With less than a week before the Presidential debate, today’s newsletter is a special edition showcasing some of our best research on the election, US politics, and how it might impact the rest of the world.
Scroll down to read about recession pop, the unifying power of Animal Planet, and the economy, stupid.
Stats to power your week
🤳TV is the leading way Americans get their news, but social media is quickly catching up. With social media comes influencers, including political ones. Both parties’ national conventions reserved spaces for creators, and for good reason – 25% of Gen Z have seen content from political influencers in the last month. GWI Zeitgeist
📈To quote Bill Clinton’s campaign in the early 1990s – “it’s the economy, stupid”. 61% of Americans say views on economic issues is a deciding factor when picking a candidate to support – making it by far the most important. GWI Zeitgeist
📺If you’re a brand that would rather not get involved in politics but still has TV advertising bucks to spend, look into running adverts on FX and Animal Planet. These two channels are watched by Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between. If anything will bring people together this election cycle, it’s probably a penguin documentary.GWI USA
🎶 “Recession pop” was a standout playlist descriptor for Gen Z this summer according to Spotify. 2 in 3 US Gen Z who are economically anxious say they listen to music to escape from reality. Some playlist suggestions from us: $ave Dat Money, Thrift Shop, and Price Tag. GWI Core
🌍 Whoever wins in November doesn’t just become US President, but also unofficially the “leader of the free world”. No pressure. But which countries outside the States are most influenced by its politics? The Philippines (61%), Brazil (55%), and Italy (47%) are the most likely to have their domestic politics influenced by American social issues. GWI Zeitgeist
What’s on our radar
What do Spanx, UGG boots, and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” have in common? They’ve all benefited from “the Oprah effect” – i.e. being promoted by Oprah Winfrey. Might her upcoming Hulu special on AI have a similar effect on the American public’s stance toward it?
Meanwhile, a recent New Yorker essay is likely to spark rounds of discourse on whether AI can make art (for reference, 44% of consumers worldwide believe it can).
GameNGen, an AI-driven system by Google, has simulated the classic video game DOOM without a traditional game engine, instead using a diffusion mode to generate real-time gameplay at 20 frames per second. Elsewhere in gaming, generative AI is showing potential in giving NPCs deeper and more responsive dialogue.
The EV market is heating up, as Canada imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, effective from 1st October. This move comes after the EU and the US also implemented tariffs. Impacted by this will be Tesla, which exports to Canada via its Shanghai plant.
What do Alex Cooper and Travis Kelce have in common? Podcast deals worth over $100m. Call Her Daddyand New Heightsboth signed new distribution & ad deals with SiriusXM and Amazon respectively, some of the biggest deals in podcasting history.
Enjoy your time in the spotlight while it lasts, Gen Z – the next generation will come along quicker than you think (take it from a grizzled millennial). We’re seeing more and more initiatives aimed at Generation Alpha, including a Vox newsletter and Meta’s virtual reality Horizon Worlds. Speaking of which, check out this Alpha male at the US Open.
Chart of the week
Immigration levels are a hot topic in global politics right now, and the US is no exception.
Since the last election in 2020, immigration levels (+43%) are the second-fastest growing concern, just behind artificial intelligence. Montana and Arizona are at the top, not a surprise given their proximity to the Canadian and Mexican border, specifically.
But border proximity isn’t always the deciding factor. Take Vermont for example, bordering Canada yet having the lowest concern level in the country. Meanwhile, landlocked Nebraska and South Dakota have higher levels of concern.
Local lowdown
North Dakota: pragmatism, not idealism
You can’t discuss the United States in 2024 without mentioning polarization. But some states have a different political culture – most notably North Dakota. North Dakotans are more likely than residents of any other state to describe their political views as “unsure”. This isn’t necessarily because they don’t care, but perhaps a reflection of a relatively nonpartisan, pragmatic, and independent political culture.
In 1915, North Dakota’s socialist “Nonpartisan League” emerged, a grassroots movement aiming to distance itself from national parties and empower farmers and local communities. It championed local ownership of key services, including what’s still the only state-run bank in the continental US.
Though the movement eventually fragmented and was merged into the major parties, the spirit of pragmatic governance and practical solutions continues to the present day.
