Month: August 2024

Chick-fil-A

The streaming space has become so crowded that it’s hard to imagine why any company would want to break in now, but that is apparently what Chick-fil-A (yes, the fast food chain) is planning to do.
Deadline reports that Chick-fil-A is working with a number of production companies and traditional studios to create multiple original shows for a streaming platform debuting sometime later this year. Initially, the restaurant is said to be focused on family-friendly unscripted programming including a game show produced by Glassman Media and Sugar23. But down the line, the currently-unnamed service could also feature original scripted series, animation, and content that’s either licensed or acquired from other entertainment outfits.
Chick-fil-A has yet to announce or publicly comment on the programming initiative, but a pivot into entertainment production could be part of a bigger advertising or customer data play. Disney does it with Disney Plus and drove Walmart’s interest in streaming which ultimately led to partnering with Paramount Plus.
The idea of the company launching an entire streaming service filled with feel-good stories just to sell chicken is a bit odd on its face. But it feels important to bear in mind that Chick-fil-A is owned by the Cathy family, whose independently-managed trust was instrumental in the foundation of Trilith Studios — the Atlanta studio most well known for its frequent work for Marvel. Chick-fil-A’s corporate ties to the entertainment industry make this kind of move somewhat easy to wrap your mind around to a certain extent, but it’s much harder to imagine people actually wanting to sign up for yet another platform that’s probably going to be filled with commercials.

Chick-fil-A

The streaming space has become so crowded that it’s hard to imagine why any company would want to break in now, but that is apparently what Chick-fil-A (yes, the fast food chain) is planning to do.

Deadline reports that Chick-fil-A is working with a number of production companies and traditional studios to create multiple original shows for a streaming platform debuting sometime later this year. Initially, the restaurant is said to be focused on family-friendly unscripted programming including a game show produced by Glassman Media and Sugar23. But down the line, the currently-unnamed service could also feature original scripted series, animation, and content that’s either licensed or acquired from other entertainment outfits.

Chick-fil-A has yet to announce or publicly comment on the programming initiative, but a pivot into entertainment production could be part of a bigger advertising or customer data play. Disney does it with Disney Plus and drove Walmart’s interest in streaming which ultimately led to partnering with Paramount Plus.

The idea of the company launching an entire streaming service filled with feel-good stories just to sell chicken is a bit odd on its face. But it feels important to bear in mind that Chick-fil-A is owned by the Cathy family, whose independently-managed trust was instrumental in the foundation of Trilith Studios — the Atlanta studio most well known for its frequent work for Marvel. Chick-fil-A’s corporate ties to the entertainment industry make this kind of move somewhat easy to wrap your mind around to a certain extent, but it’s much harder to imagine people actually wanting to sign up for yet another platform that’s probably going to be filled with commercials.

Read More 

Image: GMC

GMC says its limited “Denali Edition 1” launch versions of the new Sierra EV pickup truck are now being delivered to their first customers and are available for purchase at dealerships nationwide.
GMC’s 2024 Sierra EV is parent company GM’s third electric pickup truck built on the Ultium EV platform after the just-launched Chevy Silverado EV. It’s also GM’s second GMC-branded EV after the beastly Hummer EV pickup (which now also comes in SUV format).

The Denali’s main claims to fame are the same diagonal-driving CrabWalk mode party trick featured in the Hummer EV (see video above) and its promised range estimate of 440 miles on a single charge, matching the Silverado EV and besting the Rivian R1T’s Max battery range of 420 miles.
(Personally, I think the Sierra EV also has a looks advantage with its uniquely armored front, which might appeal to buyers not sold on the Ford F-150 Lightning’s big light bar brow, Rivian’s arguably cartoony headlights, or Tesla’s plank-faced Cybertruck.)
Regarding cost, the Denali Edition 1’s $97,500 price tag aligns with GM’s apparent strategy that all its electric pickup trucks must cost around $100,000 at launch, including the Silverado EV first-edition RST, which starts at $96,495. (The Hummer EV launched at $110,000, and now starts at $96,000.) At its launch price, the Denali feels like a tough sell compared to a Ford F-150 Lightning that starts under $70,000, and it comes with Apple CarPlay, which the Sierra EV unfortunately lacks.

Image: GMC

GMC says its limited “Denali Edition 1” launch versions of the new Sierra EV pickup truck are now being delivered to their first customers and are available for purchase at dealerships nationwide.

GMC’s 2024 Sierra EV is parent company GM’s third electric pickup truck built on the Ultium EV platform after the just-launched Chevy Silverado EV. It’s also GM’s second GMC-branded EV after the beastly Hummer EV pickup (which now also comes in SUV format).

The Denali’s main claims to fame are the same diagonal-driving CrabWalk mode party trick featured in the Hummer EV (see video above) and its promised range estimate of 440 miles on a single charge, matching the Silverado EV and besting the Rivian R1T’s Max battery range of 420 miles.

(Personally, I think the Sierra EV also has a looks advantage with its uniquely armored front, which might appeal to buyers not sold on the Ford F-150 Lightning’s big light bar brow, Rivian’s arguably cartoony headlights, or Tesla’s plank-faced Cybertruck.)

Regarding cost, the Denali Edition 1’s $97,500 price tag aligns with GM’s apparent strategy that all its electric pickup trucks must cost around $100,000 at launch, including the Silverado EV first-edition RST, which starts at $96,495. (The Hummer EV launched at $110,000, and now starts at $96,000.) At its launch price, the Denali feels like a tough sell compared to a Ford F-150 Lightning that starts under $70,000, and it comes with Apple CarPlay, which the Sierra EV unfortunately lacks.

Read More 

Lil Jon joins the Georgia delegation at the DNC roll call to raucous applause. | Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images

Compare clips from the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago, to the Republican National Convention in July. They feel like different universes.
At the RNC, during the roll call of votes nominating Donald Trump, states were called out to scattered applause along with the number of votes. The room was mostly quiet, and it sounded more like a jury delivering bad news than it did a political party affirming its future.
The DNC roll call, meanwhile, included a playlist of music related to each state — like “Sweet Home Alabama” for Alabama and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar for his home state of California. Delegates huddled around microphones, screaming and cheering as they announced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Lil Jon emerged out of the crowd singing “Turn Down for What” like the Kool-Aid Man breaking through a wall. Compared to the almost somber energy at the RNC, the DNC is a party — and the Democrats are trying to make sure you know about it.

A tale of two roll calls: RNC vs. DNC pic.twitter.com/2oW1F6Ar0f— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) August 21, 2024

The Democrats are running with a straightforward strategy in the lead-up to November: flood the zone with content. This is happening against a fairly dire backdrop — according to a Democratic press release, night one of the DNC averaged 20 million viewers across 13 networks, down 22 percent from the 2016 convention when Hillary Clinton accepted her party’s nomination. The GOP is not faring much better — the RNC this year averaged even less, with 18 million viewers on its first evening. The gap is being filled by new platforms and new media. The Democrats say that 7 million people streamed the first night of the DNC, and content published by creators received 30 million views.
For the past several weeks, Democrats have successfully maintained a steady stream of viral moments, leaning into pop culture memes and creating hyper-targeted merch like a Chappell Roan-inspired camo hat. And now, there are 200 content creators running around the DNC, hopping from yacht parties and private lounges to filming locations as they document their time at the convention for their audiences.
It’s not just political influencers in attendance, either. Some are lifestyle influencers whose outfit videos are now side by side with footage from the DNC. I read this as a sign of who they want to reach: not just people watching Hasan Piker streams but also the TikTok users who flock to the app to hear their favorite fashion influencer talk about their life. The party is hedging its bets that the message will travel farther — and perhaps penetrate apathy — if it comes from someone viewers trust for other topics.
The 2024 US presidential election until this point has been largely vibes-based: excitement on the left turned a corner literally overnight after Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection. But politics has always been at least partially informed by vibes — before voters were asking about whether Tim Walz is “Midwest Princess,” they were debating which candidate they’d rather have a beer with. What the Harris campaign has done so effectively is to keep her at the top of people’s minds through savvy marketing that co-opts the type of content that people are already consuming online.
And what better way to do that than to somehow license more than 50 ultrapopular songs and use them, essentially, as hype-up music? The move has spawned countless posts on platforms like X and TikTok, creating a social media moment out of something that otherwise might be a boring formality. It’s one thing to have the influencers you invited make mildly cringey videos about your convention — anyone can throw money at paid media. But it’s this wave of organic, unpaid content that is actually notable. Ask anyone in marketing: that earned media is priceless.

Lil Jon joins the Georgia delegation at the DNC roll call to raucous applause. | Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images

Compare clips from the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago, to the Republican National Convention in July. They feel like different universes.

At the RNC, during the roll call of votes nominating Donald Trump, states were called out to scattered applause along with the number of votes. The room was mostly quiet, and it sounded more like a jury delivering bad news than it did a political party affirming its future.

The DNC roll call, meanwhile, included a playlist of music related to each state — like “Sweet Home Alabama” for Alabama and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar for his home state of California. Delegates huddled around microphones, screaming and cheering as they announced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Lil Jon emerged out of the crowd singing “Turn Down for What” like the Kool-Aid Man breaking through a wall. Compared to the almost somber energy at the RNC, the DNC is a party — and the Democrats are trying to make sure you know about it.

The Democrats are running with a straightforward strategy in the lead-up to November: flood the zone with content. This is happening against a fairly dire backdrop — according to a Democratic press release, night one of the DNC averaged 20 million viewers across 13 networks, down 22 percent from the 2016 convention when Hillary Clinton accepted her party’s nomination. The GOP is not faring much better — the RNC this year averaged even less, with 18 million viewers on its first evening. The gap is being filled by new platforms and new media. The Democrats say that 7 million people streamed the first night of the DNC, and content published by creators received 30 million views.

For the past several weeks, Democrats have successfully maintained a steady stream of viral moments, leaning into pop culture memes and creating hyper-targeted merch like a Chappell Roan-inspired camo hat. And now, there are 200 content creators running around the DNC, hopping from yacht parties and private lounges to filming locations as they document their time at the convention for their audiences.

It’s not just political influencers in attendance, either. Some are lifestyle influencers whose outfit videos are now side by side with footage from the DNC. I read this as a sign of who they want to reach: not just people watching Hasan Piker streams but also the TikTok users who flock to the app to hear their favorite fashion influencer talk about their life. The party is hedging its bets that the message will travel farther — and perhaps penetrate apathy — if it comes from someone viewers trust for other topics.

The 2024 US presidential election until this point has been largely vibes-based: excitement on the left turned a corner literally overnight after Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection. But politics has always been at least partially informed by vibes — before voters were asking about whether Tim Walz is “Midwest Princess,” they were debating which candidate they’d rather have a beer with. What the Harris campaign has done so effectively is to keep her at the top of people’s minds through savvy marketing that co-opts the type of content that people are already consuming online.

And what better way to do that than to somehow license more than 50 ultrapopular songs and use them, essentially, as hype-up music? The move has spawned countless posts on platforms like X and TikTok, creating a social media moment out of something that otherwise might be a boring formality. It’s one thing to have the influencers you invited make mildly cringey videos about your convention — anyone can throw money at paid media. But it’s this wave of organic, unpaid content that is actually notable. Ask anyone in marketing: that earned media is priceless.

Read More