📌 Monday January 13

• Startup Grind Global Pitch Battle | $10-$25

• Leveraging Linkedin to Build a High Net-worth Investor Pool | Free

📌 Tuesday January 14

• How to Build the Ultimate Networking Community | Free

• Mastermind & Networking for Business Owners | $37

• Women’s Networking Meetup | $7

• Empowering Entrepreneurs with Seattle Startup Coaches | $68

📌 Wednesday January 15

• Plan 2025 Strategic Priorities Workshop | $99-$149

📌 Thursday January 16

• Seed Round PitchForce | $0-$400

• Bond Over Business | $10

• Mastermind for Tech Career & Growth Transitions | $19

📌 Friday January 17

• Linkedin Tips & Tricks | Free

📌 Saturday January 18

• Networking in the Digital Age | $17

News You Can Actually Use 📰

👀 Billionaire vs ByteDance—Frank McCourt’s Wild Plan to Take Over TikTok
A billionaire with a vision to free your data is eyeing TikTok. Is this the beginning of a new era or just another pipe dream?

🎰 Microsoft Making Bank on LinkedIn Premium as Users Embrace AI Tools
Microsoft is seeing significant revenue growth from LinkedIn Premium subscriptions, driven by the popularity of its AI-powered features.

🎓 College Degrees Aren’t Enough—Why Networking Is the Missing Piece for Grads
A harsh reality check: Employers say grads lack connections and the hustle needed to make it in today’s job market.

💼 AI Is Taking Over Your Job—LinkedIn’s Hottest Careers for 2025
Forget traditional roles; LinkedIn’s list of booming jobs proves the AI takeover is here to stay. Are you ready to adapt?

🙃 Decoding Gen Z Job Titles—What the Heck Is a Vibes Manager?
From Vibes Manager to Chief TikTok Officer, these trendy job titles are taking over—and some of them are downright ridiculous.

💰 Networking Events Are Dead—Welcome to the Deal-Making Era
Forget name tags and awkward handshakes. Learn how to turn your next networking event into a money-making machine.

O’ Down the Rabbit Hole 🐇

Imagine opening up Linkedin and seeing this 👇

The infamous story about Zara Dar - the Stanford PhD student who supposedly quit to made “7 figures on OnlyFans”.

Of course, the post is no longer up and I’m pretty sure Linkedin banned her. But the comments were WILD!!!

Some gave her 👍 and 👏 for being creative and testing new platforms while others 🙅‍♀️ completely shamed her. This seemed way too good to be true so I dug a little deeper and obviously went to Porn Hub (like every other male on Linkedin) to check it out.

To my surprise, she honestly just put some PG slightly 13 content up talking about STEM, AI and neural networks. No porn whatsoever.

I was honestly amazed. Then, I started thinking… the majority of people on Linkedin are struggling to grow their brand right now yet, this girl just went straight for the obvious and made it work.

NGL, I thought it was pretty genius.

Until today when I came across this other post that basically debunked the whole thing.

This other questionable Linkedin account mentioned an investigation by another account I can’t seem to find but it states:

• There are zero records of Zara at Stanford

• Photo’s failing multiple AI detection tools

• “Viral” accounts vanishing within 48 hours

• Identical stories copy/pasted across platforms

The campaign picked every element perfectly:

• Stanford (instant credibility)

• AI/CS background (peak relevance)

• “7-figure earnings” (irresistible clickbait)

• Career rebellion narrative (guaranteed debate)

• Perfectly polished headshots

Which resulted in:

• Millions of Linkedin impressions

• Thousands of VC’s and founders engaging

• Endless Twitter threads

• Multiple podcast discussions

• Free press coverage

Now, is this story about networking? No. But, it is on a social media site used for networking where plenty of people are trying to grow their personal brand.

Whether it’s real or not - that’s for you to decide.

But, in the name of marketing - it doesn’t matter, it worked!

So, I figured why not take a look back at some of the most creative campaigns of our time. Whether they sparked controversy or not, there’s a reason why you remember them.

Real

• Red Bull Stratos (2012)
  Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking freefall jump from the edge of space captured global attention.

• Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Campaign (2018)
  "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything." Sparked nationwide debates and massive sales.

• Burger King’s Moldy Whopper (2020)
  Ads showed a Whopper rotting over time to highlight their commitment to preservative-free food.

• Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches (2013)
  Challenged societal beauty standards by showing women’s self-perception through art.

• Diesel’s Go With the Flaw (2017)
  Celebrated imperfections by creating ads with deliberate errors and showcasing "ugly" models.

• IHOP Becomes IHOb (2018)
  Temporarily "changed" its name to International House of Burgers, igniting massive debates online.

• Old Spice’s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (2010)
  Ridiculously over-the-top ads that became a pop culture phenomenon.

• Fearless Girl Statue (2017)
  Placed by State Street Global Advisors in front of the Wall Street Charging Bull to promote gender diversity.

• Tinder’s Swipe Night (2019)
  A choose-your-own-adventure series inside the app that generated engagement.

• Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke (2011)
  Personalized bottles with names spiked a global phenomenon of people hunting for their names.

Fake

• PETA’s Pokémon Protest (2012)
  A fake campaign accusing Pokémon games of promoting animal abuse. It was satirical and garnered attention.

• Procter & Gamble’s Viral Tide Pod Challenge (2018)
  The Tide Pod challenge wasn’t a campaign but gained attention when the company had to step in.

• Deadpool’s Billboards (2016)
  Fake emojis and tongue-in-cheek messaging made this campaign seem fan-created.

• Rick and Morty’s McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce (2017)
  Turned into a pop culture moment by fans demanding the return of a limited-time McDonald's sauce.

• The Blair Witch Project’s "Real Footage" (1999)
  Pretended to be real found footage, pioneering viral guerrilla marketing in movies.

• Banksy’s Self-Shredding Artwork (2018)
  Staged during a Sotheby’s auction, the piece shredded itself post-sale, shocking audiences.

• The Truth About H&M’s "Fake Balenciaga" Collab (2023)
  Claimed a fake line of products was from Balenciaga, stirring luxury brand debates.

• The Yes Men’s Bhopal Apology (2004)
  Fake representatives from Dow Chemical "apologized" for a chemical disaster, fooling media outlets.

• Cardi B’s "Pregnancy" Announcement on Instagram (2021)
  Sparked debates about personal branding when it turned out to promote her single.

• Pennywise Balloon Sightings for IT (2017)
  Scary red balloons tied to sewer grates to promote the movie.

Mixed Real/Fake

• Tesla’s Cybertruck Window Smash (2019)
  Elon Musk "accidentally" smashed the vehicle's "shatterproof" windows during a demo.

• Burger King’s Google Ad Hack (2017)
  Triggered Google Home devices to read Whopper ingredients from Wikipedia.

• Denny’s Tumblr Egg Campaign (2015)
  Their surreal, meme-like egg content went viral on Tumblr without explanation.

• Cardi B x Pepsi Super Bowl "Okurrr" (2019)
  Over-the-top, meme-worthy ads featuring her iconic catchphrase.

• Taco Bell’s Chihuahua Campaign (1997)
  A small dog saying "Yo quiero Taco Bell" became a global icon but stirred debates about cultural stereotypes.

Digital/Experiential Stunts

• Airbnb’s Floating House on the Thames (2015)
  Built a real floating house to showcase Airbnb properties.

• WestJet’s Christmas Miracle (2013)
  Surprised passengers with personalized gifts they mentioned before boarding.

• GoDaddy’s Risqué Super Bowl Ads (2005-2010)
  Pushed boundaries of taste and appropriateness, sparking heated debates.

• Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Protest Ad (2017)
  Widely criticized for trivializing social justice movements, yet became unforgettable.

• Spotify’s Year Wrapped (2016-ongoing)
  Highlighting users' data in creative ways that made it shareable.

Controversial & Shocking

• Benetton’s "Unhate" Campaign (2011)
  Images of world leaders kissing, sparking both outrage and discussion.

• Calvin Klein’s "My Calvins" (2016)
  Ads that pushed the limits of suggestive branding.

• Lush UK’s Anti-Police Campaign (2018)
  Criticized for being anti-police but drew massive media coverage.

• Gillette’s "The Best Men Can Be" (2019)
  Tackled toxic masculinity, polarizing audiences.

• Peloton’s "The Gift That Gives Back" (2019)
  Criticized for sexist undertones, yet its backlash boosted visibility.

Viral Hoaxes & Stunts

• Adidas’s "Shackle Shoes" (2012)
  Pulled a controversial sneaker design resembling slavery shackles.

• KFC’s Chicken Shortage "Apology" (2018)
  Replaced its logo with "FCK" in a witty ad addressing supply chain issues.

• American Apparel’s Hurricane Sandy Sale (2012)
  Used a natural disaster to promote a sale, sparking outrage.

• Balenciaga’s $1,790 Trash Bag (2022)
  Turned a luxury trash bag into a meme-worthy moment.

• Popeyes’ BYOB Sandwich Stunt (2019)
  Encouraged customers to "build their own" sandwich during a shortage.

Campaigns That Became Movements

• ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (2014)
  Viral campaign raised millions for ALS research.

• Always’s #LikeAGirl (2014)
  Empowered women by challenging stereotypes.

• World Wildlife Fund’s #LastSelfie (2014)
  Showed endangered animals in "disappearing" Snapchat stories.

• Barbie’s "Dream Gap" Project (2019)
  Tackled gender inequality and empowered young girls.

• Apple’s "Think Different" (1997)
  Revolutionized the concept of branding by associating creativity with their products.

Celebrity & Pop Culture Chaos

• Madonna’s Pepsi Ad Ban (1989)
  Pepsi pulled her ad after backlash from her "Like a Prayer" music video.

• Lady Gaga’s Meat Dress (2010)
  Wore it to the VMAs, creating cultural conversations and memes.

• Paris Hilton’s Carl’s Jr. Ad (2005)
  The risqué burger-eating ad blurred the line between food and seduction.

• Balenciaga’s BDSM Teddy Bear Ad (2022)
  Sparked outrage for its questionable use of children in a luxury campaign.

• Heinz’s Ed Sheeran Tattoo Campaign (2019)
  Sheeran’s love for ketchup became a full-blown product line.

Just remember, Zara Dar isn’t a celebrity or a big name brand with a huge marketing budget behind it. If you want to stand out and build a following, you just have to think and plan strategically.

Hopefully this curbed your creative appetite! 😉

How I Can Help You Grow 🚀

1. Hire me as your Fractional CMO. Not only can I help develop your growth strategy, align marketing and sales teams, and develop customer journey maps, I can also create and execute high-impact campaigns, audit your tech stack and make sure you’re leveraging the right data to measure success.

2. Generate Leads through BLKBOOK Events. When you sponsor an industry-specific virtual speed networking event, I handle the outreach and set up targeted campaigns to get your ideal customers to show up. Then, you can hand-pick who you want to meet face-to-face with.

3. Earn Commission & Shared Revenue. Want to attend BLKBOOK events for free and get paid? Become an affiliate and start earning commissions on ticket sales and sponsorship referrals.

4. Hire me as your Virtual Event Consultant. From a small half day summit to a full 5 day conference, I’ve organized, managed and produced a variety of virtual events. I can help with sourcing speakers, running tech checks, marketing and even hiring additional production assistants.

Interested in working together? Let’s connect!👇

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