Summary:
The Hollywood-owned Wrexham AFC is steaming up the soccer scene, both on and off the pitch. The club has netted two new sponsors—STōK Cold Brew Coffee and Betty Buzz—and is stirring up a buzz with a witty ad campaign.
What's New:
Imagine trading your traditional morning cuppa for a swig of cold brew coffee! Well, that's precisely what's brewing at Wrexham AFC. The North Wales soccer team, recently promoted to League Two, has scored a partnership with STōK Cold Brew Coffee as the official stadium sponsor, while Betty Buzz will sponsor the training kit.
The Racecourse Ground—aka the world's oldest international soccer stadium—is set to be christened the STōK Cae Ras / STōK Racecourse starting July 1, a change backed by the Club Advisory Board and fan representatives. You can catch all the hilarious reactions in an ad campaign featuring the club's superstar owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
Why It Matters:
In an unexpected twist in the soccer narrative, Wrexham AFC's tale continues to be as entertaining off the pitch as it is on. Thanks to Reynolds and McElhenney, the club has seen an influx of high-profile sponsorships, from TikTok to cold brew coffee. This saga is a fascinating testament to the potent blend of sports, celebrity ownership, and innovative marketing strategies.
Why You Should Care:
Whether you're a soccer fan, marketing whizz, or just love a good underdog story, Wrexham AFC's journey is worth keeping tabs on. The club's trajectory is a masterclass in leveraging celebrity influence, strategic partnerships, and a good dose of humor to elevate brand visibility and fan engagement. So, grab your cold brew (or a cup of tea if you're a traditionalist), and enjoy the ride!
Credit: ESPN
Forever 21 and Barbie Break New Ground in Roblox with AI-Designed Fashion
Mattel, the owner of the iconic Barbie brand, has joined forces with Forever 21 to bring an AI-generated clothing line to the popular gaming platform, Roblox. The launch of the digital collection complements the release of a physical Barbie-themed capsule collection available through Forever 21's outlets.
What's New:
The Forever 21 x Barbie digital collection, composed of 76 pieces in signature Barbie hues, marks a significant stride into the world of AI-assisted design. The collection, birthed out of a collaboration with the Virtual Brand Group (VBG), has been fashioned using generative AI that combines elements of the physical collection and Barbie's quintessential style. Forever 21's Shop City in Roblox, the exclusive home to this digital collection, is poised to roll out limited item drops in the coming month.
Why it Matters:
This innovative collaboration represents the growing intersection of fashion, gaming, and technology. Utilizing AI as a design tool not only pioneers a new pathway in digital fashion creation but also offers a valuable testing ground for gauging consumer interest in products. With over 260,000 visits to Forever 21's Shop City in Roblox so far, the insights into consumer behaviour and preferences garnered from such digital platforms can be both cost-effective and richly informative.
Why You Should Care:
For players in Roblox, this partnership means access to high-fashion, brand-name digital attire that reflects real-world fashion trends. Given the increasing focus on digital fashion within the gaming industry, the incorporation of AI in creating these pieces signifies the emergence of new possibilities in virtual self-expression and avatar customization. For businesses, this union between Barbie, Forever 21, and Roblox highlights a novel, potentially fruitful frontier for brand collaborations and consumer engagement.
Ultimately, this AI-crafted Forever 21 x Barbie collection serves as an inspiring example of how traditional brands can reinvent themselves and stay relevant in the rapidly evolving digital age. The trend towards such "phygital" collaborations is also something to watch, especially with Mattel planning more fashion collaborations in the lead up to the Barbie film launch in late June.
Credit: Glossy
Navigating the TikTok Revenue Stream: Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Creators
As TikTok continues to grow and reshape the digital landscape, its monetization strategies offer a fascinating glimpse into the rapidly evolving world of social media earnings. Yet, for many creators, financial stability remains elusive despite the platform's latest endeavors in ad-revenue sharing and creator funding.
What's New:
Drawing inspiration from platforms like YouTube, TikTok has begun to experiment with ad-revenue sharing, offering promising, yet currently limited, income streams for creators. Alongside these initiatives, the platform has introduced the Creator Fund, a monetization tool designed to reward popular creators for their engaging content.
However, the platform's journey towards effective monetization is far from over. In 2023, TikTok began testing its Creativity Program, designed to pay users a higher average gross revenue for videos longer than one minute. Additionally, it launched a $6 million fund dedicated to creators of augmented-reality effects. Despite these innovative initiatives, creators remain dependent on brand collaborations for a substantial portion of their income.
Why It Matters:
These developments underline TikTok's commitment to nurturing its creator community, a recognition of the essential role these influencers play in the platform's global success. By diversifying its monetization tools, TikTok demonstrates an ongoing effort to sustain its growth. Yet, it's clear that brand collaborations remain a crucial part of a creator's revenue model, suggesting that there is still work to be done in offering robust, platform-based monetization options.
Why You Should Care:
As a professional in branding, marketing, or digital content creation, staying abreast of these trends is essential. The current predominance of brand deals underscores the critical role that strategic partnerships play in creator revenue. However, TikTok's ongoing efforts to develop and refine its in-app revenue streams could soon shift the financial landscape. Understanding these dynamics is key to positioning your brand or content effectively in the evolving TikTok ecosystem.
Credit: Marketing Brew
Superare and Onward: Packing a Pixel Punch in the World of Gaming Sponsorship
Big brands are often synonymous with high-definition sports games, but boxing management simulation, World Championship Boxing Manager 2 (WCBM 2), is proving otherwise. The retro-styled title has bagged sponsorship deals with fight apparel brands Superare and Onward, and the companies couldn't be more thrilled about their pixelated presentations.
What's New: Unlike the majority of sports video games aiming for realistic graphics, WCBM 2 is playing a different game, and brands are jumping in the ring. The game's unique charm and retro, pixelated art style have drawn in Superare and Onward. These companies have seen beyond the blocky characters and identified an opportunity to collaborate with a game that resonates with their branding ethos.
Why it Matters:
Sports games and real-world brands have had a symbiotic relationship, often boosting each other's visibility and market appeal. However, WCBM 2's partnership signifies a refreshing shift from the norm, demonstrating that brand alignment isn't solely about the glitz of high-end graphics. Instead, it can focus on shared values, unique artistic style, and the spirit of the game itself.
Why You Should Care:
As consumers and gamers, seeing familiar brands in new, unexpected contexts can add an additional layer of interest and engagement. For game developers and potential brand partners, this collaboration showcases the vast range of possibilities that exist outside the convention of realistic graphics. It's a nod to the fact that nostalgia and a genuine love for a game's theme can be equally, if not more, influential in creating impactful brand representation.
This success story of WCBM 2, can also inspire smaller brands to explore unconventional avenues for partnerships. The pixel art underdog just might be the beginning of a new trend in gaming brand sponsorships, adding an exciting new chapter to the future of gaming and advertising.
Credit: https://videogames.si.com/features/wcbm-2-brand-integration