Each week our team comes together to debrief and share key stories and insights from the news cycle. Take a gander below and find out what’s caught our attention this week.
The rising trend of the well-loved British brunch
This week in the Grocer, Ash O’Mahony discusses the growing love for the British brunch, and the momentous influence Sex and the City has had in bringing the brunch culture to the UK. Sex and the City established brunch as one of the most fashionable meals of all time, and this trend has done nothing but grow, especially in recent years with millennials looking to re-create this experience at home. These facts are all important for those that fit into the food & drink industry, as this opens up a whole new market and opportunity to advertise their products as an addition to somebody’s brunch table!
Find out more on The Grocer.
PepsiCo focuses on the sugar-free category
PepsiCo realises that the next stage of their growth is likely to come from the ‘no sugar’ sector. PepsiCo looks to healthier alternatives – which is reflected in their advertising. Their brand; LIFEWTR, is positioned as a premium product in the bottled drinks sector and is currently made out of 50% recycled plastic. As the Advertising Standards Authority tightens up advertising on high fat and sugar products, this looks to be a well-thought-out move by PepsiCo.
Read on The Drum.
Sexist beers not welcome
Camra has banned beers from the 2019 Great British Beer Festival that they deem to be sexist towards women. This includes labels that depict women suggestively, as well as brand or beer names that don’t abide by Camra’s code of conduct on inclusivity and diversity. The bans come amid a wider shift in Adland as the Advertising Standards Authority has begun to crack down on discriminatory practices. This statement from Camra however, is as much about no longer alienating a huge portion of its consumer base as it is compliance. They recently found that 66% of female drinkers don’t buy beers that they see as sexist in any way and quite right, too. For us, it‘s high time the beer industry took a stance on the unnecessary obsession to market products based on archaic notions of masculinity. Maybe in the 1950s that worked a treat but it’s 2019. All sorts of people drink beer and it’s a shrinking percentage who are misogynistic men.
Read about it on Campaign.
Instagram Is hiring a Meme Manager
Instagram is hiring a Strategic Partnerships Manager. Or, as the internet has gleefully termed it, a Meme Manager. It’s been a tumultuous time for Meme creators (AKA content creators) on the platform, with complaints being made about their treatment at the hands of the social media platform, as well as many accounts being permanently suspended for apparently violating Instagram’s terms of service.
And so, these emerging content creating talents’ calls (for a meme liaison) have been answered!
If you make enough noise, they will listen – we’d imagine that the rise of an actual Meme Union has probably helped with the decision to make this new hire. If you’re creating great content and you manage to build an engaged audience, Instagram can be a powerful tool of communication. Whether you’re a fan of memes or not, this recent move from Instagram shows that the creators of these little digital nuggets are to be taken seriously.
Read more with Paper Magazine.
PLT jump(suit) on the viral trend
After someone spilled red wine on a race go-er’s all white outfit at Ripon Races, you might have thought that’d be an early end to the women’s day out. However, with a bit of quick thinking and another couple of glasses of red wine, the resulting look went viral, with news outlets calling it a ‘genius hack’. Quick off the mark, fashion retailers Pretty Little Thing, who are responsible for producing the original jumpsuit, have not only created a tutorial to show you how to create your own at home, but have produced a wine inspired tie-dye jumpsuit that you can purchase for £25. Community management at its finest… and quickest!
Read more via Glamour.