☎️ Kendrick Lamar ushers in the age of the “anti-smart" phone
Plus, Google’s AI tools are making us uncomfy and moms win the New York Marathon.
Welcome back, Scanner!
How’s Q4 going for you? Somewhere between a room on fire and “wow I’m so inspired?” Us, too. There’s kind of a magic energy to November, all your campaign visions are finally coming to life and, as marketers, we get so much insight into what other brands are planning for the new year. But, it can be buuuuusy, too. So, here is our latest round-up of signals to bring you a little Q4 cheer. We’re talking AI, marathons and flip phones. Not a sentence we expected to put together anytime soon (well actually, maybe we did).
If SCAN 👀CLUB has helped you, we’d love it if you'd share it with your marketing bestie.
Let’s get into it.
🎯 SPECIFIC
Google Launches Generative AI Tools to More Ad Partners
What’s changing?
Advertisers, graphic designers and photographers, we want your thoughts on this one in the comments. Google has launched generative AI tools that can be used for product imagery by U.S. advertisers. The new tools have been rolling out to all Performance Max users in the U.S., just in time for the holiday season. Basically, the tools allow you to create text and image assets for campaigns “in just a few clicks.”
Why does it matter?
Generative AI has been growing rapidly over the past year, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon. As these tools continue to pop up by big names like Google, we have to pay attention and think about what they mean. Is this something fun for advertisers, or is it a threat? Does this enhance working in design, or make certain jobs obsolete? And, what kind of future could this technology create for consumers?
What could happen next?
None of us can predict the future, but we can make some pretty educated guesses based on what we’ve seen happen with AI technology so far. Consider some options: more generative AI means consumers get even better at identifying AI content; or, we get sucked into buying way more than we need and decide to opt-in to ad-free subscription models from our fav social platforms. Perhaps photography, branding and design styles will change and evolve to fight against or lean into the AI look and feel. Maybe we’re thinking too much about the online space altogether and need to shift to planning how we’ll operate in an analog industry (like media-preppers are). More on that a bit further down…
Scan-o-meter: 🎯🎯🎯 / 5
📅 CURRENT
Moms Win the New York Marathon
What’s changing?
A few weeks ago, everyone was buzzing about the New York Marathon online. Honestly, the content was good, but the brand that really stole the show was Frida Baby (so much so, we had to break it down on a recent Tea for Lunch episode). They gave away over 300 postpartum care kits, complete with medals, to people who gave birth on Sunday. The campaign was inspired by a 2019 Duke University study that found that the energy expended during pregnancy is similar to running a 40-week marathon!
Why does it matter?
This campaign completely nailed it from our perspective. It combines two growing trends we’ve been following: the rise of sports and the need for community. Not only did Frida Baby make people feel like champions, but they also united them in a common, specific experience (= instant connection potential). This signal also points to another shift we’ve been seeing from brands recently – acknowledging moms. Moms continue to make the majority of purchasing decisions in the household. Plus, the new generation of moms are millennials and Gen X, making them primed for social media campaigns. Moms check social media on average 15 times a day. 80% use social media for product recommendations. Don’t have a mom in your target demo? It’s time.
What could happen next?
A historically underrepresented group, moms on social media hold more power now than ever before. It’s not an option to pretend moms aren’t on social media, because not only are they, but they’re also running some of your favorite brand accounts. Are you considering moms in your marketing strategies in a meaningful way? Do more brands need to take a page from Walmart’s book and create campaigns that celebrate moms in a culturally significant way? It’s not a bad place to start.
Scan-o-meter: 📅 📅 📅 📅 / 5
😲 SURPRISING
Kendrick Lamar’s “Dumb Phone” Sells Out In Minutes
What’s changing?
Kendrick Lamar has entered the tech space with a bang. His new collaboration project, the pgLang Light Phone 2, sold out in minutes. The device is marketed as “just a phone” with no web browser access (but with plenty of peace of mind). Users can call, text, set an alarm and play with some add-ons, like: a music player, calculator and magic 8-ball. The new (or really, not so new) genre of tech is being endearingly called a “dumb phone.”
Why does it matter?
The big question is: Do people really want this kind of technology, or is it popular because it is tied to Kendrick Lamar? It turns out, this actually is something people are asking for. “Dumb phones” have been growing in popularity with Gen-Z and millennials over the past couple years. Reports show that most smartphone users hop on their devices for upwards of 6 hours a day, with a strong correlation existing between smartphone use and heightened anxiety and stress. Just last year, Nokia sold tens of thousands of its simple flip and slide phones. The market for flip phones is up 5% which has led to a double in HMD Global’s (the maker of Nokia phones) market share. So, trendy or not, people are putting their dollars into simplified tech.
What could happen next?
The rise of refurbished iPod sales, Netflix brick-and-mortar stores, renewed investment in print publications… We’re seeing a lot of signals floating around in this “anti-tech” space. Is this a correction for our over-investment in tech, or a passing fad? Whatever the case, it makes now an increasingly difficult time to narrow in on what exactly your target demos want. Maybe it’s time for a little exploration (within budget, of course). Is it time to try a billboard? A radio ad? To start your own ‘zine? Mail marketing (marketers from pre-2015 everywhere are cringing at that one)?
Scan-o-meter: 😲😲😲😲 / 5
📍 Handling Tough Client Feedback
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Marketers hold their breath and pray the Facebook pixel was installed correctly. Hopefully this episode will breathe some levity into your week. We’re shaking things up a bit this week, taking some time to have a catch-up and chat through some listener questions we’ve gotten. From handling tough client feedback and giving mistakes the attention they deserve, to our thoughts on sports brand collabs and sonic branding, this episode is a fun, light listen for marketers trying to finish Q4 strong.
You can find the show on all podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with full video versions and short clips on our YouTube channel!
What do you think about Google's new AI tools?