Latest / WOI Unfiltered / The Kit Kat Heist, Cell Phone Bans & Community - Epi. 15
Transcript
- speaker-0: Alright, I just hit record. speaker-1: Wait a second, wait a second, let me grab coffee. Good morning, Jenna. How's it going? speaker-0: Good morning! speaker-1: It is drainy, or drainy. It's dreary and rainy here. Drainy. Drainy because it drains your energy. speaker-0: Yeah, mashup there. It is sunny. It's been sunny here this week, but cold, like cold, Yeah. So I'm hoping, I think it's going to be 60 today. Let's keep our fingers crossed. So warm. A little bit. speaker-1: I hope so. I hope so. speaker-0: Put it out there. Put it out there for you too in Chicago. speaker-1: Well, it's lovely to see your face this morning. I feel as though it's been a hot second since we've potted it up. So it's nice to be back. And I know we're talking about quite a few stories today that we've seen in culture and around the news that on the surface don't really actually seem super related, right? We have a stolen truck full of Kit Kats that happened in Europe. We have restaurants cracking down on cell phone usage, my personal favorite topic of the day, and why more brands are trying to become communities instead of just stores, particularly in the retail space, which is a trend we've been seeing for quite some time. And there's some really good insights around that and the approach, but really what they all underscore is connection, the value of connection and creating community. So that is our feel good pod for the day. and let's get into it. So Jenna, do you want to chat around the KitKat heist? speaker-0: Well, that was, I think that's my favorite because it's just, it's hilarious. okay. So basically, uh, God, I want to say 400,000 KitKats or like 12 tons of KitKats were stolen. 12 tons. Yeah. 12 tons. At the very end of March, March 26th, 27th or so, they were stolen. The news of this started to come out though around April Fools. So. speaker-1: like yeah. speaker-0: First off, in and of itself, that was confusing for consumers. ⁓ I think what was really cool is they basically turned a logistics nightmare into a PR campaign. It was such a great example of culture tapping, news hijacking, opportunistic PR at its best. Now, remember too, KitKat is not a small company. They are owned by Nestle and these behemoth brands do not traditionally move quickly. Like it's just not, there's legal, there's a million different approvals. So the fact that they were able to create something out of this and create conversation and ride the wave was amazing. So let me start at the beginning. So the heist happened. I'm sure there was a scramble in the backend, but within a few days they were able to put up a social post to say, this isn't fake. This actually happened and we want your help consumers with finding it. So then they launched this webpage where it was asking consumers to put in like the, ⁓ what is the number called? I forget what the number is called, but like on the back of your package. Basically, it's essentially, I think it's lot number and something else. It's what you look for. There's like a recall, right? They asked consumers to put it in because they could trace all of that. And they wanted to find what happened. And that created like a groundswell of conversation. But then in addition to that, they just decided to keep it going with some really fun lighthearted socials. So they had a social post of a KitKat truck leaving one of their facilities surrounded by like presidential style security of black SUVs and they had trucks. Um, and it was just, it was so fun to see. It got picked up everywhere. I saw all over the news. was like wave number two of this KitKat heist. Um, it was just a really great execution on what could have been disastrous for them. speaker-1: And I also, you know, I harp on this. It's a big enough brand that people care, right? Where did my KitKat go? Will this be a European KitKat shortage? It created a sense of urgency for fans and consumers around the product. And then it created the community in this tracking, you know, they got it up so quickly in this whole ⁓ tracking device, if you will, that they did online. So everyone sort of felt in on the action, in on the importance of it, in on tracking the KitKats. And that's where the community aspect came into play. So super well done. Very quick work too. speaker-0: The other thing I just want to say on this is when I was searching for it, I noticed that they also launched a slight rebrand to their logo. So if you look, they have a whole campaign out ⁓ with like little people taking a break on their logo to emphasize their tagline. And I don't know what the timing was originally planned for for that launch, but it's really smart to put it on the back of this because people are already searching for their brand and their brand's already in the news. So it just makes. so much sense if they did speed it up or if they did change the timeline. It makes a lot of sense. speaker-1: I think that's a lovely place for KitKat to play. mean, when you think about the hurriedness of your day, your day-to-day life, and sometimes just taking a moment, right? And KitKat's already been, always been there. Give me a break, right? Just recenter and refocus that it's interesting to see where they can lean into that, especially in today's kind of community-driven ⁓ push. I love KitKat's too, and so does my son. It's his favorite candy. speaker-0: Exactly. speaker-1: Good job, Nestle. Now to my favorite topic of today, the banning of cell phone usage in schools. Jenna, I know you have local legislation in the works, as does the Chicagoland area as well, for K through 12. Tell us about it. speaker-0: So I just saw this recently, it popped up as like a news alert and I have not had a lot of time to do a good amount of research, but it looks like the House passed a new bill that basically restricts social media usage for children under the age of 14 and then also has certain restrictions for kids 14 and 15. I think it's like parental approvals are required. And then additionally, It restricts usage of cell phones in schools for kids. ⁓ which as, as parents of kids, of, younger kids, it's always a hot topic, right? I mean, there's the whole wait till eighth, which personally I am trying to do. ⁓ but I know that that's, that's a challenge in and of itself. My eight year old daughter is asking for like a Gizmo watch and all the things. It's all challenging. So I think, ⁓ some of this legislation coming out is. really helpful for us as parents to have kind of that, like not a backbone, but like the support we need in pushing our kids in the direction we want them to go. And Em, I want to talk about that and I want to hear your opinion, but I also want to bring up the topic of the fact that a lot of restaurants are also doubling down on this with new policies. like a hard and fast policy, some gentle nudging, restricting cell phone usage at the table. ⁓ So it's not just the kids that are being kind of put in their place. It's us adults too, who can oftentimes spend a lot of time on the phone during meal time. So yeah, what do you think about all of it? speaker-1: I love it all as someone who would, mean, like technology, it's the best and it's the worst. And I just think that kids can lose some of these very general, get past the adult, get to my friend phone conversations that happened of yesteryear, right? It was at least a little bit of small talk back when we were growing up to be like, hi, Mr. And Mrs. So-and-so, this is Emily calling, how you doing? Is Lydia there? Whatever. And I think that it can be quite tricky for kids to just naturally have those avenues. so similarly, here in Chicago, we've had up and down laws, some that haven't been passed, but always pushing ⁓ for the potential of a real law, especially in schools, from bell to bell, as they would call it, from kindergarten to 12th grade. My big issue when I think about the next phase for my kids. actually, their policy through eighth grade at the school where my kids go is great. Like they put it in their locker, period, end of sentence. But once you get to high school here in the city of Chicago, those rules are all over the map. And for me, it feels as though especially certainly in the classroom, like bar none, but also at lunchtime, there's so many kids that are just heads down looking at their phones instead of having conversations with friends. So it would be really nice to have some kind of rigor around this so that kids don't feel like they have to do the same and therefore shut themselves off at a critical socialization point in their life. Now, if we take it to the restaurant point of view, I love it as well. Think about your own rules, right? When you're at your table with your kids. speaker-0: A no cell phone role at our dinner table. speaker-1: So why shouldn't that apply to restaurants? Now, I don't think that necessarily the rigor has to be so, so crazy. Oftentimes it's in my purse. It's, you know, at the most it's face down on the table, but I very consciously only check it when my date or friend is in the bathroom, just to double check. Is there anything from the babysitter? You know, is there any emergency going on at home? But I love the idea because it's that focused connection. And I think these restaurants have a right. Feel the experience. Dining is such a sensory experience. You want kind of all those senses engaged in what you're doing. So I have zero problem with it. speaker-0: No, I love it. I also think going back to what you said about schools and the lunch room, kids are picking up on the habits we're seeing at home and at restaurants with their families. So if us as parents, if we are checking our phone constantly, maybe like finishing up work during dinner and on our phone, then of course it's telling the kids that that's okay to do at lunchtime. And for the one or two kids that don't have their phones out at lunchtime, it's really to sit there alone and just watch your friends scroll on their phone when you're not. So it does, I think the idea of pulling back on these technologies or society as a whole really makes a lot of sense ⁓ because of like how everything we're seeing in the last couple years about how addictive it is and just how toxic it is. And then my husband recently deleted Instagram because he was finding he was just like compulsively checking his phone, but for no reason. and it was a habit he was getting annoyed about. ⁓ So yeah, I I think it's great to see some of this. I also have seen some conversation about Chromebooks, because I know that a lot of schools moved to Chromebooks. And they're also wonderful, but do kind of breed the same, like, increased screen time. Yeah, same behavior. So I have seen some conversation about schools trying to potentially pull back on that. ⁓ as marketers and as those working through brand PR and we're constantly looking at consumer habits and how a consumer habit is going to impact the work that we're doing because we have to play off the habits to do good work. And so I think that, and this parlay is into the next conversation, but I think if consumer habits start to change for what I would say the better and we start to be a little bit less tethered to these devices, then our brand promotions and campaigns need to change as well because you're not going to catch people in the scroll as much. And know what I mean? And your digital components, while still extremely important, may not be as effective. Like you're going to need to round that out with a different approach that reaches people where they are or where they want to be approached. speaker-1: Yeah, it's an interesting thought. mean, the data still shows four and a half hours a day on average for humans. So I don't necessarily know that that's going to go down as a whole, especially as the new tech generation rises. But maybe it's about intention on time when that actually happens, which would be a nice shift overall. But even if your day part's different, ⁓ you know, mindless TV watching, kind of taking in the day and just checking out. Maybe that becomes more of your moment depending on your brand, ⁓ and where you can insert yourself. But yeah, it's, I don't necessarily see the overall usage going down, but if we can help with the habits of when, and again, the community, the togetherness, the in real likeness of that, then we're gonna, we're probably gonna be happier humans too. speaker-0: Well, and this part lays into our last topic. know that ⁓ research is talking about the fact that almost 90 % of people say that they like being part of like-minded communities. It's the number one driver of emotional connection with a brand. Now, I think that a lot of people have, in the last maybe 20 years or so, with the acceleration of social media, have looked to social media as those communities. I mean, that's where the rise of influencers has come from, right? They're creating these communities that people feel part of, but it has to go beyond that. If people are starting to step away from their phones a little bit, we have to be able to create the communities online and digitally. And again, influencers are a huge part of that, but then also create the communities in a physical space of some sort where people can really go and feel like they belong. And that is something that is kind of becoming more and more present with, I would say, like the wellness lifestyle fashion space these days ⁓ and kind of how they are starting to adapt. So, ⁓ do you want to kick that off and talk a little bit about what we're seeing? speaker-1: Yeah, I I think you're right. And it also goes back to some brands like Ghirardelli, right, that you sort of unexpectedly would have cafes. Starbucks is, I mean, that's an obvious gathering ground. But as you say, the sort of shift into fashion, because they are spaces where these brands can play. So branded spas by Dior. ⁓ Lululemon, they lean deeper into yoga and movement. So their community-based experiences have a lot to do with that movement and developing yoga community. So again, very on brand, almost expected. And in that way, it makes perfect sense. Allo, a brand, ⁓ I really like launched a new wellness club. Kith opened a member's wellness and paddle concept in New York. ⁓ so we're seeing just a lot of. Brands that can play in the space evolving into here, come collect, be like minded, you know, share an experience. It's quite simple. I mean, it's a big lift, certainly for these brands, right? It's a real estate, it's a place to gather, but they're betting on a deeper connection with community and certainly with the brand. So I think it's a really smart plan. speaker-0: was going to say, so Viore, one of my favorite wellness brands has a store five minutes from my house. least once a month, they have a pop-up event they host. just kind of move some of their inventory to the sides and they do things like, you know, yoga, Pilates, all mat classes, obviously. So they're not bringing in a ton of equipment, but they do it obviously before the store opens on like a Sunday morning. And it's such a great way to create. comfort in a space for people. And once you're comfortable in a space, like a shop like that, you're so much more likely not just to buy something there, like after the class, but also to go back in because again, it gives you these feelings of joy and happiness and you've hung out with your friends there. So it's a nice feeling of connection and comfort. And you're so much more likely to then go peruse the racks and buy something from them. speaker-1: I mean, that is huge. That's what brands want, is just to interact with us for more than five seconds. speaker-0: Right. you're looking at the yoga instructor or the Pilates instructor and you're like, ⁓ my God, her outfit is so cute. And then you're like, ⁓ wait, it's from this. speaker-1: I wear those legs. speaker-0: It's just so, it's so smart in so many different ways. And I think that, I mean, we're seeing this in that fashion and wellness space, but it can translate across the board into so many different brands. ⁓ I went into a Jenny Kane store when I was in Charleston a couple months ago. I went to look at a pair of shoes. I forgot that they had furniture. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-0: And I actually, it wasn't even thinking about it. My husband was with me and he was just like lounging on the chair, chit chatting with the girl who worked there. She was offering us drinks and like, I realized we were in a store after, I was like, wait a second, I'm supposed to be shopping. But she was just, she was so inviting, the furniture was so inviting. And then I said something about loving the chair and she was like, ⁓ it's for sale. And I was like, wait, what? So it was, they created this experience where there was no pressure to buy. But also I was more likely to buy because of the experience I had there. I just, think that so many brands can do this right. Now you and I, our bread and butter is in CPG and that's a little more tricky because not a lot of CPG brands have their own physical location. They're more so purchased out of a grocery store, you know, different retailer. But I think the creativity that some of the brands can come up with is limitless and you know, going beyond like a stunty pop-up and looking into how can you create that community and connection is the next evolution of IRL for those types of brands. speaker-1: And I think we said it before is piggybacking on a like-minded space or brand that has the footprint and where you can naturally insert yourself too in more of a partnership-like atmosphere. ⁓ But it's a fun pod today, Jenna, because it is about community. It's about KitKat taking something they had no control over and tapping into culture and making community out of it, right? It's about ⁓ connections with the cell phone policies and maybe, you know, put that connection to the outer world away, even for a little bit of time so that you're more engaged in your present inner world. And then it's about creating that community experience with these fashion brands that are getting really smart about how to engage existing and attract new customers. So ⁓ it's a feel good one today, Jenna. Lots of good stuff out there, isn't there? speaker-0: Fun stuff too, fun opportunities. Okay, so I guess on to our last question. What's our impact? speaker-1: Yeah, so I'm gonna stick on community and kind of acts of service, if you will. I'm so excited because midday today I'm picking up my niece. She's my sister's second daughter, 15 months apart. She's looking at colleges here in the Midwest. So I'm going to pick her up and we're gonna have a fantastic weekend. We're gonna see a Cubs game on Sunday. We're gonna take her to our favorite restaurant. The kids cannot wait to show her around. It's been a few years since she's been in Chicago and we just love her so much. So that's going to be my impact is showing her a fantastic time and then helping her figure out the next step where she's going to spend the ideally next four years of her life. So I'm really looking forward to this week. Yes. Thanks, Jenna. speaker-0: I'm you are a fantastic tour and you are a great experience. she's going to have a blast. Also, while I do hope she ends up going somewhere close to you, her other school she's looking at is Newhouse. Now alum here, if she has any questions, I'm happy to chat with her. speaker-1: If I could weigh it, I would say 90%. She's going to be in New York. speaker-0: Okay, so I guess on my impact, I'm gonna take a note from you ⁓ and talk a little bit about kind of community and connection. We have a very busy weekend. Kids, spring sports and everything starting up. ⁓ But I was really excited because my mom surprised me and showed up at my doorstep, a day and a half ago, I think. And I happened to have the first hour of my morning yesterday was free. I had actually planned to grab coffee with a couple of local friends ⁓ who are just great women to chat with and kind of reground me. They're also entrepreneurs as well. So anyway, I called them though and did a last minute rain check so that I could go out with my mom for an hour because I really feel like I only ever see her with my children and it's pure chaos. ⁓ So it was a nice way to just chit chat and I can affirm that our phones were put away. speaker-1: Jenna, you are already living the right life, girl. We love to hear it. I love it. All right. Well, so family for both of us this weekend. Yay for us. And again, so good seeing you in this format, Jenna. I know I see you in others every single day. And I look forward to next time. speaker-0: Yeah. All right, thanks, um, bye. Bye, everyone. speaker-1: you