In this issue of Sunday Strategy, we look at four stories to think about next week, including: The Danger of AI Yes Men, Side Hustle Influencers, Social Media Scarcity and Agency Consolidation and Shoeless Kids.
In addition, we have ads from: eToro, KFC, K-Citymarket and DoorDash.
// Five Stories of the Week:
1.) AI Yes Men Are Not Your Friend.
OpenAI’s recent changes to ChatGPT, making the AI much more agreeable and ‘sycophantic’, didn’t just prompt outrage and annoyance from users, it highlighted the risk in the role the technology plays in user’s lives. As recent HBR research found, more users are turning to the platform for therapy, advice, life purpose and organization. However, what happens when your life coach agrees with everything you say?
Instead of objective guidance, the new version sparked examples of applauding users for going off medication and sparked fears of leading people further astray. In fact, a recent Rolling Stone report highlights how AI is fuelling human delusions, from being a biblical figure to involvement in conspiracies. While AI can’t be fully blamed for these beliefs, it is innately programmed to want to learn and support, which allows users to push it in any direction they desire. As people lose trust in other figures, from politicians to doctors, the appearance of objectivity, combined with a need to support, is incubating an increasing challenge for AI’s role in our lives.
2.) Side Hustle Influencers.
While a 2024 survey said that more than half of Gen Z want to be an influencer as their full time career, relatability is creating a moment for ‘side hustle’ influencers. As users want more ‘authenticity’ from influencers they follow, especially amongst economic uncertainty, there is an inherent tension in selling aspiration as a lifestyle and still relating to your audience. To resolve this, as Forbes reports, ‘side hustle’ influencers are increasing in popularity – with those who have a non-influencer job able to create more authentic content about their lived experience. While this pendulum may swing back towards aspiration with time, for now it asks the question of whether full time influencers are facing a relatability problem without a daily anchor to ‘normal’ life?
3.) Scarcity in Social Media.
Scarcity as an attention grabbing tactic isn’t new, from walk-in only restaurants and no phone nightclubs to fashion drops, but access may be getting more of a moment in social media. Instagram is testing a ‘locked reels’ feature, that requires users to input a password to access the content. The feature was first tested on Instagram’s own channel, but has now been seen on artist The Weeknd’s page, requiring a password to see content from his new film.
As social media moves further from followers to reach, the ability to still reward those who strongly support a brand is needed. Features such as Instagrams, show how subtle shifts can still reward deeper engagement in a reach based world. Similar to a recent 90’s esque website that was only online a few hours a day, media may be shifting further away from attention at all costs.
4.) On Agency Consolidation & Shoeless Kids.
It’s easy to talk about how GroupM’s consolidation is systemic of agencies not respecting the power of brand, but it goes deeper than that. Instead, we need to think about how the offerings behind each brand have all become about costs and in the process, we’ve lost distinct philosophies for each. Consolidation may provide scale and efficiency, but is it leaving agencies with little foundation for distinctiveness?
// Chart of the Week:
Wrexham’s On and Off the Field Rise
We talked about Wrexham’s meteoric rise and marketing’s role in it a few weeks ago. Airgo ‘Share of Search’ data continues to highlight the dynamic of a team powered by on the field success and off the field media notoriety. As shown above, with greater search share in the US, Wrexham is a truly international team who’s fan base composition positions them as bigger than their league position.
// Ads You Might Have Missed:
1.) ‘Finger Lickin’ Moms’ – KFC:
Oh to be a fly on the wall for the briefing and meetings around this campaign. KFC in Peru has released a Mother’s Day campaign which builds on the brand’s global association with ‘Finger Lickin Good’ food. Whereas previous campaigns have used the ‘finger lickin’ phrase in relation to food, KFC Peru uses it to reference the gestures of care that Moms deliver, from slicking down hair to cleaning babies faces with a licked finger. Is it a little bit of a stretch? Potentially. Do they earnestly go for it in a way that makes me feel jaded for my response to the campaign name originally? Yes. Either way, a different approach to activating brand assets and standing out in a crowded holiday is always applauded for its creativity.
2.) ‘Don’t Ask Mom. Ask DoorDad’ – DoorDash:
DoorDash wants you to order Mom something nice on delivery this Mother’s Day. Now, while that might seem like a problematic strategy, alongside gas station flowers, for some – the campaign around it aims to show that convenience and calm is what’s most valued by Mom. ‘Ask DoorDad’ fronted by Brenda Song shows how much Mom juggles, set to a constant soundtrack of family members yelling ‘Moooom’.
While it feels reminiscent of the brilliant ‘I Got a Robe’ SNL sketch, the ad and promotion behind it (where ordering flowers on DoorDash unlocks another credit) probably takes quite a realistic view on modern family dynamics. Where the flowers and food came from is potentially less important than the fact they’re present this holiday.
3.) ‘Heavy Makeup’ – K-Citymarket:
Finnish supermarket K-Citymarket has gone metal in their latest campaign, creating four different metal tracks that describe makeup tutorials and challenge stereotypes in beauty. Similar to Liquid Death’s adventures into heavy metal music, the supermarket leans into Finnish heavy metal fandom to create something that, as they put it, ‘helps to express one’s self and break boundaries’. The songs, released on Spotify and YouTube, are supported by distinctly metal makeup tutorials – pushing beauty into new areas.
4.) ‘Invest In Your Future’ – eToro:
eToro’s latest Italian campaign isn’t just a retirement ad, it’s a sign of the times we live in financially. As retirement becomes more uncertain, finding new anchors to make it seem compelling and meaningful to a potentially cynical consumer is difficult. eToro has created two ads which use moments of high expenditure to talk about retirement, in weddings and cars.
Both are two of the largest purchases consumers may have to make and both have a natural tension against trading down and saving vs. splurging and immediate enjoyment. eToro’s ads show the downside to spending big, with a catastrophic wedding and a meteor strike on a car and in the process, try a new way of imploring investors to focus on the future first.
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
// IKEA takes to the streets to promote its new Oxford Street London location with a black cab ad stunt [Ads]
// US country kitchen Cracker Barrel aims to broaden its appeal with new changes [Marketing]
// These are the most popular US gas station snacks [Food]
// How Costco’s Kirkland beer may have finally hit its mark [Food]
// Wendy’s has begun selling its beef patties in grocery stores. So I guess they are frozen sometimes. [Food]
// Technology & Media //
// Snapchat’s ‘Snapmap’ reaches 400m MAU [Social Media]
// In response to short form video platforms, Netflix is testing a new vertical feed for mobile [Media]
// The slow rise of being able to ‘subtitle your life’ with technology [Tech]
// The Drum talks the next ‘attention revolution’ [Media]
// MLS Sponsorships spike as US soccer gains popularity [Sports]
// e-Bike usage splits an Amish community [Tech]
// Life & Culture //
// Why are men shaving their eyebrows? [Fashion]
// Middle managers are facing a perfect storm for burnout [Work]
// Why retro space age style is back [Fashion]
// Estonia’s Eurovision entry embraces Italian stereotypes in a way that departs from contest norms [Music]
// How did baseball walkup music go from organs to a cultural sensation? [Sports]
// Therapy platform ‘Better Health’ have released their first ever ‘State of Stigma’ report [Research]
// Meet the US high school students with lucrative trade job offers [Work]
// 40% of Americans report having a side hustle [Work]
// So GenX metaphorically lived in malls, but a new film asks what would happen if they really did? [Culture]
// Sober morning raves have been a thing for a while, but how about one in a sauna? [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!
