September 11, 2022 BY Jacey Thomas in Newsletter
Ketchup stains and growing pains: NL #113
Ketchup is so in.
That’s right. The timeless condiment is suddenly trending.
The online resale platform ThredUp recently partnered with Heinz for a fashion collection of thrifted clothes with ketchup stains. Affectionately known as the Vintage Drip collection, the collab offers pre-stained tees, dresses and hoodies from a wide range of affordable options. The slogan spins the madness well. It’s not a stain. It’s a statement. So good.
I’m curious to see this one’s success. The partnership taps into a variety of Gen Z interests. The celebration of sustainability and the appeal of an uber casual dress code, all tied up with the pretty bow of dinner time nostalgia.
Who else is jumping on the ketchup train? Rihanna. The artist recently announced a new condiment-themed collection from her cosmetic line, Fenty Beauty. The new drop offers customers a limited edition palette containing six packets of ketchup or bright red lipgloss. The number of ketchup packets or genuine lip gloss packets will depend on your luck. This feels like a TikTok trend just waiting to happen.
Again, I love to see the mashup of current and trending with trusted nostalgia. A world-renowned hiphop artist with everyone’s go to ketchup bottle. It’s the bizarre marriage between the extraordinary and the ordinary that is almost unsettling. Throw in the potential for quality social content, and you’ve got a winner.
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Instacart adds larger items to its menu. Much larger.
Need a new dishwasher by dinner time? No problem. Instacart has plans to expand well beyond grocery services, and will soon offer same-day delivery of much larger items.
The platform’s new fulfillment option is called “Big & Bulky,” and will partner with multiple retailers such as Big Lots, Container Store and Staples to allow customers to order large items like furniture, appliances or electronics from those stores for same-day delivery. Oh, and Spirit Halloween is on the list, too. In case you need that 12 foot tall skeleton within the hour.
But… how? The fulfillment technology behind Big & Bulky is powered by Carrot Delivery, an Instacart Platforms enterprise solution that provides end-to-end fulfillment for retailers. For orders, Instacart shoppers who drive large vehicles can opt-in to shop batches with large items, unlocking new earnings opportunities and giving them the ability to shop even more batches. As it turns out, your token friend with the truck is ready to get paid for all of those favors. In pilot regions, 97% of shoppers with eligible vehicles opted in to shop bulky batches.
Twitter tests out an editing feature.
After years of saying “never ever,” Twitter is finally giving in. The social platform is rolling out a feature that allows people to edit their tweets, and they’re calling it Edit Tweet. Clever.
The feature is only in test mode as of right now, but will allow users to edit tweets a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication. Edited Tweets will appear with an icon and timestamp so it’s clear to readers that the original Tweet has been modified. Tapping the level will take viewers to the Tweet’s Edit History, which includes past versions of the Tweet.
This is considered the best solution for a wide spectrum of complaints. A careless typo can finally be edited without deleting the whole Tweet. At the same time, a careless statement can always be traced back, if ever reworded and denied. Edit Tweet allows potential for some much needed grace in the Twittersphere…. sort of.
Here’s the kicker. There is always a kicker. Though the feature will roll out to users later this month, it won’t be broadly available. Instead, users can pay for a Twitter Blue subscription to access the edit feature.
Best of the Week
Tips and Tricks
New privacy laws are quickly reshaping the digital media sector. Can’t keep up? Check out Digiday’s definitive guide to what’s in and out in ad tech in 2022. Super concise and super helpful. Super.
Listen Up
A thoughtful discussion on today’s work purgatory. Simply put, the pandemic has left office culture upside down. So, what’s next? As long as we can all agree virtual happy hours deserve a slow death, I’m good with whatever.
What to Watch
In honor of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we’re sipping on tea, looking at Corgis, and tuning into The Crown. Again. The drama series covers the personal and political events that shaped her reign.
Weekly Updates
When Aaron hasn’t hijacked the office playlist with his EDM beats, we’ve got Maggie Rogers on repeat. Her new album Surrender is as good as the rest of Maggie. Which is really, really good.
More News from the Week.
- Interesting read on the black market behind getting that blue check mark.
- The new LOTR show attracted more than 25 million viewers on its first day. So, take heart. There are 25 million people as nerdy as you.
- Liz Truss takes over as the UK’s next Prime Minister. Raise your hand if you thought Hugh Grant was still the PM?
- That corn kid is going places.
- The Australian Federal Police now has a dedicated crypto unit. Not sure the Aussie equivalent of Napster… but rest assured, he’s going down.
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