Five things worth sharing from the last week or so, brought to you by a different member of the Browser Media team every Friday.
This week’s My Five is by Olivia.
1. Hafod Christmas advert sweeps the Nation
It’s that time of year again, where companies are digging deep into their marketing budget pockets as they go head to head in the battle of the Christmas ads.
Emotions are running high, and the festive season provides the perfect opportunity for brands to build warm and fuzzy associations, but does it really cost £7m to win our hearts this Christmas? No, John Lewis & Partners, it doesn’t.
In the midst of Black Friday, have we forgotten what Christmas is really all about? For Hafod Hardware, an independent store in the heart of Rhayader (somewhere in Wales), its true meaning is to #BeAKidThisChristmas.
Costing a meagre £100, the advert has caused a big stir on the internet. A gentle reminder, that when it comes to marketing, it’s less about the size of your budget, but more importantly what you do with it.
2. Smile, it’s Black Cat Friday
Black Friday swept the Western World last (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Friday, then this week it was followed by Cyber Monday and then Giving Tuesday. This exhaustive wave of consumerism was welcomed by the UK economy – according to Barclaycard, sales rose by 7.1% from the previous year – despite the Make Friday Green Again movement.
However, there were some positives to come out of Black Friday to lift some weight off your conscious. Black Cat Friday is the charismatic part of the Little Panthers’ campaign funded by Brooklyn Animal Action. During Black Friday they were raising money for black cats, who spend 40% more time in rescue centres than any other cat!
The campaign encourages viewers to purchase products through Amazon Smile. For every purchase of an eligible product, 0.5% will be donated to a charity of your choice – and if you don’t like cats, then there’s plenty of good causes to choose from that will leave you feline a little better about Black Friday ??
3. Google founders step back to become proud parents
On Wednesday, we waved goodbye to Google founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who delivered a beautiful baby Google 21 years ago. Although they will still act as advisers, the CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Sundar Pichai, will now take up the driving seat. Data has been a fervent topic over the past year, with Google among the many who have been fined for malpractice, so perhaps it’s a good time to take a step back.
I’m excited about Alphabet’s long term focus on tackling big challenges through technology. Thanks to Larry & Sergey, we have a timeless mission, enduring values and a culture of collaboration & exploration – a strong foundation we’ll continue to build on https://t.co/tSVsaj4FsR
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 4, 2019
Despite this, we can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude as they are clapped off stage. The two developed a business out of their garage that has helped to create so many jobs and acted as a catalyst for curiosity worldwide. Enjoy the retirement, boys!
4. YouTube Rewind 2019 *sigh*
YouTube’s Rewind, for those of you who do not know, is about “celebrating the videos, people, music and moments” that defined the year. Last year, YouTube Rewind 2018 became the most disliked video of the year with over 17m thumbs downs – it was incredibly cringe-worthy. Ironic, right?
This year, instead of giving Rewind to the creators, YouTube’s given it to the viewers. Rewind 2019 is captioned: “In 2018, we made something you didn’t like. For Rewind 2019, let’s see what you DID like.”
The video ranks the top videos for various categories based on views or likes. Let’s face it, it’s a safe bet, which is why most viewers appear to be disappointed with YouTube.
Any of us could have found the top liked videos for any given category. With the amount and type of data that YouTube has access to, it’s understandable that some may feel disappointed that they didn’t take the chance to do something really whacky.
On the plus side, the video isn’t as disliked as last year’s, currently, it stands at twice as many dislikes as likes. At the end of the day, YouTube is just a platform, a medium to serve millions of unique creators, so should it be a top creator as well?
5. Baby Yoda, who is, hmm? Hmmmmmm.
Who is this adorable new Disney character that’s uniting generations, is the star of many memes, and is now more talked-about than any of the US Political Candidates on social media? It’s Baby Yoda from the Disney+ live-action series, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, set in a galaxy far, far away.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5o_tq7J63c/
Aside from being extremely cute, it has been said that our focus on Baby Yoda rather than the election is likelyto have emerged from a lack of tolerance for politicians after their questionable behaviour over the past couple of years. Hell, I’m not even in the States and I’m tired of hearing Trump this and Trump that.
However, like all memes, Baby Yoda may just be a phase. So as the proverb goes, let’s “enjoy it whilst it lasts” .
