2023 is the summer of nostalgia for General Mills, Mattel, and more

Welcome to the second half of June. We’re well on our way to July, so let’s get into the summer offerings.

General Mills, Mattel, and More are Going Retro

We’re seeing brands like General Mills re-release their ’70s Monsters Cereals, Gap releasing a hot pink "Gap X Barbie" collection, McDonald’s launching a purple Grimace milkshake, and more. What’s old is comfortable, and in the current climate, comfort trumps new. As managing director of retail for data analytics firm GlobalData Neil Saunders told Axios, “‘There can be a lot of negative feelings about the present, especially in relation to technology and the economy — nostalgic products are a little relief to that.’"

Smirnoff Vodka Champions Connection and Community

Smirnoff is creating community and interpersonal accountability with its vibrant, digital-first “We Do We” campaign. In an era of increased isolation, Smirnoff’s engaging consumers with colorful audiovisual content is 20+ markets, championing inclusion and connection.

Airheads Shakes Things Up By Hopping on a Viral Opportunity

After TikTok fast-food influencer Jordan Howlett told everyone they were eating Airheads wrong and should be shaking them until they shrink into square pockets, everyone who tried it out was surprised by how much arm strength the method required. Airheads decided to lean into this marketing opportunity and launched the 'Airheads Shake Factory' run by bodybuilders at Muscle Beach Gym in Venice Beach in California. Additionally, the #AirheadsChallenge hashtag where customers shake their stuff has amassed over 5.8M views.

TikTok Launches Ad Script Generation Tool

TikTok’s product marketer Michael Fee posted on LinkedIn that TikTok has launched the TikTok Script Generator, a free ad script generation tool for TikTok that advertisers can use for creative development—but you need a business account to use it. The tool can be used to produce “script ideas containing hook, body, and call-to-action scenes in a matter of seconds.”

Around the Web

• LGBTQ+ marketing is suffering, a reflection of the current climate.

• Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert listened to consumers and paused publication of her new book due to its Russian setting.

• Elon Musk claims the Twitter advertiser exodus has ended.

• As trust in traditional media continues to decline, an increased number of people are turning to TikTok for news.

• Walmart’s ad biz is doing well with its video partners.

Just Can’t Get Enough

Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. Talk about retro nostalgia.

• It stars all of the usual Wes Anderson suspects.

• Perhaps we’ll see a Wes Anderson TikTok trend resurgence.

Are you feeling nostalgic this summer? Do you plan on playing around with TikTok’s new script generation tool? Reply and let us know!

Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you Thursday!