Chris Sheldrick, working as an event organizer, struggled to get bands and equipment to the appropriate entrances of large music venues. He knew something had to change, and so he created What3words.
All Threads
Life supposedly peaked when we were young, and is at its worst right now – this holds true for society, music and fashion. The problem is that nostalgia is selective; we only remember the best from the past and compare it to all the average stuff today (it’s also why marketers claim there is a ‘crisis in creativity’ and it’s all due to the rise of online ads.)
The phrase originates from a 1914 ad campaign by the Morton Salt Company, where the slogan was used to highlight how their salt would pour freely even in humid weather.
If you ask people, they gravitate towards the era when they became adults. Over 70s choose the Swinging Sixties, while under 30s choose the 2010s.
1) Increase spend from $178 billion to $250 billion over six years
2) Increase spend by 6.4% a year, every year, for six years
3) Increase spend from $4,700 per person per year to $6,200 per person per year
Mathematically they’re all the same, but when pollster Frank Luntz tested them the third option was by far the most popular – people want to understand the individual benefit from government policies.
The White Lotus, the hit HBO show, is driving more tourism to the Four Seasons than an ad campaign ever could. “Maui, the resort in Hawaii, experienced a 425 per cent year-on-year increase in website visits and a 386 per cent increase in availability checks during season one alone,” according to Marc Speichert, group EVP.
In the 1800s citizens needed a full day’s horseback ride to reach polling sites after Sunday church.
It’s only recently that they’ve been used for flying. They were initially developed for insulation, arranged in multiple layers to preserve heat, before their shape evolved for camouflage and finally for flight.
Wickes has looked beyond its historic tradesman audience by appealing to women. The retailer has developed a more inclusive look and feel; creating social media posts to improve DIY skills in an accessible way, and signing Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh as a brand ambassador. As a result, Wickes’ female customer base is now 69% larger than it was in 2019.
If you ask consumers, there is almost nothing they apparently won’t pay more for. But in reality many of these add ons don’t change behaviour. Tip: don’t use a simple yes / no format in surveys. Instead ask consumers to trade off an offer versus something else.
In 2024, Wimbledon tennis introduced the ‘overheard at Wimbledon’ YouTube series – video clips featuring fans while mic’d up at the event. Given tennis is struggling to attract audiences, especially after the retirement of Federer & Nadal, it’s a simple yet way of making the sport more fun and accessible. The series received over 12 million views in 2 weeks.
The prestigious Gilbert et Gaillard wine contest was won by a €2.50 bottle, disguised as a premium product with a fancy name (‘Chateau Colombier’) and an eye-catching label.
When someone wins the lottery, it increases the chance of their neighbour going bankrupt: they see the good fortune next door and feel pressure to accumulate more assets of their own, especially flashy purchases like cars, that they simply can’t afford.
The WFH genie is slowly going back in the bottle. The number of companies requiring employees to turn up three or more days a week rose from 67% in 2023 to 75% in 2024. Nearly one in three companies insist that employees are in the office for a full five days. And 83% of business leaders polled by KPMG, an auditor, say they expect a full return to the office by 2027.