Repeat, repurpose and own it
Experiential marketing, cute mascots and an interview with The Steam Room
Hey everyone,
Hope you’re all doing well and feeling inspired this month! This edition is all about…
Embracing repetition & repurposing video content
The rise of mascots & experiential activations
An interview with Tony Chung from The Steam Room, a unique dry cleaning and lifestyle store in East London that’s also become a platform for East and Southeast Asian creatives and small businesses
If you’re looking for marketing guidance, support, or an expert for your event, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Enjoy!
Kim
Fresh marketing stuff
The underrated power of repetition
Want your copy to sound more persuasive? Here’s a simple trick: repeat yourself.
Why? Because our brains are wired to believe things we hear more than once.
Repeating a key benefit or phrase can subtly build trust and familiarity, making your offer feel more believable.
So don’t think that posting or talking once about your product is enough; instead, find creative ways to keep talking about it! And remember, repetition doesn’t have to be boring.
Finding different visual ways to do this is just as important, too. See how the prebiotic drink brand Living Things creatively promotes itself on IG, with a product intro, seasonal shot and moodboard visual.
Mascots are back and driving results
Big brands aren’t the only ones having fun with mascots, small businesses can win big, too. A clever (and fun!) character can humanise your brand, boost engagement and become your audience’s favorite follow.
Just ask Duolingo, whose chaotic green owl helped skyrocket engagement by 346% through a fake “death” stunt recently.
A mascot can bring personality, storytelling potential, and viral appeal (especially on TikTok and Instagram) without the big bucks. Cute examples here, here and here.
Hot off the press
The demand for video keeps growing and companies are trying to keep up. “Over 40% of companies make at least one video a week. Among them, mid-sized companies make about three a week, twice as many as they did in 2023.” That’s according to the 2025 State of Video Report by Wistia – and that’s huge!
Plus: “Over half of marketers spend more time creating videos than promoting them. Many keep creating new videos for social media instead of updating or repurposing the ones they already have.”
Remember, repurposing is your BFF. You should make it a habit to help you save time and money. Download the report here.
Buzzy campaigns
Rare Beauty’s secret to win Gen Z? Build a brand like a friendship
Rare Beauty didn’t rush into ads, instead, it grew through community-first marketing and real conversations with customers. From weekly Zoom Rare Chats to ad campaigns spotlighting members of its community, the brand proves that Gen Z values connection over promotion.
With mental health at the center, Rare Beauty backs its message with action: grants, summits on mental health and in-person meetups such as hikes. It’s a reminder that brands grow deeper loyalty when they listen, care and show up consistently.
Press for picnic: a springtime activation from Blank Street
The first 100 people each day at this London pop-up can “press for picnic” and score a limited edition picnic kit to enjoy in a hidden London spot. This is a fun and buzzy way to introduce the coffee chain’s latest menu and, of course, make some noise about it. As always, Blank Street goes all-in. The pop-up is pretty cute. I’ve seen it many times on my feed…
Set Active made a lucrative oopsie…
The activewear brand turned a production error into a win with a clever marketing campaign. When a sizing mistake affected their new collection, the brand posted a playful “oops” message on Instagram and offered the collection at a discount.
By providing detailed sizing education, Set Active kept customers happy while showing transparency. The campaign ended up building brand affinity and even promoted eco-friendliness by avoiding apparel waste.
When mistakes happen, sometimes you don’t need to hide them – you can turn them into an opportunity to connect with your audience!
My latest news
Mentor at Advertising Week Europe :)
This month at Advertising Week in London, I joined an incredible initiative by Global Purpose Enterprise. They hosted speed mentoring sessions for young professionals, university students, and recent graduates. We offered guidance to those looking to take the next step in marketing, PR, media, tech, business, and entrepreneurship. The energy in the room was amazing! Some pics here.
IRL and online classes for Entrepreprise Nation x Tower Hamlets!
I also recently hosted a class for the Think Startup Bootcamp by Enterprise Nation & Tower Hamlets. I loved meeting these passionate entrepreneurs; some were just starting out, while others were looking for expert guidance to grow. Pics here.
If you're looking for a marketing expert to host a class or workshop or someone to join a panel for your entrepreneur programme, get in touch!New features
Instagram is removing the option to add text notes to feed posts and Reels as part of a larger effort to prevent feature overload. I’m happy with that! Watch Adam Mosseri’s updates on this here.
Instagram is also borrowing another feature from TikTok; this time it’s allowing users to play Reels at 2x speed by simply long-pressing the right or left side of the screen.
Facebook is rolling out a new Friends tab in the US and Canada to help users easily find and engage with content from their friends. This updated tab will showcase your friends’ stories, posts, birthdays and friend requests, giving a more personalised experience and making it simpler to keep up with your social circle.
LinkedIn is testing a new feature that lets users switch to a feed showing only updates from their first-degree connections. This experiment aims to give users more control over the content they see, with new tabs at the top of the feed to filter updates.
For this month’s interview, meet Tony Chung, founder of The Steam Room, a unique dry cleaning business and lifestyle shop in Haggerston, London, which he runs with his wife, Fran.
I first met them a couple of years ago when I was living in Haggerston and needed to get some clothes dry cleaned. What started as a simple customer experience quickly turned into much more. I ended up buying their first merch products and onced helped them with their socials before becoming friends.
What they’ve created goes far beyond dry cleaning; it’s become a hub for the East and Southeast Asian creative community. Now, they’re taking their efforts to the next level with a pop-up in East London…
Hey Tony! Tell us about yourself and The Steam Room.
Hi, I’m Tony, a dry cleaner born and raised in East London. I’ll start with my history because it’s what made me who I am. My parents moved into what’s now The Steam Room in 1976, when I was just a few months old. Back then it was a Chinese takeaway – I used to sleep under the counter while they worked.
When they retired in 2003, I took over and turned it into a dry cleaners. I’ve been here ever since – nearly 50 years on the same street, probably the longest local around. I didn’t know anything about dry cleaning when I started, so I got obsessed. I studied how the best dry cleaners worked: how they set up, how they handled garments, everything. But over time, I realised what makes me good at this isn’t just the skill, it’s my background.
That attention to detail, that respect for quality, it all comes from my heritage. Over the last 20+ years, I’ve looked after clothes for fashion houses like Simone Rocha, Roksanda, Casablanca, Eudon Choi, Victoria Beckham and Self-Portrait. Those pieces taught me a lot — how they’re made, how they’re meant to move, and most importantly, how to care for them properly.
About five years ago, Fran and I wanted to do something different with the shop. We wanted a space that felt like ours; not just another dry cleaners. That’s how the retail side started. It kind of happened naturally. Now the front is a concept store, and the back is still all about proper garment care. We still hand-wash denim in a Victorian trough! But we also sell T-shirts, prints, homeware; it’s a bit mad, but it works. It’s everything we love – craft, culture and community, all in one steamy place.
What are you most excited about for 2025?
This year, we’re taking things up a notch. We’re launching our denim detergent – the first in a new line of garment care products. Everything is rooted in clothing appreciation: helping people look after what they already own. We’re also working on fresh collaborations with designers and artists, and building experiences that blur the lines between fashion, care, and culture.
You’ve just launched a pop-up at Boxpark Shoreditch, can you tell us more about it?
The Boxpark pop-up is basically a mini Steam Room. Same heart, same energy but no laundry in Shoreditch. It gives us space to share what we do – our designs, our products, the weird and wonderful things we’ve been working on. And finally, the merch has room to breathe!
You’ve been actively involved in the ESEA community in London. Why is community so important to you?
We did a night with Eastern Margins where young amateur DJs played alongside the pros inside the dry cleaners and the restaurant downstairs. We even had an Ai Weiwei print in the window – a collab with Avant Arte. It was all about showing that art and culture don’t need to be exclusive or fancy, they can live in everyday places too. I’ve spent most of my life looking for a space where I felt like I belonged. The ESEA community gave me that. It’s somewhere I can be myself and support others doing the same. That’s what The Steam Room is about, too – creating a space where care and culture meet.
Do you have any advice for small businesses looking to launch a pop-up in London?
Get involved in events or fairs that align with what you do. It’s a low-cost way to test your product, find out if people connect with it, and build your confidence. You don’t need loads of money, just passion, a clear story and good energy. Make the space feel like you. And lean on your community; they’ll take you further than you think.
I’ve seen you continue to develop your own merch and products. What’s the inspiration behind them?
It just started as a bit of fun, messing about with ideas, printing a few tees. But it’s grown into something way deeper. Steam Room has always been about stories, identity, and pride. The merch is just another way to show that. I studied product design over 25 years ago, but once I became a dry cleaner, I thought that creative side of me was done. I didn’t think I’d ever be drawing again.
Then about five years ago, I picked up a pen and started sketching again – stayed passionate, kept it moving. One of my favourite pieces is the Billingsgate Market tee. I used to go there with my dad when I was a kid. It’s closing in 2028, so this one’s a proper tribute.
And you’ve been sharing some fab content on TikTok!
Yeah, TikTok’s been a great way for me to share what I’ve learned in the past 2 decades and let people know that clothes aren’t indestructible. Us dry cleaners are basically the after-sales of the fashion industry – we see how clothes wear down, fall apart, or get ruined. I want my customers to understand how to make their clothes last longer. I’m a nerd for the little things: how buttons break, why denim fades, all of that. And I love busting all those cleaning myths you see online. TikTok’s where I share that kind of stuff.
💛 Discover The Steam Room’s website, follow on IG and TikTok and visit their pop-up at Boxpark Shoreditch, East London.