Welcome back, Scanner!
It’s a leap year! Since we’re getting an extra day this year, why not use it to brush up on your scanning? Is that too nerdy for us to say? We can’t help it; with flying taxis and imaginative social listening campaigns, we’re buzzing about how 2024 is shaping up. Between planning your WAGS-inspired outfits for the week and buying pickle-flavored snacks, pull up a chair and join us in imagining what the future of digital marketing might hold.
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Let’s go.
📅 CURRENT
Meet Me At the WcDonald’s
What’s changing?
In a recent LinkedIn post, Kristen Vinakmens shared a bold statement: Consumers are the new creative directors. It comes on the heels of a new campaign by McDonald’s where the fast-food giant flips their beloved “M” into a “W” as a nod to their anime fans. To avoid copyright issues, anime fans, movies and TV shows refer to the chain as WcDonald’s. The crossover brings WcDonald’s to life with a new sauce, manga-inspired packaging and episodic short videos. The campaign by Wieden + Kennedy is a perfect example of listening to your customers (your fans) and honoring them.
Why does it matter?
This signal shows how listening to your most loyal customers, no matter how off-brand their ideas might feel, is the strategy. This packaging will depart from the classic McDonald’s look, but it exists so deeply in a larger fandom that it’s almost like it’s bringing this other world to life. How cool is that for anime fans?? When we talked in our Trend Report about the “whole new world” consumers want from brands, this is it.
What could happen next?
Does your brand have a lore outside of the narrative you’ve built? Do fans have an inside joke about it, a meme that circulates, or is there an unexpected but widespread use? Social listening is an opportunity to make some of your most creative, lasting campaigns – but you need to loosen the reins on your brand standards. What surprises might you find if you dig deeper into what your digital audiences share online?
Scan-o-meter: 📅 📅 📅 / 5
🎯 SPECIFIC
Retailers Are Banning Shoppers Who Make Too Many Returns
What’s changing?
The Cut recently shared the story of a product manager from San Francisco who was denied from making online purchases from Urban Outfitters due to an “excessive return rate.” The customer had returned $180 worth of her $295.39 order from the brand and said she had been returning items to Urban Outfitters about once a month for years. This ban sharply contrasts the “free returns” language many brands have used as online shopping ramped up over the past few years. It turns out that as more folks began online shopping, they started returning items almost as frequently as they ordered them. In 2023, people in the U.S. returned $743 billion worth of merchandise. As a result, certain online retailers (like ASOS and SSENSE) ban shoppers who have hit the “return limit.”
Why does it matter?
Changing the criteria around returns and even banning shoppers points to a larger problem than someone changing their mind about a product. Something is broken in the online shopping experience. Why do customers feel the need to order things they don’t even want? Why is sizing so hard to get right? Or, maybe the problem isn’t online shopping. There is a dopamine effect when you anticipate and then open a package. Could the intense number of returns be pointing (again) to the bigger issue that people just aren’t happy?
What could happen next?
One of our team members was at the mall last week and heard a sales associate telling a customer they were offering a discount for folks who tried in-store items. That is one clever and simple way to start reducing return numbers. But, it doesn’t address online shopping. Is the problem a lack of consistency in sizing? Maybe this could be resolved by standardizing sizing, creating AI-versions of ourselves that try on clothes or baking in a try-on package where you pay to order multiple sizes. Maybe customers could purchase a membership that gives them unlimited returns. What if the issue is overconsumption and needing to “stay trendy?” An app that allows influencers to share and exchange clothing for photos could work. Or, maybe brands need to find a way to give customers a dopamine hit without the package.
Scan-o-meter: 🎯🎯🎯
/ 5
😲 SURPRISING
Flying Taxis Are Here (Seriously)
What’s changing?
If you’re too young to remember The Jetsons, it is a famous cartoon from the 1960s that popularized the image of the flying car. That reality might be closer than we think, as Joby Aviation’s “air taxi” received third-stage certification approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. At this stage, Joby is approved in their plans covering all of the electric aerial vehicles' structural, mechanical and electrical systems and the company’s approach to cybersecurity, human factors and noise [source]. The taxis carry five people (a pilot and up to four passengers) and fly at up to 322 km (200 mph).
Why does it matter?
How we live our lives is based on how our cities are designed. If you’re an avid 99% Invisible fan, you’ve heard Roman Mars break down how things like shade, architecture and more affect our moods and lifestyles. As we see a new transportation system emerge, it’s an exciting chance to think about what the future holds for our daily habits.
What could happen next?
Picture a world where a part of your day is spent in the sky. Now, picture that world knowing what you know now about modern society. Are there super tall billboards with ads (or are they inside the vehicle)? What does this mean for the way cities are designed? Are buildings a bit taller than they used to be? Are foods advertised based on how they taste different at different altitudes? Does a faster transportation method mean fewer people listen to podcasts and audiobooks? Let us know what you imagine in the comments below.
Scan-o-meter: 😲😲😲😲
/ 5
🔍 TREND REPORT IRL
Updates from our Trend Forecast
We loved sharing our first Trend Report with you back in January. As the year goes on, we’ll continue investigating signals that further the conversation around our forecast. Here are a few that stood out this week:
People want (guaranteed) value: Treat-yourself culture is here to stay.
People want to feel something: Instagram is testing live-stream games you can play with your friends and followers.
People want a whole new world: Walmart is the new roommate of Vizio TV users.
🤔
BEFORE YOU GO
To help keep these signals top-of-mind, we share 1 question to ask yourself (or your team) in each edition. Your question to mull on this week is:
See you next time 👋