Travelers Just Want To Spend
Getting ready to travel and being on the road puts people in a shopping mood – and not just for buying travel-related products. According to research released by TripAdvisor last month, 84% of travelers are actively in the market for electronics, streaming services, food, booze and financial services. For example, younger travelers are 62% more likely to watch streaming content to get themselves psyched for a trip and five times more likely to try new beauty products when they’re in an airport or at their destination. Meanwhile, travelers in general are five times more likely to buy alcohol and cocktails. Read more from AdExchanger.
All-AI Ad From Toys ‘R’ Us Inspires Debate Over the Future of Marketing
Toys “R” Us has released a video ad, one of the first from a major brand that was created almost entirely by generative artificial intelligence. The minute-long video depicts Toys “R” Us’s late founder, Charles Lazarus, as a child who dreams of a toy store and Geoffrey the Giraffe, the store’s brand mascot. Toys “R” Us said it was made using Sora, an OpenAI tool that converts text to video and that hasn’t yet been released to the public. “The Origin of Toys ‘R’ Us” generated a range of responses, with creative professionals describing the work on LinkedIn and X as “brilliant” and “exciting” or, alternatively, as an “abysmal insult” that “should terrify you.” Kim Miller Olko, chief marketing officer at Toys “R” Us and president of its Toys “R” Us Studios production division, described making the ad as an opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge technology. “The train left the station, and we just decided to be the first ones on it,” she said. Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
Research Finds 55% Of Shoppers Choose Stores For Their Private Brands
For years, the popularity of private-label brands served as a measure of economic health. People stocked up on store brands when pinched, relaxing into national brands when they felt flush again. But the explosion of retailer’s tiered offers, often including premium private labels, has changed that dynamic. The Food Industry Association’s annual consumer analysis finds that while value and price are still the primary reasons for buying a store brand, named by 71% of food shoppers, they increasingly cite benefits like health, quality and taste, and convenient meal solutions. And 55% of shoppers say the private-label selection informs their store preference. Read more from MediaPost.
YouTube Shares Insight Into the Value of Fandom in the App
VidCon is being held this week, and YouTube has published a new “Fandom” trends report to coincide with the event, and highlight to creators the importance of building community in the app. The 10-page overview includes a heap of insights into the rising value of fandom, and the community ties that are formed around niche trends. Indeed, the report provides insight into why fandoms are valuable, and how users derive benefits from being part of topic-related groups. There are some interesting notes here about the consumption of expanded content around topics and trends, which often, YouTube says, generates far more engagement than the focus content itself. Read more from SocialMediaToday.
CNBC launches sports vertical amid broader biz shift
CNBC on Tuesday will announce the launch of CNBC Sport, a new coverage area that will be helmed by new and existing CNBC talent. The idea is to give sports business executives insights and reporting about sports similar to the data and analysis CNBC provides to financial professionals, CNBC President KC Sullivan said in a statement. CNBC has hired sports valuation expert Michael Ozanian from Forbes to serve as senior sports reporter. He will create a new valuation program that includes data-driven team rankings, in addition to providing reporting and analysis across CNBC’s digital and TV platforms. Read more from Axios.
