Issue #124

 Welcome to your weekly dose of TooXToo, this week featuring thredUP’s hotline, Pepsi debut their gamefridge, Nike helps families find the ‘magic in the mundane’, and ASDA goes yellow… 

ThredUP’s hotline for Fast Fashion  

Would you consider yourself a fast fashion addict? Although cheaper, and more convenient to buy – fast fashion has a detrimental effect on both people and the planet.  

A recent survey from Global data revealed that 1 in 3 Gen Z consumers feel addicted to fast fashion. In response to this staggering statistic ThredUP have created a hotline designed to help people kick their bad habits.  

The Fast Fashion confessional hotline has been created with Stranger Thing’s actress Priah Ferguson. When users call the hotline, they will reach Priah who will be there to offer them a powerful pep-talk on breaking up with fast fashion.  

As well as offering motivation, the platform offers a ‘look book’ featuring styles and outfits picked by Priah, that aim to inspire users to try their hand at thrifting by discovering similar styles.  

Consumers need not only encouraging, but solutions to fast-fashion to facilitate more planet-friendly consumption. The burden here lies with brands, and a top-down approach is necessary to allow consumers to make more positive choices when it comes to clothes shopping.   

Pepsi Debut’s their game fridge  

Football season is in full swing, and that only means one thing - diehard fans are now glued to their TV screens for the foreseeable.  

A problem Pepsi have identified for many fans is timing that much needed toilet, drink, or snack break during the game. This season, in order to navigate this issue for footy fans, Pepsi is awarding one lucky person a limited-edition TV, with a built-in fridge.   

The new, and innovative product has a 55" 4K LED screen that has an integrated 16-can drinks refrigerator to store ice-cold Pepsi products. All viewers have to do is click a button, and the TV screen gently glides from centre to right via a seamless motorized system allowing access to the ice-cold Pepsi cans.  

Pepsi have cleverly identified a pain point for their consumers and responded with a unique innovation to enhance the football watching experience. In doing so, the brand can be applauded for allowing their consumers and footy fans to- as a part of their broader better with Pepsi campaign, to ‘never miss a moment’. 

 Nike helps families find the ‘magic in the mundane’ 

In time for the next school year, Nike have unveiled their new campaign that they hope will inspire children, and parents alike to discover the magic in the mundane.  

The campaign ‘Never Done Playing’ creatively transforms everyday mundane chores, into different sporting events. There are four hero films, which champion the imagination and magic to be found in play.  

 One of the films features Dutch Football star Virgil Van Dijk carrying out some gardening before his two daughters persuade him to play a game of footie with them. Another includes TV personalities – the Grimwades Family, who commence their own at home dance battle whilst trying to WFH. 

This campaign from Nike stands out from other back-to-school campaigns which are saturated by the same content featuring kids with new uniform and stationery. Nike have managed to not only do something different with this campaign they have also created a powerful sentiment, encouraging people to make the most of the everyday and look for the magic in the mundane.    

ASDA goes Yellow to re-envision their essentials 

 If you have visited an Asda lately, you might have seen shelves lined with yellow… a rather bright yellow too. Asda have decided to refresh the look and feel of their ‘just essentials’ range, and in doing so they seem to have split public opinion.  

Across various social platforms, people have taken to their keyboards to complain that Asda are shaming those consumers that have to buy from the just essentials range- deeming the bold yellow as a visual ‘poverty marker’. 

 

The aim from Asda was to create a look, and feel that felt “positive and distinctive”, and more positive responses toward the yellow packaging have emphasised its striking appearance which will facilitate customers in being able to clearly pick out the range on busy shelves.  

There are clear cultural ramifications that brands need to consider when altering the look and feel of their packaging, or any aspect of their identity. When it comes to financial considerations especially - there is a need to prioritise and pre-empt how people could respond to prevent negative backlash across social platforms, that hinder rather than progress the brands identity.