Hey Reader,

I wrote a really good blog this week. If you didn't immediately click that link to read it, let me give you the rundown: Marvel Studios announced the cast list for their upcoming blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday. They did so in a way that spits in the face of traditional marketing tactics. It went so well, that I had to break it down.

If you're not a Marvel fan, don't fret. This email is not about Marvel. This email is about how most marketing advice is bullshit.

The Background:

Long story short, Marvel held an unannounced, unpromoted, 5.5hr live stream in which they slowly moved a camera to reveal chairs with actor names on them. That's it. That was the whole thing. Live viewership peaked at 200k people and the VOD of the stream has nearly 5 million views.

Just let that sink in for a second. Marvel gathered a crowd of 200,000 to watch chairs for nearly an entire work day. Then, they posted the recording of that stream and garnered another 5 million views, 120k likes, and 4k comments. If you're next social post did those numbers, what would you do? If it happened to me, I'd need to change my pants.

The Point:

Let's not understate it, this live stream was an incredibly creative idea that utilized Marvel's resources and capitalized on the hype they've built around their brand. That's rad, and also completely accessible to you. It does not take millions of dollars, specialized skills, or an intimate knowledge of social trends to execute a creative idea that capitalizes on the hype you've built around your brand. All you need is that last thing, a wee bit of hype around your brand.

Let's go back to my "marketing advice is bullshit" statement. I'd venture to say most marketing advice in 2025 focuses on one of two things: spread or conversion. Every huckster on the internet will tell you how you can "go viral" and "make sales" with their "proven strategies," but they can't, because that's not how the internet works. In fact, as a former employee of one of those hucksters I can say with confidence, their strategies are nothing. They are nothing because perfect hashtag usage, viral "algo-speak," and optimized CTAs don't get 200k people to watch chairs for 5 hours on a Wednesday. Excitement around a brand does that.

"But Matt, how do I build excitement around my brand?" Genuine creativity. That's how.

The Personal Example:

I like analytics. I think they're a good way to visualize the effectiveness of your marketing. (I'm not going to explain much more about analytics here, but if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!)

For this newsletter, I always have my eyes on an analytic measure called "open rate." It's self explanatory, but put simply, it's the percentage of people who actually opened an email I've sent. I average around a 75% open rate, which I'm quite proud of considering the average open rate across all industries last year was 37%. In my digital travels this week, I came across a digital marketing company similar to mine who posted the following advice: "Personalized subject lines increase open rates."

This advice means nothing, at least to me. It means nothing to me because so far, I've written one email subject line that's outperformed all my others with an open rate of 96.6%. I've attached a screenshot below.

Is there good advice?

Yes absolutely. I don't like to needlessly toot my own horn (because it'll make you go blind), but if it's advice I give you, it's probably good. You can take my stupid newsletter having an open rate nearly 40% higher than the national average as proof of concept if you so desire.

If you're trying to assess the quality of other marketing advice, I'd ask two questions.

1. How does this help create hype/build brand loyalty around my brand or identity?
2. How does this make marketing more accessible to me?

If it's not doing at least one of those two things, it's probably bullshit.

-MC

p.s.

• Send this email to someone who gave you bad marketing advice. I dare you.
• If this email was forwarded to you, join the list here, then forward it to someone else!

Here's that Marvel blog linked one more time. Still mad that I watched chairs for 5 hours. Read More

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Digital marketing advice for people over 50 TikTok told me to make this video. ​ Watch The Video

Your stuff here?! Ask me how!

$5.00 Bahnfyre Tip Jar This is so incredibly cool of you. Thank you!! -MC Send a tip

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