Borkowski Weekly Media Trends: Apple VR, Taylor Swift (e)x Matt Healy & more
PLUS New York Smog, Wrexham and is 'Baby Gronk' peak Gen Z?
Mixed Reactions for Apple's Long-awaited VR Headset
Apple this week made its long-anticipated entry to the VR game with the launch of its $3,500 Vision Pro headset.
The launch had mixed reactions, Apple’s share price tumbled when Vision Pro was announced, but at the end of the week, it's nearly recovered to pre-announcement levels and is still up over 40% this year to date.
The high price tag poses a challenge in appealing to a mainstream audience. However, when put in context of the cost of the latest iPhone or Macbook it is on par with Apple's high-quality, high-price product ranges.
The vagueness of the headset’s utility also made it something of an internet meme with people widely lampooning the potential boringness of a VR Headset by a manufacturer not known for its gaming output.
Mark Zuckerberg who seems to be transforming Meta from a software company into a hardware company with his own Metaquest headset - aimed at the mass market with a low cost - has given his thoughts on Apple’s high price tag and unsocial design. An interestingly active move disrupting what is usually a Big Tech Cold War but not one that has had a telling impact on his rival’s sales.
Overall, reviews of the product itself are very positive so while the comms elements of the launch may not have been totally smooth, given some of Big Tech’s recent fails, Apple will likely see it as a resounding success.
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy break-up
Taylor Swift fans around the world are rejoicing after this week’s news that her and the controversial 1975 singer have split.
From making racist comments about Taylor’s collaborator, rapper Ice Spice, to performing a supposed Nazi salute onstage and using the murder of George Floyd to promote his new single, Healy is regularly in the news for his “controversial” (one could also say racist and misogynistic) behaviour.
It thus seems odd that Swift allowed this supposed romance to become so public, given that she has often been criticised for her extreme self-discipline and neutrality: many questioned why she – as a self-proclaimed feminist – didn’t publicly come out in support of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Many people would have something to say if someone close to them began dating someone with Healy’s track record. But even so, the reaction Swift’s fans, “Swifties”, had to news of the relationship was (borderline?) hysterical. We saw tears on TikTok, followed by widespread celebration at news of the break-up. Twitter was awash with comments praising the fact that Swift had really listened to her fans.
Whether or not Swift did bow to the pressure and a desire to preserve her Reputation with the fandom, we will likely never know. But even the perception that this is the case sets a dangerous precedent. For fandom to have power, real or perceived, over the real lives of the celebrities they hero-worship gives rise to parasocial interactions, where fans believe that public figures are their friends, or at least share a two-way emotional connection with them. Something which feels somewhat unhealthy for all parties on both sides of the “relationship”.
Smoke Chokes New York's Skies
Canada is set for a record breaking Wildfire Season, having surpassed its normal peak by early June.
And there’s no fire without smoke. Lots of it. With the help of some strong winds, this smoke has turned New York City into a scene out of a post-apocalyptic disaster movie. It was crowned the world's most toxic air this week.
But every crisis is an opportunity; the heavy smoke turning the sky orange has been seen by some as an opportunity.
Shawn Mendes the Canadian singer-songwriter used the event to promote his new song however he has been widely criticised on social media and slammed by fans as inappropriate.
There were some winners; the Armageddon-style sky proved the perfect backdrop for a billboard ad by the Diablo video game marketing team styled ‘Welcome to Hell, New York’. Whether serendipity or strategy it’s a striking look.
Wrexham reach for the skies
The success of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ takeover of Wrexham FC is often dismissed as the result of Star Power alone, but the pair arguably deserve much more credit for both their business acumen and their mastery of every aspect of communications.
This week’s announcement of their partnership with United airlines was the latest examples. Ryan Reynolds Tweeted ‘Wrexham United’ to his bemused fanbase leading to speculation that the club was changing its name and meaning that what might otherwise have been a bland corporate announcement was awaited with baited-breath.
It was a simple but skilful way of maximising the impact of their considerable social media following and typical of how they exploit the medium.
The slick ad that followed was also effective. Reynolds and McElhenney - consummate performers and writers- produce marketing content that walks the tricky line of giving their sponsors extra bang for their buck without their fans feeling that they are selling out.
The pair (and presumably some clever advisors) have a sharp ear for every comms platform. Their documentary Welcome to Wrexham was a powerful PR vehicle, and in it their careful, respectful interactions with fans, players, local stakeholders and the wider Wrexham community reveals a masterclass in corporate comms that most major developers could learn a lot from.
Star Power is one thing, but using it smartly is how success stories like Wrexham continue to reach new heights.
Baby Gronk: The ‘Helen of Troy’ of the Gen Z vs Everyone Else Culture War
If you’re older than 25 you may have been baffled to the point of tears by this week’s viral headline:
Is Baby Gronk the new Drip King, or is he just getting rizzed up by Livvy?
This exhausting labyrinth of TikTok-age shibboleths was seen even by young-middling millennials as the slamming shut of the iron curtain of cultural division between Gen Z and the rest of the world.
The story’s virality was a clever manipulation of the growing trend of Gen Z (born c.1997-2011) forming its own distinct identity through language and cultural references. By taking this trend to its extreme, TikToker H00pify was able to mutate an almost painfully inconsequential story into a viral news sensation, which reached an even wider audience when reported by channels like sports/pop-culture site SB Nation and then spread around Twitter by legions of incredulous millennials.
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To dissect the headline briefly:
Baby Gronk is a 10 year-old wannabe American Footballer whose viral videos have made him an influencer.
Drip King is a college Lacrosse player and, you guessed it, influencer.
Livvy Dunne is a gymnast, Sports Illustrated model and…you get the idea.
Livvy Dunne and Drip King were romantically linked, but then a video of Baby Gronk meeting (and reluctantly receiving a hug from) Livvy at an LSU recruitment day in which the pre-pubescent child claimed that the university student twice his age “knows I got rizz” led H00pify so speculate (jokingly) that Baby Gronk has replaced Drip King in her affections. ‘Rizz’ is short for charisma and used in the context of flirting and seduction.
Hard news it is not, but sometimes a powerful illustration of the zeitgeist can power even a non-story to wider attention.