The Weekly Roundup (week of 12.11)
another Erewhon article because i love Erewhon
1. Fan unions started as a joke. Thanks to Taylor Swift, they could be labor’s next frontier
My friend wrote this insightful piece inspired by the viral post from internet satirist and cultural critic Brad Troemel. Brad’s post was clearly inspired by the disturbing nature of the parasocial relationship the swifties have formed with the famed artist, often feeling intense emotions from every “betrayal” or perceived misstep.
Overly zealous fandoms are not new, but Swifties are a unique case study, because Swift’s whole thing is about cultivating a participatory culture in which fans feel like they have a stake—even a sense of ownership—in her success. “Fan work,” as Troemel put it, is very much “real work” in this instance. While Troemel’s post is poking fun, it’s not that difficult to see some faction of the Swiftie establishment start formally organizing in an effort to tap into the well. It’s only a matter of time before the lines between “fan work” and “real work” dissipate fully.
The article then gives a keen insight into the growing success of union movements and draws a throughline to brands increasingly relying on co-creation and community building during the age of social media. “Building with the Community” is an essential strategy for a company’s social strategy if it wants to reach a high level of brand awareness. But that’s where things get dicey, maybe the people you’re using to help build your brand will want a piece of the pie one day… Read here.
2. TRAVIS SCOTT, JOHN MCENROE, & THE NIKE MAC ATTACK DRAMA, EXPLAINED
Another incredible week for Nike marketing. The rollout for this shoe has been a full-court press, starting with a viral leaked Zoom call which snowballs into a sort of faux feud between Travis and John. The obviously staged videos were dripped onto our feeds in various ways but certainly had people wondering about their authenticity. I first saw the viral Zoom call on TikTok from a random Travis fan account called “travworldflame”. They had media accounts and curatorial IG pages like liljupiter posting the entire debacle, getting insane earned coverage, while John even makes an appearance on the famous fashion account The People Gallery. They had all their bases covered. 10/10 execution. Read the explainer from HighSnobiety here.
3. Is the Way Men Talk About Fashion About to Undergo Another Sea Change?
A fun little writeup on the history of menswear commentary and my favorite fashion pod, Throwing Fits. Check it out!
4. This Was the Year That the $20 Erewhon Smoothie Went Mainstream
As a marketer, Erewhon has been one of the most interesting brands to keep my eye on. They have successfully ingrained themselves into the mainstream consciousness through the world’s natural fascination with Los Angeles, most recently through a collaboration with Balenciaga.
This sort of spiritual intimacy is not exactly the food-based enlightenment that a trendy grocer like Erewhon nominally peddles in, but then again, it sort of is: As Isabel Ling wrote for Mold magazine earlier this year, “A big part of [Erewhon]’s allure lies in its ability to facilitate connection amongst its clientele, the idea (not dissimilar to the original teachings of macrobiotics) being that if you are what you eat, and we’re both eating organic roasted almond butter from a mason jar, we must have something in common.”