Wrapping up 2023: Q5, Groceries & Peach Fuzz

Is it just us, or did that year go by quickly? This is our last newsletter of 2023. We'll be back in the new year with more interesting snack-sized updates for your inbox. Until then, our team at Crew wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

?? - Here's our 2023 recap video. It's a small sampling of the projects that crossed our desks this year.

?? - Recent efforts by Meta to grow Threads’ seems to been working. According to a new analysis of app store trends, Threads is now outpacing X (formerly Twitter). It's another blow to Musk's platform who recently saw the loss of advertisers and publishers such as Chevrolet, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and even Taylor Swift. Threads recent launch into the EU will surely help growth too. X still has over 500 million monthly active users, while Threads reported?just under 100 million. That said, we see a "thread of momentum" with the platform that may become more pronounced in 2024.

?? - Will our groceries be cheaper in 2024? Nope. According to reports, food prices continue to rise in Canada, and the US. Albeit a little slower.

?? - Stanley's well-timed social media response provided excellent ROI. A recent viral TikTok showing how a Stanley insulated cup survived a car fire, has attracted 90.1 million views to date. When the CEO of Stanley offered to provide a new car to the owner, that video gave the brand a further boost of 40 million views. That's 130 million views total. If we calculated the cost of running TikTok ads to obtain 130 million views at a $10 CPM, that's $1.3 million. That's a solid return on investment.

?? - If you liked the story above, North Face did something similar.?Here's the original video, and the response.

?? - Meta is betting people will like to interact with celebrities as AI bots - Meta has created more than 25 different special-purpose AI bots with specific focuses, with the help of celebrities like Mr. Breast and Snoop Dog. There's Coco for dancing, Max for cooking, and much more. It’s a totally different AI approach from multi-purpose tools like ChatGTP.? Will it work? Time will tell.

?? - You've been waiting, right? Pantone's colour of the year... is Peach Fuzz.

?? - The Hidden Quarter - "Q5" is a trendy way to talk about a small but mighty time period, beginning just after Christmas and ending in mid-January the next year. The idea is with decreased competition post-holiday, "Q5" can offer brands a less-competitive window to reach customers with messaging.

?? - It's not even Halloween - But check out this bear costume we used in a commercial.

?? - Winning space in stockings?- Finally, many CPG brands are finding clever ways to get into Christmas stockings.