🚩The Love Is Blind disaster + 420 marketing campaigns

Did you happen to tune into Netflix’s live reunion of Love Is Blind? We didn’t either. 😍 Last Sunday, millions of viewers eagerly waited to watch the last episode of the season, only to be disappointed by a tweet from Netflix apologizing for the delay and stating they would have to film the show for release instead. This, of course, spurred outrage from fans and playful comments from brands like Bravo, Hulu, and even... Blockbuster? 

Netflix has only done one other live event, Chris Rock’s comedy special, and their Love Is Blind fumble has definitely revealed a surprising weakness. While the streaming service publicly apologized to viewers after the 90-minute delay, we believe there could have been room for more transparency on how Netflix needs to tweak these technical difficulties with live TV. 

At least their team was working around the clock to make sure viewers knew when the live date was immediately after filming. Still, any mistake provides an opportunity for customers to voice their opinions on Netflix’s pricing. 

Rises To the Top

Two big holidays this week: April 22 is Earth Day, and today is, as you know, 420. While cannabis is still federally illegal in the U.S., 21 states (along with Washington, D.C., and Guam) have legalized recreational use and sales. And those sales figures? They’re pretty high! 

According to data from Akerna, a software firm that tracks cannabis sales, consumers spent $154.4 million on recreational and medical cannabis on 4/20/22, with overall High Holiday weekend sales totaling $485.3 million. It looks like cannabis is a recession-proof commodity: market analysts predict an even greener 2023. 

That’s great news for those of us who responsibly enjoy some dope marketing. A few promotions giving us the giggles: 

🌳 Last year Skullcandy partnered with Doritos for a joint collaboration in the form of limited-edition “nacho cheese color-inspired” wireless earbuds. This year, they’re back with Grind True Wireless earbuds, “a limited strain of high-grade buds” inspired by the legendary Purple Haze. 

🌳 Adidas wrapped their iconic Campus 80s in a material meant to be reminiscent of rolling papers, which peel away to reveal green suede underneath. (Even if they’re not our bag, we respect their place in the long lineage of weed-themed sneakers.) 

🌳 You can’t give your dogs weed. Please don’t do that. Give them a stuffed bong instead. Also, if you sign up for a multi-month BarkBox subscription this week, your first box is just $4.20. 

🌳 Plenty of fast food chains run dank day-of deals every year, but none of them lean harder into their tree-loving reputation than Jack in the Box. This year, the chain will give away hundreds of its beloved limited-edition Pineapple Express shakes from food trucks parked throughout San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco – and teamed up with dispensary-locator app WeedMaps to help fans find the secret locations. The shakes are available to purchase in stores, too. You’ll never guess how much they cost.

Better For Tomorrow

Earth Day is this Saturday, and as pointed out by Dieline, several CPG and food brands have made commitments to utilize recyclable packaging. However, this barely scratches the surface of the ongoing plastic crisis. Can this nonrecyclable mess be cleaned up? 

You may have heard of PepsiCo's goal to have 100% recyclable packaging or Starbucks' commitment to giving each customer a reusable cup for every visit. Both companies pledged to finalize these initiatives by 2025. Although these small steps are meaningful, the real problem is that consumers, so far, seem unwilling to let go of single-use plastics. 

In a 2021 article from Time, the outlet reported only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling globally, which means that the rest ends up in oceans and landfills. Considering this problem, we should take inspiration from brands like Sacred Serve, which crafts biodegradable ice cream cartons, or Alter Eco, a snack company killing the sustainable game with compostable candy wrappers since 2013. 

These brands are making strides within eco-friendly packaging, as every step of moving away from single-use plastic counts. After all, we can’t expect waste management and recycling companies to do all the heavy lifting. ♻️ 

Weekend Reads

• Microsoft and Disney are scaling back their investments in metaverse strategy and development. Even Mark Zuckerberg seems to be losing interest. When it comes to recent metaverse news, there’s only one winner: the person who wrote this headline. The Metaverse Is Quickly Turning Into The Meh-taverse (WSJ: Meghan Bobrowsky) 
• The world’s most meme-able man? That’s our daddy! A New Pedro Pascal Meme Takes Over TikTok (In the Know: Donnavan Smoot) 
• But if you’re a TikTok user in Big Sky Country, you might want to get your Pedro while the gettin’s good. TikTik ban gets final approval by Montana’s GOP legislature (AP News: Amy Beth Hanson and Haleluya Hadero) 
• Would you like some help being transported to your own “inner, fun carefree ‘Lola’”? Great! J.Lo has just the bottled cocktail for you. But it looks like not everyone’s about that Delola life. “The real reason J.Lo’s announcement has raised eyebrows is the fact that she has maintained for years that she doesn’t drink alcohol.” Jennifer Lopez’s New Drink Is Pissing Off Her Fans (The Takeout: Dennis Lee)
•  An avowed non-drinker coming out with a line of alcoholic drinks? What’s next, beer that makes itself? Yes, actually. Beck’s Turns to AI as Beer Experiment ‘Sells Out’ Within Minutes (Adweek: Stephen Lepitak) 

Best wishes, 

The Maxwell Crew

P.S. Speaking of the major streaming platform, check out this post from NYU Prof. Scott Galloway on TikTok vs. Netflix analytics. Can you believe TikTok topped Netflix’s average watch time by 13 million minutes? Perhaps the key to these results: The driving force of consumerism by Gen Z.