“There’s definitely a formula for getting views. It’s something extreme, something eye-catching. I used to play into that a lot more, and that started to feel inorganic. The formula for growing at an exponential rate — it’s kind of always remained the same. It’s click-baity.”
YouTube sensation Emma Chamberlain, New York Times (no paywall) (more…)
“Six pounds for a cup of tea and you don’t even get a china cup!” This complaint was quoted to me some 30 years ago by my friend G; his mum aghast at the price of a cuppa in some National Trust cafe or other. Yet it’s a refrain that auto-plays all too frequently in my head when I pass any number of overpriced chain coffee outlets. Especially in the last two years when the premiumisation of, well, everything has played out in the world’s fashionable metros.
At WatchHouse (below), a new-ish UK coffee chain, you do get a lovely ceramic cup. The chain is notable for its upscale Aesop-esque branding (its design team is headed by a former Aesop designer), superior snacks, well-mannered baristas and several-steps-up-from-Starbucks hospitality area. (more…)
“I just don’t like being famous. You’re lying to people to try to make them seem like you’re their friend for the sole purpose of selling things to them.”
This is a worthwhile read from Vox, on the tenuous career of YouTube influencers, of whom a minority make a profitable career from selling their lifestyle to followers, while the rest are burnt out, broke, cancelled and more. Read more here. (more…)
“Gen Z likes to look for Y2K trends that haven’t become popular yet, so they can be the first to find things. They come across brands from the aughts, like Gap and Von Dutch, and try to rework them and style them in a way that’s fresh.” (more…)
