Welcome To Friday Fives, Vol. 284
This week, we’re breaking down our Netflix binges, checking in with the charts of 2023, predicting design trends of 2024, looking back at 25 years of Googling, and discovering one tantalizing yet terrifying holiday food.
Agency founder Jolene Delisle appeared in AdWeek’s list of 20 Campaigns That Made Creatives Jealous in 2023. Read the article to see which ideas inspired Jolene and the team this year.
Ever wonder how many other people have spent a scary amount of hours binging Gilmore Girls? Well, now you can find out! Netflix has introduced their new bi-yearly engagement report, “What We Watched,” a spreadsheet of their old, new, and licensed titles and the total hours users watched them. We’re seeing lots of K-dramas on the list (non-english stories made up 30% of viewing) and plenty of Riverdale seasons as well. Don’t worry. Netflix isn’t judging you. The report is meant to give the industry a look into what audiences want to see. So, grab a snack and hit play!
Charts are more than just an x- and y-axis, and McKinsey’s “2023: The year in charts” is more than a simple listicle. With chart topics like AI’s reign in tech, Ukraine’s defense spending, and each country’s burnout, this is a deep dive into the 2023 zeitgeist. A chart covering the representation of Black talent in tech roles tells us we’ve still got some progress to make, while another chart tells us there’s a new mode of delivery trending: drones. Plus, thanks to McKinsey, there’s no more wondering how well the outer space economy did this past year. They’ve got a chart for that.
For those of us who don’t have a crystal ball or tarot cards handy, Dieline divined the future of2024 design trends. It doesn’t take a mystical seer to forecast that sustainability will continue to be top of mind for the masses, with the introduction of bioplastics (which may be just as problematic as standard plastic) being something to watch out for in 2024. Dieline predicts that we will simultaneously have more Barbie-esque branding that finally takes women and girls seriously, while in true Barbenheimer fashion, “Hostile Branding” a la Liquid Deathwill become more prominent. Our prediction? You’ll read the full report and get all the juicy details.
Leave it to Google to have us sobbing into our sandwiches on our lunch break just by compiling humanity’s collective curiosity into their 25 Years in Search anthem. The video, which accompanies their annual Year in Search report, will have you in your feelings but also in denial — has it really been 25 years of Googling? We feel old. As for the most common searches, Travis Kelce is an obvious mention after his anti-hero girlfriend put him on the map. The Roman Empire saw a TikTok-fueled revival in relevance. Google also does deeper regional dives into search patterns, and New York is the only place where “yoga near me” was a trending search term, which doesn’t surprise us. We’re currently typing this out while holding downward dog.
Soon all eyes will be on Times Square waiting for the dazzling ball to drop, but IKEA dropped a ball of their own that may be just as mesmerizing. IKEA shoppers and food lovers alike are aware of the furniture maker’s Swedish meatballs, the cult fandom they’ve earned, and the odd spin-offs the meatballs inspired. Perhaps no iteration of the sweet and savory treat is as tremendous as the Turkey-Sized Meatball. As the name suggests, it is in fact a giant, sweet, and savory meatball. This is great news for anyone who thinks turkey is a little dry. It’s slightly worse news for anyone who doesn’t want a turkey-sized meatball in all of their holiday pics.
Move over eggnog. Narra oat milk tea lattes were featured in holiday gift guides from both Forbes and Clever.
