On The Radar
😎 If you’re too busy to keep track of what’s cool, hot or happening, our chums over at In Good Co, produce a weekly newsletter called Good Thinking. It’s a treasure trove of best-of-the-best culture, trends and general brand magic cleverness. Here’s a selection of our favourites from this month…
We’re all loving love triangles
The ‘WTF Did I Marry’ series is a long format, TikTok romance novel—albeit a not romantic story. And the internet is obsessed. And we shouldn’t be surprised this is taking off given that romance novels are keeping the publishing industry alive. What brands are going to jump on to this trend? How one of the faltering dating apps not leaning into this romance trend is beyond me.
Bumble is shifting focus to enhance its friend-finding Bumble BFF. In China, people are monetising by hanging out with lonely moms on errands or just listening to people. There’s a lot of cultural stigma around ‘not being able to make friends’. Brands like Kido are a great example of how you can use your place in the community to provide a service that people seem to be craving.
Bowls of sugar for dinner didn’t go down well
Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick came under fire for a recent CNBC interview in which he suggested cereal for dinner as a viable money-saving solution for families experiencing economic hardship. What’s funny is that they made a whole campaign around the concept in 2022. 1) Kellogg’s (and others) need to get their product strategy in order 2) Really look at what value they actually add.
Putting this in because it’s a crossover of two things which is one of the best parts of culture. Louis Vuitton opened its first restaurant in Southeast Asia in collaboration with chef Gaggan Anand. Gaggan is known for being brilliant and a total oddball so this will be interesting (I loved his Top Chef All-Star episode). This feels like a big step up from the cafes so many brands are experimenting with.
Good Thinking is written by Chris Danton from In Good Co, a global consultancy specialising in brand positioning, strategy and consumer experiences.