Less & More: The WFH Mom Edit

Taylor Swift + Travis Kelce = LOVE (?)

I know. This one is technically from 2023, but I didn’t have a blog then and it’s been consistently splashed on all the pages of every digital outlet from here to Timbuktu throughout 2024 as well, so…still relevant. Yes, I’m sad to report that I’m one of those people that don’t think these two are actually in a swoon-worthy romance. The whole thing is just too public and suspicious. She’s never been “out” with her relationships before (I mean, until they end and she writes not so thinly veiled referential lyrics about her exes). It’s just too good for the NFL, Eras Tour sales, allllllll the merch, Kelce’s podcast, his budding acting career (if you missed him in Ryan Murphy’s “Grotesquerie” I’d say not to bother – it’s really not that good). I wouldn’t be even remotely surprised to learn that the teams behind this union are currently working on the wedding of the century OR an epically public breakup scene. Just my two cents; don’t come at me please.

(image here)

Wicked Pre-Publicity:

Ariana and Cynthia deserve a PR gold medal for ALL the interviews they did to promote Wicked leading up to the film’s release. They were on every channel, TikTok account and elsewhere, BFF’ing it up – talking about their text convos and what flying insects scare Ariana. One “convo” in particular seems PR planted to me and it’s this one about the fan-designed movie poster. I don’t know if this “fan” was in on the stunt (given this person’s lack of activity on X in 2024 OTHER than the participation in said controversy).

You can read about what happened here on EVERY major outlet and lots of minor ones, as well as a wide array of social media posts. This kind of stunt is perfect for PR because you have the initial point of entry: (OMG, someone changed the Wicked poster!), a second follow up: (Cynthia has responded and she is MAD), a third follow up (the director is weighing in!), a fourth follow up: (Now Ariana has spoken up!), a fifth follow up: (original poster re-posts the post and stands by “creative decision” to do so), a SIXTH follow up: (Cynthia reconsiders her initial response and smooths it all over). So much ado about one person with a pretty small following playing around with some design software. This seems to me like the kind of thing that might have just stayed on social media and probably been kept to discussions among theater nerds and fanatics, but the widespread coverage and constant chatter from everyone on set makes me think ‘twas a setup, designed to build buzz one month prior to the release of the movie (perhaps some pre-sale tickets were going on sale at this point?).

(image here)

Kourtney Kardashian’s Blink 182 Baby Announcement:

This one probably seems like a no brainer, since I think pretty much everyone knows that the Kardashians don’t make a move without thinking about the publicity/marketing value. And YES, I know, this particular stunt occurred in 2023. But that baby has been ALL over the news in 2024, so it’s definitely still relevant. I mean, is it possible she just wanted to have a fun surprise for Travis Barker at one of his shows? Maybe. Highly unlikely. PS: the best part of this for me is that when you Google it, CNBC is the first outlet to come up, announcing that this happened. CNBC!!!! This isn’t exactly what I’d call impactful financial news, so I think that proves the publicity stunt point even further.

(image here)

JT’s “This is going to ruin the tour” Moment:

If you haven’t read about this one, I very much envy you discovering all the memes about it for the first time. I died laughing. Anyway, this one seems like a pretty obvious PR setup. This dude was driving drunk? OK. He couldn’t just call an Uber or his private driver? Right, right. Makes sense! And right in the middle of a tour he’s trying to sell tickets to? What luck! You might be thinking – why would he make the stunt be something so negative for his image? The fact is, those kinds of things make MUCH more interesting headlines AND most people weren’t really that mad about it. His image is gonna be just fine in the long run. Bet.

(image here)

Jen and Ben (again)

Jenny from the Block did a lot of iffy things in the press this year, from canceling her tour to filing for divorce from Ben Affleck (yet again!). Is she trying to boost Spotify ratings? Sell tickets? Push merch? She’s worth a pretty penny, so who knows exactly what her angle is? It all just seems a little … much. Again, it’s possible she’s just unhinged and makes erratic choices frequently. But given her empire and success, I tend to doubt it.