Hit by layoffs, laid off workers hit back

Plus, Ford & Sydney Sweeney continue to champion women in auto [View this email in your browser]( Hit by layoffs, laid off workers hit back For the second year in a row, earnings season has also turned into layoff season for many companies, with various industries announcing that workforces would be cut in the last few weeks. That’s been true of tech again in 2024, but the latest to be impacted were UPS workers, with the company announcing[a cut of 12,000 jobs]( this week. This was in addition to [Levi Strauss]( [Microsoft]( [REI]( and [Macy’s]( in the last week alone. In the last month, there have been almost 30k articles written about layoffs and more than 800k engagements with those articles, both a significant increase on the previous month. This is no longer as one-way a conversation as it once was though, as [Axios noted this week](. The new trend is for employees who suspect or expect they are going to be laid off to film their reaction to the process and then post it on video-sharing platforms such as TikTok. There have been myriad examples of this, with one of the most engaging coming from [Brittany Pietsch](. That video saw more than 150k engagements on TikTok across two separate videos documenting her layoff conversation on the creator’s own channel alone, without even accounting for all the reuploads in other places. This creates two separate challenges for companies when it comes to coverage, as not only are layoffs covered by business media, the manner in which they conduct them is being publicized and scrutinized at a granular level. This can then cause a second wave of attention from reporters, and has the potential to spiral out of control rapidly if not handled with care and empathy. Ford and Sydney Sweeney continue to champion women in auto If you weren’t already aware, Sydney Sweeney is quite the car lover, and her ongoing partnership with automaker Ford has allowed her to complete her “life’s biggest achievement” — [designing her own custom Mustang GT.]( Since her partnership with the brand began back in March 2023, Sweeney has shown her interests and talents go far beyond being a successful actress. She’s taught her fans fundamental mechanic skills in Auto 101 videos on her TikTok account [@syds_garage]( restored her own 1969 Ford Bronco, and launched a limited-edition workwear line with Ford and Dickies, which effectively [sold out in 31 hours.]( So, customizing her own Ford Mustang — with the help from a team of women — seemed like the obvious next step, but Ford making a second Mustang to giveaway to one lucky contest winner is just a great social media marketing strategy. In a co-authored post on [Ford’s Instagram]( as well as the brand’s [TikTo]( Sweeney announces the contest rules, which ask participants to share stories of how they’ve overcome challenges while pursuing their own passions. The Instagram post has earned over 625k engagements in the last day, which is significantly more than the 38k engagements that Ford and Sweeney’s TikToks collectively saw. Naturally, there have been a flood of entries in the comments, and with the contest closing on February 7th it’s only likely that excitement will keep building. And Ford’s woman-centric partnership with Sweeney continues to boost positive attention for the auto sector. JOIN US FOR A FREE WEBINAR How live insights can prevent your brand from becoming an unintended target during a year of elections [Register→]( NEWSWHIP METRICS TO KNOW Three NewsWhip metrics that will keep you one step ahead when managing live issues [Read blog →]( 2024 ELECTIONS A quick reference guide to the elections you should be paying attention to [Read blog →]( 2023 IMPACT REPORT Our commitment to improving the media ecosystem [Read report →]( [Website icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Copyright (C) 2024 NewsWhip. All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in for the NewsWhip blog newsletter and updates. Our mailing address is: NewsWhip 42 Pearse Street Dublin, D02 YX88 Ireland Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe](