Ugly Cool and Soda Pop(pi)

"Our app is like if TikTok and Amazon had a baby."

Aug 30

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Natty Light Vodka is imminent, Vogue notes the rise of the “Gen Z bandana,” DKNY debuts new logo as NFT, NYX and Netflix collab on a “Sex Education” makeup collection, and…

‘FLIP’ BAGS $28M TO TURN BEAUTY, WELLNESS SOCIAL COMMERCE ON ITS HEAD

Another livestream shopping app to watch, “social commerce startup” Flip mixes “live commerce mobile apps with real customer reviews to improve the buying experience and opportunity for the creator economy.” techcrunch

“It’s not only a social platform, it is the best post-purchase experience — shipping, rewards, returns — everything people love and in a two-click process,” he added. “Our app is like if TikTok and Amazon had a baby.”

Related-ish: This is a deep cut, but “Flip” immediately makes me think of Conde Nast’s extremely short-lived teen social network of the same name. This was before they invested any resources into TeenVogue.com (or any other magazine’s website, for that matter). I still wonder how much money they suck into that and other digital-first initiatives (remember Style.com lol). wsj

SAY GOODBYE TO MINDLESS SWIPING: DATING APPS ARE TURNING TO VIDEO AND AUDIO TO LINK PEOPLE UP

I don’t know that Clubhouse-style audio features are necessarily the move for dating apps, but more video is a no-brainer. Tinder reports that nearly of users had a video chat with a match during the pandemic. cnbc // Plus: The standup who doubles as a digital Emily Post. newyorker

FASHION RETAILER REVOLVE TO OPEN INNOVATIVE POP-UP WITH BRANDED ROOMS

The concept is pretty much identical to Refinery29’s 29Rooms — each room has a different theme (or, in this case, brand). The key difference: It’s fully shoppable. Hims & Hers, LoveShackFancy, and Charlotte Tilbury are all participating. csa

RUSSELL WESTBROOK, CHAINSMOKERS JOIN GROUP POURING $13.5M INTO PREBIOTIC SODA BRAND POPPI

Poppi, a functional beverage brand that’s especially popular among Gen Z — who, it’s worth noting, did not generally grow up drinking soda — just raised $13.5 million from celebrities like Russell Westbrook, rapper 24kGoldn, and Noah Beck (the “biggest TikTok guy on Earth,” according to GQ). techcrunch // Plus, what the youngs are craving: Pebbley, crunchy, chocolatey mash-ups. "Nostalgic flavors and products bring a sense of comfort, in a time when consumers seem more affected by stress than ever before.” axios

GEN Z CAN MAKE ANYTHING LOOK COOL

Part of a really, really good package about Gen Z that just went up on Hello Giggles, Gen Zers were tasked with styling "ugly" fashion trends — a sweater vest, a pair of Crocs, a quilted jacket, and gym shorts — and though the level of “ugliness” is debatable (what did a quilted jacket ever do to them?), this is a very enjoyable peek into the styles of young people. hellogiggles

A note: I spent the morning giving a presentation about Gen Z and youth culture trends to LIM College. Does your company want to hear me yammer on about things like cheugy and Depop? Email me 🙂*

*Part of my presentation was about how adults should never ever use this emoji in their communications with Gen Z (unless they specifically want to convey passive aggression, in which case they should 🙂 use liberally 🙂).

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