14 June 2023

Hi folks,

Try to contain yourselves… the oldest millennials are hitting 40. The big 4-0. What can they expect now they’ve reached that milestone? Our data reveals that they’ll probably get heartburn more often, be less interested in extreme sports, and lose their taste for Nutella.

Scroll down to read more about Kylie’s comeback, a service station, and the lasting influence of The Emoji Movie.

Stats to power your week

🎂 Inspired by millennials turning 40, we crunched the data to see some of the biggest life changes you can expect when you get to other, shall we say, significant birthdays. If you’re turning 30 you can expect to get less anxious, and more interested in craft beer. Anyone entering their 60s, on the other hand, can expect to start taking more cruises, and to wear deodorant less often. (GWI USA)

🏀 As the Denver Nuggets have overcome the Miami Heat to win the NBA playoffs, we had a little look at what makes their fanbases distinct. As their team’s name might suggest, Heat fans are more than 3 times more likely to eat frozen yogurt regularly, while Nuggets fans are 2.5x more likely to drink flavored diet soda. (GWI USA)

💓 Have you heard “Padam Padam” yet? If not, you probably will soon – Kylie Minogue’s new single is climbing up charts across the world. Why does it matter? Having been bypassed by mainstream radio, she’s harnessed serious momentum on social media and proven pop artists, especially older ones, can get exposure in other ways. All because UK/US Gen Zers are more likely to discover new music on TikTok (39%) than the radio (35%). (GWI Zeitgeist)

🎥 You might want to forget about it, but The Emoji Movie is one of the most important movies of this century. Why? It was the first film broadcast in Saudi Arabia after the country’s film ban was lifted in 2018. Five years on, and Saudi Arabia has climbed from last place to 6th in the world for monthly cinema attendance, only one position behind its neighbor UAE. (GWI Core)

What’s on our radar

AI continues to make writing easier and more accessible than ever, with TikTok and WordPress working on tools that massively speed up content creation. And TikTok’s owner Bytedance is working on its own chatbot, too.

The latest completely AI-generated product is Vivi Nova, a beverage whose ingredients were suggested by ChatGPT, and whose packaging was designed by Midjourney.

If 2022 saw the summer of Binley Mega Chippy, then 2023 is Monarch Service Station’s time to shine. As with Kylie, TikTok can be great for underdogs.

The metaverse is out of the spotlight for now, but interesting developments are still taking place. J. Crew’s recent activation shows more brands are grasping that immersive experiences really need to be gamified.

Apple’s new iOS will make link tracking even harder. And a new study shows just how much not being able to personalize marketing harms smaller sellers.

Amazon Prime Video is joining Netflix and Disney+ in getting an ad-supported tier.

With an eye on Telegram, WhatsApp is launching Channels, a new way for creators and organizations to send broadcasts privately.

If Ron DeSantis’ latest work is any indication, ads for the 2024 presidential election will be dominated by AI-generated media, while the “Shak Shaker Shamillion” offers a more comedic take on AI ads.  

Plus-size fashion is having a moment. Changing attitudes have helped just as much as all the new Chinese retail apps designed to fill every niche.

A radio host has filed a defamation suit against OpenAI. This appears to be a world-first (an Australian mayor threatened action earlier this year).

Chart of the week

Apple’s announcement of the Vision Pro last week represented its first new hardware release since the Apple Watch 8 years ago.

So it makes sense to look at what kind of impact the device had on the smartwatch market, and what it might mean for the Cupertino firm’s new device. It’s interesting stuff, and shows the importance of not judging the product and category too quickly.

The Apple Watch sparked an initial spike in sales, but it wasn’t until years later that they truly accelerated, helped by more competitive pricing and the increased at-home exercise of Covid lockdowns.

Something else you might not expect: more people in North America currently own a VR headset (9%) than owned a smartwatch before Apple entered the market (7%).

Get more from GWI

Bits and bobs we thought you might like:

• Your life in data: What to expect at every milestone
• Social media habits in South East Asia