30 AUGUST 2024
Welcome to this week’s edition of Culture Wire, a newsletter brought to you by Singapore-based pop culture and lifestyle marketing agency Culture Group.
In this week’s edition:
- Innovation of the Week: Anime’s mainstream rise
- Fax, No Printer: Which brand is (reportedly) entering the streaming scene?
- Before You Leave: AI music streaming, Malaysia’s viral spot and more!
Innovation of the Week
🌀ANIME ASCENT
Back in June, we called it – anime’s rapid (yet organic) crossover with sports – and guess what? This trend is only gaining steam, making a splash at the world’s premier sporting event. From the French fencing team performing a group Kamehameha to talented artists immortalizing athletes as animated characters, if you still needed proof that anime has firmly entered the mainstream, what better stage than the Olympics? Anime is breaking out of its “nerdy” bubble and popping into cultural spaces that never saw it coming. Buckle up!
💡OUR TAKE
Anime’s mainstream moment in the Asian zeitgeist has been well-underway prior to the Olympics. Back in the 2000s, when local TVs were stuck on repeat with a handful of Disney cartoons, anime was a weekly, communal experience that found home in Gen Z’s childhoods and hearts. Who can forget throwing shurikens at each other during recess? With early nods to local cultures like tempeh in Shokugeki no Soma and Thai boxing in Chibi Maruko-Chan, it’s no wonder that Asian Gen Zs have such a deep connection to anime.
However, unlike other passion points like K-pop and fashion that are pretty straightforward in their mainstream appeal, anime’s diverse genres and complex storytelling made its appeal less obvious to those outside the core fanbase. But niche is the new normal and anime’s market size, culture wallet, and consumption shows that it’s been pulling in some seriously big numbers. 47%.3 of the global market share was accounted for by the APAC region in 2023 meanwhile merchandise accounted for the largest market share of 29% the same year.
Anime’s increasing dominance in mainstream pop culture can be attributed to a combination of democratized creativity and SEA’s strict censorship regulations. With the tech game getting easier and Gen Z’s intuitive understanding of anime culture, local artists and creators have been remixing anime-inspired content to reflect their day to day experiences better, leading to the popularity of creator-driven webtoons. Indonesia and Thailand are reported to be SEA’s largest markets with platforms like Kakao Entertainment and Naver Webtoon going head to head in their SEA investments.
Also gaining popularity are Vtubers. Since its inception in 2019, Hololive Indonesia has quickly gained a massive following for its localized content and talent – promoting Indonesian culture and fostering a sense of national pride among its fans.
Brands looking to create a (genuine) presence within the anime fandom can use the three core pillars of anime as a guide;
🌸 Identity – Validating your audiences passion and identity is the first step. Think of ways to incorporate local culture into shows with a global presence. Netflix’s Trese is a great example of spotlighting the Filipino culture to the fandom on a more global scale.
⛩️ Community – Partner with existing fandom communities to create content that fuel conversations and speak for your brand. For those looking to go bigger, consider bringing together cross-cultural creators to access an even larger fanbase (think Hot Ones but anime x other areas of pop culture).
🍥 Co-creation – Creating a presence on platforms like voyce.me centralizes the anime fandom experience, putting your brand at the center of where content is consumed whilst still keeping it fan-centric.
Fax, No Printer*
For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’
Which brand is cooking up plans to spice up the streaming scene?
Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
Before You Leave
Gen Z want less sex in movies, TV
(2 minute read)
This Maybank branch in Sabah is trending on social media
(4 minute read)
This Week's Trivia Answer
C. Chick-fil-A
Yes, you read that right—Chick-fil-A, the American fast-food giant, is reportedly cooking up original shows and planning to license and acquire content to boost its brand. We’ve talked about their sold-out pop-up in Singapore last June. Now, Chick-fil-A seems to be on its way to launching its own OTT platform to cement their right to play in the entertainment space. The brand is reportedly partnering with major production companies like Glassman Media and Sugar23 to create family-friendly, unscripted shows that align with its values.
This move isn’t surprising, given Chick-fil-A’s ties to Trilith Studios and Marvel. And with the global OTT market booming and expected to reach US$1.56T by 2028, the brand’s venture into streaming might be strategic—perhaps a culmination of insights from their prior experience with original content, such as its animated series Stories of Evergreen Hills and the Pennycake gaming brand.
While the streaming space is becoming increasingly crowded — especially in Asia, where 81% of audiences are overwhelmed by the many subscription services available — Chick-fil-A’s deep understanding of cultural branding might give it an edge if they play their cards right. By developing a larger cultural strategy that leverages streaming to complement existing products, brands can shine a spotlight on their values while capturing an impressionable audience in a sea of vast content.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk; we’ve got ideas!
🚀 Over and Out!
Pop culture insights are better when shared. Subscribe, forward this on, or share the love on social media. Thanks for reading!
Your Culture Mavens,
Angela, Catherine, Teri, Twila, & Vicki
