10 More Things// Fudge Kitchen, WhatsApp & Popeyes
In this edition: An ode to Fudge Kitchen's brand, WhatsApp's new F1 doc and the social media post of the year
A double issue this week - almost 20 things! That’s what happens when I skip a week….
Fudge Kitchen
The Fudge Kitchen is an employee-owned fudge shop operating in twee towns and cities across the UK: Bath, York, Canterbury etc. It is notably exceptional fudge. It’s creamy, intensely rich & moorish beyond belief. If you haven’t tried it yet then consider a day trip to Cambridge, or wherever your closest Fudge Kitchen is, just to experience it.
It’s an exceptionally well-crafted brand. As you enter the shop you are greeted by someone making the fudge, folding out the latest flavour on a cold slab of marble. They will say something like “do you want to try my fudge?”. Not the fudge. My fudge.
You are handed a free sample immediately without exception. It’s as if they want to share this secret of amazing fudge and they know you wouldn’t believe it without tasting. At my most recent visit the staff wore a pirate hat to hand out the free sample. “Am I the fudge pirate”. She said, introducing herself.
Miraculously, they never tire talking about fudge. We had a relatively long conversation about the fudge making process and they answered like it wasn’t the 50th time someone had asked them in the last 3 hours.
They only have 6 stores but they’ve put more thought into the experience than many global retailers. At the display counter, where all the fudge lives, there’s a little sign that says “please do not tap the glass: it scares the fudge”. They put the fudge into a paper bag that says “I’m not gonna make it home in one piece!” and then into a carrier bag that says “Get the fudge out of here!”
They are scaling the business with stalls at food conventions, longer-lasting fudge stocked in independent food shops and an ecomm website. Their website isn’t as well crafted as their stores but don’t let that stop you ordering from it.
Strategy and all that stuff
Scott Galloway vs Rory Sutherland. I broke my no marketing podcast rule for this. And for what? It was a battle of the anecdotes, completely dictated by Scott, without any marketing insight. A LinkedIn commenter said something like “Scott is a politician and Rory is a philosopher, what did you expect?”. Agree. Rory should have heavily challenged Scott’s biases. He’s a centi-millionaire who doesn’t think advertising works. Yeah no shit he’s not going to be persuaded by Premier Inn advertising when he can afford The Ritz.
28 Slightly Rude Notes On Writing. How to become a better, focused, passionate, practiced, unequivocal, writer.
School Reports Tracker. Every year Campaign track the major agencies’ performance across things like accounts won, % women in senior management & a total mark out of 10. Now you can look at historic trends from 2011 onwards.
Non-linear Ethnic Niches. A repeatable phenomenon where different nationalities operate monopolies completely unrelated to their nationality. Full of interesting facts. “Cambodians run about 80% of the donut shops in Southern California (despite being only 0.17% of the state’s population)”.
Thinky Feelies. “Advertising works by giving people alternatives to thinking”. Possibly surpassed by Peachy or why advertising won’t be replaced by AI it will defined by it.
ChatGPT Is Getting Better At Shopping. AI shopping recommendations/ paid search will inevitably be the biggest change in media in the next 2 years.
Writing Presentations. A helpful resource on writing presentations. I would love to know what other resources people use to improve their presentation writing skills.
Seven Features Of Post-Literate Politics. People are reading less. Probably not you, as you are choosing to read this, but possibly also you as you’re reading this and not a book. The effects on our politics and culture will be profound.
Creativity & campaigns
WhatsApp’s F1 doc. Can’t even comprehend how this would have come about but The Seat is a brilliant way to advertise WhatsApp to Netflix’s global audience.
Locked Reel. I don’t normally post new media formats but this got my attention. You can now password protect an Instagram reel meaning other people can see there’s exclusive content they can’t (yet) access.
POPE YES!!! Social media post of the year.
Crikey Runs For Australian Parliament. Crikey, an independent Aussie news brand, ran for PM to highlight how you’re allowed to lie in political advertising but not non-political advertising.
Russell Davies interview. A great perspective on a successful career spent in advertising. I’m looking forward to the Interesting lectures on Wednesday, let me know if you are going too!
Pick N Mix
The History Of The Rolling Stones. I’m not an especially big fan of The Stones (despite most of the music I listen to coming from the 60s) but I enjoyed listening to the history of the band. Their story is a comical shadowing of The Beatles, not unlike Brian shadowing Jesus in Life Of Brian. The Beatles were the working-class kids done good, patriotic heroes that conquered America, absolved of their sins (and there were lots of sins) by a doting British public. The Stones were intellectual public-school boys marketed as delinquents*. Eventually they lived up to the reputation. Now they parody it.
*Brian Jones was genuinely a delinquent and an awful human being.
Vystry. Another cracking mini game. Guess the picture in as few moves as possible.
True Size. Maps distort the size of a country (the further away from the equator the bigger the country). This website lets you move countries about so you can see their true size.
Magalleria. I visited Bath last weekend (same trip as the Fudge Kitchen) and happened across an independent magazine shop which deserves a shout out. Most magazine shops, as was explained to me by the owner, focus on design but they focus on EVERYTHING. Check it out. Buy something weird.
Peace out ✌️
Alex