As the World Cup kicks off and visitors experience daily American life, will the experience and social media conversation around it change perceptions of America? Did Anthropic’s marketing of Fable and Mythos create the conditions for the ban? We look at these stories and more in this issue of Sunday Strategy, including ads from: Nike, Adidas, Jeep, Levi’s and AB InBev.
// Stories of the Week:
1.) What Will the World Cup Say About America?
Though World Cup engagement is still limited in the US (45% have heard or read ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ about it), international engagement and fans are still deeply engaged with the tournament. No one could have predicted the current state of the US brand when the World Cup was awarded to North America, but as it kicks off – what will the impact of the tournament be on US perceptions abroad?
A global sporting moment meets Trump, MAGA politics, ongoing conflicts, uncertain economics and sky high costs. While one moment can’t shift all of these, social media coverage of international fans “discovering” Americana may be one of the abiding and unexpected positives that emerge from the World Cup. Though pre tournament coverage was mixed, dominated by ticket prices and bemusement about limited pedestrian access to venues, as fans have arrived, the conversation has changed.
German fan FreddyLA7’s World Cup trip across the US, from a friendly in Auburn, Alabama’s stadium that surprised with its scale to trips to Waffle House, Buc-ee’s and national media interviews – have put elements of daily life American on show. Following Freddy, other fans interested in brands like Buc-ee’s have seen fan buses put on to take fans to experience it. It’s often been said that people can find more issues with the US government and its policies than the American people – and posts that seemingly venerate, over mock, many elements of American life seem to support this.
Posts that could have touched on cliches about portion sizes and obesity have instead been more positive. Cultural exchange is occurring as Scots in Boston are hosting Irn-Bru tastings. The Fourth of July looms while visitors are here. While the legacy of the World Cup will undoubtedly be mixed, the fans who report back are telling a different story about American life than we expected.
2.) Anthropic’s Issue of its Own Making.
Anthropic and other manufacturers have sounded more like arms dealers than technology companies as they’ve recently promoted new models. Messaging mixes productivity with unchecked risks for industry and world changing impact. As the dangers of models have become talking points, it’s not surprising that one has finally been pulled back by the government – even if the fear might be worse than the reality.
The US government’s move to limit access to Anthropic’s Fable 5 right after launch shows how Anthropic’s strategy worked too well – simultaneously scaring supporters into adoption while also giving the government an open door to regulate it further. Anthropic’s own research shows 15% of Americans trust AI companies to regulate themselves. As the debate on access drags on a week in, are we seeing a one off or the long term effects of the industry’s messaging strategy coming to roost?
3.) Can Instagram be the New LinkedIn?
Job searching on traditional sites is challenging – as new openings get 100s of applicants instantly, ghost job listings harvest data and AI systems block access to human hiring. Against all of this, job seekers are moving beyond LinkedIn for hiring, building personal brands on TikTok and Instagram – while using the social platforms to directly connect with brands and hiring managers.
The shift beyond LinkedIn occurs as the professional platform’s own focus has gone wider into lifestyle – leaving users complaining about non-professional behaviour and ‘LinkedIn slop’. Is the shift to making everything a job opportunity a case of social media opportunism – or is it reflective of wider culture, where the lines between work and non-work, personal and professional brand and when we clock off have blurred?
4.) Breaking Down Spotify’s Gen Z Report.
Spotify’s new ‘Culture Next’ report focuses on Gen Z consumption behaviors, highlighting video podcast growth and listening behavior . The research shows how far podcasts have stretched into video, especially with younger audiences – as video podcast streams have grown 90% YoY on the platform. High schoolers reportedly watch 69% of their podcasts in video, while college-aged listeners watch 54% of podcasts in video format.
Genres split differently by age, as high schoolers were 2x more likely to listen to paranormal or conspiracy content (vs. Millennials), while college aged Gen Z shifted heavily (40x more likely than Millennials) to finance content listening. Loyalty to top artists was also surprising for younger listeners, as 13% of high schoolers streamed an artist in their cohort’s top 20 vs. 9% of Millennials – pushing against the expected balance of music discovery vs. routine.
// Ads You Might Have Missed (Sports Edition):
1.) ‘Never Slept, Always Dreaming’ – Nike:
Nike summed up the New York Knicks Saturday night victory in the NBA finals perfectly in an ad that dropped right after the game. Set to Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind”, the ad captures the mood of a city storming out into the streets to celebrate as it actually occurred. The final shot, as a sprinting Knicks fan stares across the celebrations, mirrored reality and shows how a brand can simultaneously compliment and capture the essence of a huge moment for the city. Nothing will capture being in the moment itself in NYC, but this comes close.
2.) ‘Choose Scotland’ – Adidas:
World Cup hype videos don’t just have to be for current fans, it can recruit new ones. Scotland and Adidas make a case for everyone to support Scotland, no matter where you were born. Featuring Scottish players alongside Trainspotting and Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust for Life’ as the soundtrack, it challenges the sense of fan gate keeping and performatives around “band wagoning” to invite everyone to Scotland’s party. With a strong start in their first game on Saturday, the party only looks to grow.
3.) ‘The Hidden Sponsor’ – Levi’s:
The true value of brand assets isn’t often obvious until it’s taken away. As FIFA strips sponsors’ names off stadiums during the World Cup, Levi’s has highlighted the value of their iconic logo in their response. Covered up in stadium and online, but with the shape still present, Levi’s has effectively become the hidden sponsor of World Cup games, all while sticking to tournament regulations.
4.) ‘Wrangler for Washingtons’ – Jeep:
What are the odds of the United States winning the World Cup? It isn’t likely, but if America wins against all odds – their latest campaign will see (up to 100) people named ‘George Washington’ get a free Jeep Wrangler. ‘Wrangler for Washingtons’, fronted by comedian Iliza Shlesinger, weaves together Jeep’s Americana heritage with the global football tournament, coincidentally happening during the US’ 250th anniversary on July 4th.
While stranger things have happened, a select group of George’s shouldn’t hold their breath. Instead, Jeep looks to have taken the most unlikely of risks in service of pulling together a summer of sport with national pride.
5.) ‘Cheers to Bars’ – AB InBev:
With the World Cup in full swing, AB InBev has leaned into where most viewers will socially enjoy the game – their local bar. Their new platform ‘Cheers to Bars’ celebrates the lower part of their supply chain in a campaign that highlights the unique role of bars and bartenders across the world.
The social aspects of bar viewing are on show in their hero video, pulling together footage of football celebrations in bars across the globe. The campaign doesn’t just pay lip service to bars’ role in the tournament – as the brand is hosting 200k watch parties, supporting bar owners with trade programs and in the US, reimbursing up to $100 for fans who enjoy a Stella watching a weekday game at their local bar (in their ‘Work from Bar’ initiative). Overall, the master brand has shown how to tie together cultural moments and supply chain to pay homage to both.
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
– Jack in the Box turns their mascot into ‘The Spiciest’ football player in a docu series that evokes Maradona and Cantona as much as fast food [Food]
– Bob Odenkirk has reprised his ‘Saul Goodman’ character in a video reminding Americans of their constitutional rights in the run up to the country’s 250th [Government]
– LEGO enlisted Jason Momoa to get everyone involved on International Day of Play [Toys]
– KFC Australia shows how employees ‘Go Full Chicken’ in an ice skating love letter to a drum stick [Food]
– While UNICEF USA used International Day of Play to talk about the necessity of play (Self-Promotion Klaxxon) [Charity]
– Fighting the tendency to order Pizza when watching sports, Burger King France has rebranded their baby burgers as pizza slices [Food]
– Verizon enlists Dr. Evil & the Austin powers cast to promote their new loyalty program and plan [Mobile]
– Paddy Power takes World Cup mischief around Ireland, even without the national team participating [Sports]
– Tesco packages up their new delivery service as a cinematic trailer [Food]
– Dunkin launches the ‘Dunkin Barbie Dreamhouse’ in NYC [Food]
– Norwegian striker Erling Halland is the face of a 200 year old Chinese Herbal Tea [Drinks]
– Somehow not as strange as Sam Allardyce selling Curry’s products [Electronics]
// Technology & Media //
– Meet the couples using ChatGPT as their therapist [AI]
– How effective are podcast ads? New YouGov research investigates it in the US [Media]
– Fox is buying Roku in a $22bn deal [Media]
– Developers aren’t happy about GitHub Copilot’s new token-based billing [AI]
– BBC Sport is using data & 3D technology to create new ways to view the World Cup [Sports]
– Britain announces a ban on social media apps for under 16s [Social Media]
– Snap unveils new, Michael Caine esque, Specs AR eyewear at $2k+ [Wearables]
// Life & Culture //
– Shaq the latest athlete to open up about GLP-1 use [Sports]
– How the $1 Ultra-marathon in Times Square became a thing [Fitness]
– Oura uses ring data to break down how the Knicks playoff drama looks in health metrics [Sports]
– Skeleton keys and TikTok ‘conquesting’ have become a major headache for the NYC subway [Travel]
– Curacao are travelling the World Cup in a bus with no windows, but lots of vibes [Sports]
// Until Next Sunday
As always, let me know what you think by email (dubose@newclassic.agency), website or on LinkedIn.
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