Strategy Roundup | 7.16.21
Jourdan B. Gooden
It’s July already? No, it’s halfway through July already?
Twitter Is Shutting Down Fleets on August 3, Citing Low Usage
Fleets were fleeting.
“Twitter has confirmed that Fleets — its own take on ephemeral Stories that it launched into general availability just nine months ago — is shutting down on August 3.”
If you’re a marketer who for some reason didn’t have that ball of cringe in your stomach when Twitter first announced that they were testing this ephemeral Stories feature and for some reason decided to incorporate Fleets as a part of any plan or strategy, well, that’s kind of over with. And that’s okay. After all, even Twitter knows that “a number of these updates, like Fleets, are speculative and won’t work out.” “Speculative” certainly aligns in tone with comments like this one from Twitter VP of Product, Ilya Brown: “We hoped Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter.”
They promote the notion that a failure to execute an evolutionary approach results in not taking big enough chances. While I’m not exactly sure where that sits on the spectrum of “scapegoat cliches” and “pre-cleared emergency quotes from the publicist,” I reckon worse statements could have been offered. We’ll have to see what Twitter comes up with next and hope that the product supports vertical full screen ads.
Starbucks’ ‘I Am’ Campaign Supporting the Trans Community Earns Cannes Glass Grand Prix
It’s an inspiring three minute watch that won the Grand Prix Award at Cannes this year.
““I Am” centers on the trans community and the difficult process of changing one’s name. In Brazil, the process can be an especially costly and harrowing one, with many trans people discouraged from even attempting it. With this in mind, Starbucks expanded its support for the trans community by turning a local store into a safe registry space where trans people could grab a cup of coffee, sit with a notary and legally begin the process at no cost. The result was a seven-fold increase in daily legal name changes in the city of São Paulo.”
Allen & Gerritsen is an agency that prides itself on inclusion and challenges ourselves to remember that we can’t lose sight of the importance of visibility; even if our respective identity/intersectionality isn’t one that gets overlooked, or subject us to the feeling of threat or danger constantly. Our clients can also be encouraged to become leaders in the communities they serve in the way of inclusive practices and breaking down visibility barriers for all of their consumers and community members.
The Legacy of Space Jam
25 years ago, Michael Jordan starred with Bugs Bunny, the Looney Tunes and the supporting cast of other NBA greats in what became one of our favorite classic sports movies, Space Jam. MJ’s confidence, charisma, and swagger carried from the court to the big screen, and if you’re anything like me, you were cheering him on against the Monstars the same way you were in any of his six NBA finals appearances. Now, it’s time for a new legend to carry on the mantle. Enter: 4x NBA champion and 17x NBA All-Star Lebron James.
Space Jam was the 15th best performing movie of 1996. Space Jam: A New Legacy was just released today and although I haven’t seen it yet, the reviews don’t seem too hot so far. One of the most important and iconic components of the Space Jam release was the movie’s associated website. It wasn’t necessarily popular when it launched, but it sure did grow in popularity over the last 25 years. There is even a site for the 2021 sequel inspired by the original.
Check out the original website here. Check out the new website here.
Reading:
Burn Me, Too by Tyler Madeley
Listening To:
H.E.R — Back of My Mind (Album)
WILLOW — lately I feel EVERYTHING
