​4 March, 2026
If you have not yet fallen down the “Punch Monkey” rabbit hole, I highly recommend it.

I am besotted with him. Not least because I have just come back from India, where I cuddled a couple of cheeky Macaques.
For those living on the moon or in a darkened soundproof room, Punch is a sweet baby Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo, Japan who was abandoned by his mother at birth. Zookeepers gave him a stuffed IKEA orangutan toy for comfort, and he has barely let go of it in the six months or so since.

The internet nicknamed the toy "Oran-Mama." Videos of Punch dragging his plush companion everywhere, getting rejected by other monkeys, and running back to his toy for a cuddle have racked up tens of millions of views.

Our hearts are breaking when poor little Punch is rejected and then warming when we learn he has a new friend called Go-Chan with a similar compelling back-story. Go-Chan grew up in a circus but never fit in with other monkeys. He was bullied. And it seems nobody likes a bully, and boy haven't we projected that on these primates lately? Eventually Go-Chan was moved to Ichikawa City Zoo, where Punch now lives, and has taken the baby under his wing. (to collective “awwws” all round)

And here we are, days into a war in Iran, doom-scrolling through footage of airstrikes and rising death tolls. Fears of World War 3.  Gaza continues to be devastated. The Epstein files keep on reminding us just how deep corruption runs, and how much there is in the upper echelons of wealth. The rise of the far right, and march of racism across the globe feels utterly hopeless. It’s depressing.
And yet, in the middle of all of it, the world collectively decided what it needed was to check in on a small monkey hugging a stuffed orangutan. It makes complete sense to me. We all want something lovely to hold onto.

IKEA spotted the moment and leaned in (Utterly brilliant fast response IMO). They donated plush toys to the zoo. Their Japan CEO visited in person. They ran a global reactive campaign for the “Djungelskog” (the orangutan toy), referring to it as "Punch's comfort orangutan" with various taglines along the lines of "Sometimes, family is who we find along the way."

The toy sold out across Japan, the US and South Korea. Resale listings have hit $350 on eBay.

That is textbook reactive marketing done with genuine warmth.

The takeaway for those of us in comms and PR is that when the news cycle is relentlessly horrible and stressful, audiences are actively seeking stories that make them feel good, and feel something other than dread.

If you are lucky enough to work with clients who have good news stories to tell, now is the time to push them out.

Here’s a few thought starters:

1. If your client involved in habitat restoration, conservation, or wildlife, push that out now. Add cute pics for traction.
2. Maybe your client has a story about community impact, employee volunteering, or a partnership that is making a genuine difference somewhere? People desperately want some sort of  proof that good work is still happening.
3. Working with a brand that has an unexpected, human, or even playful side? Let it show. The brand winning attention right now is willing to be warm instead of corporate.

We can’t always control the crappiest news. But we can choose what else we put into the feed.