All Caught Up: Bumble’s stumble, AI Twigs, Ice Spice MetroCards

Grrah!

Good morning! Very over the super bummer weather that we’ve had the last few days here in NYC – I would love for the weather to pick a direction, thank you! But the internet has been heated this week, fear not. Let’s get into it.

This week's picks include Dicks, grid creative and the ethics of reselling.

Christina’s weekly scroll – 

1. Ice Spice’s ‘Y2K’ album rollout continues with a limited-edition MetroCard drop, available at four subway stations across Manhattan and the Bronx.

2. Sanasa, sanasa... THE SIMPLE LIFE IS COMING BACK (to Peacock)! 

3. Equinox is breaking up with Kiehl’s for Grown Alchemist. The GA team is working overtime on brand partnerships between this and Delta One.

4. Emily Bloch
   on fast fashion, affordability and the ethics of reselling. Is this practice truly sustainable, given the low quality of pieces and their tendency to lead to overconsumption? imo, secondhand clothing has replaced a lot of fast fashion addictions…

5. On the topic of Depop… Remember Bella McFadden? McFadden is making headlines again by launching her own brick-and-mortar store, iGirl. Loved the commentary from Gothamist about algorithm and recommendation fatigue + the resurgence of IRL shopping experiences.

6. Speaking of IRL shopping experiences, the 51-piece (lol) Gap x DÔEN collection is officially live in (select) stores and online.

7. A Legally Blonde prequel is coming to Amazon Prime Video. No news on casting yet, but fans expect Ava Phillippe to play teenage Elle Woods.

8. We talk about e.l.f. a lot over here but how can we not when they’re constantly activating in massive ways (like taking over some of the most insane OOH media spaces)? The “So Many Dicks” campaign is “not about excluding anyone, it’s about including EVERYONE.” Bumble should take note…

Nikita’s weekly scroll – 

1. Separate debacles from two brands – Bumble and Apple. Lots of ground covered here on X and Instagram in #thediscourse, and some of it points at agencies versus in-housing of talent. Net-net, two things at play here:

   1. I think in-house teams are great. But sometimes you can get insular and need an outside perspective. Consumer testing and agencies are here for this! Even when I work on a single brand for a long time, I notice this tendency in myself.

   2. Singular-dimension cultural strategy. Culture happens online and on TikTok – yes, but do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? The Bumble debacle specifically speaks to this and the broader context… missed here.

2. CAA is helping clients create digital duplicates. Spooky! FKA Twigs testified a few weeks ago about her digital duplicate – talking about AI Twigs as a tool. IDK man, everything is about sending like twelve more emails a day huh? 

   Christina note: I worked on a similar project and all I can say is that it *is* as scary as you think it is.

3. Fun social asset from Miaou! Wonder if it’s going to be a series or if it’s just a one-off campaign?

4. Decentralized TikTok? A new contender has entered to buy TT.

5. I will wear a lot of things but I draw the line at these.

6. Female athletes drive conversions! Been saying this for years! Love to see the data.

7. My vendetta against grid creative – h/t

   Rachel Karten
   for this visual that I will now forward to every single person.

   

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˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚Little Treat Corner ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Christina’s weekly report:

READING: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment. Lol. 

EATING: My parents are back from Bosnia/Serbia so I’ve been munching on čokolada all week.

PLAYING: Alone in Miami - Remi Wolf

OBSESSING: Obsessed with the fact that Dua Lipa doesn’t have a therapist but does have an astrologist. 

RECOMMENDING: I am once again asking for you to watch The Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. The seventh episode is absolutely insane and suggests that (perhaps) therapists don’t work. Dula Peep might be onto something.

TREATING: Going to Los Angeles next month for bizz and need some sexy workwear. Any recommendations?

Nikita’s weekly report:

READING: Still finishing Glossy! It's a slow reading month for me with (2) big strategies due!

EATING: A new protein smoothie recipe I have been into. It’s cherries. 

PLAYING: I’ve been typing in “Future Workout” on Spotify at the gym. That’s where I’m at.

OBSESSING: Over the NBA playoffs… don’t @ me!

RECOMMENDING: Weight lifting. Head empty, zero thoughts.

TREATING: The Chocolate Room Brownie Sundae 🍫

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