Dancing plums, a #fetch Black Friday & Halloween party FOMO: What got Gen Z talking in October?

October: the season of pumpkin spice, Halloween, toffee apples, scary movies and falling leaves. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) hit the shelves. Britney’s book had Twitter (...sorry, X) in a chokehold. The world mourned the loss of Matthew Perry. It was a month to remember, that’s for sure.

However, in case you might need reminding, we’ve condensed some of the biggest online moments into this piece. Good, bad, ugly: they’re all here.

Let's get stuck in...

Brooke and Jessie have a boogie with Aldi

“Who are Brooke and Jessie?!?”, we hear you cry. Well, heads up. If you’re unfamiliar with this dancing duo, you might be (dare we say it)...old.

This iconic pair shot to TikTok fame after filming a dance to Louis Theroux’s My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle (linked below, in case you need reminding or just fancy a good old bop).

The two became overnight sensations after the video went viral, seeing users around the globe recreating the dance with the same dark shades and hoodies. The dance was even performed on The Tonight Show by Jimmy Fallon and Shakira.

Their popularity has shown no signs of slowing down, with the two even securing a deal with Netflix last year. SO, when supermarket giant Aldi decided to start recruiting for their festive ad, working with this pair seemed a no-brainer.

The below ad sees Brooke and Jessie boogying away alongside some giant plums.

25 seconds of silliness, with great results: the ad has racked up a massive 3.8 million views to date, and over 30,000 likes.

Zara begins testing UGC

The images on the Zara website can be a bit… unique. 

From models posing on gas cookers, to one straddling a birdhouse to advertise a belt, their marketing has been described as everything from “downright bizarre” to “disturbing”. The ads have even got a dedicated Instagram page – "Awkward Zara", if you're interested.

It's giving pretzel.

However – Zara’s latest stunt might actually be a stroke of genius. In October, one user spotted that the brand had started posting user-generated content in their shopping feeds.

Young consumers are big fans of relatability, and are quick to criticise brands who only showcase specific body types and models.

User-generated content is a great way to show clothes on everyday people – we don’t all look the same, after all. One individual shared they’d “never bought from Zara” because the website was so difficult to navigate, whilst another said the move was a clever way to “lower production costs”. 

On Wednesdays, we wear pink: on Fridays, we wear Black

OK, OK. This ad went live on the 1st of November: but we’re not precious about technicalities, so we’re hoping you’re not either. 

Over at Pion, we’ve been going Black Friday crazy. This shopping holiday is expected to be one of the biggest ones yet – with retailers launching their deals and discounts way ahead of schedule to capture that precious Gen Z $$$.

Walmart is one such retailer – and this year, they really bought the smoke. Recruiting none other than Mean Girls’ Amanda Seyfried, Lindsey Lohan and Lacey Chabert, this ad bought all the nostalgic feels. Gretchen is still trying to make ‘fetch’ happen, Cady is now a high school counsellor and Regina is (sadly) notably absent. The ad reaches its peak at the end, where it’s revealed Walmart’s Black Friday sale starts on the 8th November.

Gen Zers have flocked online to praise the advert.

One even made this BIG statement:

Killing it, Walmart. We know where we'll be this Black Friday...

Norwich stuns the nation on World Mental Health Day

#WorldMentalHealthDay took place this year on the 10th of October.

This year, one of the most profound campaigns came from none other than Norwich Football Club. The club released a video on its social media channels, asking people to check on those around them. We won’t spoil it, but you can watch the video below:

The video received a huge amount of positivity online.

Sport is an area where toxic masculinity can be rife, due to connotations around male masculinity and bravado. This ad fused the power of human connection with emotional vulnerability, and it’s nothing short of wonderful to witness.

Hats off, Norwich. 

Maya Jama's Halloween party gives us a serious case of FOMO

What’s the best thing about Halloween? Other than the candy and costumes, it’s obviously the parties.

And, whilst this spooktacular event was a little more exclusive than a night at your local nightclub, we still feel like we were living vicariously through the attendees at Maya Jaya’s annual Halloween bash.

Guests included Aitch, Jade Thirlwall, Jourdan Dunn, Chunkz and Filly, and Love Island royalty Ella Thomas and Tyrique Hyde.

Maya herself played homage to X-Men, dressing as Storm.

TikTok was awash with anticipation about this star-studded event, with one user remarking that they were “buzzing” to see what everyone would be wearing. Others stressed the power of manifestation...

And that’s all folks! Keep your eyes peeled for next month, where we’ll be divulging all things festive. In the meantime, subscribe to our weekly briefing for all things trend-focused...

Image credits:

Brooke & Jessie

The Mirror

JOMA Sport

Variety

India Today

Zara