#006 · 27th July 2023

Feeling rough and avoiding hot takes, X and Barbie marketing budget... but not avoiding creative beer partnerships, diet coke, and celebs in pharma.

July 27, 2023

Hey there CULTURx fam! Thanks for stopping by.

So, I’ve been feeling pretty rough for the best part of a week now. I’ve practically lived in bed, binge-watching two seasons of Ginny & Georgia on Netflix (oh the trash, I’m not proud but the soul needed it). And any reading I have done? My foggy brain wasn’t quite up for it. So, I will keep it short and sweet this week. Plus, I’ll spare you (and me) the most debated topics in marking this week; Elon Musk’s announcement of Twitter’s rebrand to X, his WeChat copycat ambitions, and the Barbie movie marketing budget… Although, I do have a tasty health-relevant Barbie read for you! Who would have thought!?

Honestly, my brainpower is running on fumes, so let’s jump straight into it.

Oh, this one is clever! LifeJacket Skin Protection has collaborated with Beavertown Brewery to create mini sachets and dispensers of sunscreen across Beavertown pubs in the UK.

And better yet, it’s all grounded in research. According to LifeJacket:

“Pub gardens are one of the most common locations to get sunburnt. And despite news today that UK skin cancer cases have reached a record high, 15% of people we spoke to only use sunscreen whilst abroad.”

I think I would have enjoyed being part of that research team in the pub gardens. I am becoming such a sucker for partnerships lately, and this is surprising yet perfectly paired. I am a big fan of the creativity and mission to combat skin cancer and to stop trivialising sunburn in the media.

Hands up if you can’t resist a Diet Coke. That’s me. And with that comes an often-backhanded comment that if you drink that you’ll get cancer. I usually roll my eyes. So, when WHO released a statement a few weeks back about a review of new data on the safety of aspartame, I wondered if this finally meant I could enjoy my DC guilt-free. Erm, well in true WHO style, the information was just confusing.

“Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.”

Limited evidence BUT possibly carcinogenic. What does it mean!!?? Seriously when will WHO get their sh*t together when it comes to communication with the general public. I’m taking this as a win for my lunchtime DC for now. But I did really enjoy reading this breakdown from Vox, so enjoy.

Some miserable old farts have taken to BMJ (too much?) to share their thoughts criticism towards Mattel for its recent UK initiative to teach empathy to children. The “Barbie School of Friendship” program provides Barbie and Ken dolls to schools. It includes readymade lesson plans, role-play exercises and teacher guides and a host of other branded educational materials and takeaways. It’s all backed by Mattel’s own research; that playing with dolls has major benefits in a child’s development, including empathy.

The comments cut deep, and the brand is accused of “stealth marketing”:

“Commercial entities like Mattel are not experts in children’s health or education, they are experts in selling products to maximise profits”.

FWIW, I think any educational support that brands can provide to underfunded schools should be encouraged. And the “investigation” is reaching when it seeks comment from science professionals with roles like “professor of public health evaluation at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine”. However, there is a lesson to be learnt from pharma here… in that the materials could have taken a more unbranded approach as we often do with patient support materials for Rx.

Alas, maybe this is a controversial one…

Last week, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan released his latest campaign “Maaate” which aims to tackle violence and misogyny toward women across the city. This is a follow-up to a campaign from a couple of years back called Have a Word. I’m looking at Maaate from a behavioural science pov. It’s a good follow-up campaign that retains consistency in the narrative. Rather than asking boys and young men to intervene, it provides them with a tool to do so. Enabling the intended action in a way that creates a safe space between friends.

I also get that these ads aren’t for me (whilst the intended action is for women and girls like me), so my opinion on what’s right or wrong in the delivery of the campaign perhaps doesn’t hold weight… but neither should any commentary or criticism coming from the right-wing political angle.

Energy is dwindling, so I shall leave you with a few more things that have kept my mind busy this week, before signing off…

And finally, a couple of celeb healthcare partnerships spotted this week:

OK, that’s it. You’ve had the best of me this week. It’s Thursday evening and The Witcher S3 - part 2 is calling.

Until next time. ✌️