LSN : Daily Signals : TED Talks embraces audio-only engagement

Art museums are porn again

Classic Nudes by Pornhub, US and Global

US and Global – As global museums and cultural sites begin to welcome visitors back to their venues, adult media site Pornhub is connecting with audiences through its novel erotic art guide, Classic Nudes. The interactive site highlights an array of intimate artworks on show at six famous museums from The Louvre in France to The Uffizi Gallery in Italy.

To take part in the experience, users can follow a digital map, locate various pieces of art, and listen, read or watch content relating to historical details. The campaign also features a promotional video narrated by Hungarian-Italian artist and pornography legend Cicciolina.

With porn usage spiking in the early months of the pandemic, Pornhub is seizing a cultural opportunity to bolster brand loyalty with digitally native audiences beyond its main platform. This take on Post-modern Museums allows the brand to expand on its efforts to be an educational yet playful source of inspiration.

Strategic Opportunity

To engage with audiences who are beginning to re-embrace physical experiences, the leisure and hospitality sector should use unexpected collaborations with popular online sources.

Ballyhoo rebalances high price hype

Ballyhoo, US

US – Spotlighting the wasteful nature of product hype in the fashion and luxury sectors, apparel brand Ballyhoo is providing an alternative model through its anti-ostentatious garments. It seeks to cut through marketing buzzwords and introduce a dialogue about over-priced products that are desired due to having a sought-after label.

Prompting customers to question why they might be willing to pay large sums for branded clothing, Ballyhoo is launching a range of t-shirts priced from £0.72 ($0.99, €0.84) to £730 ($1,000, €849) with 100 editions of each price label. All t-shirts produced are limited-edition pieces made from high-quality organic cotton, with the only difference being the price displayed on each logo. This allows customers to showcase how much they’ve spent on a Ballyhoo t-shirt, reflecting the brand’s tagline: ‘Are we buying fuss or fabrics?’

And with the brand noting that its cheaper t-shirts sold out first, people are evidently happy to pay less for this anti-hype proposition. Through this approach, the brand echoes the consumer mindset shifts that are re-imagining hype.

Strategic Opportunity

Looking ahead, luxury brands must re-evaluate pricing decisions and opt for product lines that hold value beyond superficial brand clout and marketing buzz

TED Talks embraces audio-only engagement

US – The ideas-sharing network is teaming up with social audio platform Clubhouse on an exclusive line-up of programming. Tuning into the recent rise in audio-based interactivity, TED Talks is diversifying its offering beyond real-life video content to reach audiences in new ways.

Through this partnership, TED thought-leaders will host talks in a series of virtual rooms as part of its official Clubhouse Club. Presenting a diverse array of discussions, speakers will have the opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas with Clubhouse’s global community. ‘When ideas and people come together to engage and debate, that’s when the real impact happens,’ comments Carla Zanoni, director of audience development at TED.

By expanding its service, TED is responding to growing interest in Connective Audio experiences. Particularly at a time when people are feeling disconnected from a lack of in-person events, such initiatives will appeal to the need for engagement and stimulation beyond passive listening.

Clubhouse, US

Strategic Opportunity

To maintain interest in audio-based platforms post-pandemic, brands and publishers need to encourage exclusive experiences that audiences are unlikely to access through physical meetings.

Stat: Meal kits set to lose momentum in the US

Mosaic Foods, US

While meal kits proved to be a popular option for US consumers during the pandemic, a new report from Coresight Research has found that the market is now decelerating. The research shows that meal kit growth rates will drop drastically but are still expected to outperform the total US grocery market.

The research predicts a growth rate drop for meal kits from almost 70% in 2020 to 18.2% in 2021. This comes alongside predictions that sales in the overall US grocery market will fall by 2.8% in 2021, while online food and beverage sales will rise by 11%. The report also outlines that this growth reflects the increasing competition faced by meal kit providers.

As many consumers change their shopping habits back to physical stores, there is reduced demand for the convenience of meal kits. But some customers are likely to continue their pandemic dining behaviours and enjoy the discovery element of such subscription-based services.

Strategic Opportunity

With consumers showing less reliance on meal kits as a safe and convenient way of accessing groceries, food brands need to adapt their offering to provide more curated product innovation.