Ralph Lauren Invited Us Into His Office
Gambling at Dave & Buster's, Adidas Q1 Results, Ralph Lauren's New Show, Starbucks New Energy Drink (coffee) and split screen art direction inspiration.
GM everyone welcome to Who Do You Know Under Ground™️ it’s essentially when I write this newsletter on the subway back to my apartment.
I have a long distance relationship, I live in Manhattan and my girlfriend lives in Brooklyn, so oftentimes I’m researching and writing in the tube m8.
Let’s get into the news—
NEWS
Now you can gamble at Dave & Buster’s. I feel like I bought D&B stock at the right moment and its cultural cache is already rising. Just two days ago I wrote about my trip to D&B, and how I think it could be New York’s newest nightlife scene, and now the arcade giant announced players over 18 will be able to place real-time bets on games. Imagine losing a band on ski ball. This comes amidst a trend of Americans spending more gambling at casinos and on sports books. The 2018 Supreme Court decision to allow states to set their own gambling laws has led to 38 states legalizing the practice. During this year’s Super Bowl, a record 68M Americans bet a staggering $23B betting on the game. It seems surreal our growing addiction to gambling has pervaded somewhere as pure as Dave & Buster’s but we get the country we deserve, not the one we want.
Adidas beat expectations in its Q1 earnings report. The company announced sales grew 8%, following last year when the brand reported its first annual lost in decades, mostly due to their terminated relationship with Yeezy. That partnership was one of the most lucrative lines for Adidas, due to its high profitability. For example, Adidas offloaded some leftover Yeezy’s, generating 150M euros in sales and 50M in operating profit. Adidas could charge so much because it was a coveted product with a strong brand. But now the retailer has to lean on its other classic models to drive sales. So finger’s crossed people don’t stop wearing Sambas.
Starbucks is developing a zero calorie energy drink. In their earning’s call, the world’s largest coffee chain said they’re throwing resources to bring a low to zero calorie energy drink to the market amidst slowing sales. Wouldn’t that just be… black coffee? Sometimes the secret to generating shareholder value was something we had all along.
Ralph Lauren invites us into his most intimate spaces. The legendary American designer has become increasingly self-referential the last few seasons, staging shows that give us a glimpse into his personal life. He held a show at his classic car garage in Bedford, NY, and more recently a replica of his 5th avenue living room (NYT: “down to the bowls of multicolored M&Ms and the faux view over Central Park”) For his Fall Women’s Ready-to-Wear collection, Lauren invited attendees into the office on 58th to debut another timelessly chic collection of taupe looks. I can never hate Ralph, and I find it so sweet that he is giving us glimpses into his life towards the end of his career. Many great artists do this, think of how self referential directors like Scorsese or Tarantino have become in their later years.
Creative agencies want you to think they aren’t an agency. More and more agencies are trying to ditch their traditional label, in order to communicate they are different. Think of all the agency websites that begin with the headline “We’re not an agency” Now these shops are rebranding as ‘creative consultancies’ or as a ‘creative solutions and innovation company’ Does it really matter what you call yourself as long as you’re creating great work for brands?
ART DIRECTION INSPO
Okay now I’d like to introduce a new corner of the Who Do You Know universe, an inspiration corner. What’s an interesting, easy way to create visually striking compositions? Try going split screen. Many brands in fashion and retail are combining two images side by side, creating a unique vibe that communicates more than a single image. You can really lean into juxtaposition here. Feel free to add these to your little moodboard.
OKAY SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
To learn more about Jake visit www.jb.studio
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