Cool Sh*t - Beep, AI Influencers, YouTube Trends, Ralph Lauren x Fortnite, Richard E. Grant, and more...
Vol. 38
Welcome to the 4 cool as sh*t people (Nathan, Jonathan, Jarryd, Carl) who joined us since last time! If you haven’t subscribed, be cool and join 199 subscribers here:
If you liked reading this, feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack 🙏
TOP 5
#1 – Beep lets you monetize your expertise. “Beep is for Business. You will get paid to share your knowledge, something you already do for free, everyday. Charging even $5 per message will provide a better and healthier community for you to engage with (it filters out the spam/noise and brings real consumers to you).” This is an interesting platform with a broad target audience, essentially anyone with knowledge to share and a community that would pay for it. I’m interested to see how this develops further. Spearheaded by Michelle Goad, former Nike Innovation GM…
#2 - The rise of AI influencers. Virtual influencers are old news… Miquela, who amassed 2.7 million followers since her inception, could be a powerful force in driving people’s behaviours but all her content is currently managed by humans Trevor McFedries and Sara Decou. Cue AI and it could become next level. Think about the application of AI for both the curation of content but also the ability to plug in social/societal trend data/insights that could super charge the impact of that. A very interesting space for brands to monitor and consider if there is a role for their very own brand AI influencer as part of their social content marketing strategy…
#3 - YouTube Try a Trend. This monthly series from YouTube provides some good insight around types of content that are on trend and have gained some level of virality on the platform. Worth noting for brands looking for content inspiration to become a part of the cultural zeitgeist.
#4 - Ralph Lauren continues to engage gamers in Fortnite. The ‘Race to Greatness’ introduces a new Polo Pony Island world for players to explore, and features collectible branded skins and a limited edition collectible “phygital” boot: the Polo Ralph Lauren x Fortnite P-Wing Boot. I think Ralph Lauren are one of the non-endemic brands that are really leading the way in how they use gaming as a vehicle for brand marketing. Next, I’d like to see how they use that as a platform to drive stronger community building e.g., incentivising players to create more content or using it as a discovery channel for emerging creatives.
#5 - Actor Richard E. Grant is helping himself and others to cope with bereavement. I started following him on Instagram a while back, joining 500,000 others, because it’s incredibly refreshing content. His wife of 35-years died back in 2021 and he’s been documenting his journey with grief ever since. As one follower puts it, “I’ve found incredible comfort in these thoughtful videos you share with us; their beautiful honesty, their pain—but always the careful reframing of each piece within the greater mosaic of a life well lived”. That sums it up pretty well, I think…
FEEL THE LOVE
Did you know that acts of kindness can also give our love hormone (Oxytocin) levels a boost. So from time to time, I may attempt to boost yours… ❤️📈 You’re welcome!
Sisters grow and hand out 240 tomato plants ❤️
You never know what you might find…
The song ‘17-18 Lovesong’ from Chicago teen post-punk trio ‘Lifeguard’ makes it onto the Cool Sh*t Spotify playlist this week.
ICYMI - Cool Sh*t Vol. 37 - Foo Fighters, Nike Training Squad, Absolut Vodka, Eco Robots, Mercedes-Benz and more...
If you need more awesome Substack content in your life then go checkout Salmon Theory - the personal ideas playground of Rob Estreitinho, a Planning Director at VCCP in London. As one of his reader’s puts it, “The feel-good-feel-melancholic-feel-grateful-feel-optimistic read I needed this morning.” ❤️
Cool Sh*t is typically written from the comfort of my own home, here in Sydney, Australia - Gadigal land. Always was, always will be. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The views expressed are my own and don’t reflect the views of my employer…