Issue #77: Brand Trips Can Be for Customers, Too
A roundup on the Waterboy brand trip, Bubble's packaging error, the new Chase Sapphire Reserve campaign, and AI matchmaking apps.
Happy July from a very chilly San Francisco. Everyone keeps telling me that summer doesn’t really start here until September, but it’s so weird to see everyone on the East Coast burning up when I’m shivering in a puffer on July 1st. I’m formally requesting a more even distribution of heat in this country!
Despite the cold, there have been a lot of cutie moments in the city recently. Sharing a postcard from SF, if you will: 💌
On My Radar 👀
Waterboy takes creators AND customers to Tulum. Waterboy, the hydration formula brand, took a group of 12 creators and 12 customers to Tulum for a brand trip last week. Over the past few months, the invited influencers posted about the trip, encouraging their followers to comment on the post for the chance to come along. While influencer brand trips often feel out-of-touch to me, I do like that Waterboy combined a traditional influencer trip with a high-quality customer experience here, which ultimately serves to amplify the brand through influencer channels and build customer engagement and brand love.
I’ve written before about how I predict influencer brand trips will become even more contestable, so I think this is a step in the right direction towards a greater focus on high-end customer experiences instead. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see more brands adopting this model, too. Side note: I guess there was some drama about Waterboy’s lack of promotion or information regarding the contest and trip, leading audiences to question if it was still happening or if the customer winners had been chosen. I’d probably attribute the confusion to a lack of organization in putting together a live experience/contest for a huge audience.
Bubble leans into the Cosmic Explosion. Skincare brand Bubble made a mistake with their Cosmic Silk toner packaging last week, causing the product to spurt out when you close the container. Instead of subtly apologizing or shying away from talking about it, Bubble announced it on their social channels with various clips of what they labeled the ‘Cosmic Explosion,’ as well as a fun tone and a CTA that actually encouraged audiences to go out and buy the product in its original packaging before it’s fixed. It reminded me of SET Active’s genius “Bloopers” campaign, which I wrote about here. I love that brands are showing up transparently and authentically when they make mistakes. If you’re able to own up to an error and spin it into a smart, fun moment, it might actually end up doing a lot more good for your brand than harm.
Chase Sapphire goes luxury. I’ve been seeing mixed reactions to the new Chase Sapphire Reserve campaign featuring Claudia Schiffer and celebrities like Ben Stiller and Ella Langley. On one hand, some feel like the creative is an accurate, buzzy, intriguing demonstration of the card’s luxury status, as Chase is going to be increasing the annual fee of their Sapphire Reserve card from $550 to $795. On the other hand, some feel like Chase is being vague with the campaign. If they’re going to increase the annual fee, people want to know more about the new perks and card advantages – not just see the sleek new card design and the Sapphire Reserve aesthetic. Let me know what you think about the campaign in the comments!
AI matchmaking apps are having a moment. I keep seeing flyers for an AI dating app called known all over SF. The founder is 21 years old and building in public, ofc (you go, girl). And I read about Sitch just about everywhere these days. Has anyone actually tried an AI dating app? If so, pls respond – I’d love to do a piece about this featuring real users!
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Okay, that’s all for this week! If you have a sec, I’d love to hear how you like these shorter-form news roundups compared to my usual longer-form, deep-dive stuff. Always iterating over here! xx
Would you want to go on a brand trip with influencers? For some reason, this sounds terrible to me.
love the format this week <3