In this issue of Sunday Strategy, we look at four stories to think about next week, including: Get Friends Quick, a Smart Glass Tipping Point, LitRPGs and Monzo’s Risky Mobile Network.
In addition, we have ads from: McDonald’s, Paddy Power, Burberry, Etsy, LEGO and Johnnie Walker.
// Stories of the Week:
1.) Get Friends Quick in the Friendship Economy
Amongst the popular discussion of the loneliness epidemic, slowing romantic partnering and the death of third spaces – friendship seems to have taken on increasing pressure. As a recent Dazed article puts it, ‘Nothing is more romantic than friendship’ and even platonic touch is suddenly back up for negotiation. As friendship steps forward to try and address our isolation, can the concept handle the pressure of a greater role?
The ‘Friendship economy’, comprising dozens of apps and experiences from run to dinner clubs, seems to think so. However, an increasing feeling that we can quickly find friendship to fix loneliness is creating the risk of short cuts. ‘Love bombing’, the overwhelming pressure used to quickly win over a partner with affection, is finding its way into friendship. With the overwhelming intensity and then retreat packaged as a way to go from acquaintance to best friend. But can fast friendships be that fast? We may be expecting more, faster, from friendship that it is culturally ready to give. The expectations that have broken parts of modern dating may now be setting themselves on friend groups.
2.) Will the Smart Glass Category Be Around When Apple Arrives?
While Apple’s smart glasses are reportedly delayed until 2027, Google’s recent announcement of its ‘Android XR’ intelligent eyewear looks to increase the availability of smart eyewear and competition in the market. For Meta, who currently holds 88% of the smart glasses market with their Meta Ray-Bans, the biggest threat may not be new entrants, but changing attitudes towards privacy and the devices. Increasingly negative coverage on how images captured on Meta’s devices were used, coupled with growing supply from other brands, increases the risk of a consumer backlash – pushing smart glasses towards territory held by Google’s Glass that came before it.
While negative stories haven’t caught up to the category yet, this may not always be the case. Continuously disarming the social risk of wearing smart glasses, while trying to compete in an increasingly crowded market may mean seeing the category pass a sentiment tipping point before Apple gets the chance to disrupt it.
3.) The Rise of the LitRPG.
One of its authors is at pains to tell you that it is ‘absolutely’ not a ‘choose your own adventure’ book, so what is LitRPG? It’s short for literary role playing game and it imports the machinery of video games straight into a novel: readers follow a character as they earn experience, level up, take on quests and change stats – all inside an otherwise standard sci-fi or fantasy story. This isn’t about choosing a path, as the stories are linear, authored narratives. Instead, it becomes the literary version of Twitch, with stats and level-ups as content, not controls.
The format’s growth has been largely self published and homegrown, with books serialized on Royal Road and Patreon, where superfans fund the writing and vote on what comes next. However, the industry has become one of the fastest corners of publishing, up 13% to $2.22bn in the US by 2024 – with audio books pushing it further. While mainstream growth has seen Universal and Seth McFarlane TV adapt the popular title ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’, the committed community that has supported this immersive storytelling looks to follow it into new formats. The genre is the perfect combination for our media landscape, transplanting game streamers from digital channels through to analog storytelling, while still maintaining the value from both.
4.) How Risky is a Monzo Mobile Network?
Financial brands should play a bigger role in people’s lives, but that lament doesn’t usually involve this much product diversification. UK bank Monzo has spent a decade challenging and then growing in the banking market, but now – it also wants to be your mobile phone network. The bank has announced Monzo Mobile to its 15m customers, built on an eSIM phone plan running on the O2 network and launching in Summer 2026. With three tiers of pricing (£8, £12 and £20), the network’s hook is that it gets cheaper the longer you stay – rewarding loyalty and incentivizing further inroads into your life.
The move, while unexpected, is just another step in trying to become a bigger figure in people’s lives. Monzo has historically never been a Brit’s only bank, with its own disclosures conceding that only 30% of active users deposited at least £1,000 / month. Its previous rollouts, from saving pots to home insurance, are all grabs at increasing the share of wallet, and a phone plan pushes this further. However, will Telecoms prove to have a level of risk beyond what banking has? It is a category Brits love to hate and ‘banking’ your customer service reputation on avoiding roaming charges or billing issues is a worry. Monzo may be staking some of their banking good will outside of the category to win within it.
// Ads You Might Have Missed:
1.) ‘Nike Football x LEGO Collection’ – LEGO:
A good collaboration doesn’t just tie together two brand’s immediate futures, it also creates access to the heritage of what’s come before. Nike & LEGO’s football collection has created a merchandising behemoth on shelves, as shoes and players are reimagined – but it’s also created an opportunity to rethink the advertising around it. Combining Nike’s history of iconic football ads with LEGO’s track record of ‘bricking’ popular culture – the collaboration’s launch ad sees scenes from Nike advertising redone in brick form.
From ‘Write the Future’ (I will never miss an opportunity to say how much I love this ad) through to ‘Good vs Evil’ and more, recognizable scenes and music are reimagined in a way that creates new opportunities out of brand history. While redoing another brand’s ads may often be at risk of playing to the industry over the consumer, Nike’s efforts at writing their brand into the World Cup create a moment where football fan nostalgia resonates widely.
2.) ‘Celebrate Being Human’ – Etsy:
With an increased focus on the authentic and valuable imperfections of the human made, AI may be the cultural foil Etsy needs as a brand. Facing the increasing convenience of online shopping and the ‘Temu-ification’ of giving, the brand has leaned into celebrating human to human connection in its latest ad.
Noting the finite time we all have, and quantifying the experiences we go through, “Celebrate Being Human” evolves the brand’s authentic gift message to higher order humanity. It hits on a cultural resonance but may still need to translate strong emotions to website visits with what comes next.
3.) ‘Nobody Does Football Better Than US’ – Paddy Power:
Rob Lowe and Danny Dyer don’t often inhabit the same cultural or advertising space. The 80s star and the Football Factory actor are brought together in betting brand Paddy Power’s new World Cup ad. In a battle of bro vs brotha – Paddy Power continues its World Cup antics (a Peter Crouch cameo sadly doesn’t get an American counterpart – assuming Barkley, Howard or Phelps unavailable) even as the tournament goes red, white and blue. The ad lays claim to football (at least until French fans arrive) while avoiding directly denigrating US soccer culture.
While it’s true to the cultural sophistication of other footballing nations may top one of the host’s own (American chants are famously more direct than the nine part harmony an English fanbase can put together on the spot about a Keeper’s recent DUI), Paddy doesn’t punch down and respects enthusiasm, while sidestepping any commentary about neighbors to the North or South.
4.) ‘A Good Sport’ – Burberry:
Burberry’s latest love letter to British football sees a combination of football and fashion culture, with everyone from Declan Rice and Stephen Graham through to Lucy Punch, Romeo Beckham and Jason Sudeikis. Soundtracked to Bloc Party’s ‘Banquet’ the ad deftly combines Burberry’s British style with the full experience of gameday moments (from stadium walk ups to chips and pies). The result is something that’s part love letter to the sport and part hype up video for what may be coming as the tournament starts. The ease in which fashion and football combine highlights the inextricable links between the two in the modern game – especially amongst England’s football grounds.
5.) ‘24 Years’ – Johnnie Walker:
It has been a surprising 24 years since Brazil last won the World Cup and to show that ‘great things take time’, Johnnie Walker has released a 24 year old variant celebrating the country’s footballing heritage. The brand takes an optimistic view on how ‘greatness isn’t rushed’, but with a heritage built around progress – the brand has a unique perspective to share. Whether the team can give the right ending to this message is an open question, but the combination of brand position, product reality and cultural moment is another notch in Johnnie Walker’s long history of celebrating national progress.
6.) ‘The New Era of Beverages’ – McDonald’s
You know McDonald’s beverages, even if your relationship with the McCafe sub brand may be more tenuous. McDonald’s goes heavy in their beverage history to give new McCafe inspired flavors and beverages a tail wind towards trial. In a product launch ad that surprisingly goes 80% heritage, McDonalds acknowledges that flavor or “dirty soda” messaging can’t resonate as much as ubiquitous consumption memories.
Whereas the structure would normally imply a lack of confidence in the new product range, McDonald’s seems to be assuming that high visitation rates will handle the hard parts of intent and trial, instead anchoring the new firmly on par with the old and known. For a brand known for its unique flavor mix of Coca-Cola on offer, heritage allows the brand to avoid the unique challenges of a “new and improved” beverage launch claim.
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
– Chobani heroes the coaches, supporters and parents behind World Cup stars [Food]
– SuperSport acknowledges the World Cup time difference for African fans with its ‘Sleep Can Wait’ campaign [Media]
– McDonald’s gives their ads the ‘Backrooms’ treatment alongside the films launch [Food]
– The England national team taps the Beatles to announce their World Cup squad [Sports]
– Scotland’s national team shows all you need is Ewan McGregor and Barry Can’t Swim to send your team off in style [Sports]
– Nike quickly celebrated PSG’s back to back Champions League wins [Sports]
– Walkers takes its iconic ‘Do Us a Flavour’ UK campaign and deploys it as a TikTok gameshow [Food]
– Figma takes to LinkedIn to defend design [Design]
– Wingstop enlists Vinnie Jones to sell the UK on ranch [Food]
// Technology & Media //
– Anthropic files for IPO to set off one of the biggest stock moves of the year [Finance]
– Hershey’s goes all in on AI agents for MMM [Media]
– New research shows only 7% of Instagram and 17% of Facebook time is spent looking at content from friends or followed accounts [Social Media]
– Nvidia looks at putting mini data centers in back yards [Tech]
– Channel 4 promotes their new series “Tip Toe” with house sized notes as ads [TV]
// Life & Culture //
– Forza Motorsport drivers are being tormented by an AI driver of legend [Gaming]
– The statement and challenges of carrying multiple phones [Culture]
– New York sports bar uses Kalshi to hedge free drinks promotion for game 1 of the NBA finals. [Sports]
– Did Euphoria’s Season 3 go from defining Gen Z to dividing it [Culture]
// Until Next Sunday
As always, let me know what you think by email (dubose@newclassic.agency), website or on LinkedIn.
You can also listen to an audio summary and discussion of each week’s newsletter on Spotify. We’re also on TikTok!
