Friday Fives, Vol. 304
The Working Assembly
Design-led creative agency based in New York City and working globally.
Every Friday, we highlight five things we have on our radar that we think should be on yours, too.
This week, we’re climbing the Utah Jazz mountain of rebrands, celebrating plenty of new Fenty, placing an interest in product placement, attempting to curate a new digital culture, and expecting more than flicks from Netflix.
1. The Mountains Call and the Jerseys Must Go
The Utah Jazz just got a jersey revamp , though we’re using “revamp” lightly here. The team underwent a rebrand just two years ago, but it wasn’t the slam dunk they were expecting. Now, they’re returning to their original purple and white colors that fans clearly prefer. And yes, the mountains have returned. The Jazz attempted to follow the “minimalism ” trend of logo rebrands, but it didn’t quite fit their established personality. This mishap in rebranding shows that it can only work if it is truly intentional and meaningful—and doesn’t mess with the team pride of sports fans,? who sometimes wind up climbing street lamp posts to get their point across.
2. We’re Hair for RiRi
Rihanna has revealed her foray into the hair care market with her new line Fenty Hair via an exciting video on Instagram. Known for her own hair experimentation , Rihanna's venture into hair care seems like a natural progression for her growing Fenty business empire. Fans have speculated about this expansion for some time , and we think they would be thrilled with the announcement. However, some die-hard fans are disappointed that her latest news isn't music-related. (It's been eight years since her last album.) So while we can look forward to elevating our hair game the RiRi way, when it comes to her music, we'll just have to make do with hearing “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place” on the radio. Again.
3. To AI or Not to AI
?AI makes product placement easier, but not everyone in the industry is welcoming the shift. Traditional methods can sometimes outperform innovative ones, at least in the case of Ace Entertainment’s successful integration of Subway and Yakult , a Japanese yogurt drink, in the Netflix flick “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Matt Kaplan of Ace Entertainment attributes this high performance to putting the creative first and naturally weaving the products and brands into the story, rather than awkwardly superimposing them in certain shots and TikToks . (We’re looking at you, AI.) Nonetheless, virtual placements can offer practical benefits, such as the ability to add products into content post-production, as seen in the romantic comedy “Anyone But You, ” which featured LinkedIn. All in all, industry players advise using AI with caution, which isn’t news to us.?
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4. Humanizing the Algorithm
In an internet landscape overwrought with bots and algorithms, the social media users of today are looking for a human touch to receive their content. The new “curators” of digital culture are delivering it for them. These tour guides of the virtual world are starting a movement of giving users more personal, human insights on culture. They’re showing them all the niche things they actually want to see (a deep dive into the show “Girls,” kitschy themed hotel rooms , cute puppy videos, etc.) and filtering out the extra noise of what they don’t. Brands can even take note and turn their mere digital spaces for selling products into loyal communities that bring consumers into their world. So while AI-delivered content is probably here to stay, we can look to the emerging human curators to cut through the clutter and get to the real deal.
5. Yes Netflix, We’re Still Watching?
Netflix, a name initially centered on its offering of “flicks,” isn’t usually touted for its movies . In fact, Netflix’s 260 million subscribers usually return for its shows like “Bridgerton ” and “Baby Reindeer” (despite the latter’s controversy ). And Netflix isn’t alone in this focus on series; Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, Disney+, and Amazon are also running with their own original series. The goal for many of these streamers is to compete with television networks, or perhaps, turn into them. For these streamers, made-for-TV movies are merely a special treat, while series are the main dish. Another contributing factor is that these platforms offer ad-supported tiers and are vying for larger portions of the advertising pie. While they battle it out (like they did at this year’s upfront ), we’ll be cuddled up watching the latest dancing TikTok cult documentary on Netflix.
Clients in the News
Wave
Wave , a mental health startup that offers digital mental healthcare through its app, just gained its first payer contract with Aetna in California. Now, over 3 million members have the ability to access Wave’s services.