Thank God It’s Monday

Yass, I’m excited because it feels like the work year is finally kicking off again. The 15th of August is officially behind us, so we can finally stop juggling everyone’s vacation schedules and really get going! I absolutely love this time of year: after people had their time off, there’s a buzz of fresh ideas in the air, and everyone seems to be full of creativity and entrepreneurial energy. I’m also all fired up! (And that’s a very good thing because I have a busy week ahead!)

➡️ Tool box: organizing for content people

For those of us who deal with content and information regularly, I’ve found a tool that I think might change our lives. The internet is buzzing about it, and my first try-out looked promising! The tool is called Swipely.io, and it’s a (free) Google Chrome extension where you can save and organize your content.

Now, you should know that I have around 1,500 unread newsletters in my inbox and literally tons of saved posts on my LinkedIn. At some point, I’ll need to bring some structure to this newsletter production. And it won’t be in Excel. Is Swipely the answer? Maybe! I’m going to test it out further. Or maybe I will work with Notion, because as I told you before, I know a Notion queeeeeen. If you need her number, just tell me!

➡️ Brand disaster: No such thing as bad publicity?

Another thing the internet is buzzing about this week is the PR disaster surrounding the movie adaptation of It Ends with Us. You might be familiar with the popular book by Colleen Hoover. The story revolves around Lily Bloom, who falls in love with a charming man, but the relationship takes a dark turn, ending in domestic violence. I read the book myself and was genuinely moved by it.

But what’s happening now? Fans of the book are worried that the film’s marketing and casting decisions aren’t capturing the raw, emotional depth of the story—especially when it comes to its portrayal of domestic violence. The chatter online isn’t pretty—and a lot of it is directed at lead actress Blake Lively (you might remember her from Gossip Girl). There’s a lot of disappointment and concern that the film might end up trivializing or misrepresenting the serious themes that made the book so impactful for its readers.

During several interviews, Lively has been promoting the film more like a rom-com you’d go see with your girlfriends, which has only added fuel to the fire. It’ll be interesting to see how this storm affects the movie. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? Well, in this case, Lively’s star seems to be losing a bit of its shine—at least for now.

@independent_usa

Fans are criticizing Blake Lively for her “tone-deaf” approach to doing press for her new film, It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen ... See more

➡️ Brand Love:

Meanwhile, the husband, aka Deadpool, aka Ryan Reynolds, is doing really well. This is how marketing is done right, people!

➡️ Leadership: When you are not the boss

I was just telling you how much I love this time of year, after everyone has returned from their holidays. But during the so-called ‘lost months,’ I’ve witnessed some interesting little dramas unfold. Juniors trying to hold down the fort on their own, and colleagues suddenly handed temporary responsibility over a team they usually don’t lead. It raises the question: How do you step up as a leader when you’re not the boss? And, on the flip side, how do you prepare your team if you are the boss but just want to take a well-deserved vacation?

For example, I heard about a case where a journalist had to temporarily take charge of the team. But then, one of the reporters delivered work that didn’t meet the usual standards. How do you handle it? Because, during the rest of the year, you’re just colleagues. How do you ensure you don’t come off as a jerk 😅, or worse, damage relationships permanently?

These tips are just general leadership advice—feel free to use them as you see fit!

📝 Focus on the Project, Not the Person
Critique the work, not the individual. Frame your feedback around the project’s goals and how it could be improved to better meet them.

🔍 Be Specific and Constructive
Provide clear, actionable feedback. Instead of saying “this isn’t good,” point out specific aspects that need improvement and suggest possible solutions.

🤝 Invite Collaboration
Instead of positioning yourself as a critic, offer to work together to improve the project. This keeps the conversation collaborative and shows that you’re invested in the project’s success.

⚖️ Balance the Feedback with Positives
Sandwich your constructive criticism between positive comments to make the feedback more palatable and keep morale high.

🔄 Follow Up
After providing feedback, check in with your colleague to see how they’re progressing. This shows that you’re supportive and reinforces the idea that you’re working together.

➡️ Brandlove : when partnerships make sense

Ok, one last quick Brandlove topic because I came across this last minute, and it’s my favorite celeb partnership I’ve seen in AGES. Check out this ad from (Pernod Ricard) Malibu 🍹. They’ve teamed up with Tom Daley—the Olympic gold medal-winning diver who knits, and it’s pure brilliance.

Relevant ✔️
Important messaging ✔️
Catchy backing track & snappy scenes ✔️
Just the right amount of branding ✔️
Something ownable to the talent (knitted pants!) ✔️
Not overcomplicated ✔️

LOVE 👏

➡️ To Read

I’m aware that some of you read this newsletter just for the reading (or watching) tips. So, first of all, if you haven’t read it yet, pick up the novel It Ends With Us. I have a feeling the book might just be better than the film. 🙂

As promised, I wanted to keep you updated on my experience with The Millionaire Fastlane. I’ll be blunt: you should definitely give it a read. On a side note, I’ve never quite understood the phrase “Thank God it’s Friday.” How can you only be happy on the weekend?! For fun, I’ve taken a screenshot of a page that really resonated with me.

Thank God It’s Monday and you received this Branding Donkey Newsletter!

See you next week!

XOXO (=Gossip Girl Vibes)
Ingrid