Move Over Metaverse, We’re Going to Gag City 💖
Plus, Gen Z is driving the growth of Pinterest, Hinge wants to combat loneliness and we talked with a Sports Marketer!
Welcome back, Scanner!
This is officially our last drop of 2023. Can you believe it? It has us feeling a bit nostalgic about this past year. It even kind of feels like the signals we’re seeing are replicating that. Sooo… If we were to mention the metaverse today how would you feel on a scale from 1 - 10 (with 10 being thrilled and 1 being like “please not again”)? We promise it’s relevant, exciting and tied to pop culture! Aside from that, we have some interesting signals around Pinterest and every marketer’s favorite topic, Gen Z. As for what’s next in 2024; we have a very, very special delivery coming mid-January 2024. We’re launching the inaugural Arcade x SCAN 👀 CLUB marketing trend report and (the best part) it will land right in subscribers’ inboxes! We promise, it’s unlike any trend report you’ve read before.
If you haven’t subscribed yet – it is most certainly the time:
Enough on that for now, let’s dive into these signals.
📅 CURRENT
Nicki Minaj Built a Whole New World with Gag City
What’s changing?
Leading up to the release of Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” album, X (Twitter) was flooded with AI-generated images of gorgeous pink cityscapes. This dreamy utopia was quickly named “Gag City” by Minaj and her Barbz. Brand accounts started jumping on the trend right away, sharing their own versions of life in Gag City. Some of our favorites? Starbucks’ lemon loaf arriving in Gag City is classic.
Why does it matter?
World-building has been an enormous part of 2023. We’ve seen an increasing desire for niche connection from consumers. Well thought out, unique and fun (very important!) campaigns like Gag City allow fans to feel like they are part of an experience that connects them with other fans! Not only that, but this campaign largely uses AI and “metaverse-like” tactics that so many people have been afraid of this year. This is a huge celebrity using these controversial strategies to bring her fans together, and it’s working. So much for us ruling out digital worlds.
What could happen next?
As more reports come out showing that younger people are taking their online experiences to closed communities, we love seeing a celebrity really lean into that in a way that’s light and exciting. It ticks a lot of boxes: niche communities, world-building, thrills, shared moments, AI… Yes, Nicki 👏. Maybe what’s being signaled here is that audiences are ready for this metaverse-adjacent-AI-world, if we as brand builders do it correctly, authentically and with a little humor.
Scan-o-meter: 📅 📅 📅 📅 / 5
😲 SURPRISING
Gen Z Is Bringing Back Pinterest In A Big Way
What’s changing?
In Q3 of 2023, Pinterest hit 482 million monthly active users and revenue was up 11% year-over-year. Safe to say, 2023 was Pinterest’s moment and they have Gen Z to thank for it. Gen Z users make up more than 40% of active monthly users on the platform and are their fastest growing demographic. It’s at the point where they’re outpacing millennials, who were the platform’s foundational users for a long time. One way they’re engaging this new demo is through real-life activations. Pinterest recently held a pop-up shop in New York City’s Meatpacking District where they shared trends from their Pinterest predicts report. The items weren’t for sale, but people could scan the QR codes and be taken to places to shop online. Some of the trends present were: Western Gothic, jellyfish and blue makeup (so fun).
Why does it matter?
If you were to ask most people over the age of 30, they’d probably answer that Pinterest is used for wedding boards, outfit inspo and recipes. All things we love. But, Gen Z is taking it to a whole other level. They’re using boards to plan their future houses (who hasn’t), to plan trips and even to plan who they want to date. Experts share that Pinterest is likely growing for a few reasons: Gen Z loves a more visual search option, it gives access to more positive niche communities than other social media platforms and it’s a space to be creative rather than chase likes. The general tone is that Pinterest is providing comfort for users, rather than stress. Users don’t have to post photos of themselves to build their own world (which brings us right back to the good ol’ days of early 2000s Tumblr).
What could happen next?
There’s a few things to consider here. On a practical level, there is a growing use of visual search platforms, like YouTube, among younger generations. Does your brand have posts that show up for the searches you want to capture? On a larger level, there’s a universal need to dream when you’re young. Pinterest acts how magazines did when millennials were younger. As marketers, how can we get on their mood boards?
Scan-o-meter: 😲😲😲 / 5
🎯 SPECIFIC
Hinge Is Investing $1 Million Into An Initiative to Combat Gen Z Loneliness
What’s changing?
Some weeks our signals just seem to connect, and that’s happening here between the Pinterest news and this. Hinge, you either love it or hate it, but either way – they’re a key player in the “connections” market. Now, they’re investing $1 milllion into a new social impact initiative, called “One More Hour,” that’s intended to inspire more in-person connections among Gen Z.
Why does it matter?
We are continuing to see more companies creating in-person experiences that openly state they are designed to combat loneliness. After the Surgeon General declared a loneliness epidemic in the U.S. earlier this year, we’re seeing brands take this mission seriously and use it openly in their branding. The fringe benefit of in-person events has always been to feel like you’re part of something and around others, but we’re seeing a rising wave of really spelling out that loneliness is a problem and it needs a solution.
What could happen next?
We’re already seeing some movement around this signal with companies continuing to invest in, and run, in-person events. However, it’s likely not enough. Gen Z is screaming at us that they want niche communities, not just to feel like another person in a busy space (online or IRL). How can we, as marketers, get creative and build brand loyalty from a place that fosters genuine connection? It feels like an overwhelming task, but time and time again we see that the most fun, unique campaigns (like Gag City) get it just right. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of this initiative and if it teaches us something new.
Scan-o-meter: 🎯🎯🎯 / 5
🏈 Take a Peek Behind the Curtain Into the World of Sports Marketing!
This year, it seems like every company is trying to get involved in sports (we’ve talked about it here in almost every issue). Naturally, we have a lot of questions about the field. We brought in sports marketing expert and Director of Content Strategy for William Raymond Communications, Shahob Mehr, to answer them.
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!