12 JULY 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: This summer, pop girlies take center stage
- Fax, No Printer: Can you guess the latest money trend among China’s Gen Z?
- Regional Round-up: Gen M, best foot forward, unexpected anime partnerships, and more…
Innovation of the Week
🎀 HERE COME THE GIRLS
Welcome to the summer of the pop girlies! Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Chappell Roan are selling out tours, breaking chart records and generally creating a ‘femininomenon’. But here’s the thing: none of these pop girlies are overnight success stories. Both Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX are on their fifth and sixth albums respectively, while Chappell Roan released her debut EP seven years ago. So why are they doing so well now? And what lessons are there for marketers?
💡 OUR TAKE
It goes without saying that these artists don’t exist in a cultural vacuum. Over the last year, pop culture has been driven by women. Barbie painted movie theaters pink, Taylor Swift boosted local economies while Beyoncé plotted how to redefine a genre 🤠. Increasingly, girl culture is the culture.
And while you can draw a direct line between these earlier cultural happenings and 2024’s pop girlies (Sabrina Carpenter even opened for Swift back in August 2023), that doesn’t diminish their success – this new trio aren’t only piggybacking on the success of Swift & co. They are adding to the conversation, creating music that celebrates body confidence, femininity and singing about modern relationships in a way that truly resonates with younger female audiences. This isn’t Barbie 2.0; this is something more nuanced.
In fact, 2024’s pop girlies offer something for everyone: Carpenter has a vintage, pin-up inspired aesthetic; Charli XCX’s lurid green ‘Brat’ vibes are reminiscent of early grunge; while Roan’s lyrics are unapologetically queer and feminist. That allows all sorts of brands to align with them – Sabrina Carpenter and Van Leeuwen created an espresso ice cream inspired by her hit song, and athleisure brand Adanola just teased a Brat-inspired collection (according to Vogue Business, since the album’s June release, it’s generated US$22.5 M in media impact value). We’d bet that make-up collaboration is on Roan’s horizon.
And while this new roster of pop girlies are all unique, there’s one commonality: unadulterated fun! That’s been in short supply since the pandemic, which was followed by recessions, inflation and price hikes. Then at the start of 2024, concern about the societal impact of generative AI prevailed. For some time, caution has been ‘in’, even in #trends: remember deinfluencing? Quiet luxury? Pop girlies represent a shift in the cultural zeitgeist towards play. And that’s certainly an area all brands can step into, creating moments of fun and whimsy: see LOEWE’s tomato clutch or Marc Jacobs’ Tiktok strategy, which gives creators room more room for experimentation.
So, our top tips for marketers looking to ride this cultural wave:
- Younger women are increasingly empowered to drive pop culture forward. Are their new interests reflected in your campaigns and messaging?
- Girl culture is the culture. But girl doesn’t always mean ‘girly’ 💅(Searches for items in Brat-style “slime green” surged 17 per cent in the past two weeks). Are you attuned to the nuances of this new wave? 💚
- The tides have shifted and brands have a lesser say on what’s trending than ever before. Wait for permission to join in, and even then, consider how you can contribute to the conversation without trendjacking.
Fax, No Printer*
For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’
What’s the latest money trend among China’s Gen Z?
A. Revenge saving
B. Revenge sleuthing
C. Revenge spending
Scroll down to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
Regional Round-up
💄 Highlighting the continued purchasing power of Gen M (millennial Muslim consumers), Unilever Ventures just invested US$4M in Jakarta-based vegan and halal beauty brand Esqa. But this brand doesn’t just appeal to Muslim consumers – the emphasis on clean beauty, greater transparency and cruelty-free products resonates with beauty lovers looking to make better choices.
🏓 Malaysia’s athletes will kick off Paris 2024 on the right foot: Sketchers Malaysia is partnering with the country’s Olympic Council. It’s the first time the two have collaborated, and the partnership will outlast the games, with Sketchers pledging to elevate local sports in the long-term (sidenote that dressing athletes is trickier than you might think – the new Olympics kit was widely criticized with Malaysians calling it ‘ugly’). Activations linked to short-term cultural events don’t have to mean limited returns!
🐠 Next, an unexpected partnership: Genshin Impact is partnering with Singapore’s S.E.A. Aquarium, promising an ‘immersive and interactive environment’ that will include a newly-launched character with a watery theme. Surprising anime collaborations are a regular feature in this newsletter (remember WcDonald’s?) and we recently covered the intersection of anime and sports. Is it finally time to consider how your brand can ride this cultural wave?
🍗 From Headspace to online communities, stressed-out Gen Z gravitate towards content that helps them relax. Can that be incorporated into marketing? Yes, says McDonald’s Singapore, who just teamed up with singer-actor Tosh Zhang (AKA Tosh Rock) on an ASMR-style video to promote a new Chicken McCrispy offering. ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) has crept into mainstream content over the last few years, and regularly pop up on food or organization-focused TikToks. Is there a cultural trend your brand has previously overlooked that could add impetus to a new campaign? Bonus points if it taps into a niche genre.
⚠️ ICYMI: Expanding on existing Q&A and polls functionality, Spotify will now allow podcast listeners to leave comments on episodes. The update – along with a new Spotify for Podcasters app – will help creators connect with their audience. These features could go down well in the Philippines, where Spotify has become a content discovery platform and OPM continues to gain traction. Beyond celebrating local culture, how can you help fans connect with the artists creating that culture and each other?
This Week's Trivia Answer
A. Revenge saving
China’s Gen Z are forgoing frivolous purchases and instead focusing on saving money, with some young people setting extreme monthly targets. Along with reverse spending, topics like ‘reverse consumption’ (consciously trying to cut spending) and ‘stingy economy’ are also trending on the country’s social media.
In an interview with CNBC, Christopher Beddor, deputy director for China research at Gavekal Dragonomics commented that “Young people probably sense the same thing that everyone else does: the economy just isn’t doing that well”. According to government data, the unemployment rate among young people is well above the country’s national average.
Young people in Southeast Asia might not be practicing such extreme behavior, but many are concerned about the future and disillusioned that traditional life milestones might be out of their reach. That could lead to more frugal habits – looking for discounts or dupes for example – and result in a demographic that looks to brands to do more to help them realize personal ambitions or shift the narratives around them. How can your brand support young people through these challenges?
🚀 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
