Chips + Dips - DIP 036: Surfing the net
DIP 036: Surfing the netPlus, DTC TVP, Korean spa culture-inspired loungewear, and a psilocybin lifestyle label
👋 Hi. I’ve been settling into hibernation season, watching The Sex Lives of College Girls and welcoming my Dutch oven back into my weekly cooking rotation. I’ve also set a rule for myself that I can only buy a new cookbook after borrowing it from the library at least twice (which, yes, PSA, you can borrow cookbooks from your library!) as a means of confirming that I’d use it often. Falastin is looking like it might be my next purchase. As always, reply with questions, comments, or thoughts about anything you read here. This issue features 23 brands. Fifty-two percent are white-led, 17 percent are Black-led, and 22 percent are led by non-Black people of color. You can find the complete Chips + Dips inclusion index here. The Chips 🎨
The Dip 🖼️If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Would this really be a newsletter if I didn’t have something to say about web3? (Pause. Curious about what web3 even is? Start here.) Self-deprecation aside, I’m watching the web3 universe with guarded interest despite not yet having properly dipped my toes into it. I’m generally very cautious and skeptical of hype. I understand the world that crypto and DAOs and a (non-Facebook-run) metaverse can unlock, particularly for creatives and creators. Yet much of what I observe strikes me as the same sort of exclusivity and wealth accumulation we’ve been seeing, not the decentralization and access that web3 is supposed to facilitate. So rather than pontificate, I’m going to highlight fragments of the web3 universe that exist today that have helped me to better understand where we might be heading. Acronyms and initialismsArfa, the short-lived house of brands (see: DIP 007 and DIP 027), worked with a panel of consumers, dubbed the Collective, to develop its products. Five percent of profits were reserved for members of the Collective, distributed as a means of recognizing their contributions to the company. Their input into product development and marketing and, more importantly, their payout, is DAO-adjacent. Or, look at Glossier’s stickers. The brand includes seasonal logo stickers in each order. Glossier sticker collections are a point of pride among fans — a currency that proves loyalty. The stickers are often listed on resale sites, too. This obsession with collecting and the community it signifies is NFT-adjacent. In both examples, the web3 translation is more of a big step than it is a giant leap. The foundation has already been laid. Customer-led product development becomes DAO-led product development, seasonal collectibles become NFTs, and the emphasis on community we’ve seen over the last five-plus years grows stronger. Playing video gamesRemember Animal Crossing? The game everyone was playing in late spring of 2020? Where brands created their own islands and released their own clothing? That was conditioning us for the metaverse. 2PM’s May 2020 essay unpacks this further. There’s also Roblox, which hosted a Lil Nas X concert that 33 million people viewed, opened a virtual restaurant with Chipotle to give out one million burritos, and, more recently, is hosting Nike’s foray into the metaverse, NIKELAND. These online gaming worlds are successful and have a relatively low barrier to entry in part because they’re not weighed down by the jargon of web3. They’re games. You play them. You build worlds in which to hang out with friends, and over time your digital worlds — and the relationships they facilitate — grow richer and more intertwined. The real reason we’re hereThe real reason I’m writing this — and the idea that sparked it — is that I think we’re about to see a resurgence of brand mascots. Duolingo’s TikTok made this click for me. Personas are easier to translate to metaverse applications than real people. The mascot represents the brand and becomes the thing that consumers engage with. It has a personality, it tells a story, and it doesn’t depend on one person — or the same person — to bring it to life. OffLimits is doing this, too. Each flavor of cereal has a distinct character. When the brand first launched, it had separate social streams for Dash and Zombie. It has its own version of Saturday morning cartoons. OffLimits comes to life online through the expression of its mascots. This isn’t to say that every company needs a mascot, in the same way that not every consumer brand needs a web3 strategy — yet. I’m sure we’ll get there. But what’s interesting, at least for now, is that the progression is shaping up to be a natural one. It’s more of the same, just under a different name, with a different interface, and increasingly online. Still hungry?
Real Dip 📸Spicy peanut sauce. Start with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter (Fix & Fogg Smoke and Fire is preferred). Add small spoons of soy sauce, fish sauce, and your chili crisp of choice. Add a splash of sesame oil and some sliced garlic. Start to stir, adding splashes of cold water as you go until the sauce has emulsified and is as dense or drippy as you like. Taste it — you might need more soy sauce. Plays well with dumplings, roasted sweet potatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Thanks for snacking, — Emily 🕳️ |
Older messages
DIP 035: Caps! Caps for sale!
Friday, July 16, 2021
Plus, a digital solution for PCOS care, Gustav Klimt-inspired vacationwear, and room service ghost kitchens
DIP 034: Hand over the keys
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Plus, doulas on demand, whipped coffee concentrate, and solution-oriented skincare
DIP 027: Political bodies
Thursday, April 8, 2021
PLUS: A Marcel Breuer dream home, good design at the dentist, and Simmons for Gen Z
DIP 028: Out of bounds
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Plus, time-aware site design, anti-polish nail care, and United's Elite Status mixed nuts
DIP 029: I'll wait
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Plus, Haircare for Black men, eco-friendly end-of-life rituals, and a digital disposable camera
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