oh my DOT | Connecting the Dots #92

Pop

This week, McDonald’s paid tribute to its existence in anime. A “WcDonald’s” pop-up shop has opened in L.A. Since the early 1980s, the brand has appeared in anime countless times, each time using reversals of the golden arches to avoid copyright infringement. McDonald’s took notice and turned this phenomenon to their advantage. This kind of engagement with pop culture is exactly what we like to see. I applaud.

Marketing and media

#1 The Academy Awards surpassed a four-year peak in viewership with more than 19.5 million viewers, thanks to interest in “Barbenheimer” and an earlier start.

#2 Warc on retail media. Retail media combines branding with sales. It leverages changes in advertising and digital advances to drive high ROI through targeted ads and measurable influences, online and in stores.

#3 What happened to Twitch? Remember how it was supposed to be a revolution in video content? Today, Twitch is struggling with profitability and audience growth, facing layoffs and reduced revenue for creators. Critics question Amazon’s commitment to a platform that has failed to compete effectively with other networks.

#4 Sheconomy trend report from Yelp. In 2023, which has been declared the “Year Of A Girl”, we saw a big growth in the economy, driven by women (the number of women-owned companies grew by 17%). A report from Yelp showed how much influence women have in creating new waves.

#5 New report on Gen Z from Vogue. How many reports on Gen Z are too many? However, you’ll really find some useful and inspiring stuff in this one.

#6 RIP Apple car. Apple has cancelled its “Project Titan” electric car project and is now focusing on generative AI.

Life

#1 Race and occupation. Approximately 22 percent of physicians in the United States come from Asia, but Asians make up only 6 percent of the total U.S. working population.

#2 AirBnB has (finally) banned indoor cameras.

#3 Local music is significantly more popular in streams than you’d expect. Streaming music in Europe is now the domain of local artists, reflecting the trend of “glocalization” where consumers prefer local content. This makes me happy.

#4 What would happen if we didn’t have a leap year? CNN has created a fun page where the topic is brilliantly explained.

#5 The Willy Wonka Glasgow Experience has been recreated in Fortnite as the “Jonesy’s Chocolate Factory Experience” by ImSachiko. This version satirizes the original using elements such as crying children and a sad Oompa Loompa. The experience captures the essence of this infamous event. For the curious, the island code is 7154-1304-0948.

With love
P.