Week of Feb 8th
We’re sharing the biggest trends in Gen Z’s world this week. Want these trends sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for The Screenshot, our weekly Gen Z insights newsletter.
⏫ Experience the Hot Ones now!
Viral YouTube show Hot Ones released its very own line of spicy chicken cooking packs. The show’s premise is that celebrities are interviewed with ‘hot’ questions while eating chicken wings (or vegan alternatives) that get progressively hotter – their reactions are priceless! Even though selling branded merchandise from TV isn’t new, the pairing of food with influential social media accounts have become increasingly trendy.
⏫ Nike shifts its attention to WNBA
Nike has made clear its commitment to Women’s basketball as it invested heavily in the WNBA’s recent fundraising round. We’re on the move into a world where men and women’s sports are seen as equally important, and Nike wants to be seen as a leader in this area.
⏫ Robots taking over football
Despite the controversy around using VAR in football games, there’s a new technological innovation in town that’s sure to rock football fans’ experience. British team Chelsea F.C. will be using robots to referee their next game in Abu Dhabi. If successful, they may be used in the World Cup later this year. This is just the way Gen Z will experience the game.
⏬ Thumbs down for Twitter!
Twitter announced this week that it would be rolling out its dislike button globally after trialling it in select territories last year. As a pivotal space for internet discourse, the addition of this button on replies will open doors for brands to engage in sentiment-based messaging and see how users react to their messages. While the number of downvotes won’t feature publicly, Twitter says it will inform them of which tweets perform well and which don’t.
⏬ Hay fever spreading on TikTok…
A voice clip from the British kids TV show, ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker’, has gone viral on TikTok. It starts with a boy asking ‘are you crying’ and a girl responding that ‘it’s just hay fever’. Creators have been using the clip with the ‘Crying Eyes’ effect to comment on sad moments or ironically mundane events, and they’re very relatable!
⏬ Awkwafina gets off the internet
Awkwafina faced backlash this week for her use of a ‘Blackccent’. A Blackccent is an accent that finds its roots in African American culture, particularly using dialect taken from AAVE. The comedian acknowledged the historical roots of the Blackccent, the appropriation of Black culture and how she came to speak the way she does. Accountability isn’t comfortable, but her statement was surely a step in the right direction.
JUV Consulting is a Gen Z collective that works with companies to create purpose-driven and authentic marketing campaigns that engage young audiences. Contact us at info@juvconsulting.com if you would like to learn how to reach Gen Z, or sign up for our weekly newsletter, The Screenshot, to get Gen Z insights straight to your inbox.
Jawwad Mustafa is the Director of The Screenshot Newsletter. He’s always got a drink in hand - either peppermint tea, peach iced tea or a vanilla latte. If you see him with anything else, you’ll really need to vote for him as The Imposter. You can find his creativity on Instagram at @JawwadTheCreator.