20 September 2023

Hi folks,

Somebody once told me that Crocs were just for kids. But the iconic so-bad-that-it’s-good clog has seen a resurgence in popularity over recent years among young adults, culminating in the ultimate collab - the Shrek Crocs. With any luck, Gen Z will be all ogre them. 

Scroll down to read about girl math, UFOs, and 20-something year old teenagers.

Stats to power your week

📱 The iPhone 15 makes it easier for users to find their friends in a crowd, as well as the inclusion of a USB-C port, finally marrying Apple and Android in perfect harmony. But would fans have bought it either way? Owners of the Apple smartphones are 24% more likely than average to lean towards a device’s brand being more important than its features. GWI Consumer Tech

🧮 We’ve had girl dinner, now TikTok users are girl math-ing their way into a luxury lifestyle. If you compare male and female buying habits, the most distinctive difference is that women are more likely to buy a product if there’s a discount. Because if it's on sale, you're basically losing money if you don't buy it, right? GWI Zeitgeist

☁️ The UK government are set to ban disposable vapes, amid concerns over their use among young people. If you think you’re seeing a lot of discarded Lost Marys at the moment, your instincts are right – the number of Brits who say they vape daily has increased 38% since 2021. GWI Core Plus

🎸 Olivia Rodrigo’s new album “GUTS” is helping 20-somethings reconnect with their teenage selves. Those in their 20s are 37% more likely than average to feel nostalgic for the 2000s, when Avril Lavigne made life feel less complicated. GWI Zeitgeist

🤠 A Toy Story-themed animated simulcast of an NFL game is set to stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. Kids that are interested in American football are more likely to say they like Woody than Simba – so when the Cowboys play the Lions on December 30th, we know who the kids are backing. GWI Kids

What’s on our radar

Product copywriters are justifiably anxious as both eBay and Amazon are planning to roll out more AI tools to help generate product descriptions. But if it becomes the norm, what kind of content will stand out from the crowd? 

More cosmic activity in the world. Aliens in Mexico? Fake, of course. But with NASA’s recent UAP report, and The X-Files celebrating its 30th anniversary, it seems more people want to believe. Will UFOs be the next nostalgia trend, or are we about to make first contact?

Dunkin enlisted artist Ice Spice to launch a signature beverage, with a little help from Ben Affleck.

K-pop group Blackpink made history at the VMAs, becoming the first female group to win Group of the Year in 24 years, and only the second overall. To anyone still denying K-pop’s popularity in the west, how you like that?

Unity, the game engine which popular titles such as Among Us and Pokemon Go are built on, made an announcement that they would charge a fee for every install of games developed using their engine. It’s not gone down well.

Barbie’s pink afterglow might just help out Princess Peach next spring, as she’ll take center stage in a Mario game for the first time in 19 years. 

In the midst of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, stars have been auctioning off their services to raise money to support crews which have been affected. People have come up with their own ideas, if Florence Pugh wants to get involved.

Chart of the week

We talked last week about the emergence of the “cozy game” genre over the last decade – simulation titles that are designed to be relaxing, atmospheric, and with a focus on building and nurturing your own space (think Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing). 

Often this space is a farm. What’s quite surprising is the female skew of these cozy games goes beyond those examples into what you might think of as a more hardcore title, Farming Simulator. 

If there was ever a good example of the importance of knowing your audience, this is it. The group of people who want the experience of farming, and the people who actually do it, are very different.

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