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Shhhhh. Innovation is coming to the product review. Imagine HSN but instead of someone telling you abut the products you see, the host just stares, makes facial expressions and points? Well that’s now officially a thing! We talk more about this phenomenon taking mobile shopping by storm below.
In other news…Millennials are so broke they can’t live in cities, sports betting is how you make friends in college and you can’t escape Stanley.
Top Trends
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CULTURE
Bargain burbs // Illustration by Kate Walker
Millennials can’t afford to live in cities
The Future. Millennials flocked to cities more than previous generations did, but rising housing costs and mortgage rates are sending them back out to the suburbs. Many are upset with the relative lack of amenities, but millennials could change that if they push for zoning reform.
No place like home
Financial woes have forced millennials to exchange urban living for the deep suburbs.
City living — which already cost a third to a half more than suburban arrangements did — is pricier than ever, with some landlords raising rent by 30% just last year.
That’s forced millennials to flee cities, pass through unaffordable exurbs, and settle in deep suburbs with almost no amenities.
Those who exchanged cities for suburbs during the pandemic can’t come back because mortgage rates have risen even as their homes have depreciated in value.
Suburban re-form
We can’t make houses cheaper. But millennials could create amenity-rich environments in the suburbs via zoning reform, which would allow more businesses to open in the suburbs. The hurdle is outnumbering the older residents who vote in force and typically oppose urbanization.
So, get out that vote.
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SPORTS
Pick your poison
College students are addicted to sports betting
The Future. As legal sports betting has exploded in the US, gambling has spiked on college campuses, particularly among men. Many say they enter sports betting as a means of social connection, but many also get addicted — and without regulation, they’re unlikely to stop.
Dangerous game
Legal sports betting and similar alternatives have infiltrated the fabric of male social life.
Young men report that they participate in sports betting as a social activity, either to form new friendships or maintain old ones over distance.
But sportsbooks and gambling services like ESPN Bet and Caesars Sportsbook try to lure and hook users with cash bonuses and deposit matching.
Daily fantasy and sweepstakes, like Fantasy football and Fliff, take advantage of men under 21 by offering betting services that feel like sportsbooks and offer real cash rewards and incentives to keep gambling.
That sports broadcasting and news advertise for these services further legitimizes them.
Where’s the ref?
Young men are unusually bad at assessing risk. As sports betting gets further entangled with their social lives, they’re unlikely to stop gambling unless regulators intervene.
When two teams are on the field, it’s easy to forget that the house always wins.
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TOGETHER WITH NIFT
There’s a better way to find new customers
Meet NIFT. A performance platform of over 40 million people that introduces new goods and services as a ‘thank you’ gift within premium consumer apps.
Here’s how it works: Top-notch companies like Tinder, Mindbody, Afterpay and TeamSnap share thank-you gifts with their members at key lifecycle moments. Then Nift’s AI matches each person to the products they’re most likely to adopt — helping top DTC brands like Wine Insiders, Hello Fresh, and PACT clothing acquire new customers at or below target CAC (Hint: This could be your brand!)
And guess what? This genius tactic is outperforming paid social! 📊
BUSINESS
Tumbler-mania // Illustration by Kate Walker
Stanley’s cup craze
The Future. Stanley (yes, the water bottle maker) has been making waves across the US, with people camping out at Target to lock down limited-edition versions of its “Quencher” tumbler. The craze is all thanks to clever moves from Global President Terence Reilly, who’s been leading an absolute master class on how to leverage social media marketing.
The Quencher
Stanley’s latest cup, the “Quencher,” is taking TikTok by storm.
Sales have shot up 751% year-to-date after the brand released a redesigned version of its bottle with different colors in 2022.
Since then, creators on TikTok have been filming unboxing videos, collecting different colors, and selling customized tumblers for hundreds of dollars.
This past week in Targets across the US, crowds of customers rushed to stores to buy various limited-edition versions of the Stanley Cup.
Marketing master class
How did a simple water bottle drive Stanley’s annual sales from $75 million to a whopping $750 million in a single year? Well, since Reilly joined in 2020, he’s leaned heavily into influencer marketing — collabs with brands and celebrities, as well as releasing new colors with limited-edition drops. Stanley has now sold more than 10 million Quenchers, and demand doesn’t seem to be waning anytime soon.
So, now we want to hear from you…
YOUR DAILY POLL
We ask the hard-hitting questions.
62.9% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you have any interest in going to the moon?
“Although I’ll reevaluate if Earth becomes uninhabitable.”
“Let’s not pretend like we’re smart enough to colonize outer space. Leave it alone. Focus on our planet.”
“I’ll think about it after thousands of people have gone/come back safely…”
“I’m happiest on terra firma, and the training required for a moon trip would be a burden on my family, as well as the risk of not returning... I’m a chicken when it comes to transatlantic flights.”
“Been there. Done that.”
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TOGETHER WITH RUNDOWN AI
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1. Our team spends all day researching and talking with industry experts.
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3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI.
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
21 Savage is back, and he’s recruited Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin (from Stranger Things) to play him in a trailer teasing a new film. Read More → variety
Billie Eilish won Best Original Song — Motion Picture for “What Was I Made For?,” her song from Barbie. Read More → rollingstone
The Weeknd is teasing his long-awaited third and final release to the After Hours and Dawn FM trilogy. Read More → hypebeast
Fashion & E-Commerce
Miu Miu’s latest collection features a capsule of repurposed fabrics, mainly discarded denim. Read More → highsnobiety
Kellogg’s new vegan cereal is oriented towards Gen Zers and “Zillennials.” Read More → greenqueen
Amazon wants to use AI to help make virtual fitting rooms. Read More → wwd
Tech, Web3, & AI
In partnership with Humango
OpenAI defends itself against The New York Times infringement lawsuit, claiming it’s without merit. Read More → deadline
Apple’s Vision Pro is going on sale in the US at the beginning of February for $3,499. Read More → engadget
National disasters are making it impossible to buy home and auto insurance. Read More→ wsj
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Creator Economy
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Today’s email was written by Luke Perrotta and Melody Song.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.