March 26, 2026

Manufacturing Demand: AI Backlash, Miley Cyrus + Beehiiv's Social Strategy

Show Notes

AI is getting bad PR, and audiences are fighting back. 78% of Gen Z can now identify AI-generated images and will scroll past them, causing CTR to drop 40%. Hatchet Book Group pulled Shy Girl after weeks of speculation that sections were AI-generated, and readers went back to edit their positive reviews to call out the AI use. Meanwhile, Yahoo is having a moment on social—partnering with Cardi B to launch their new planner feature with a campaign called "FOMZ" (Fear of Missing Out on Something Important), proving that craft and celebrity endorsements still beat AI shortcuts.

This week Sonia sits down with Chi Tuckerel (Head of Social at Beehive, formerly ran Dunkin's social) to break down why AI is losing trust with consumers, how Miley Cyrus willed the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special into existence by promoting it before Disney even agreed to it (stealing a trick from Dolly Parton), and how Beehive is winning creators over from Substack and ConvertKit by elevating user stories instead of just product features.

The big thesis: your voice is your competitive advantage—don't outsource it to AI. Gen Z is rejecting AI-generated content because it feels fake. Hatchet's author lost her book deal because readers felt betrayed. Yahoo brought Cardi B in to make their product relatable instead of leaning on AI marketing speak. Miley used her own platform to build hype and force Disney's hand. And Beehive's strategy is all about amplifying creators' voices, not just showcasing the top 1%. Craft, authenticity, and lived experience are what separate great marketing from AI slop.

We're talking about:

K-pop Demon Hunters Oscar win: Best Original Song and why McDonald's knows how to tap into culture at the right time
Project Hail Mary's tech optimism: Record box office, science and technology as hopeful (not dystopian), and why audiences want to root for progress that benefits humanity
Gen Z's immune response to AI: 78% can identify AI-generated images, CTR dropping 40%, companies switching back to real product photos, and why trust is the new brand risk
Hatchet Book Group pulling Shy Girl: Weeks of online speculation about AI use, author admitting a contractor may have used AI without her knowledge, readers editing positive reviews to retract support, and why "the contractor did it" isn't a defense anymore
Retroactive betrayal as a brand risk: Audiences changing their opinion after discovering AI involvement, Goodreads reviews being edited, and why transparency matters more than perfection
AI's bad PR problem: Dario from Anthropic saying all professional jobs will be gone in five years, layoffs being blamed on AI (even when it's overhiring corrections), and why leadership needs to stop threatening workers with replacement
Yahoo's Cardi B campaign: "FOMSI" (Fear of Missing Something Important), launching their planner feature, Cardi as a relatable ambassador, and why celebrity endorsements work when they're authentic (not just transactional)
Why Yahoo is winning on social: bringing craft and humor back, and making people care about Yahoo for the first time in 10 years
Marketing AI as a feature is boring and why younger audiences don't care about AI as a selling point
Miley Cyrus willing the Hannah Montana special into existence: Taking Dolly Parton's advice to promote before it exists, using her star power to build hype on red carpets, showing Disney the fan reactions, and forcing them to greenlight it in under four months
Promote before you build: Pre-announcing creates demand, reactions become data to pitch leadership, and Miley made it impossible for Disney to say no without a cost
Celebrities going direct to fans: Miley using her platform to make the special happen, Kristen Stewart buying a theater in LA and doing a PR tour, Sarah Michelle Gellar explaining why the Buffy reboot got canceled, and why stars are bypassing traditional PR
Beehiiv's social strategy: Chi running the account, interacting with every creator who tags them (not just the top 1%), celebrating milestones/birthdays/writing streaks, and using merch codes to reward community members
LA Material launch on Beehiiv: pricing tiers named after LA highways (the 10, 101, 405), and why new media companies are choosing platforms that empower creators over traditional publishing models