Welcome to Friday Fives, Vol. 309
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 taking bets on rebrands, watching memes take the stage, bringing personalization to the bike lane, going online during off-season, and celebrating the big “5-0” for a 6-sided puzzle.?
Our founder Jolene Delisle talks design and ice cream on Front and Center, an Apple podcast all about branding and design.?
1. A Refresh on Brand Refreshes
Big splashy ads are out; rebrands are in. The last three years, rebranding has been a key strategy for marketers seeking agility and fluidity. These refreshes allow marketers to achieve multiple objectives, such as brand building and gaining insight into changing consumer behavior. Companies like Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo have recently embraced rebrands, along with 130-year-old Manischewitz, which led its refresh with a design-first approach. The brand hit grocery shelves with disruptive visuals, reaching a more diverse, younger audience to expand past the kosher aisles. Additionally, Skittles went bolder than the rainbow (see what we did there) with its new brand refresh—playing up the nonsensical in a fun, offbeat campaign. Taking note from the strongest marketers today, our recommendation is pairing brand identity with creative campaigns to build love for the brand.
2. Concerts Meme-ified
Performance has connected humans since the beginning of time, like gladiator duels in the Colosseum and Shakespeare's Globe plays. But there’s one difference between spectacles of the past versus now. Gladiators couldn't rewatch funny moments of their duels on TikTok later that night. With advancements in live streaming and social media, performances have the power to become more than in-person events. They can be photographed, recorded, and shared in a matter of seconds. Buzz moments in a performance can get an artist’s name back in the trending section of your feed and make you feel like you were there (even if you were eating Espresso ice cream in bed). Think Chappell Roan’s Statue of Liberty cosplay or, on the other side of viral, a pretty rough cover of the national anthem. Performers on stage may be “not like us,” but there’s no denying the way the memes of them on stage bring us just a little bit closer together.
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3. Shifting Gears With Accessorized Baskets?
How can you make your Citi Bike experience less scary and intimidating? Accessorize the basket. At least that’s what most trend-forward content creators are doing, subtly promoting the bike-share company while showcasing their maximalism (a basket filled with things you absolutely need) or minimalism (a chic empty basket that shows off the bike itself). The trend of accessorizing your bike basket is just another foray into intense personalization, which those of us who are chronically online have already seen in grocery carts and bedside tables. Because who are we without our individuality and the brands that help us attain it? Next time we embark on a Citi Bike, we’ll be sure to make that beat-up metal basket our own.
4. Sports Score Big on Social
While sports teams have their off-seasons, their social media accounts are always active. This poses a challenge for social media managers, who must keep followers engaged even when teams aren't playing. The Hartford Yard Goats excel on social media by tapping into pop culture to create relevant content, even during the off-season. One of their most viral posts features an image of Tom Brady photoshopped into one of their jerseys after he announced his retirement. Similarly, brands like Nike, Levi’s, and Coca-Cola are leveraging cultural events like this summer's Paris Olympics to boost sales. Another way teams engage on social media is by focusing on players' narratives and personal stories. When soccer player Casey Krueger joined the Spirit, the social team created content about baby-proofing the facilities for her son. And we love sports supporting women—Caitlin Clark mania, anyone?
5. It’s Hip To Be Square
Happy birthday to one of the world’s most simultaneously satisfying and anxiety-inducing puzzles. The Rubik’s Cube just turned 50. The puzzle-turned-phenomenon started as a creative way for Hungarian creator Erno Rubik to teach geometry. Now the cube has generated endless YouTube tutorials and even coined a special case of puzzle-obsessive tendonitis called “cuber’s thumb.” The reason for the enduring legacy of a math-based toy? Well, it turns out there are about 43 billion billion (yes, billion billion!) color combinations able to be made in the process of matching, and everyone has their own methods. (We say corners first!) But maybe by its 100th anniversary, we’ll finally figure out how to solve it.