Unwrapping some of 2023's parting gifts in AI, social media, branding, and trend recaps before the holidays hit.

This week we're unwrapping some of 2023's parting gifts in AI, social media, branding, and trend recaps before the holidays hit. Get the scoop on Google's new ChatGPT competitor, the mysterious 25-year unsolved X-Files song, Dictionary.com's AI-inspired "Word of the Year" and the latest in emergent Gen Z subcultures and top TikTok trends. We'll also serve up some of the hottest anticipations for 2024 in space150's last Trending Now before holiday celebrations take over!

SPOTIFY INTRODUCES SOUND TOWNS

It's the most wonderful time of the — Spotify Wrapped season (Sorry Apple Music Users…)! This year, the annual feature matches listeners with a "Sound Town" that has similar musical taste based on their top streamed artists and how those artists overindex in certain cities (literal music to my data-loving Strategist ears 🥰).

Small college towns like Burlington, Vermont were frequently matched, sparking viral conversation. While driving tourism marketing for matched cities, the Sound Towns also reinforced music as integral to these cities' identities and supportive arts communities. I, for one, now have to add Cambridge, Mass to my travel bucket list.

OTHER SOCIAL UPDATES

TikTok: Users spend half of their time watching videos longer than 1 minute.

Instagram: Public Reels are now downloadable. Users can now make AI-generated backgrounds for Stories.

Pinterest: Launches an AI 'body type ranges' tool to make searches more inclusive.

YouTube: YouTube Shorts ads are being rolled out to more advertisers.

THE MYSTERY OF THE X FILES SONG — SOLVED!!

A mystery honky-tonk song faintly playing in a 1998 "X-Files" episode has intrigued fans for years, but its writers Dan Marfisi and Glenn Jordan were just recently made aware it had become an online quest to uncover. The tongue-in-cheek "love song from an alien abductee to the alien who disappeared" was quickly penned by the songwriters for the show through a connection to X-Files composer Mark Snow. Now that the viral song's origins are solved, the writers are considering ways to capitalize on the unexpected attention to their obscure 25-year old TV tune.

AI SPOTLIGHT

Google's Gemini is the chatbot to beat

Google released Gemini, an AI model that outperforms ChatGPT on 30 of 32 academic benchmarks. The tests checked how much knowledge and problem-solving ability the AI systems have across different topics. While Gemini scored well, some people argue Google should not have used other people's work to train Gemini without permission, as authors sue other AI creators like OpenAI for "systemic theft" by training on copyrighted works without permission.

As AI creates new legal and ethical dilemmas regarding creation without compensation, companies seek to balance rapid innovation with considerations around attribution and intellectual property.

The Word of the Year, Hallucinate, is AI-related

Dictionary.com chose "hallucinate" as its 2023 Word of the Year, but it may not mean what you think. The Word of the Year is referring to when AI chatbots produce false information, to reflect AI's growing impact on language and life. The word saw a 46% increase in lookups this year as public interest surged around AI capabilities and limitations, especially in light of ChatGPT.

"Hallucinate" encapsulates concerns about AI spreading misinformation and evades responsibility (as well as what happens when I eat too many Christmas cookies…).

Will AI Worsen Climate Change?

Seventeen climate groups wrote an open letter criticizing President Biden for ignoring the toll AI is already taking on our planet. The groups argue AI is worsening climate change by increasing technology's energy demand and spreading climate misinformation online, potentially doubling data centers' total energy use. To mitigate harms, they urged mandated corporate transparency around AI's full emissions lifecycle and environmental impact.

I expect we'll continue to see differing opinions on AI's impact on society and our planet as it increases in use and popularity.

Crunch-less Doritos

Doritos developed an AI software called Doritos Silent that cancels out the sound of crunching chips on calls to appeal to gamers and remote workers irritated by chewing noises interrupting them. Created using recordings of hundreds of people eating Doritos, the AI separates voice from crunching sounds. Doritos sees it as a better solution than developing less noisy chips…

All I can say is, if clients hear me cronching on Cool Ranch Doritos on my next call, Doritos corporate will be hearing from me !!!!

AInfluencer

Some might say influencers are at the top of the list for people to potentially lose work to AI, and now we're seeing it in real time. A Spanish modeling agency created Aitana López, the country's first AI influencer, after growing frustrated with working with real models, some of whom were unreliable. The 25-year-old fictional model, who earns up to €10,000 ($11,000) monthly and has garnered 124k Instagram followers, was made to be "based on what society likes most" and to free the agency from depending on vain, greedy humans… Oof.

GENZ-NALYSIS

Values vs. Cost

A WGSN report explores how Gen Z is navigating the tension between purchase and purpose, as there is a disconnect between the young generation's values around ethical, sustainable shopping and their financial constraints (TLDR: We can't always afford to shop as ethically as we'd like).

It's up to brands to keep this in mind and bridge that gap. Tactics include making thrifting aspirational by emphasizing skill-building and self-expression, collaborating with affordable brands rather than rallying against counterfeits, and framing recommerce as empowering through curation and community. Ultimately, brands targeting increasingly value-driven Gen Z consumers must engineer options that balance purpose with the customers' limited purchase power.

Emerging Subcultures to Consider

Horizon Media identified 10 emerging Gen Z subcultures for marketers to better understand and target, ranging from third culture kids who grew up between cultures to alternate reality gamers and Afrobeats music fans. The firm advises tailoring messaging and products to the unique values and interests of each subculture, like supporting self-expression for worldly "nu third culture kids" or enabling behind-the-scenes sports access for "TALE-gaters." Identifying and engaging micro-communities beyond broad demographics is key to effectively marketing to fragmented, fluid Gen Z audiences (and makes it more fun!).

WHAT BRANDS HAVE BEEN UP TO

• Hinge has noticed Gen Z's pangs for in-person interaction and launched a $1 million social impact fund to support local organizations that get young adults interacting IRL.
• Hot Ones started as a heated celebrity interview Youtube channel, but has now expanded into its own consumer brand with hot sauces, frozen chicken, card games and more.
• Doritos (yes, we're talking about them AGAIN) is releasing a new spirit liquor based on the flavor of their nacho cheese tortilla chips. Why?? 2 words: BLOODY. MARY.
• McDonald's is opening a new coffee shop chain called CosMc's that revives a colorful mascot from 1980s McDonaldland ad campaigns, tapping into Generation Z's love of nostalgia and retro aesthetics popular on TikTok.
• North Face won brand of the year for avid hiker, Jenn Jensen, who went on Tiktok to complain when her new North Face coat wasn't warm enough. The company responded by sending her a replacement high-end $650 jacket for free and was able to turn Jensen's viral complaint into a marketing win — coming across as responsive to customers and standing behind their products
• Chevy opened the floodgates that are my tear ducts this holiday season with their 5+ minute-long ad, which debuted on Fox's Thanksgiving NFL broadcast. (TW: Alzheimers and lots and lots of tears)

Here's the HTML stripped of CSS classes, "name" and "id" attributes, and unnecessary tags:

CELEB AD-NOUNCEMENT STRATEGY

When celebrities post vague announcements teasing upcoming reveals, it sometimes backfires if the eventual product feels inauthentic, but other examples like Snoop Dogg's recent Solo Stove ad work well by playing into the celeb's existing brand.

Successful celebrity teaser campaigns create buzz by letting the audience lead conversation, while also including some humor and an eventual reveal that connects logically to that star's persona. If orchestrated carefully, celebrity-fronted product teasers can earn substantial media impressions, social engagement and new followers, but brands risk turning people off if the pivot to advertising feels too forced or money-driven.

2023 RECAP

This Year's Tiktok Trends

This report explores major TikTok trends in 2023 like the Wes Anderson aesthetic and Girl Dinner, analyzing their nostalgic and empowering themes appealing to Gen Z, while also examining the rise of AI-enhanced content and TikTok Shop's transformation into an in-app shopping destination. Brands that strategically embrace these trends, like McDonald's playfully acknowledging the Grimace Shake horror meme or Duracell sponsoring Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix, can effectively engage diverse audiences and conversions on TikTok. As TikTok continues evolving into a platform facilitating creative expression, community, and commerce, brands that align authentically with emerging trends and features can drive relevance, sales, and loyalty.

Gen Z's Biggest Problems — According to Them

A survey by YPulse asked Americans ages 13–39 to name the biggest problem facing their generation, with technology overdependence/addiction topping the list overall and for 13–17 year-olds specifically. For 18–24 year-olds, inflation and cost of living tied with technology addiction as the top concern, while 25–39 year-olds said inflation/cost of living was the #1 issue followed by technology dependence. Other major problems cited across age groups included lack of acceptance. Heavy stuff, but important to keep in mind when marketing to these people.

ANTICIPATING 2024 TRENDS

Food

• McCormick Flavor of the Year: Tamarind
• WGSN Key Food & Drink Trend: Multidimensional Heat

Work

• HR Trend: A Human-Centric Approach to Work Culture
• Workplace flexibility is here to stay, but what it means is shifting

Marketing

• Challenger Brands are breaking through
• Holistic Measures of Success

Social

• Prioritizing Meaningful Connections
• Increased Social Media Activism

Media

• Podcasts continue to be at the center of Cultural Moments (and creators are allegedly podcasting from their beds).

Design

• NY Times T Predictor: Brown is Big
• PinterestPredicts: Trending aesthetics include Kitschens, Eclectic Grandpa and Western Gothic
• Depop's first-ever Trends Report predicts styles such as Sleaze Academia, Lazy Luxe, Sports Quest, and Post Romance.

SLAMS LAPTOP SHUT UNTIL 2024*

—Sydney Haessly, Senior Strategist @ space150