It’s another hot week for us Europeans, and we hope you’re staying cool. But even with heatwaves becoming a regular fixture, only 1 in 50 Brits will even think about buying air conditioning. It might be a little bit sweaty right now, but the upper lip remains stiff.
Scroll down to read about The Velvet Sundown, limp pickle problems, and the lessons of Auto-Tune.
Stats to power your week
☁️ A new study has found that the use of disposable e-cigarettes may cause exposure to toxic chemicals, such as lead. Despite this, the share of American Gen Z who vape has increased 43% since 2022. GWI USA
🤖 As AI media improves, more and more examples emerge of it breaking into the mainstream. One of the most intriguing? The uber-mysterious band The Velvet Sundown, who may or may not be real. While their stream count is increasing, it’s worth noting that 73% think it’s important for music to be created by human artists. GWI Zeitgeist
💿 Less convenient than streaming, and not as cool as vinyl, you might not have thought about CDs in a while. But reports of technical issues with pop star Lorde’s latest compact disc should remind us they’re still important to many - in fact, more UK consumers prefer listening to CDs (30%) than podcasts (22%) or streaming playlists (22%). GWI Core
🏀 The Oklahoma City Thunder just won their first NBA title in over 40 years - and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is celebrating with a $285m contract extension, the largest annual salary in NBA history. Looking at the size of their fanbase, that works out at SGA getting about $1,000 for each fan across 18 markets. GWI Sports
⚽ Jurgen Klopp might call it “the worst idea ever implemented in football” - but the expanded Club World Cup is more popular around the world than you might think. Appropriately enough given their teams’ successes, 87% in Brazil are following the tournament in some form. GWI Zeitgeist
🛍️ We’re deep in Prime Day territory, and if last year is anything to go by, Americans will be filling their carts with clothes and shoes (42%), personal electronics (28%), and entertainment goodies (25%). Got anything in your basket? GWI Moments
What’s on our radar
The AI discourse remains contentious to say the least, but each week we see more examples of how businesses are actually implementing the tech. H&M is conducting an experiment that replaces models with digital twins, while Channel 4 is following ITV’s lead in testing AI-generated ads.
Elsewhere, it feels telling that the people behind one campaign are happy to let ChatGPT take credit for its slogan. Meanwhile this is a good, measured read on how Clorox is using AI. And new use-cases in AI are emerging in esports too, of all places, as a Super Smash Bros player used ChatGPT for strategic tips enabling him to stage a comeback against his opponent.
Lululemon has launched a lawsuit against Costco, who are selling similar activewear to them. Dupe culture has been a big talking point, as consumers have been flocking to viral copies of designer goods for a fraction of the price. Meanwhile, UK retailer Marks & Spencer have created its own version of the Japanese fruit sando.
French football clubs are taking Ligue 1's broadcasting rights into their own hands, launching their very own streaming service after the league's revenue has fallen behind other top European divisions. Could this be the start of a new model for football broadcasting?
We’ve felt the vibe shift to more politically conservative ideas, but are the vibes shifting once again? The bro alliance is starting to splinter - Joe Rogan’s calling out ICE raids, while Elon Musk is founding a new political party at the exact same time as a new tax bill has been brought in to end tax credits on electric vehicles - coincidence?
Oh, and if the world seems an angrier place than it used to be, data on tweets would suggest you’re not wrong.
Chart of the week
When all’s said and done, how much do consumers actually care about the politics of a brand or its CEO? Generally speaking, not very much - but there is one big exception. With Elon Musk dominating the news cycle for the last year or two, he has almost single-handedly flipped Tesla from left- to right-wing coded.
It has to be stressed there are few very examples of this happening in our research. But in the era of the celebrity CEO, there’s none where their product is so intrinsically linked to their personality. Tesla went from a luxury automotive retailer of the liberal elite to a brand linked with the Trump administration - at least for now. Let’s see if The America Party changes things.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“You can’t stop AI music topping the charts”
If The Velvet Sundown prove anything, it’s that AI music is starting to gain notoriety. Fans have been debating whether Playboi Carti’s Billboard number 1 album Music contains AI vocals, Verknallt in einen Talahon became the first AI-generated song to enter the German charts last year, and veteran hip-hop producers Timbaland and The Alchemist have both experimented with AI too.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Musicians' Union once tried to ban synthesizers, while Auto-Tune stirred its own controversy in the 2000s. Death Cab for Cutie protested its use at the Grammys, Jay-Z released a single condemning it, and Time named it one of the 50 worst inventions (alongside Crocs!). Now, its use is critically acclaimed. And as AI becomes commonplace in other media channels, for better or for worse, it’ll become normalized.
