The vast majority of Americans agree the country would be better off if more people worked in manufacturing. But it’s less clear who those people should be – only 25% of Americans agree it would be better if they did.
Sam Salama
Almost half of UK adults gamble in a given month, but the occasional players are not the ones the industry cares about: 86% of online betting profits come from just 5% of (very obsessive) customers.
If you think kebabs are for nights out, then think again: only 4% of GDK’s business is done post 11pm – this has been helped by a diversified product range, including healthier options like rice bowls, and an ad campaign designed to showcase its relevance at every meal time.
The beauty brand was hailed as a poster child for the DTC model. But now, as Shane O Leary notes, “it has 11 stores and a Sephora partnership is key to recent growth.” Like many brands it is realising that physical stores play a crucial role in brand growth.
As bleak as it sounds, suicide is a question of ease and not just motivation. In the US, suicide rates are highest in the states where gun ownership is highest (and largely where gun control laws are weakest).
Immigration is the biggest perceived problem facing Britain, but just 4% of people feel it affects them personally. It begs the question, why do people assume it’s such a big issue for others? Interestingly, this pattern holds for all surveyed issues with the exception of inflation – which is considered to be a bigger problem personally vs for the country.
The British public recently heard the voice behind the seemingly inescapable ads. Zoe Lister jokes that cabin crew members must be “absolutely sick” of hearing her, and I’m sure many consumers would agree, but Jet2holidays now has the highest ad awareness of any airline in the UK – despite being much smaller than the market leaders.
Beware restrictions on distribution. Joe Rogan’s exclusive deal with Spotify caused a decline in search volumes and – as the linked article notes – fewer followers for guests who appeared on the podcast. Reach still matters, even for someone as famous as Joe Rogan.
Blackjack and poker might be the quintessential casino games, but they don’t drive the bottom line. 70% of Las Vegas gambling revenue is from slot machines, which brought in $10.5B last year (for comparison, the entire US box office in 2024 was $8.5B).
After disappearing during Covid, live music is back and bigger than ever. In 2024, spend (in the UK) was up 35% on pre-pandemic 2019 – largely driven by big tours like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.
The pandemic had surprisingly little impact on the values of the UK mainstream (defined as the middle 50% of the population by household income).
Michael Jackson may be synonymous with the iconic dance move, but he certainly didn’t invent it. Charlie Chaplin and Cab Calloway used it in the 1930s, when it was called the “Buzz”, and it was used by singer James Brown on several occasions throughout the 60s and 70s.
In 1953, climbing Everest was the pinnacle of mountaineering. It took roughly 30 years for the first 300 people to reach the summit, but in 2019 that number ascended the mountain on one single day – a remarkable upward trajectory.
A fantastic Reddit thread shows how even the best movies can sound awful, depending on the framing. Who would have thought Star Wars could be reduced to that…?
According to a (rather old) longitudinal study, only 40% of people have stuck to their resolutions after 6 months. The issue is not knowing how to quit smoking or exercise more – it’s taking the steps to do so.