Apparently our phones aren't invited anymore.

This week, Brandi Carlile kicks off a new tour with a rather interesting premise.

It's called Burn the Setlist, and instead of arriving with a predetermined lineup of songs, Brandi and her longtime bandmates are inviting the audience to make requests in real time.

You can yell out a song, hold up a sign, ask for something they haven't played in years. They might try a cover. They might completely mess something up. (They probably won’t).

Sounds like a pretty good night to me.

But here's the part that’s about to be trending all over the place:

Nobody gets to have their phone out.

Every guest has to lock their device in a Yondr pouch for the duration of the show. And because each concert will be completely different, there's no way to go home and find the exact performance you experienced on someone else's TikTok. Instead, the band is giving attendees access to three live recordings and exclusive photos from their particular show afterward.

Wait. That's actually kinda f’n brilliant.

You get to experience something spontaneous, participate in making it happen, and still have a little keepsake to remember it by. All without spending half the concert watching through a six-inch screen.

Meanwhile, across the country, New York's Museum of the Moving Image is offering visitors 50% off admission if they check their phones at the door on Fridays through December.

Putting your phone away as a coupon code, I’m into it.

And listen, as someone who runs two businesses, creates content for a living, and occasionally receives a weekly screen-time report that feels like a personal attack, I kinda love all of this. Because for years, brands have spent enormous amounts of money trying to get us to spend MORE time on our phones.

More views. More impressions. More engagement. More shares. And we know it hasn’t been good for us. I literally have to tell Oui, We Studio clients all the time to make their marketing more… well for the TikTokified brain.

And now? Some of the most interesting brands are experimenting with getting us off them. Pinterest, of all companies, has been particularly committed to this idea.

At Coachella earlier this year, the platform created a phone-free activation where guests locked away their devices before heading into a space filled with charm-making, beauty touch-ups and physical keepsakes.

Then at Cannes Lions in June, Pinterest brought the idea to the French Riviera with its Manifestival, where guests were greeted with stickers reading "Less URL, More IRL" and encouraged to participate in hands-on activities, from art and beauty experiences to handwritten postcards. I was there for it, and while, tbh, no one really put away their phones, there was a long waitlist for jewelry making, tattoos and hair color appointments inside the activation.

Pinterest. The place where we save approximately 4,700 ideas for hobbies we're too busy scrolling to actually try. Encouraging us to go make something with our actual hands or have someone else make things on us.

And they're not alone. Rare Beauty has been hosting intimate phone-free dinners. Book clubs, run clubs and creative workshops are popping up everywhere. All while the brands that spent years trying to make everything Instagrammable are beginning to question whether the camera needs to be part of the experience at all.

When did being fully present become the most interesting thing a brand could offer?

And what does that mean for the rest of us building businesses in an economy that has spent the better part of two decades telling us to document absolutely everything?

The ultimate brand activation was basically a very expensive photo opportunity. A beautiful backdrop with a giant product installation. A photogenic cocktail and maybe a neon script-y sign telling you something vaguely inspirational.

Everyone arrives, takes the picture, tags the brand, and goes home. I've attended these events. A LOT of them. I've planned some too. I've absolutely been the person standing in front of a giant branded installation trying to get the right angle. Hey, we’ve all done cringe things.

And listen, I understand the business logic. Content is expensive. Creator reach is valuable. And when you're spending thousands of dollars hosting an event, you want people talking about it.

But somewhere along the way, we started designing entire experiences around how they'd look to people who weren't even in the room. The food, the decor, the activities, the guest list. Everything considered through the lens of what would make the best Instagram post.

Which brings me back to that Pinterest Cannes activation.

People were willing to spend part of their afternoon waiting to make jewelry, get a tattoo, or have their hair done. At an event full of people who create content for a living.

There's something worth paying attention to there. Because we've spent so much time studying what makes people stop scrolling that we might have overlooked what makes them truly excited to participate. To learn something. To make something. To sit next to someone interesting and get into a conversation. To do something a little ridiculous that they'll still be telling their friends about years later.

At the time, I was living in New Orleans and had somehow been voted the city's Top Party Girl. (Another life, I tell you.)

So naturally, the birthday party was a whole production. We had a champagne brand sponsoring the evening, a killer DJ, and because apparently that wasn't enough, I hired a tattoo artist and a makeup artist to set up shop at the party.

And you know what my friends STILL talk about all these years later?

The tattoos.

One friend got a twinkly star on her wrist. Another got a camel on her TOE.

A CAMEL. ON HER TOE.

I couldn’t find a photo of that night to share with you, but they were all something like this.

Y'all. The stories! The champagne was poppin’, the music was great, but what people remember is the slightly ridiculous thing they got to do together. And apparently the permanent souvenir they took home.

So how do brands apply this? Well, you don’t have to throw a rager where someone ends up with a tattoo.

You just need to create something people are willing to put their phones down for.

So ask yourself, are you creating something worth putting the phone down for in the first place?

Because a great event can absolutely produce beautiful content. I'd argue it should. But the photos are only one piece of what people take home. There's the person they met. The thing they learned. The little ritual everyone participated in. The unexpected moment that made the entire evening memorable.

I love this video from Melanie, she was one of the winners of the Plan. Pitch. Cult. event I hosted with Oui, We Studio, Bento and Planoly last week in NYC.

Her words:

“the positive energy in the room just made me think, “wow, I’m so glad I came.” I met so many ambitious women that made me leave feeling soo inspired.”

Those are the details that create stories people tell long after the Instagram Stories disappear. And for smaller brands, I think that's a particularly good place to start.

While Pinterest can build an entire experience in the middle of Coachella, those of us working with considerably smaller budgets have an opportunity to create something a little more intimate, personal, and specific to the worlds we're building.

I've been thinking about this with Casa Noon, my beauty brand.

We're planning a winter florals workshop in December where guests will learn how to decorate floral arrangements with seashells. Yes, we're bedazzling flowers. (OMG I’m excited so I think the girls we’re inviting will. love it too). It’s so very Casa Noon.

I love the idea of getting a group of women around a table, surrounded by beautiful flowers, shells, and all the little details that make up our coastal-inspired brand world. Everyone makes something, meets a few new people, maybe has a glass of something yummy, and leaves with an arrangement they've created themselves.

And while there's absolutely a product and business strategy behind bringing people into the Casa Noon world, I want the afternoon itself to be special and story-worthy. So as I've been thinking about this experience, I've come back to three things I think every founder should consider when creating an IRL brand moment.

What's going to happen at your event that someone watching a 30-second video won't actually get to experience? Maybe it's learning a new skill, trying a product before anyone else, hearing an incredible story, or getting access to someone they wouldn't ordinarily meet.

A beautiful tablescape is lovely. But what are the people sitting around that table actually doing? This is where I think we can get a little more creative with our event concepts.

I talk about rituals constantly when teaching cult-brand strategy because they're such a fascinating part of how we develop belonging.

Think about the traditions you have with your closest friends. The thing you always order together, the annual dinner, the inside jokes, the silly little routines that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else. Brands can create those moments, too.

Maybe everyone makes something to take home. Maybe guests bring an object to share a story about. Maybe there's a particular way you open or close every gathering.

Over time, these little traditions become recognizable parts of your brand experience. And for people who return, there's something lovely about knowing what to expect.

I mean, I'm still talking about the camel tattoo from my 35th birthday party. And when asked about best parties ever, I bet a lot of my friends remember that one. And that's the kind of thing I want you to consider.

What will someone tell their friends about when they get home?

I don't think you can manufacture every memorable moment, and frankly, I'd leave some room for people to surprise you. But you can create the conditions for those moments to happen.

Someone who has spent an afternoon in your world, made something with you, met other people who love the same things, and left with a story has experienced your brand in a much more personal way. You have the beginnings of a relationship that can continue well beyond the event.

And yes, I'm absolutely hoping everyone at my winter Casa floral event photographs their seashell-covered flowers afterward. I have a beauty company to grow, people!

But I want the content to be the afterglow of an afternoon people genuinely enjoyed.

And if we can create something that makes the people who weren't there a little annoyed they missed it? Even better.

Here's your assignment this week.

Imagine you could invite eight of your favorite customers to spend an afternoon with you and your brand. You have $300 to spend, a few hours to work with, and one rule: Nobody is allowed to post about it until the next day.

What would you do?

I want you to write the invitation before you start planning anything.

Give your gathering a name, decide who you'd invite, and come up with an activity that makes sense for the little world you're building.

Maybe you're a jewelry designer hosting a charm-making evening where everyone brings an old piece of jewelry to reinvent.

Maybe you're a wellness founder organizing a Sunday morning walk that ends with coffee, pastries, and a conversation about something your community is curious about.

Maybe you're a brand strategist who invites eight founders over for wine and a very opinionated discussion about the best and worst rebrands of the year.

(I'd attend that one.)

Now imagine it's the next morning.

What would make you consider the gathering a success, even if nobody posted a single photo?

A new friendship? Someone asking when you're hosting the next one? A customer telling you something about your product you'd never have discovered from an Instagram poll?

Think about that before you spend a dollar on decor.

And if you've got an idea, hit reply and tell me what you're planning. I love hearing about the wonderfully specific things you're all creating.

As for me, I've got some seashells to source and a floral workshop to plan. (And I'm very okay if nobody leaves with a camel tattoo this time.)

Cult Brand Blueprint™ Accelerator — January Cohort

The brands we've been talking about this week have something in common: recognizable worlds, distinct points of view, and experiences that feel unmistakably theirs.

Inside the Cult Brand Blueprint Accelerator, we work through the foundations of your own brand world, from Founder Lore and positioning to visual direction, rituals, and content.

Our January cohort is open for early enrollment at $1,197, ahead of the next price increase.

→ Come build your cult brand with us

Fractional CBO — Brand Direction: Think of the studio team as your brand sherpa: we know where you're going, how to get there, and we make sure nothing goes out misaligned. Monthly strategy call, updated content plan, and a brand strategy document — all built on the Cult Brand Blueprint™ framework. Our next opening for this work is September.

The Content Studio Brand strategy from me. Content from my Studio team, created and delivered to you each month — ready to post. Photo-forward or video-forward, depending on where your brand lives and what we decide you need.

→ Let us know you're interested here, and we'll set up time to chat.

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