When you think of October, a couple staples come to mind: Halloween and, of course, pumpkins!This time of year, I’m a pumpkin fanatic. In 2003, Starbucks invented the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte and forever changed the seasonal beverage game. Now, we have Pumpkin Spice everything, from Beef Jerky to Krispy Kreme Doggie Doughnuts. The data shows regional disparities in pumpkin foods resonance, but I should have my own spot on the map. I’m down to try it all. I still love a good pumpkin carving; I like cooking the pumpkin seeds; and I love pumpkin pie. I think the band Smashing Pumpkins is ripe for a nostalgic comeback.Halloween is also one of the biggest retail holidays of the year. Every Halloween season, Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy. Even with inflation pushing candy prices higher, Halloween spending is at an all-time high, even higher than the pre-Covid era.And, there are lot of great events and marketing campaigns including:
Burger King: The Call
IKEA: Monsters Not Included Curtains
Sour Patch Kids: Confront the Ghosts of Your Past
Watch the Tik Tok Trend – #ghostsfromyourpast
Bacardi: Blood Moon and The Zombie
Fanta: New Promo
I’m still chuckling at this Peso Pluma x Stranger Things collab that Netflix pulled together.This year’s costume frontrunners appear to be Barbie, Spider-Man, and Wednesday Addams. The Future Party broke down the business of haunted houses and how these are turning into year-round businesses as the experience economy through Funflation continues to rise. The science beyond these scary experiences and movies is fascinating. Emotion found “voluntary scare experiences” put people in better moods and have the same calming effect as meditation (after you leave the attraction, that is). Enjoyment of scary stimuli seems to be related to getting a grip on unpredictable situations. They also found that people who enjoy watching scary films are more psychologically resilient than non-horror fans.We already live in scary, uncertain times, so why not add to the pile. It’s good to see Halloween and Pumpkin flavors alive and well. I still see plenty of room for innovation.
BEATS
PTTOW! 2023: Trends & InsightsThe 2023 PTTOW! Nxt Summit featured conversations and ideationsessions with culture-shapers, PTTOW! Mentors, and the nextgeneration of leadership from a wide array of industries (PTTOW!).
Roc Nation Rolls the Dice in Hell’s Kitchen: Battle for a West Side Casino Heats UpThe fight to bring a casino to New York City landed in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen today, with Roc Nation bringing free food and flyers to Manhattan Plaza — a move called “predatory” by the President of the Tenants’ Association (W42ST).
Power Trip Amps Up A Fancy CoachellaWhile mainstream festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza will always dominate the headlines, the rise of nostalgia festivals is creating more niche options for fans to enjoy and artists to headline (Future Party).
Spotify Is Launching A Personalized In-App Merch HubSpotify is launching a dedicated in-app Merch Hub that provides personalized merch recommendations based on your listening habits, the company announced on Monday (Tech Crunch).
A Complete Glossary of Music Marketing TermsWhether you’re a independent musician, publicist, or just a curious fan, these music marketing terms are good to have under your belt so you can better understand the inner workings of the industry (Hypebot).
Music Has Become A ‘Just-In-Time’ EconomyThe music business used to be characterized by artists disappearing into the studio for months on end and emerging with an album for expectant fans to get their hands on at some time in the future (Midias Research).
Culture Next 2023: Top Gen Z TrendsIn the global digital age, culture is constantly growing, morphing, and being redefined. It never stays the same—and anyone, anywhere, can influence its course. So what does that mean for advertisers? (Spotify Ads)
Bad Bunny Is the International Icon for 'WWE 2K23'2K Games has officially announced he upcoming WWE 2K23 Bad Bunny Edition (Hypebeats).
A$AP Rocky Is Puma's Latest Creative DirectorThe rapper will design bespoke capsule collections for PUMA x F1, the first of which will land at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 18 (High Snobiety)
Techstars Music Shuts Down With MD Citing ‘Outdated Model’One of the music industry’s most prominent startup accelerators is shutting down. 2023’s Techstars Music cohort will be its last, with MD Bob Moczydlowsky saying that the accelerator model is no longer the best way to invest in music-related startups (Musically).
Shay Mitchell And Benny Blanco Are Going To Judge A Chicken Tenders Contest This MonthOn Oct. 22, the third annual TenderFest will descend upon the Wallis Annenberg Center for an entire glorious day dedicated to chicken tenders (Angeleno).
TikTok is Hosting a Music Festival Featuring Cardi B and Charlie PuthThe event, called TikTok In the Mix, is the natural progression to the company’s seismic impact on the music industry (The Verge).
Rapper Coi Leray Holds Court for Tinder MatchmakerThe brand engaged rapper Col Leray to help intorduce Matchmaker, a new feature that lets friends and relatives chime in on potential dates and give advice and guidance through the app (Muse by Clio).
Shazam Introduces a New Home for ConcertsShazam unveils Concerts, a space in the app where music fans can discover upcoming concerts happening in their area (Digital Music News).
Eminem Drops ‘Mom’s Spaghetti’ Sauce in a Jar, Not on a Sweater AlreadyEminem hinted that something new would drop soon, revealed to be ‘Mom’s Spaghetti’ sauce in a jar, leaving fans disappointed as they were expecting new music (Digital Music News).
BYTES
With his first Louis Vuitton men’s show behind him, BoF 500 cover star Pharrell Williams shares his long-term vision for the future of Louis Vuitton, and luxury itself, with BoF’s Imran Amed (Business of Fashion).
Returning for a second time on the Rap Radar Podcast, Stoute speaks on his relationships with Usher, NBA YoungBoy, Brent Faiyaz, Nas, 50 Cent, and JAY-Z. He also speaks candidly on Max Kellerman, shares a text message with Nipsey Hussle, and reacts the arrest of his former artist, Superstar Pride (Rap Radar).
Spotify is launching a dedicated in-app Merch Hub that provides personalized merch recommendations based on your listening habits, the company announced on Monday (Tech Crunch).
On their ninth album, Blink-182 are still pondering the riddle that’s always been at the center of their antic-filled career: “What’s my age again?” (Rolling Stone).
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Rachel Meisner If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!