The biggest trend I’m seeing right that’s making a HUGE impact for brands.
I’ve been tracking a wild trend that’s quietly taking over marketing right now, and it’s a great time for your brand to get ahead of this strategy. Basically, brands are doing downright crazy sh*t—and it’s working.
But here’s what makes this different from typical shock marketing: these aren’t desperate attention grabs. They’re calculated risks that generate massive earned media value while staying strategically subtle about the brand itself.
In the last week, we saw Valuence, a Japanese luxury retailer, and Nude by Nature, an Australian beauty brand, adopt similar strategies, and both broke the internet. However, this window of opportunity is going to close, SO let me break down what’s happening:
What These Brands Actually Did (And Why)
The $10.1 Million Handbag Strategy
Valuence, a Japanese luxury retailer, just dropped $10.1 million on the world’s most expensive Birkin bag. But here’s what makes this genius: they’re not selling it, they’re not plastering their logo all over it, and they’re not pushing people to buy anything.
They’re simply letting customers take selfies with it next to their logo. That’s it.
Why they’re doing it: Not for immediate sales or conversions. They’re doing it to generate massive earned media coverage that’s worth exponentially more than their investment. The purchase itself became global news.
The ripple effect was immediate: After Jane Birkin’s namesake Hermès bag sold for the record-breaking $10.1 million at Sotheby’s, it unleashed a surge in demand across the entire luxury market. The RealReal saw a 35% spike in searches for Birkins that same day—their highest traffic of the month. The purchase didn’t just generate media coverage; it repositioned Birkins as legitimate investments rather than just luxury accessories, with many now viewing them as real assets even at the opening price point of $12,500.
This worked so well that Valuence effectively became the company that “owns” the world’s most expensive handbag, creating a permanent association between their brand and ultimate luxury.
The $250K Range Rover Destruction
Nude by Nature, an Australian beauty brand, completely destroyed a $250,000 Range Rover with nothing but a tiny QR code visible. No product placement, no beauty messaging, no obvious connection to cosmetics.
Just pure destruction and mystery.
Why they’re doing it: To create a viral moment that introduces millions of people to their brand without it feeling like advertising. The result? It “broke the internet” and people shared it as entertainment, not marketing.
The Different Success Metric
Here’s what separates these campaigns from traditional marketing:
Traditional campaigns measure:
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rates
- Direct sales attribution
- Cost per acquisition
These campaigns measure:
- Global media mentions
- Social media reach and engagement
- Brand awareness lift
- Cultural conversation share
The metric that actually matters here: Earned Media Value
What is Earned Media Value?
Earned media value (EMV) is free publicity that’s worth more than what you paid to generate it.
Think of it like this: instead of paying for ads that people scroll past, you make one bold investment that gets everyone talking. The coverage, social shares, and brand mentions you receive organically become worth exponentially more than your initial spend.
Here’s how the math works:
- Traditional advertising: You pay $1 million → You get $1 million worth of exposure
- Earned media strategy: You spend $1 million on something bold → You get $10+ million worth of organic coverage
Take Revolve, for example. They spend roughly $20 million over Coachella’s three weekends on influencer activations, exclusive parties, and brand experiences. But here’s the genius: they’re not buying traditional ads. They’re buying cultural ownership of the event itself. The result? They’ve become the most coveted clothing brand for millennials and Gen Z, with thousands of organic posts, stories, and mentions that would cost tens of millions in traditional advertising.
The key insight: the most successful campaigns purposely avoid heavy-handed branding or obvious sales tactics. Revolve doesn’t plaster “BUY NOW” all over Coachella. They create experiences so desirable that people want to associate with the brand.
It’s a safe risk because the investment itself becomes the story—not a sales pitch. When Revolve dominates Coachella, the story becomes “fashion brand creates ultimate festival experience,” not “clothing company runs ads.”
Why This “Safe Risk” Strategy Actually Works
Here’s what I’m seeing that makes this trend so powerful:
1. The Purchase Becomes the Story (Not the Sales Pitch)
Traditional marketing puts the product front and center. This approach makes the investment the story. When Valuence bought that Birkin, the news wasn’t “luxury retailer sells expensive bags”—it was “company spends $10 million on customer experience.”
The risk feels safe because you’re not betting on people loving your ad creative. You’re betting on them being fascinated by your bold move.
2. Subtle Branding = Higher Share Rate
The Range Rover destruction worked because it didn’t feel like advertising. People shared it because it was shocking, not because they felt like brand advocates. The QR code was so subtle that sharing it felt like sharing entertainment, not marketing.
Takeaway: The more your stunt feels like content and less like advertising, the more people will share it organically.
3. Anti-Commercial = More Commercial Value
When you stop trying to sell everything, people actually want to buy from you more. The less these campaigns felt like sales pitches, the more valuable they became for the brands.
4. The Investment Proves Conviction
Spending big money on something that doesn’t directly drive sales signals confidence in your brand’s long-term value. It’s not about the money—it’s about the message that you’re building something worth investing in.
Takeaway: Find investments that demonstrate your brand’s conviction without demanding immediate returns.
5. Mystery Drives Engagement More Than Messaging
The most successful campaigns leave people with questions, not answers. The Range Rover destruction raised more questions than it answered. The Birkin purchase makes people curious about what kind of company would make that investment.
Takeaway: Create campaigns that make people curious instead of informed.
Wrapping Up.
This window of opportunity is closing fast. As more brands catch on to this strategy, the shock value decreases. The early movers win big. The late adopters get ignored.
The question isn’t whether your brand can afford to make these bold moves. It’s whether you can afford not to when being forgotten is the only real failure in an attention economy.
Hope you enjoyed this week’s article–if you did, share this to someone who might enjoy it or a brand who might need this strategy.
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