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MSCHF-ication of Marketing and Glamorising the Office
Izzy White
March 15, 2024
Hi!!! Welcome!! This is the a newsletters that has taken the IRL weekly trends briefing, and been transformed into the written word. All this information is a weekly digest of current news, trendy soundbites and sharp insights so that you can quit reading and still sound smart. Gathered from articles, newsletters, reports, and TikTok: It's like Blinkist for culture.
Algorithm References
Marketing taken too far
Highsnobiety released website/concept brand, “SENSE” that they believe is a representation of the “not-so-distant future in which humans (or rather, humanoids) are, in many regards, optimized.” This website however is complicated and convoluted for the sake of a PR, MSCHF style clickbait experience. Hopefully the site actually means something, or maybe it was just their way of spending extra time and money on a proactive website with the target audience being themselves. I hope to be proven wrong with what this website is going to offer the viewer, but right now it’s falling flat.
The Internet Remains Creepy
People seem to reaaally enjoy micro-dosing stalking via the internet. We’ve seen a few versions of this over the years, especially on TikTok, moments such as West Elm Caleb or Couch Guy. And the newest iteration of this is this potential serious, but also might be satirical video of people showing images of people they are into from a distant - some of them even have photos of people through their windows… so weird.
Extra algorithm references that might interest you include- discourse on a new(?) IT girl Tara Yummy, roast culture seems to be enjoyed across all platforms with people asking TikTok ppl “how old do I look”, Dune memes are still memeing, and this cute trend of animals being nosy.
Articles
Reflecting on tried and true frameworks is an important part of progressing an industry. The marketing funnel always felt stiff and awkward to me - it felt like everything I don’t like about marketing, which is that it felt like it wasn’t considering the customer as a person. The article goes on to speak about how Gen Z is growing up with radically different influences, tech and priorities and says they have the data to prove it. While there are great stats in the article, it’s important to recognise that people are bad at self-reporting and this means that the stats can confirm this but when considering the actual behaviours of this cohort it might not be as clear cut as the data wants us to feel. The takeaway from this is for brands to create universes for people, which then leads to community building.
Work Talk
There were at least 6 articles this past week that offered us an insight into modern work culture, and what it’s doing to younger generations. From mental health stagnating careers, how difficult it is to make friends remotely and finally people are unhappy with Gen Z’s casual language at work. Gen Z is officially at the age where they’re in the workplace, and (especially America) want to remind them that the system isn’t at fault but the people. This phenomenon isn’t new, but a good prompt to remain discerning of articles that offer a one-dimensional critique. This newsletter on Dirt about Glamorizing the Office is a nice read that touches on this weird fetishisation of the corporate world.
Speed round of articles which I found interesting this past week - Gen Z is officially old enough to feel old. Feel old yet?, The 2024 Pinterest Wedding Report, Things in Marketing That Always Worry Me. (And Possibly You Too), The people hosting their own ‘living funerals’, and Growing Up Alpha: The Youngest Generation’s Media & Entertainment Habits.
Weekly Question
Thank you for getting this far. I look forward to hanging out with you all next week!