Latest / WOI Unfiltered / Culture Tapping & America's 250 - Epi 19
Transcript
- speaker-0: Alright ⁓ I just hit record. speaker-1: Wait a second, wait a second, let me grab coffee. Jenna speaker-0: Hi. How's it going today? speaker-1: Pretty good. Sun's out. speaker-0: Here too. Except for I think it's supposed to rain for like twenty-four hours or so. So yeah. That'll be fun. speaker-1: We're probably looking at that too, sadly. But ⁓ how's your May Sumber going? speaker-0: Crazy. So my kids finish school at the end of June. So May is insane, but it just kind of carries into mid June until they're actually done. There's just like activity, activity and volunteer and all that, you know? How is yours? Because yours kids finish at the beginning of June, right? June? speaker-1: Fifth is their last day, so we're coming up on it. ⁓ it's it doesn't feel as awful. I'm winding down on some things. Teachers appreciation week will be finished, and the big party we usually have every year is no more. So that is like basically planning a wedding every year. And frankly, we don't do it this year, which is a little sad, but also I was speaker-0: Are you ex how do you feel about that? Because I feel like that I just from what you've told me over the years, it just seems so cool and is so unique. speaker-1: It's very Baltimore came to Chicago. ⁓ I think our friends really looked forward to it and we really enjoyed planning it. But last year, for some reason, we like the four of us who host it, ⁓ me, Jake, and our neighbors, had this weird change of heart of like, wow, that was a lot of work. And we kept feeling like we were topping ourselves. That's a weird game to play, right? And you know, I Maybe in a couple of years we'll just go back to something chill, the backyard barbecue. But it got to be a little intense and I'm pretty happy that this year of all years is is not on the docket. speaker-0: No, that's nice. It would have been a little challenging. It's funny that you mentioned that 'cause I was just chatting with a girlfriend yesterday afternoon actually and we were trying to get a dinner on the books with four of us. Like nothing nothing big, just casual dinner and just everyone's schedules are a little crazy and ⁓ we had something on the books and then something popped up. Yes. It's a neigh a a group of ladies in my neighborhood and we're like, Should we just grab drinks like after school one day when the kids are playing in the yard and just like really go casual because we obviously can't get ourselves together for anything more? Well, never know. speaker-1: Is it gonna happen? speaker-0: I think so. I think it's just gonna be like a Yeah, I mean, we typically end up in each other's yards anyway. So it's just a little bit more of like, you know, let's hang out and really let the kid be feral. speaker-1: Well sometimes it's funny an an ⁓ ad hoc invite can be so much more successful than a plan ahead invite. I I find in my life, right? Let's go tonight and you're like, ⁓ my gosh, I actually can, let's do it. Versus the one that gets pick ponged. I'm with you. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. I think let's jump in because actually our topic today is fun. I'm excited about it. We're talking about brands culture tapping. And culture tapping is something that is just inherent in our vocabulary for work. But to back up for anyone listening, so when we say culture tapping, we really mean brands jumping onto something that's happening in the ethos with. whoever their audience is. So like Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, or everybody, if it's just like a phenomenon happening. Yeah. ⁓ to go way back, just to use an example that I think everyone is is familiar with, is the ice bucket challenge, right? Like you remember that. Like that just happened. It took off and it was a moment that brands could culture tap. Yeah. So we're we you see it all the time really. And I think sometimes you just don't realize that you're seeing it. But it's fun to take a look at. It's for those in communications and PR, I feel like it's kind of that magic moment, the unicorn when you're able to effectively culture tap and jump onto something and generate conversation. That's what you want. And it's not necessarily always the big thing. It can be a quick hit. That said, the campaigns we're gonna talk about today, most of them are a little bit more planned. And that's okay too. If you know something's happening and either like The World Cup, right? We knew the World Cup was coming up. Or the Olympics. There's those things too that you can take a little longer and plan for. speaker-1: Yeah, and I will say it's universally appealing. It's generationally agnostic, I think, on both sides of what we'll talk about today. So the first is a really fun one in Dunkin' Donuts summer drink menu. ⁓ I I think we talk about Dunkin' a decent share here, Jenna, on this podcast, but they have taken the dirty soda trend to the next level. Late April, they announced ⁓ some fun new drinks and dirty sodas. Which were really viral in twenty twenty five thanks to Utah dirty soda culture. Jenna, a little bit of background on this that they've actually been around since twenty ten. ⁓ really. speaker-0: Yes. Wait, can you tell everyone what a dirty soda is? Because to be honest with you, I actually didn't know what it was. I missed some of this trend until Duncan came out with this. speaker-1: Okay, very fair. And of course, Duncan's in your northeastern backyard. ⁓ but really 2010, Utah, ⁓ the Jesus Christ Church of Latter-day Saints, they abstained from alcohol. And so obviously there's a huge community out there in Utah and Salt Lake, and so this beverage was invented, which I think in its purest form is a flavored syrup, a soda. Like a Dr. Pepper, a Sprite, a Coke, something along those lines. Lime and coffee creamer. Now there are a lot of spinoffs and I but I'm pretty sure those are the four ingredients that that marked the early dirt dirty sodas of 2010. I guess you're not hard pressed to find them in Utah. Apparently there's, you know, there's actually places that specialize. speaker-0: ⁓ that's like a restaurant or something. speaker-1: Yeah, like a quick serve, exactly. Soda shops, that kind of thing, which is kind of cool. ⁓ and so then I guess fast forward to ⁓ 2025 when we culturally saw it take off because of TikTok and the virality of making dirty sodas online. And it was really fun content. If you just hashtag dirty soda on TikTok, you'll find just a lot of fun ASMR, ⁓ Hilarious personalities at it, taste testing, et cetera. And so the cool thing about Duncan jumping on this trend is that they're not super late with it. And frankly, it's not the whole thing. They're also announcing a handful of other summer beverages, and they're gonna do another drop in early June for even more beverages in the lineup. So they're making themselves very relevant in the early part of this summer when you're looking for a refresher or maybe to try a dirty soda. and they're actually getting really quality earned media coverage, the likes of food and wine, for example. However, what I will say is the r virality on social media these days is is really kang. speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah. So like I said, I didn't know about dirty soda, saw this announcement and I was like, wait, what? My first thought actually being in Boston and Duncan being a Boston company was the idea of the dirty water. ⁓ speaker-1: ⁓ god. ⁓ speaker-0: Wait, what is this thing? No relation, luckily. but then I did look into it and I saw the, like you said, the different recipes, the different ingredients, how to make it, as well as the fact that it obviously was a a trend last year. Very hot on TikTok. ⁓ I think that this is so cool because it fits so well with what Duncan has done in the last few years. speaker-1: No relation. speaker-0: Their refresher line and the fact that they come out with these new drinks most of the time in the spring summer, for for the summer, like these refreshers, people have started to count on them and they've become more of a thing. And they've done a really nice job with paid placements as well. Like I they've paid a couple different podcast hosts to talk about them. And it's not just a reader ad, which that's not engaging. It is actually the hosts like going, getting their drink. talking about their drink over and over again. And it makes you want to go out and buy one of those. So so first off, just kudos to Duncan on the way that they're doing their advertising here, because it is, they're hijacking more so than just the traditional ads. ⁓ but then also coming out with a drink like this that is unique and fun and of the moment. It raises that attention, but as you said, it's with the rest of their refreshers line. So if it flops, it flops, no harm done. I'm sure, you know. Not not a not a big deal. ⁓ but also if it doesn't flop, if it makes it, like that's great. That's really cool. It's a different drink. I actually feel like this is probably a drink my kids would want to try. I haven't let them have soda yet, but pretty sure speaker-1: It's a free slope. yeah, no, I and I think you hit on something in terms of unlocking the consumer curiosity. Duncans are omnipresent, believe it or not, even outside of New England. It's like a six dollar commitment. I mean, we all know coffee drinks and refresh refresher drinks these days are pricey, but you know, the the barrier for entry is low. ⁓ and and I agree, Jenna, I'll probably try one at some point. And I'm sure my kids will want to also. speaker-0: Well, it also has that ⁓ we talked about this, ⁓ gosh, a while ago. We were working on a a new biz pitch and there's something about like that special drink that you hold in the summer when you're on the beach or like playing miniature golf or we're out and about. There's like it's like a statement drink and Starbucks has done a great job with this. I think it started with their pink drink and now they have more too. But Dunks is right there with statement drinks too. And it is, it's a fun, almost like an accessory when you're out and about. So I'm I'm curious to see if it if it actually is successful, but I it's a fun, a fun way for them to jump into a cultural trend. speaker-1: I I agree. And parting thought is like even if it's not commercially successful, I think they got the job done on the marketing front. speaker-0: Yeah, I agree. Okay, moving on from dunks. The other thing that we really want to talk about today is America's 250th anniversary. We've known it's coming. This is one of those things like the World Cup or the Olympics. You know it's on the horizon. ⁓ but we started to see some movement and some action from the sponsors. So, first off, I I was perusing the 250 website earlier today. It's America250.org. And they have some cool stuff on there. They have this idea of creating the largest block party ⁓ over July 3rd and 4th, which they have more of like a giving back campaign. They also have ⁓ something for volunteer service. So it's a fun website to just to take a look at. The interesting thing, and I I do I'm not surprised by this at all, but I had not seen much coverage just from America250.org and what they're doing. Even though what they're doing, I think is great. Where we started to see coverage is from the sponsors. speaker-1: Which I think is a really smart aspect, like an official sponsorship of this thing, because they might know that is how they're gonna see the coverage and the conversation, right? And some things are doing it fairly well. speaker-0: Yeah. Of course. ⁓ so the first one that we saw that I think it just it's it's like, duh, of course this would happen. Kraft Heinz has a sponsorship. Now, when you think of Kraft Heinz, I think you immediately think of barbecuing and grilling. You immediately think of some of their products. I always have Kraft Heinz products in my house. My kids refuse to eat any other ketchup. I have purchased other ketchup and been yelled at before. It is just not an option in our house. So they actually are doing the United Tastes of America. I believe I saw that it's their largest ever portfolio campaign, which is really cool. But again, it makes so much sense, right? It's just like, of course they would be a huge sponsor of this. And of course they would have a portfolio campaign. If there's though, what I saw right now was a lot of just packaging updates and changes, couple product adjustments, things like that. Which are fun and again make a lot of sense. I haven't seen anything really kind of cool and cutting edge in terms of campaign. Mm-hmm. D have you seen anything pop up there from them? speaker-1: Not yet. I know they've recently announced it and it's been a lot of trade coverage, grocery food, ⁓ that that sort of thing, marketing trade, of course, because it makes so much sense. But I believe they are gonna sponsor some grassroots block parties and such. However, time will tell as we get closer where they show up. I would think a creator led campaign would make a ton of sense here as well. speaker-0: I would love to see that. I'm hoping we do. I speaker-1: Absolutely. Yeah. Well, and I think that this is a good opportunity to pivot to Coca-Cola, another big brand that is an official sponsor of America's 250th, right? ⁓ so they are doing really cool things with packaging, tapping into the national ether of pride, ⁓ being proud to be an American. They released a three-minute piece of anthematic hero content that when you watch it, you You could probably get a tear in your eye, depending on what kind of mood you bring to to watching it. speaker-0: Well, wait a second. ⁓ we have to say this. Yes. It's a fun piece too. Like I encourage you to go check the culture. I listened to the first I don't know, within the first few seconds I was like, ooh, I'm gonna dance. This is fun. I like that. speaker-1: Yeah. It's it's an updated rendition of if I can buy the world a coke. So again, leaning in on their own tread and true nostalgia and brand equity. It's a beautiful snapshot of the landscapes all around America, the different ⁓ cultural experiences all around America. I immediately felt excited by it because the corn cob buildings were in it that are ⁓ river riverfront here in Chicago, pretty iconic, and you're like, ⁓ yeah. That's me. That's where I belong. Yeah. ⁓ and I think a lot of people will get the same feeling when they watch it. No doubt that will be cut and delivered in many different formats for folks. ⁓ and then the backup is these amazing cams that have the state abbreviations on them. ⁓ some have been circulating. I'm sure you've seen some, Jenna. And Again, with consumer curiosity, you kind of want to be in on the hunt. I would love to find an MD one out there, for example. Or of course an IL. speaker-0: They also have some other cool things that are happening that we'll be rolling out. So they you'll see this come through other events that they sponsor. It'll be at NASCAR, GA things like that. But then and they also have ⁓ committed to supporting the volunteer efforts. There's this goal of I think it's like two hundred and fifty thousand volunteer hours. They they've committed this but they have something else called Paint the Nation. And this is supporting local artists. It's a large scale public art initiative. I'm excited to see that coming to life because that is also content that you could see really going viral. And I think that could be really cool and sticky content for sure. speaker-1: Highly visual. Yeah. ⁓ which can we pivot to the last one? Because this is this is fun, the Ralph Lauren stamps. speaker-0: I'm obsessed with this one. speaker-1: Obsessed. It's Ralph Lauren, such a heritage American brand anyway. So the right to play in the space is is there. The nostalgia, they partnered ⁓ with USPS, the the United States Postal Service, making them very relevant. And again, talking again about highly visual. ⁓ they've launched a line of I think 13 or so beautiful stamps ⁓ that showcase the American landscape. Really strong coverage, USA Today, People magazine. There's a little piece of content kind of showing the design and the printing process. That's very shareable content. just a a phenomenal job done by two heritage brands, truly. speaker-0: Yeah. I think the cool thing here is it's the first time they've actually had an individual curate this complete stamp issuance, which is is just very different. And who better than Ralph Lauren to do so? ⁓ and it's so I said to you when we were talking about it before, I was like, I want to go buy them. Of course, I everyone needs stamps. I do as well. I want to see what these look like. I want to go buy them. I think the through line with these three brands that we just talked about are there's they're so iconically American, all of them. And so and they're all pretty attainable for anyone in the States, right? And anyone can go buy a Coke, buy a bottle of ketchup, get a pack of stamps. Like they're very attainable and approachable for people. And I think that inclusive nature is really nice given where we stand right now as a country. Couple others that we saw, just kind of like quick hits. ⁓ Jeep Wrangler came out with a new Captain America two fifty Jeep. And looks cool and fun. That is obviously not attainable for everyone. But fun. Jeep's parent company is another large scale sponsor of America two fifty. ⁓ and then we also saw Amtrak Wrapped Train. Yeah. Now this one's interesting. I am track walk wrapped train. I saw some coverage on the Today Show. It I I don't know. It made me think a little bit. So here's what I'm gonna say. The gold standard in our industry used to be front page of New York Times, front page of Wall Street Journal, right? And then things shifted to a digital world, and that was no longer necessarily the gold standard. Then we've seen more and more. The gold standard is our client saying, I want to get on the today show. I want to get on GMA. And we often push back saying, Hey, if you want really quality coverage there, you need to have more of that like social media moment. You need to kind of get a bunch of other coverage going. That is where I see more impactful content happening on a today show or a GMA. That said, there's definitely still the opportunity to get on a today show or a GMA. And you see it sometimes with these larger campaigns like the Amtrak one that not only has a huge brand involved, but also has the power of the government behind it. They had the US ⁓ I think it was Secretary of Transportation on on the on the clip as well. So you know, it was it was more multifaceted. It wasn't just a one and done thing. It was definitely speaker-1: Hundred percent nationally appealing too. I mean, that's that is a huge piece of it as well in terms of the hook. speaker-0: I think it's cool. Like it'll be cool to spot the ki the train. My my kids would think it was cool to spot the train, right? I would too. ⁓ I'm curious if Amtrak does anything else beyond that. Anything with like s they had fourth grade kids who are waiting to board the train on that piece. So I'm wondering if they do anything with classrooms or kids or anything else more engaging. That would be really fun to see. speaker-1: Yeah. Well time will tell. It's coming up this fourth of July. Happy two fiftieth, Jenna. ⁓ okay, so last question. What has been our impact this week? speaker-0: Okay, so I'm gonna stick with us talking about media coverage a little bit. We have had a couple big client wins this week, and they've stemmed from local media coverage. So we have strategically gone out for local media coverage for a few client announcements. And what we see more and more is if the story's right and if you place it in the right local media outlet, it can have it can be syndicated to a larger publication. ⁓ and so that's what happened in two different instances with two different clients and it causes a piece of coverage, which traditionally would be like, ⁓ yeah, that's great, but doesn't reach far and wide, to go to the masses. And that's really exciting for our clients. It means we're doing our jobs well for them, we're being strategic and saying, We're not gonna outright go for USA today, but we're gonna go for these other publications because you have a high likelihood of getting in USA today for that. And that's just an example. ⁓ But yeah, that's that's been really fun to see. Our clients are really pleased with it and we feel proud of the work. speaker-1: Absolutely. Back to the bread and butter of what we do. It it still sparks joy to see that kind of coverage all these years later. I'm not gonna put a number on it, but it is it's the best part of the gig. speaker-0: Yeah. I love seeing a piece of coverage go far and wide. It is really exciting and yeah, it's fun. I f I feel like we're still little children. Like when when that happens and I'm messaging on teams like, Bayes, did you see this? This is so exciting. speaker-1: You're right. Without yeah. Yep. You got it, Jonathan. speaker-0: But yeah. So that is our impact. All right. ⁓ well, thank you. I am sure we will talk soon, but this was a fun one. speaker-1: Bye Jenna. ⁓