Latest / WOI Unfiltered / BONUS Epi - A Second Look at America 250 + World Cup
Transcript
- speaker-0: Alright I just hit record. speaker-1: Wait a second, wait a second, let me grab coffee. speaker-0: Hello, hello. How are you? Happy I don't know what day it is. It's summer, Emily. It's summer and Exactly. It feels like summer in the best and most chaotic way ever. speaker-1: How you doing Jam? That's right. That's right. Yeah. I mean, we're still riding the culture wave around here. It's been a fun summer. I mean, there's something to watch at all times. I love that aspect of this World Cup that's upon us. I I think, you know, North America's doing a good job showcasing itself, which is exciting. America's two fifty coming up real, real soon. so we're seeing a lot of cool stuff in the ether. speaker-0: I feel like our world right now is and when I say our world I mean like in the comms marketing space is like Cannes, which is happening this week. America two fifty 'cause Fourth of July is coming up and then World Cup. And I feel like that is like that's all the things that are happening. speaker-1: Yeah. And that's all really good news. speaker-0: I was gonna say, we're gonna hold can because I know we have a lot of clients and partners and friends and old colleagues who are there right now. But let's talk about that afterward and do like a little rundown of who kind of swept there. Yeah. who cleaned up, what campaigns won. and maybe we can take a look at I so I know we've talked a little bit about both World Cup and sports and two fifty in past episodes, but given that it's summer and This is what we're gonna talk about today. speaker-1: It's really all there is to talk about. It's all consuming. All media consuming. speaker-0: No, I know. So two fifty. I I wanna start there and just chat a little bit about kind of what is popping. Johnston Johnson just announced that they're a national sponsor. That was well, I shouldn't say just. It was a few weeks ago, but they announced that they're a national sponsor of two fifty. there was a time capsule generated, which Created like a fresh wave of earned media coverage. Did you see that? speaker-1: I did I saw a little bit about it, but does anyone know what's in the time capsule, for example? speaker-0: looked really cool. There were like artifacts and state contributions, various elements of symbolism. It's a really cool idea to do that and then to see kind of where things led out in another two hundred and fifty years. speaker-1: my gosh, Jenna. Is that when they're saying they're gonna unearth it? I'm worried we're gonna be here. It's like will humanity be here by then? speaker-0: Just what I said. My God. No, actually I'm lying. It is when they said they would dig it up. So Wow. Swear for real. Yeah. It's in Philadelphia and it's being buried on the fourth of July this year. and it's set to be dug up in two hundred and fifty years. So unfortunately. speaker-1: They're okay. If I was responsible for that in any way, even to pass a baton, it would completely not happen. I've made digital time capsules where by now I have forgotten all the passwords, et cetera. So mostly for our kids. But again, it's it is if you've ever been on the other end of it, I'm sure in grade school, it is kind of cool to it's it's so of the moment. speaker-0: It's crazy. It's a 900 pound cylinder. I mean, there is something so fascinating about that. you know, and it's like your mind can't quite comprehend it not being open for two hundred and fifty years. Well speaker-1: I just looked up what is in there. So there's some national items, like a pocket US constitution. Let's see. It contains two hundred artifacts representing all fifty states and DC and US territories, the three branches of government and everyday Americans. So buried this coming July fourth reopened in two thousand two hundred and seventy-six. That is nuts. Yes. But one of the things is like a crystal from the twenty twenty-six Times Square New Year's Eve ball, an iconic moment in time. Everybody tunes in to the ball drop, right? So that actually makes a lot of sense. Brands getting in on it, a message in a bottle from Coca-Cola. That's pretty cool for the brand. a rose parade American flag. And then, like you said, Jenna, all the things from from states. So a whalebone from man. Wow. Pretty cool. speaker-0: Yeah, was gonna say we could go down the list and could talk about it for quite a while, but we'll share something on social that shows a little bit of a recap of it. But it's it's pretty cool. So Yeah. I feel like anything else we're gonna talk about on two fifty is definitely not going to be as cool, but there are a good amount of brands that are continuing to activate. I think everything will culminate around the fourth of July, so speaker-1: Okay. That's it. speaker-0: Very excited to see what that looks like. And of course, we mentioned before there will be block parties happening and all of that good stuff. So I cannot believe the Fourth of July is coming up so soon. Let's flip over to sports for a second, because sports has been going crazy lately. Obviously, there was everything that happened with the Knicks, right? That was huge. There was the parade after the fact. It was in every news outlet. Taylor Swift was there. Just so much excitement and I just feel like in general people are coming together around sports lately, which is really a wonderful speaker-1: Stanley Cup happened. the the Panthers won. There are speaker-0: Are a bunch of all-star games coming up too. Yeah. but if we go back to the World Cup for a few minutes. So first off, I will say Brian did go to a game. He loved it. He said it was amazing. he did say that so he went to a game in Boston and Fancast was there, sponsored by Mick Ultra. I thought it was really cool. The other thing that happened in Boston, which was national news. Was we ran out of beer. So it was every day. But basically the bars in Boston ran out of beer. The Scots came and they liked to drink and we were not prepared enough. which was hilarious. so one of our clients, Palaner, we had reached out to them and said, Hey, can we do anything real quick to get an influx of of beer in the area? Yeah, on the market. But un In the market, yeah. Unfortunately, I will say that Heineken beat us to it. this is culture tapping one one, right? speaker-1: They did a nice job. They were fast. Yeah. speaker-0: Fast. They created a really nice fun piece of content. and they replenished stock. Now speaker-1: And they they're a beer sponsor of the World Cup too, so it made very natural sense as well. but kudos to the brands who can turn it around so quickly, capture the content and push it out. It was a it was a really Yeah. speaker-0: Yeah, Boston is saved, and now every other city knows. Be prepared. speaker-1: Good. Yes, Boston is saved. yeah, the other piece is Freddie the German, who is simply documenting his World Cup experience on X. And he, you know, is kind of just doing the very basic Americana. And I think that's what has turned the heads of brands and personalities to project how can I uptick this this guy's experience and and get in the game. Which is a really nice showing and showcase of American hospitality, I think. He had posted about Bucky's, which is a southern kind of gas station on steroids that came into my ether because my niece goes to Tennessee. So a big part of that road trip, dropping her off a year ago, was like stopping at a Bucky's, checking it out. And apparently it totally delivered. It also delivered for for Freddie, the German. but a ton of Brands are kind of jumping into the game to make his experience really fun. They tourism boards as well, depending on where he's going next. I think the latest is Vegas really wants him to come and enjoy the city that never sleeps. JJ Watt got in on the game as well to make some kind of a primo experience for him. And he's he's simply a German soccer fan who's documenting his travels. Made it to Canada, we'll come back to your neck of the woods, Jenna, too, later in the month. Yeah, come to Boston. I should just say. speaker-0: I like I have to just say I cannot it's crazy how this stuff happens. Like sometimes, especially having been in this space for 20 years, when something like this takes off, I'm just like, how? How does this happen? And it it it makes almost no sense. This random German guy just posted about Bucky's and now it's like everything's going crazy, but it's It's got the old, like the classic snowball effect where, you know, one brand jumped on it and then somebody else was like, this is cool, and then another brand jumped on it. And now that I mean, we were talking to a client this morning about jumping on it. I will not mention the client's name, but w we might have a client jumping on it. Like it's it's one of those things where it's just like it just snowballs and speaker-1: Well and he was really plucked from obscurity. speaker-0: But that's what mean. Like, how cool to be Freddy. To to have done really nothing to create this and now, like, this is life changing for him. Like, that's so awesome. speaker-1: I do wonder if it was JJ Watts involved in giving him this Houston hospitality experience, right? Because you have this celebrity attaching to the everyman who's enjoying his visit to America and sort of that star power makes the other rise, and therefore everyone wants in on the action. But it it can be any golden carrot in situations like this. And it's fun. Someone genuinely enjoying the hospitality of America and just documenting it. No agenda. and then and people are trying to rise to that occasion for him and keep that pipeline full and exciting for him. I think it's it's really cool. It's a real feel good one. speaker-0: So feel good. And it's just so it's so fun. And I hope brands continue to do this. I I mean like this is a the ride of a lifetime for him. And I'm sure it was already going to be going to all of these different games. So I j I think it's awesome. And I'm really excited to see who else jumps on for him and that's out. And then if Freddie becomes an icon after the fact, like you know, maybe brands partner with him after that. Exactly. speaker-1: Yeah. Be an ambassador for sure. And a genuine ambassador. Yeah. speaker-0: That. All right, well, I know we're keeping it tight today, but the other thing in the sports world that I just was I fell in love with, I saw it over the weekend. So Wimbledon has an activation in Central Park happening in late June. And they have brought their grass courts to Central Park. They're hosting a tournament there, but then it's also open to the public. for like a very specific amount of time. I'm sure there are lots of rules and regulations about booking it. This was not executed in what I would say was an earn-first lens, right? It wasn't it didn't have a hard earned media push. They did a lot with local New York media to get attention, probably so that they could ensure that the court was booked, like fully, right? And to get New Yorkers to come and attend and interact. I haven't seen a ton of national media around it, but it just it looks so cool. They're bringing what I would call almost like the full Wimbledon experience there with the strawberries and cream and the the whole thing is coming to New York and it's for like, I think almost only a couple of days. I would imagine that they're gonna shoot a good amount of content that can be shared after the fact and socialized after the fact. so I'm really excited to see it. I think it's a really awesome experience for New Yorkers to have and of course gets Americans more into Wimbledon versus just like the US Open. speaker-1: Yeah, I think they've done a really nice job of inserting themselves in this soccer heavy moment by doing this. Woman Rink is a really great site for takeovers. I remember when they installed a ton of pickleball courts one summer there in Central Park when pickleball was sort of a a crazen at its height. So it's it's going to be a showpiece for sure. And it it it's on the tip of your tongue at a time when You are talking about the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, and the World Cup, which is gonna continue for several more weeks. So I think it's it was a smart play. and they're doing it in the right spot. And it it makes me excited for Wimbledon now too, which I I probably would have forgotten about, to be honest. speaker-0: And that's the thing, right? Is like the US Open has become such a cultural event, right? It's so far beyond just a sport, i in the same way that the World Cup is, except for You have you been to the I went once, years and years and years ago. Yes. speaker-1: Yes. It's awesome. It's such a cool experience. Yeah. speaker-0: And I would love to go back. I'm sure I will at some point. But yeah, it's really cool. So I I agree. I think it's drawing attention and being like, hey, don't forget about us. Like we're I think that that's really cool. So let's move on to ask each other the question that we asked. speaker-1: So Jenna, this week in in our very sports heavy conversation, what is your impact and can I lead you to some exciting traction in the world of sportball? speaker-0: That so you guessed it. I what was going to take the cake for me was that we were able to secure our sports client a piece in Forbes. It just came out today. I am so excited. It is such a huge win for this client. they have just this year really started to break into the US and we are continuing on the journey with them. We love them. we've talked about them before, but to To land them a piece in Forbes is a really big accomplishment for our team. and you know, it's something that they'll be really excited about. So honestly, that is that's the impact. And I think no better time than right now with everything happening in sports and people being so attuned to sports for for them to get a big placement like this. So very excited for that. speaker-1: Amazing. Congrats. Congrats to the team. It's so good. for mine today, I'm going to take a page from being an ambassador in a different country. my daughter went to Spain and she is almost finished with the trip and she is just loving it. It's one of the first times she has been able to experience a a global culture, and I will be meeting her. tomorrow, taking a nighttime flight and d I just wanna soak it all up. Yeah, just giving giving her the opportunity to be able to do that through a school trip. I I it just couldn't have turned out any more fabulously in in my wildest dreams. So that's been really cool to see all of her documented adventures through the adults on the trip and whatnot. So we'll we'll continue carrying that flag through the weekend by being tourists in a very different country, just like Freddie is in ours. speaker-0: Have most amazing time and also try to make Rosie into the next Freddie. That's that's my goal is speaker-1: Yeah, speaker-0: Alright, well thank you so much for the chat today. I am gonna be watching many more World Cup games before it ends and have the best trip. Thanks, have a good one. Bye John