Hey. You ok? Getting through it? Tough month in some ways. In others, itâs great. Beginnings etc. Been running and hiking, which helps. And did this. Good stuff.
Brief reminder. We Are Up is a strategy studio helping brands to grow. We work across three areas; insights (people, culture, trends), strategy (brand, comms, experiences) and facilitation (workshops). We'd love to chat in 2024.
Right, enough waffle, letâs go.
âIdeas we have, and do not know we have, have usâ.
James Hillman, Kinds of Power
culture // the para-socials
What does dating look like for young people in 2024? Well for starters, theyâre sick of âthe apps" and looking for âreal life connectionsâ. Recent US research, found that 79% say they donât use any dating apps, while more than 90% are frustrated with them. Itâs not easy. In fact, a record 1/3 of Japan's unmarried adults under 50 have NEVER dated, and a growing number of lonely, single men, are experimenting with AI girlfriends. Itâs unhealthy, sounds a bit mental, and exacerbates sexual intimacy issues. But worse, given the existing levels of gender based violence it sends out all the wrong signals about control. Weâre living in the age of para-social relationships. From online instructors, to AI assistants, theyâre normalising, and conjuring up feelings of social intimacy. Which is fine. But not real. Meeting people isnât easy. Never has been. But anything good, takes effort. And mostly, the squeeze is worth the juice. Isnât it?
brands // slaves to the rithm
Have you heard of Stanley Cups? Probably. They were the must have product last year. A water bottle. That sells for $50. They have low utility (they are a f'in water bottle), but EXTREMELY high signalling power (having "become vessels of meaning, belonging, and identityâ). Sheesh. Having one signals youâve got it together. And, as it trended on TikTok (WaterTok), that youâre on it. With it. And can afford it. Strategically, the company pivoted to targeting women (sustainability is sadly still feminised). And released new colours in limited âdropsâ. They engineered instagram-able algorithmic popularity. Another example of the tyranny of the algorithm (and why every coffee shop looks the same). While the Stanley Cup will come and go, weâve become slaves to the rithm. Always watching, learning and feeding us. So, for brands, thereâs plenty of value in gaming it well.
creativity // desire
In November, Snoop Dog the worlds most famous weed smoker, announced he was giving up smoke. It hit the headlines, but was a stunt for Solo Stoveâs smokeless fire pits. Awareness rocketed. But sales were flat. Now the CEO's been fired. Which is mad and short term. I mean, to buy something, it helps to know it exists, as an option. And when choosing between options, being âwell knownâ makes it easier (obvs). So awareness IS important. And fame is tough to get in the fire pit market. This did that. Quickly. But awareness is only step one. You have to have desire, then action, for the sale. Which takes time. Which they didnât get. For me though, all that aside, this wasnât linked to the product enough. And it didnât create enough desire. It was Snoop, more than Solo. Calvin Klein went old school and put a hot guy in under pants, and desire rocketed. Sex or fame, donât actually sell. Its desire.
technology // experiments
Apple Vision Pro has finally hit the market. At $3,500 itâll be niche, but as Ben Evans said this is an experiment, not a mass-market product, yet. The price can come down and the device can get smaller and lighter, and be careful claiming âno-one would ever do thatâ. Also, last week, Rabbit dropped a $199 AI device. The r1 and sold out 40,000 devices ($8 million). It kind of replaces the phone, with a smart pocket companion that claims to be the future of human to machine interface. Itâs cool. Both are experiments really. Who knows. Packy McCormick talked about it, and experiments, referencing Stewart Brandâs pace layers. He made the point that the top layer of the framework fashion (the fastest pace), is the experimentation layer. The novelty and froth. Most things that get tried donât make it any further. But progress depends on them. On the crazy ones.
five random (ish) things:
55 observations from a year off work đŞ.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Lovely đ˘.
Making a medieval book đ.
20th century economic order simplified đ°.Â
Strava's year in sport trend report đ´ââď¸ đââď¸.
watching // pu er.
Itâs hard to understand what we value today. What matters. As it all races by. What should we care about? What should we love? What should we feel? Hereâs 16 mins celebrating someone who has mastered their senses. Beautifully filmed. Totally evocative. Time well spent. Click on the pic below or the link here, and stay with it.