5 in 5: driving DJ, construction conspiracy, pumpkin spice in peril, trash talk, a BBQ ban

Each week, Padilla’s Insights + Strategy team stands at the intersection of people, culture and brands to bring you five stories that you can read in five minutes.

1. Don’t deejay and drive.

Jaguar has partnered with Dua Lipa to release a version of her new song, “Want To,” that can be remixed based on a person’s driving habits while test driving Jaguar’s electric I-PACE model. Why should you care? This is a cool pairing of music + AI + electric cars where Jaguar will use AI to remix Dua Lipa’s new song based on individual driving data from a test drive. For those who can’t make it to their nearest Jaguar dealer for a test drive, Jaguar has also partnered with Spotify to create a custom mix of the song based on a user’s streaming history. Just imagine, every commute could feel like your own personalized car commercial or a driving sequence from Baby Driver. [Automotive World]

2. Where they see conspiracy, Denver sees opportunity.

The Denver International Airport’s new PSA campaign features conspiracy theories floating around about the “real reason” they are undergoing new construction projects. Why should you care? Forget the standard “pardon our mess”, they dove headfirst into the conspiracies and decided to have some fun stirring the pot. This may just be one of the best construction PSAs…that they want us to know about. We love this because it transformed an easily ignored poster into something worth reading…and worth sharing on social media. [Atlas Obscura]

3. Passing on the pumpkin spice.

According to Mintel, menu mentions of “pumpkin spice” are down by 30 percent since 2015, indicating a decline in offerings. Why should you care? Before you riot in the streets, Grande PSL in hand, Mintel isn’t suggesting this will be removed from menus (in fact, they believe the opposite – it’s here to stay as a seasonal offering for its most popular items). However, this may mean the dethroning of this particular golden child as a silver bullet for fall seasonal menus. This seems like a great opportunity for brands to find a new cultural phenomenon to mark the beginning of fall. [Mintel]

4. Trash-talking sympathy cards.

Powerade has launched a new campaign where anyone can go to their website and send greeting cards with trash talk to friends, enemies, frenemies and anyone in between. Why should you care? No doubt this is fun as a friendly jest. It is also a harmless transformation of good-natured sports banter. Ultimately, not every campaign needs to be serious and tap into something bigger than the product or brand. However, in a world where being “PC” is in flux and extraordinary acts of sportsmanship garner large social media hits, it’s a little unclear where an initiative like this fits in. [AdAge]

5. Insuring the right to eat burgers.

For Swedish customers who buy a “Grillsurance” Whopper Meal through September 11, Burger King will give them a free Whopper every day a grilling ban is in effect in their area from June 15-August 15, 2019. Why should you care? Due to hot and dry conditions, Sweden has been under a grilling ban for the majority of this past summer. Burger King’s campaign is smart because it is fun, topical and charitable (the proceeds from the “grillsurance” will be matched by Burger King and donated to the Swedish Volunteer Fire Brigade). And if there is no ban next summer, it won’t actually require them to give anything away. If there is a ban, then Burger King may have an early start on creating a new Swedish summer tradition. [The Takeout]

For more insights on communication and brand strategy, industry trends and more, subscribe today to the Weekly Buzz here.

Related Posts: In Search Of a New Fall Flavor, I Failed Smothered in Pumpkin Spice BuzzLine Contest – Week 22 – Make Mine a Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte! Spice-O-Rama #BuzzLine Contest: In Six-Words, Tell Us The Next Great #PumpkinSpice Craze July 4th Pairings – 3 Infographics to Bookmark Now