21 June 2023

Hi folks,

Internet slang is always changing; we seem to have reached a consensus on “cheugy” and “FOMO”, but “delulu” is still up for discussion. Introduced by K-pop fans back in 2014 to describe delusional fan behavior, the wider online community’s taken it from there. 

Guess you could say we’re entering our delulu era.

Scroll down to read more about reggae, wrestling, and that virtual closet from Clueless.

Stats to power your week

🍞 With our wallets on a leash, more of us want a morning meal without the frills. Since 2021, toast and porridge are the fastest-growing breakfast options in Europe, with granola and smoothies dropping down the charts most. (GWI Core Plus)

🥊 For this next stat, we’re going ringside. The number of Americans saying they follow or watch wrestling online has risen by 35% since 2020. It’s no surprise that Disney’s joined the fight for WWE’s broadcasting rights. (GWI USA)

👨‍ There are reports of stay-at-home dads becoming more common in some places, but few are wearing it on their sleeve. Stay-at-home dads are 16% less likely to describe themselves as outgoing than stay-at-home moms, despite there being no gender difference for this character trait overall. It’s possible there’s less of a community for them, with some feeling isolated or judged. (GWI Core)

🚗 Most automotive stories spotlight supercars – we’ve snuck one in below (🥷🏼). Sadly, we don’t hear as much about secondhand cars, a marketplace that’s also changing up a gear. In parts of the world like the UK, Germany, and France, more car owners actually say they bought theirs used than new. (GWI Automotive)

🏏 As England and Australia lock horns in the Ashes this summer, we’ve had a little look at what distinguishes the Aussies from the Poms. The data says Australians are more money-driven, care more about reality TV, and are more into alternative medicine. The English, on the other hand, are twice as likely to listen to reggae. (GWI Core)

What’s on our radar

Kids movies are getting more confident in discussing social issues: Pixar’s latest effort, Elemental, features a nonbinary character and tackles immigration head-on. But cinemas are struggling to get people through the door. 

Mercedes is adding ChatGPT to its vehicles, which might level up what in-car voice assistants are capable of.

Why spend years learning a language when your earbuds can do the translating? On that subject, Duolingo has compiled research on the most confusing workplace jargon.

Lots going on at Twitch: a new competitive revenue sharing package for streamers, the platform’s first third-party liveshopping experience, and the continued surreal offerings of AI-generated SpongeBob.

In the early days of the internet, newspapers gave away their content for free, and most came to regret it. To avoid making that mistake again, several are negotiating licensing deals for AI companies looking to harvest their data. 

MrBeast has a new record-breaking video featuring retired NFL star Tom Brady, giving both a push into new audiences. 

A fascinating move from Nike with the launch of its new Nike Well Collective, aiming at new audiences in the wellness sector. 

The grownups might be losing interest in the metaverse, but immersive 3D worlds remain popular with the youngest consumers. Scholastic has held its first book launch in Roblox, while LVMH has entered a new partnership with Epic Games. To top it off, Meta has lowered the recommended age of its headsets from 13 to 10. 

Google is taking clues from, er, Clueless with its latest virtual-try on feature for clothes shopping. 

With the takeoff of Korean content and culture, the natural question to ask is “where next?”. For its part, Disney sees a lot of promise in African animation. 

You can buy appliances from Shein now. Shein shoppers are actually 87% more likely to be in the market for an iron, which makes sense when you’re filling up your wardrobe with new threads. 

An Oregon radio station claims to be the first with an AI DJ, though sadly for the bots, it’s been decided they’ll never win a Grammy. 

Cristiano Ronaldo made one of the most important transfers in football history when he moved to Saudi Arabia in January. As the regular season closes, he’s being joined by other stars with big footprints like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves.

Chart of the week

While radio and podcasts aren’t exactly direct competitors, we still want to highlight an impressive milestone in our data. For the very first time, podcast listening has crept ahead of online radio shows. And with more influencers turning to video podcasting, this space has only scratched the surface of its potential.

Get more from GWI

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