THE O.K. LIST #21: Let me hold your finger while I hold space for women in gladiator fields...

Can we call it a year already and wrap this up?

Listen, it is not getting easier for anyone, and I know it could be worse, I could be working for the agency that did the rebranding of Jaguar (they are probably having the worst December anyone working in advertising ever had).

But it is an interesting moment to look at companies, and how paradoxical they are. When a crisis hits, comms budgets are the first to be pulled (hello, COVID), but when sales falter, it is time for a rebranding and a new brand campaign. It's hypocritical that communication is both the least important topic on their list and their only savior.

But the fault is never on their product, and lack of innovation. Maybe what Jaguar needed were just more interesting cars. I don't think for a moment Gen Z was sleeping on them because of their comms, maybe Jaguar has just been sleeping on them by not giving them something exciting to invest in.

But here we are. Welcome to the bland logos club!

For everyone working on the Jaguar business, I'm sending you a big Ariana Grande-style finger hug in support to you all.

Don't get the reference? Blame the Wicked press tour for one of the finest moments of the year.

Anyhow, enough holding space for bad rebranding. It is the last O.K. LIST of the year, and we have plenty to cover!

THE ULTIMATE FEMALE UNO REVERSE

Rising TikTok trend #WomenInMaleFields is the ultimate Uno reverse, where women start treating men the same way they treat them.

The results are hilarious, and a nice petty way to call out the bad behavior on a counterpart. They are also applicable to every field, be it professional, dating, or just everyday topics.

Men have of course tried to highjack, but I don't know... It just doesn't have the same power.

It is war out there! Expect to see more of this trend unfolding in multiple directions with simple substitutions within the blanks #_______In________Fields

NOT THE REAL THING

Remember when doing something entirely made with AI was super cool?

This week Coca-Cola finally dropped their yearly Christmas Truck ad, and, we were all pretty underwhelmed... Not so much by the results, which fair to say, look decent, but because of the lack of magic?

Could it be that magic, especially seasonal magic, has to do with the human need for aunthentic feelings? Or could it be that magic actually needs storytelling, instead of cute moving images of animals, to capture us?

For a content piece that with a soundtrack that drums "It's the real thing" on our ears incessantly, this just wasn't real enough. And the consumers agree. Just give a quick scroll on the comments section of the video.

Back in September McDonalds Japan also used AI to advertise for their a french fries promo deal. Maybe it is just a matter of scale, or maybe because McDonalds actually partnered with an AI creator do make it, it worked pretty well.

My gut feeling: Coke thought making their Christmas ad in AI would give them the headlines, but maybe, for now, we should just leave AI generated short clips to the smaller things. The things that don't need magic, just... fun.

RETAIL GETS ODDLY SPECIFIC FOR GIVING SEASON

If you ever thrifted at TK Maxx (TJ Maxx in some countries) you know how wide their offer is, and sometimes products on the shelves can be... oddly specific.

With the gifting season coming along, the retailer has become quite of a meme, with shoppers creating fictional dialogue pretending to look for something super specific, and finding exactly that in the store.

It is just a matter of time for other retailers and brands to jump on this format and start creating versions of their own. If you are one of them, please don't forget. It needs to be funny! Don't just describe your product and then show it. Nobody's got time for that.

You can do better.

BAS RELIEF ON OLED

Last week we talked a little about the evolution of IP licensing through the lenses of Wicked. This week, Gladiator II is showing us a different, and very interesting perspective.

For the first time in history, Paramount Pictures has turned London’s Piccadilly Lights to stone by freezing the screen for a full day into an epic stone slab featuring Gladiator II, Samsung, Trainline, TK Maxx, and LEGO®

Multiple brands and agencies have united to reimagine their ads in static bas relief for the activation. I can only imagine the coordination efforts between all parties was nothing short of a gladiator battle, but the result is noteworthy, and really positions film marketing as very innovative when it comes to getting the word circulating.

THE DEATH OF MATCHA?

The Matcha reign has been long, but it is time for a new trend takeover. Have you heard of Hojicha?

They are essentially made from the same tea leaves base, which are first steamed, stopping the oxidation and fermentation process, and then dried.

Matcha is made by stone-grinding dried tea leaves into a fine green powder.

Hojicha is made by slowly roasting tightly rolled tea leaves, stems, stalks, or twigs, and then it can also be ground into a powder (but not really needed).

I think Emily explains the differences better than I can;

Taste-wise, Hojicha powder has a sweet profile and smoky flavor with distinct notes of cocoa. The usual bitterness of green tea is removed from Hojicha when the tea leaves are roasted at a high temperature.

Hojicha has been making waves on social media, and recently Haagen-Dazs has introduced a Hojicha edition as their first Japanese flavor in their Green Line (soy milk based).

Ready for your first Hojicha Latte? It is really just a matter of time before it becomes ubiquitous.

Here's how to prepare it

THE PLAYLIST

This season is anything but Popular for new music releases.

It’s that time of the year when ballads and soundtracks fill in the gaps for Christmas music and rarely anything very exciting comes up at all until January. Even Tyla is balladeering (I am not lying, go check it out).

But we still have some exciting music from Omar Apolo, Stone Temple Pilots, new releases from Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow, Grupo Frontera, and a few nice indie surprises from Haute & Freddy, Jojo, and more.

So go check out the last update of #TheOKPlaylist of the year and get ready for something magical coming next week 🤫

See you again in 2025! Be O.K. in the meantime.