With Grand Theft Auto VI’s release date seemingly, finally, set for November this year, we were wondering: how much has changed in the 13 years since the last instalment? Back then, more of us were on Google+ than Instagram, and only 1% of the online population was Gen Z…a simpler time.
Scroll down to read about speeches, speedos, and sporting overload.
Stats to power your week
🚪Using AI for a card or wedding speech might feel a bit cringe, but there’s less shame around it than you might expect: 43% of users say they’re completely open about it. Little wonder personalised gifting company Moonpig is reporting increased use of AI to make content in its products. GWI Pulse
💰More countries and states are debating wealth taxes, but how popular are they? Globally, 52% say they’d support one, rising to 64% in Germany and falling to 46% in the US. GWI Pulse
⬆️With UK Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham vowing to expand his office to Manchester, we got wondering just how are people from Manchester different from Londoners? As well as extra support for their local football teams and Vimto, their biggest differences include: being in the market for a Skoda, using Lush products, and drinking Rekorderlig…or Oasis. GWI Core
🍓For the first time in eight years, sporting overload beckons as Wimbledon overlaps with the World Cup. But the audiences overlap less than you might expect, as half of Wimbledon viewers don’t watch the football, and will be focused on Centre Court instead. GWI Core
Meet the audience: Swimmers who buy Speedos
Without GWI data
With GWI data
Europeans are looking for ways to cool off as they drift from one heatwave to another; great news for warm-weather brands. This week we wanted to do a deep-dive on a brand that’s long been on the cusp of becoming a generic term - to the extent it can hide its biggest buyers.
The word “Speedos” tends to conjure an image of dads on vacation in budgie smugglers, but the Speedos audience is more likely to be a woman in her early-to-mid 50s at a local leisure centre. Any listeners to The Rest Is Politics will know co-host Alistair Campbell is always bumping into listeners at the pool, and so it’s unsurprising this audience is so into news and current affairs podcasts.
That newsiness shows up elsewhere too. They’re heavy internet news users, and unusually likely to read news online while watching TV - suggesting Speedo buyers aren’t just swimming to switch off, but fitting exercise into a wider routine of staying informed. Over half are into camping or hiking, and a similar share are interested in environmental issues. That makes Speedo feel less like a pure poolside brand and more like part of a broader active lifestyle.
Chart of the week
Alongside swimming, ice cream is another way consumers can cool off in markets where air conditioning still isn’t the norm.
Many confectionery brands already play in this space, with frozen versions of their core products. It poses an interesting question: which brands are best at turning their existing confectionery buyers into ice cream buyers?
One pattern stands out: chocolate brands appear better placed to make that leap than candy brands. It suggests that consumers see a more natural connection between chocolate and ice cream as indulgent treats.
But the data also shows that brand strength in confectionery doesn’t automatically translate into frozen success. Green & Black's see a strong conversion to ice cream from their usual buyers, but Cadburys doesn't as much. People who like Mars bars are actually more likely to pick up a Cadburys ice cream than a typical Cadburys enjoyer.
The implication is that brand equity isn’t always enough to persuade the person hovering over the freezer.
More from GWI
“Agentic” was the hot topic at Cannes this year, and we have a report all about why agentic AI is the future of consumer insights.
Cannes has officially wrapped, and it was one for the books. Data on the Streets made its return, along with inspiring chats, brilliant people, and lots of new content coming soon. Stay tuned!
