13 September 2023

Hi folks,

We might be seeing the end of the “YouTube face” era, where having a wide open mouth on the thumbnail gets rewarded with millions of clicks. Try not to look too shocked – that doesn’t work anymore.

Scroll down to read more about fast fashion, female farmers, and the Big Smoke.

Stats to power your week

🏕️ With our latest wave of travel data, we've seen the most popular type of holiday worldwide is a nature-based trip – looks like Bear Grylls hasn’t put anyone off. Although the UK is the only country where holidaymakers would rather go to a resort than spend time in the wild. We’ll be having that sunlounger, thanks. GWI Travel

🎮 You might be aware of the “plant mom” trend in the physical world, but it’s happening digitally too. The gaming franchises women play more than men include FarmVille, Merge Gardens, Gardenscapes, and lockdown favorite Animal Crossing. But it also includes Farming Simulator – a game that didn’t offer female avatars until 2016. GWI Gaming

🥵 Heatwaves have been happening all over the world this year and over half of consumers are very or extremely concerned about them. The biggest factor concerning people is increased risk to health (57%), followed by the risk of wildfires (51%). Wildfires are actually now more of a concern than rising sea temperatures. GWI Zeitgeist

🧴 Rising temperatures might also help explain why “sun care” has been trending all over TikTok. We’ve seen a 12% increase among Gen Z consumers who say they’ve used it in the last week within the last year – making it the fastest-growing skincare product. GWI Core

🛍️ Fashion brands are working harder than ever to boost their sustainability credentials. But how consumers perceive sustainability around clothes is somewhat surprising. Ensuring the products have sustainable packaging is almost as important as how the clothing itself gets made. Speaking of which, Shein's plastic bags are more chic than you might think. GWI Zeitgeist

What’s on our radar

A new car-free community has formed in Arizona that encourages people to be around their neighbors more. An interesting example of a backlash to automobiles that’s also emerging in a subreddit whose name we can’t repeat here. 

According to Spotify, Gen Z’s top searched term across the globe is “sad”. But sad music can lead to happy outcomes – the most popular reason to listen to music in our research is to lift one’s mood. 

Netflix series One Piece, an adaptation of 1997 manga by Eiichiro Oda, has beaten Stranger Things’ record by becoming the number 1 series in 84 countries, compared to Stranger Things’ 83. Whether it’s manga or D&D, the niche is the new mainstream.

Yale University is taking a new approach to students using ChatGPT; they're more concerned with what drives students to cheat using the tool, rather than the cheating itself. Are any students out there jealous?

The world’s first solar-powered hybrid truck has been tested on public roads. With a 10,000 km range annually, our deliveries could be getting a lot more sustainable.

Roblox is moving from a platform for kids to an everything app. Not only is it landing on Sony consoles soon, but it’s also adding avatar-based phone calls and potentially, dating. 

History books might one day herald @ghostwriter977 as 2023’s most important music artist. Who’s he? Creator of the first viral AI mashup “Heart On My Sleeve”, he’s returned with a second track and a wish for a Grammy.

Chart of the week

Most countries have a hub city, usually the capital, which other cities feed into. In the UK, London dominates to an extent seen hardly anywhere else in the world.

London is the financial, cultural, and political capital all in one. But you can get an even better measure of how much it’s a country unto itself by looking at how consumers feel there compared to the national average.

Compared to other Brits, Londoners are much more optimistic about their finances, and the difference between them is much higher than neighboring countries. Even in Italy, a country with its own pronounced regional divide, consumers in the capital broadly feel the same as the rest of the country. 

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