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The top 5 streaming services by watch time:
- YouTube
- Netflix
- Disney (the family of streaming brands)
- Amazon Prime Video
- Roku Channel
The top 2 are firmly entrenched and that order is locked in.
But remember, reach doesn’t guarantee impact.
via EMARKETER
People want the familiar in a new way
Who has a say and who has a vote?
We ask clients early on who has a voice and who has a vote.
The decision makers drive the process. The closer you can get to the source instead of working through translators and layers, the better.
Even if it’s just to avoid curveballs at deadline.
The fewer the votes, the faster the process can go.
I don’t know if this is good or bad news:
Morgan Stanley analysts think the US economy has been in a “rolling recession” since 2022 — and it may already be almost over.
Though I like that last bit, and the reasoning makes sense (I think).
And the Consumer Price Index increased in August.
With holiday spending projected to be down but consumer spending staying resilient, feels like we’ve hit the “something’s gotta give” moment.
A marketing checklist that any business can use:
- Find a channel that reliably brings in paying customers.
- Keep customer acquisition cost below lifetime value.
- Increase conversion from website visitor to paying customer.
via DemandCurve newsletter (no public archive link unfortunately)
CuriousMarketers.(Book)Club: Unorthodoxy by Gil Gildner 📚
What people say and do are two different things. As highlighted by this post from EMARKETER
The US consumer is in good shape, according to the CEOs of Dick’s Sporting Goods and Urban Outfitters—despite a recent dip in confidence and tariff fears.
Both retailers highlighted resilient spending in Q2
Asking a question (survey) can result in a different answer than observing behavior (sales).
I love this quote from Liquid Death’s chief media officer:
We have a rule at Liquid Death that if you expect us to do it, we should not do it
Zig when they expect you to zag!
via EMARKETER
Apple wants to release its own AI powered search integrated with Siri, calling it an “answer engine”. Potentially powered by a Google model.
Apple is rebuilding Siri around three core components: a planner, the search systems for the web and devices, and a summarizer. The planner interprets voice or text input and decides how to respond; the search system scans the web or user data; and the summarizer pulls it all together into an answer.
At this stage in the game, makes the most sense to build on an outside model. Maybe one less data set to figure out how to infiltrate for AI exposure?
US consumers overall will slash their holiday spending about 5% this year, while Gen Zers expect to cut it 23%, per Inkl. This move is driven by a shift in spending toward experiences and entertainment, leaving less for holiday shopping.
So a shift away from tariff impacted expenditures?
via EMARKETER
“Right, just copyright your faults, man."
Your brand’s faults—imperfections—are what makes it unique. Like the taste of Red Bull. Or these ads from Snowbird mountain.
Hiding faults can feel deceptive to customers. Turning them into strengths builds your brand.
“Hype erodes. Quality persists.”
Secondhand demand is up 📈
Job market is down 📉
Oh, and treasury yields don’t look great
AI investment is entering bubble territory
It’s beginning to look like a blue Christmas?
via EMARKETER
Treat Every Email Like a Brand Billboard
Every element (from fonts to whitespace) reinforces brand identity.
“Email is brand. Make every inbox touchpoint intentional.”
Why it works: Long-term engagement > short-term CTR spikes.
Love this sentiment, though I’d edit it a bit:
Treat Every Message Like a Brand Billboard
Every element (from fonts to whitespace) reinforces brand identity.
“Messaging is brand. Make every inbox touchpoint intentional.”
Every interaction with your brand is building up or chipping away at the perception of your brand in the customer’s mind.
via DTC
Write.
Remove.
Reevaluate.
Solid editing advice from Lee Kiernan, guitarist in IDLES.
You can craft more engaging messages if you think of them as songs you want your fans to sing with you. Which means they need to emotional anchor points and can benefit from the poetry of gaps—spaces for the fans to fill in their own meaning.
If you’re in the business of selling to other businesses
Your clients are paying you with their customers’ money
If you don’t help them make money, it’s hard to justify taking their money
Finished reading: Do Recruit by Khalilah Olokunola 📚
Real life is impressionism. Forget the perfect paint strokes and embrace the art of life that is a little less polished.
Advertising used to sell polished ideals of life with the product or service. People bought the dream.
Social media killed that.
People don’t buy the dream of perfection. They want to buy the thing that acknowledges reality—the rough edges, the good enough, the messiness of life.
Take some sandpaper to the polished edges of your brand and rough it up a little bit. Show some personality. Ditch the gloss.