Part and Summed Up ☝️ #64
A brand refresh gone wrong, ChatGPT fits, and creator hot takes.
THIS WEEK SUMMED UP
Coca Cola catches smoke, OpenAI merch, and getting real about creator strategy.
THE NEWS
Brand Bust - Coca Cola is catching some heat this week for a visual refresh faux pas. Or, more accurately, it’s catching some smoke. After the iconic soda company unveiled its new look in markets across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, many were quick to point out that the new font showed a striking resemblance to the font for Marlboro cigarettes. One user even remarked that the choice is “the most self-aware thing a sugar company has ever done.”
Merch Madness - OpenAI has a new merch line, and we’re loving Chris Erik Thomas’ piece about it in Highsnobiety. The summary: it "looks like a ChatGPT replication of your favorite streetwear brand's mid-2020s lookbook."
Hungry for more hot takes? Here’s what our Director of Strategy, Leila Wu, had to say about the new fits:
“In addition to wondering why a company that is meant to be on the forefront has such dated fashion sense, I also wonder why a tech company needs to be a fashion company in the first place. Do we need to see your attempt at elevated merch? Do we need another Sporty & Rich? This is rhetorical.
OpenAI Supply Co, Palantir workwear, Anthropic pop-ups, these are companies trying to co-opt culture instead of just being culture. If you build something great, culture finds you. That’s how this is supposed to work. Instead we’re getting Boomer vibes here.”
THE WORK
Fresh off the presses! Our CEO, Jim Babb, was featured in a new editorial piece from Little Black Book: “Creators Are the New Media Channel of Choice. LBB’s Ben Conway interviewed a dozen experts about how creators have evolved from an influencer marketing tactic into a core paid media strategy to build campaigns around.
Jim’s POV on what not to do in this new era: “Many media teams still focus first on reach and CPM, which treats creator content like publishing inventory – which it is and isn’t; it’s more of a cultural unit.” So what should they do instead?
We’ll have more on Share of Culture soon 👀 Sign up for OK COOL’s newsletter to follow along.
Want to help us out? Check out this survey from OK COOL, as they tinker away on their annual trend report. And stay tuned for how we’ll be working together to highlight a few brands that are winning the cultural conversation.
ICYMI