In this (delayed due to the holidays) issue of Sunday Strategy, we look at four stories to think about next week, including: Shorter Social’s Living Room Challenge, Entry Level Workers & SMBs, Financial Nihilism and Prediction Markets and Holiday Ads Go Healthy.
In addition, we have ads from: Microsoft, Nike, Heineken and Yahoo.
// Stories of the Week:
1.) Can Shorter Social Content Win the Living Room?
Meta’s test launch of ‘Instagram for TV’ (launching currently on Amazon Fire devices) follows TikTok’s attempts to capture a share of TV streaming, but can anyone catch YouTube? YouTube currently accounts for over 13% of US TV streaming and is second in the UK, in streaming platforms, to the BBC. With its success in distributing content across mobile, laptop / desktop and TV – it’s not surprising that other platforms are following suit. Instagram’s growth of Reels has created a similar opportunity to competitor TikTok, in taking vertical video onto the big screen – however, both face unique challenges.
From format (natively vertical vs. 16:9) to context (lean back vs. lean forward / swiping) and the algorithmic nature of it (personal vs. shared viewing) – Instagram has several natural barriers to overcome. The platform touts the shared enjoyment of users watching reels together, and has made several moves towards shared feeds (or a TV specific account). But will these be enough to start to create a new TV streaming behavior? Or are we seeing a natural barrier to where many platforms can go vs. YouTube?
2.) Will More New Workers Start Small?
As entry-level positions contract in the face of automation, are small businesses the best entry point for new grads? SMBs (with less than 250 employees) are up year on year amongst stories of corporate layoffs and hiring freezes. Though SMBs account for 90% of companies globally, they may struggle to replace the employment losses created by large companies. One area where gains may be seen though, are within entry-level workers – as small businesses are shown in recent LinkedIn data to hire 60% more entry level workers than large businesses.
With less pressure to automate for efficiency at scale, smaller businesses seem more apt to rely on affordable labour and opportunistically combine technology and young talent in unique, adhoc ways. While investors and the market expects larger firms to automate head count down, small businesses look to be free to operate with less expectation – creating an ‘on-ramp’ into industries for entry level workers.
3.) Financial Nihilism and Prediction Markets.
What happens when younger people lose faith in the promise of an orderly financial system? “Financial Nihilism” is on the rise and with it, everything is becoming gambling. Stalled wage growth, rising housing costs and general employment and economic uncertainty are creating an environment where choices that would be seen as financially risky are seen as increasingly logical.
While traditional trading is up amongst younger consumers, trading platforms and gambling services are looking increasingly similar and prediction markets, often where gambling, crypto and finance meet are expanding (with Draft Kings and Coinbase entering prediction markets recently). While uncertainty is expected to cause consumers to hedge and retreat, a lack of any long term growth indicator seems to be turning nihilism into a trading philosophy.
4.) UK Holiday Advertising Goes on a Diet.
While UK restrictions on junk food TV advertising don’t come into effect until the 5th of January, the UK’s crop of Christmas ads has proven to be a test case in how to advertise a healthier holiday indulgence. UK grocers from M&S to Waitrose, Tesco and ASDA have voluntarily adapted their holiday ads to feature more fruit and less sweet treats. From the Grinch entering ASDA into the fruit and vegetable aisle to Kiera Knightley making a home made pie in Waitrose’s entry – we’re seeing a test case of how advertisers have interpreted and adapted to healthy advertising regulations.
// Ads You Might Have Missed:
1.) ‘Caretaker’ – Microsoft Xbox:
Moving away from title specific advertising as a console brand is a challenge. While Sony has consistently owned the sense of ‘play’ in long form metaphor that turns cities into chess boards or, more recently, creates real world fantasy scenes – Microsoft and Nintendo have seemingly been tied more to specific IP. In a recent Xbox Gamepass ad however, the brand may have shown a unique way to talk across games. ‘Caretaker’ sees Norman P. Chambers, a caretaker who cleans up the aftermath of gamer’s adventures, work to reset different worlds. Equal parts Captain N, Wreck-it Ralph and Silo in execution, the ad deftly talks about a breadth of games on offer from Gamepass, while also delivering a ‘whats inside’ console message that harkens back to old Dreamcast advertising.
2.) ‘Could Have Been a Heineken’ – Heineken:
You either love or hate voice notes. In an age when a meeting could have been an email, increasingly long voice notes could have probably been a conversation. Heineken shares this sentiment in their latest Brazilian campaign, which uses a Whatsapp bot to turn overly long voice notes into free beers and conversation. Brazilian Whatsapp users who receive a note of 3 minutes or longer can forward it to Heineken and in return get a free beer to turn the note into a real life moment together.
Heineken’s continued global mission to create moments of togetherness has leveraged technology in different ways, from fighting phones at gigs to turning bars into self-service late night sporting venues. However, with voice notes, it shows how a smart use of media can quickly distribute engagement across users and tap into a cultural tension created by technology.
3.) ‘The North Swole’ – Yahoo:
Tis the season for jacked Santa. On the heels of Target’s ‘weirdly hot’ Santa returning for another year, Yahoo mail has introduced Zac Efron as an equally ripped Kris Kringle. Its equally plausible that either economic uncertainty has made thirst trapping a wealthy older man more attractive (as well as covering up his problematic need to see you when you’re sleeping) or we’re seeing the cultural impact of GLP-1 and protein culture land at the North Pole.
Either way, Yahoo’s campaign continues its march to use email to drive continued user engagement. However, with 225m MAU vs. Gmail’s reported 1.3bn MAU – how much user acquisition can Santa deliver? The package tracker feature touted in ad seems similar to a Google offering, and in the absence of a truly distinct feature, will sporadic celebrity led executions (such as North Swole and their previous Bill Murray Super Bowl ad) be enough to grow the platform? Or alternatively, are we seeing a retention play delivered at key moments in the year – reminding Yahoo users to stay with Yahoo vs. trying to win others over?
*For more holiday ads, check out our list of over a thousand ads from around the world, spanning from 2025 back to the 80s.*
4.) ‘Show Dem’ – Nike Football:
With sky high World Cup ticket prices, a confusing draw and quotidian debates about VAR – its easy for fans to claim that the beautiful ‘game is gone’. Though where fans may see a game in crisis, Nike sees a moment for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to remind people what the game can be.
Their new ad, which taps former Nigerian footballer Jay Jay Okocha as the ‘Chief Flair Officer’, positions the tournament as the answer to stifling tactics, commercialism and deficiencies of the modern game. Nike doesn’t just highlight the solutions to fan’s current complaints, it subtly communicates a truth that AFCON’s timing, teams and talent deserve greater recognition. With all eyes on the World Cup, and its potential shortcomings, AFCON looks to enter a football landscape with a unique opportunity to bring flair back to the game first.
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
– Icelandair taps into the legend of the Yule Cat in its latest campaign [Travel]
– Soup Kitchen London is asking people to donate the cost of Santa’s traditional treat to help others in need with a plate based appeal [Food]
– Private label brands continue to transcend income levels and shoppers look for greater value [Retail]
– Switzerland’s new tourism ad samples 200 ‘swiss sounds’ into a bespoke track [Travel]
– Can Weight Watchers win in the ‘Ozempic Era’? [Brands]
– With holiday returns piling up, is customer service worse than ever? [Retail]
– Kroger asks if we need to re-think mistletoe with Rotesserie chicken? [Holidays]
– Buzz Balls launches a ‘buzz bag’ purse for its spherical drinks, sadly in time for the holiday season [Food]
– Duolingo have opened a convenience store in Japan throughout December [Retail]
// Technology & Media //
– MIT Technology Review ranks the 8 biggest tech flops of the year [Technology]
– You can now use Google’s AI detection technology in the Gemini app [AI]
– Meta’s new SAM AI model isolates any sound or voice within a complex audio track [AI]
– Young women are leaving X and joining Reddit [Social Media]
– ChatGPT expands app integration with an ‘app store’ [AI]
– Gamers are remastering old video game images with ChatGPT [AI]
// Life & Culture //
– Younger consumers’ attitudes toward alcohol are redesigning bars and nightlife [Food]
– Wrangler and Cherry launch a motorsport themed collection [Fashion]
– Coefficient Capital breaks down 2026 consumers trends of ‘Two Americas’ [Report]
– Virgin Money sees the rise of ‘Micro-Gifting’ in the UK this Christmas [Culture]
– With the College Football Playoff potentially expanding the US, can creative marketing save Bowl Games? [Sports]
– The NYC Ferry system announced new routes on Instagram with a post designed in 1990s Smart art. And it is everything. [Design]
– Rising food costs in the US are seeing diners order greater appetizers [Food]
// Until Next Sunday
As always, let me know what you think by email (dubose@newclassic.agency), website or onLinkedIn.
You can also listen to an audio summary and discussion of each week’s newsletter on Spotify. We’re also on TikTok!
