Edition 88.

Happy 2026! 🥳

Here’s why the mean-green-one is still dominating, and how *this* job turns algorithm-hacking into a revenue-generating science.

Today’s common thread: virality, seasonality, and systems that scale.

Here are 4 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week:

1. “I make stuff go viral for a living.”

That might be someone’s future cocktail-party intro, if this job post is any indication of how vitality is being hired for in 2026.

The world’s biggest content creator isn’t hiring for content.

He’s hiring for infrastructure.

MrBeast, as a company, just posted a Head of Viral Marketing role that reframes viral growth as an operating system, not a one-off gamble.

The task: turn cultural moments into measurable business outcomes across products and services.

No pressure.

And as one Senior Advisor at a global management consulting firm emphasizes, this is about leaders who “build engines, not campaigns.”

The job description sharpens the point: “define how attention becomes action.”

Here, action is not views or impressions.

That’s so 2025.

It is sign-ups, activation, revenue, retention, and repeat engagement.

The role is built to design repeatable, social-first growth systems that convert massive reach into measurable commercial impact.

Think storytelling tied directly to the balance sheet 💰

The MrBeast portfolio understands how to play the internet game across products, services, and brand partnerships.

2. The mean one’s still on my mind.

I wonder if that “Head of Viral Marketing” could have predicted this?:

The Grinch, lingering well beyond Christmas.

This might be the first time I’ve thought about The Grinch outside of December.

Because this season, actor Nick Darnell made Universal Studios theme park his stage, and went viral for his modern take on the mean, green icon.

After carefully studying Jim Carrey’s original performance, Nick delivered sharp, snarky (and modern, one-of-a-kind) one-liners that racked up *tens* of millions (if not more) of views across TikTok and Instagram.

Fans are already calling for him to be cast in a future remake.

His clips are on replay well past December — living rent-free my mind and across social media.

Nick even recreated his most viral moments from this past season as a sound bite compilation for fans to use and remix.

This is how you keep the social momentum going!

The algorithms love it.

It’s proof that strong character work can outlast a seasonal moment and build real audience longevity.

And yes, my granny (forever) made this. (IYKYK)

3. What if...

But what if we don’t all have the energy, improv-ability and skill of Nick?

Well, there are still ways to spin seasonality to flex our expertise.

A recent LinkedIn carousel imagined “What If the Grinch was on LinkedIn.”

(Think brand guidelines, a cover photo, and featured posts, all Grinch-style).

It’s a clever and timely use of satire to make a sharp point about growth and community.

Written in the Grinch’s voice, the post reframes isolation as a faux productivity flex.

Then, calls its bluff.

“I spent 53 years perfecting isolation on Mt. Crumpit,” writes the author.

And “100% engagement rate though.”

Impeccable, laugh-out-loud results. 😂

The post brings humor to B2B, while the punchline lands squarely on strategy.

And, beneath the Grinch undertones lies the real insight: even the best systems and workflows fail without visibility, feedback, and people.

It’s a clever example of blending your niche expertise with timeliness, humor, and platform-native storytelling in a way that resonates —

A content play to consider for 2026 pop culture events ahead.

4. This ‘Year’ is on replay.

“How is it that some people see to accomplish so much?”

That’s one of the opening questions in The 12 Week Year, one of my favorite books which I’m re-reading to kick start 2026.

It introduces an execution framework that divides one actual, human year into four (yes, four!) productive, measurable business years.

Designed for quick wins (and fast fails), it creates structure to help you act on ideas because, as the book reminds us:

“Great ideas are worthless unless they’re implemented.”

I tested this framework in 2024 with a business wingwoman (yes, that’s a thing) and felt and saw measurable progress across personal and business goals.

And as I help my clients transform their napkin-note scribbles into real-world brands, campaigns, and digital ecosystems, this 12-week framework that can support that transformation.

Maybe yours, too.

Highly recommend: The 12 Week Year​

More brand bytes next Sunday at 5!