Bidding Farewell to Sydney Sweeney

I’m still a fan but unless she buys a Rock station or joins a band, Sydney Sweeney is no longer the hidden Easter Egg of this RockTernative column. I’m retiring her from this space.

Loyal readers or detail nerds may know Sydney has been a hidden Easter egg in my nonsense here at Barrett Media since the middle of the summer. For others, let me explain why it makes sense in programming and branding circles.

Back in July, when hammering on my keyboard about the ridiculous meltdown over the American Eagle/Sydney Sweeney ad campaign, I wrote:

“Any time I can include Sydney Sweeney in a RockTernative piece, I will.”

She was the moment back then and honestly, it was just a spontaneous line on my part.

Then it hit me.

Let’s run an experiment: I’ll find a way to subtly include Sydney Sweeney in every column for the rest of the year and see if anyone notices. If nothing else, maybe it’ll help SEO.

For the last 22 weeks, Sydney made cameos like an extra in the crowd who’s somehow always noticeable.

A Few Highlights

• 8.7.25 — If you were in charge, what’s the first thing you’d change tomorrow? (Hiring Sydney Sweeney and Free Beer Fridays don’t count.)

• 8.21.25 — AQH Rating is your listeners vs. market population (everyone from kids to Sydney Sweeney).

• 9.25.25 — The morning show pimping Toyotas is an endorsement. Sydney Sweeney slipping into jeans is product placement.

• 10.17.25 — This is especially true for radio talent that doesn’t get much real-time feedback: The QB has a coach in his ear. Comedians can gauge laughs. Sydney Sweeney gets direction every scene.

• 10.31.25 — White Zombie/Rob Zombie — they’re like Sydney Sweeney scary — not super gore or Satanic, but the kind of danger and fright that keeps you on your toes.

• 11.7.25 — If you want a Sydney Sweeney-style closet with a see-through dress collection that could bankrupt small countries, go for it.

• 11.26.25 — Zeppelin, The Who, and even Sydney Sweeney’s favorite band (the Stones) were regulars.

• 12.5.25 — Adjusting clocks or bumping Green Day from Power to Secondary are like straightening the bedspread. It looks a little better, but it doesn’t mean Sydney Sweeney is sleeping over.

• 12.26.25 — And then the fans in the crowd like Sydney Sweeney who every guitar player tosses a pick towards.

It started as a throwaway line, but it became a test of what audiences really notice. The exercise is a good reminder for talent that people don’t notice or remember everything they do.

It Was a Good Run

Hiding eggs isn’t my creation. It also wasn’t invented by Taylor Swift, who gets the most credit for her constant droppings. Rockers have been hiding eggs for decades.

• Angus’ strip tease during “Whole Lotta Rosie” — never outwardly promoted, just something unique and exclusive for the live crowd (or fans who like old white asses).

• Foo Fighters’ fake alter-ego band, “Dee Gees” — their tribute to the Bee Gees only true insiders really know about.

• Rock albums have been littered with eggs throughout history — hidden tracks, backward vocals, anonymous guest players, items hidden in artwork, and other surprises for the obsessives.

Sydney didn’t become a movement after 22 weeks of inclusion. Readers weren’t suggesting new Sydney scenes. I never heard from her team. She’s not following me on social. Some noticed but if I did research, top-of-mind awareness would be low.

Which was, of course, the point of the experiment, and my initial thesis.

Maybe most never truly caught on, didn’t care, or didn’t want to ask, but the takeaway every programmer, talent, marketer and brander needs to know: No one pays as much attention as we think they do or hope they will.

The little things matter, but people don’t notice or value everything equally.

• Most listeners won’t hear the sub-kilohertz difference between voices in a promo.
• Most can’t tell the difference between an original and a remix.
• Many morning show P1s won’t remember what was said 40 minutes ago.
• Typos go unnoticed in advertising every day.
• Lots of Sydney fans would fail tests about The White Lotus.

Those examples don’t mean eggs are a waste of time. They are reminders that your audience has levels of passion or attention. Just like a spice track, hidden menu item, or Swifties getting their much-anticipated hidden signals, those little touch points can strengthen connection with the deep core, but they will be missed by many.

It’s OK, serve up some eggs. Just don’t mistake them for the brand itself or assume people are watching as closely as you are.

Thanks, Sydney. That’s a rap.

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Keith Cunningham

Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.