conversation and find authentic ways to participate. You need it all to win. But before you hit post, ask yourself: are you building brand love, or are you just chasing engagement?
Because those aren’t always the same thing. And maybe that’s the lesson here.
Thanks for reading! Til next time, folks ✌🏿
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The DoorDash post was really cute, I just wish the lines between AAVE & “Gen Z slang” weren’t constantly blurred with brands using copy like this.
this is so real. it feels like everything now is a brand deal. because of tik tok, and feeling it ads are embedded in our nervous system. but like every time it’s a huge one that is negative we are cringed out