Sunday Strategy: Meta's New Tests for Impact, Redefining Home Ownership + More...
DuBose Cole
Strategist and Founder at New Classic - Brand // Creative // Media // Marketing
In this issue of Sunday Strategy, we look at five stories to think about next week, including: Meta’s New Content Tests, The Year In Google Search, Redefining Home Ownership, The Simpson’s NFL Alt-Cast and the Coming Year of AI Video.
In addition, we have ads from: the National Hockey League (NHL) , Albert Heijn , Wyndham Hotels & Resorts , Paddy Power and Export Ultra.
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// Five Stories of the Week:
1.) Meta’s New Test For Cultural Impact.?
Instagram has launched ‘trial reels’, a feature allowing creators to test a new reel with non-followers and gauge its success without exposing their existing audience to it. This audience sampling test is aiming to make creators less nervous about pushing the bounds of their content, fostering a greater sense of variety and experimentation. Alongside testing a ‘no edit’ tag creators can put on fully authentic / non-edited content and last month’s announcement of a ‘recommendation reset’ feature, allowing users to wipe their algorithm’s clean, Instagram is clearly pressing forward with attempting to be a place where creators and users feel more in control of community building.?
‘Trial Reels’ aims to give a more organic and unexpected feeling to user content, offering greater insight from engagement, especially in a time when it feels rivals are under threat. Similar to Rory Sutherland’s assertion about advertising being an insight generation exercise alongside demand creation, IG is showing how each piece of content should generate new learning. For creators, it gives increasing sophistication to update their content model and increase their personal footprint in user’s feeds - something brands can also take inspiration from.?
2.) 2024 According to Google Search.?
Google has released their 2024 ‘Year in Search’ report, showing the different types of searches people undertook around the globe. From the obvious (Trump, Biden, Copa America, Helldivers 2) to the surprising (the most searched songs diverge from Spotify’s most played - illustrating cultural interest vs. consumption), the data shows how the year unfolded. An interesting side note is the most ‘hum to search’ songs of the year, which include ‘Beautiful Things’ by Benson Boone and the ‘Wellerman’ by Nathan Evans and Santiano (a song first popularized by TikTok 4 years ago) - highlighting what music seemed to be on the tip of our tongue.?
*If you’re looking for more year reviews through different media, Tinder has released their ‘Year in Swipe’ and Reddit have dropped their ‘Reddit Recap’
3.) The Redefinition of Home Ownership & Living
Rising costs and prices, access challenges and shifting attitudes are redefining how people view home ownership and live together. With a rise in non-traditional ownership models (such as siblings buying together) and ‘co-housing’, many of the expectations we have about homes are changing - as shown in a series of Wall Street Journal articles this week.?
Home ownership was long tied to various life events, but the sense of newlyweds buying their first home together is weakening, as many couples are considering home ownership before a wedding.The share of US homebuyers that are unmarried has growth to 11.3% in 2022, up from 8% in 2005. With roughly 2/3rds of couples living together before marriage, the traditional progression of union and then home is being up-ended.?
However, those starting out and settling down aren’t the only ones redefining home ownership, as the share of those renting within the top 5% of US earners has doubled within the last 15 years, to 5%. While rising costs of ownership aren’t a direct financial challenge to this audience, it does represent a greater liquidity barrier. Across an income spectrum, rethinking how we live is rapidly becoming a wider necessity.?
4.) Was the Simpsons NFL Alt-Cast More of a Shelbyville Idea??
In case you missed it, the NFL offered an alternative version of its 'Monday Night Football' game between the Cowboys and the Bengals - through the lens of the Simpsons. The Simpsons alt-cast, following in the footsteps of last Super Bowl's 'Spongebob Squarepants', 'Toy Story' alt-cast and planned Madden and NBA versions, overlaid Simpson's characters and IP with the actual game on the field. Development for the game had been ongoing since September, tying together different creative and technology, as well as keeping the NFL from potentially bumping the teams due to their records.
With Generative AI cloning voices and re-skinning footage dynamically into different styles, is it worth considering if it could have been even more 'Simpsons-esque'? It's a marvel for what it was, but as we talk more about sports stretching into fandoms, the fandom needs to show up more in the execution. As more alt-casts show up on the horizon, how they look and feel differently may be the next area for growth.
5.) Will 2025 Really Be the Year of AI Generated Video?
This week, OpenAI publicly launched its generative video model, Sora, while Google started private testing of its similar model - Veo. The increase in AI video competition, alongside traditional competitors like RunwayML, positions 2025 as the year Generative AI moves from images and text to fully fledged video. However, early testing with Sora has shown the limitations of the technology currently - with limbs, object permanence and physics being lingering challenges to realistic generation.?
In an age where AI platforms are rapidly advancing overall, with Google announcing Gemini Flash 2.0 and competitors such as Claude becoming darlings of the written word - video opens up a new avenue for growth which few platforms can ignore throughout the coming year.??
// Ads You Might Have Missed:?
1.) ‘Whamster! Christmas’ - Albert Heijn:?
Dutch grocer Albert Heijn has jumped fully in the 1980s with its 2024 holiday ad, putting its mascot, Harry the Hamster in a soft focus, WHAM! soundtracked winter wonderland. Recreating many of the elements of WHAM!’s ‘Last Christmas’ music video and including surviving member Andrew Ridgeley, the ad shows the mascot dreaming of what an ensuing holiday trip could be like, complete with a delicious Christmas meal, before being seemingly left by the family. While the family return to include Harry, the ad itself shines in its full engagement of 1980s nostalgia.?
2.) ‘A Football Shirt Isn’t Just For Christmas, Its For Life’ - Paddy Power:?
There are numerous Christmas ads that talk about the lasting impact of gifts, but none in the same way as an unlikely one from UK betting firm Paddy Power. Known for its tongue and cheek approach to sports, the brand has enlisted UK actor and cultural touchpoint Danny Dyer as a dad giving a football shirt, and team affiliation, to his son. The ad tracks the ups (but almost entirely downs) of fandom throughout the son’s life - showing that sport enjoyment, especially in Paddy Power’s eyes, isn’t always guaranteed. Similar to the warning about giving pets as gifts, the ad highlights that a football shirt (and team) isn't just for Christmas.?
Building on the sentiment of the pain of lifelong team commitments, the brand has also put up billboards around UK stadiums referencing team struggles as laundry tag copy, from ‘fades after 8 months’ near Arsenal to ‘Contract Renewals Not Included’ near Liverpool.
3.) ‘Stay Close’ - Wyndham Hotel and Resorts:?
These new holiday ads from Wyndham Hotels & Resorts show you don't need a lot of time to activate a clear insight well.? Their new 'Stay Close' campaign uses several 6-15 second videos to show travelers why they should stay close (but not too close) this holiday season. The ads showcase a range of relative interactions, (from social media aunts to gifting) that would push you to choose a hotel and each matter of factly points out that a hotel is probably only ten minutes away.?
The star of these however, is the way it balances wanting to be with family vs. the moments and comments that might make you rethink it. It doesn't veer into full 'holiday horror' territory, but takes a pragmatic approach for a pragmatic decision in lodging. When you have that type of insight and clarity, you don't need a lot of time to land it.
Can’t get enough holiday ads? Check out the Sunday Strategy Archive’s Holiday List, with over 1,000 holiday ads from around the world
4.) ‘Tipping’ - NHL:?
Tipping seems to be everywhere nowadays and amongst those that can’t handle it - NHL goalies are probably at the front of the pack. While the NHL’s recent ad complains about ‘tipping’ within hockey vs. the type you’ll find in stores, it attempts to tie together wider cultural conversation with sporting moments. The ad features cameos from goalies including Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) , Jacob Markstr?m (New Jersey Devils), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins), and Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), as well as a pro-tipping cameo from forward Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins).
5.) ‘Cold Call Back Service’ - Export Ultra:?
According to NZ beer brand Export Ultra, over the last 12 months - over half the population has frozen a beer. Now, to prevent beer explosions in the nation’s freezers across summer down under, the brand has launched a ‘Cold Call Back Service’ fronted by none other than Vanilla Ice (real name Rob Van Winkle). By texting ‘Ice Ice’ to a number after putting their beers in a freezer, consumers can receive a reminder 34 minutes later (customized throughout summer for different moments) from the rapper himself - reminding them to take their beers out before they ruin.
领英推荐
Committing to humour as a service is one thing, but the brand shows that if you really want to go all out, you need to throw some nostalgia in as well. Luckily, any follow ups have everyone from Ice Spice to Ice T to draw from.?
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
// Does McDonald’s having a Squid Game contest miss the point of a show about the failures of capitalism resulting in a contest? Or is it somehow right on?
// Do brands need to rediscover the art of forcing consumer decisions?
// Completing its European turnaround, second hand clothing app Vinted sets its sights on the US. Paul Mescal is a fan, as he sells all of his Gladiator II promotional tour outfits on the site for charity.?
// Forget the Dune Popcorn bucket, it's time for the Nosferatu Coffin Bed
// Duolingo & McDonald’s hop on the Squid Game Season 2 Brand Bandwagon
// KFC Canada turns its bucket lids into a vinyl record that plays holiday songs
// Currys UK continues to churn out social media gold
// Was Crumbl ever just about the cookies?
// 宜家 is reintroducing a classic line in 2025
// Olivia Rodrigo and Sony partner with the MTA to promote its link-buds in the subway
// Can the man who made Crocs & Stanley cool, do the same with ‘Hey Dude’?
// Are we in the midst of a Guinness crisis or is it simply catching up to extended popularity??
// Selfridges & Troye Sivan bring a SNL sketch full circle
// Subway is testing footlong nachos. What an age we live in.
// Technology & Media //
// Fans can create Man City’s Third Kit with PUMA and Generative AI
// To promote the Sonic 3 film, Paramount made a Sega Genesis cartridge game?
// Swiss church rolls out an AI powered Jesus to take confessions
// How Hamlet found a virtual stage within Grand Theft Auto
// 苹果 is rumoured to be adding satellite texting to the next Apple Watch Ultra
// You might be good at Excel, but could you win the Excel World Championships?
// CT scanning is disrupting the world of collectibles by allowing unopened packs to be analyzed?
// 谷歌 announces Android XR, moving further into integration between AI and VR / MR headsets and glasses?
// The Pokémon Company and Aardman (the creators of Wallace and Gromit) announced a partnership
// 诺基亚 ’s Design Archive has launched, giving the public access to never before seen designs and plans
// Life & Culture //
// Dogs can probably communicate and it turns out they’re not as into you as you are to them.?
// Can Charlie D’Amelio translate social media success to broadway?
// Ghosting may be bad, but is ‘micro-ghosting’ any better?
// The return of the “Grandma’s Bathroom” aesthetic
// How did New York become ‘the freakiest place on Earth?”
// Rowing Blazers drops a Paddington Bear capsule collection
// This is hardcore. The Indie Sleeze Skinny Suit is back.?
// The rise of Testosterone-maxing amongst young men
// Drone sightings over New Jersey are creating mass panic and residents calling out planes, helicopters and more as unidentified objects
// In honor of Travis Hunter, the hardest working man in American college football
// A Manchester club joins the growing ranks of nightlife venues banning phones
// British musician Kate Nash has started an OnlyFans to fund her tour
// Until Next Sunday
As always, let me know what you think by email ([email protected]),? website or on LinkedIn.