What happens when your brand accidentally becomes the hottest thing on the internet and you’re not ready for it?
That’s exactly what happened to Schylling, the maker of NeeDoh, a $5.99 squishy toy that went from sleeper hit to social media sensation almost overnight. Thanks to TikTok-driven “squishy hunting” trends among teens and tweens, Schylling burned through six months of inventory in just six weeks. Now knock-offs flood Amazon, and the brand’s CEO openly worries about the “curse of virality” – that explosive fame could actually destroy a decade of careful brand-building. This is a paradox every marketer needs to understand. Virality is not the same as brand strength.
Retailer Claire’s jumped on the NeeDoh wave by deploying influencers and even building in-store filming stations where Gen Alpha customers can create their own ASMR content by blending digital discovery with physical experience. That strategy reflects a larger shift happening right now. Brands like Pinterest, KitKat, and L.L. Bean are leaning into what marketers call the “IRL movement” by creating experiences that pull consumers away from screens and into memorable, physical moments.
Why? Because Gen Z and Gen Alpha are experiencing serious screen fatigue, and savvy brands are meeting them there. Phone-free events on Eventbrite jumped 567% globally in 2025. Pinterest even ran a phone-free activation at Coachella.
The lesson here is that the most effective marketing today doesn’t just chase clicks, it builds connection. Whether managing the chaos of an unexpected viral moment or designing an intentional offline experience, the brands winning right now understand that engagement has to be genuine, not just measurable.
Discussion Questions and Activities
- NeeDoh’s CEO chose not to raise prices or flood the market with extra supply during peak demand. From a marketing and brand management perspective, do you think this was the right decision? What are the long-term brand implications either way?
- Claire’s used influencers to drive foot traffic into physical stores with its ASMR shop. How does this strategy blend digital and in-person marketing and what risks does it carry if the trend fades?
- Brands like Pinterest and KitKat are encouraging consumers to disconnect from their phones. Is it authentic – and even smart – for a digital platform or a consumer goods brand to promote screen-free behavior? What makes this strategy credible or not?
- How should marketers measure success for IRL and experiential campaigns when traditional KPIs like likes, views, and clicks don’t apply?
- Viral products like fidget spinners and Labubu toys had very short life cycles. What marketing strategies could a brand use to extend longevity after a viral moment?
- Trend Autopsy (Online Research). Have students research a previously viral toy or product (fidget spinners, Tamagotchis, Beanie Babies, Labubu) and map its rise and fall using Google Trends. Students should identify the marketing decisions, or lack thereof, that contributed to the product’s decline and present recommendations for what the brand could have done differently. Start here:
- IRL Campaign Pitch. Divide students into small groups and assign each group a well-known brand (e.g., Spotify, Nike, Chipotle). Each group must design a 10-minute pitch for a phone-free or IRL experiential marketing activation for their brand, including target audience, location/format, and how they would measure success without standard social media metrics.
- Influencer Audit. Have students find three influencer posts related to a trending product – one that feels authentic, one that feels forced, and one that is ambiguous. Students present their findings to the class and discuss what signals authenticity in influencer marketing and why it matters for brand trust, using Claire’s and Pinterest examples as reference points.
Sources: Khan, Natasha (28 April 2026), It’s a Stress-Relief Toy That Became a Status Symbol – and Its Maker Can’t Keep Up, Wall Street Journal; Pasquarelli, Adrianne (1 May 2026), How brands can tap into growing IRL and digital disconnect demands from Gen Z and Gen Alpha, Ad Age.
