“Bury Daylight Savings”

‍‘Tongue in Chic.’ Selfridge’s is known for their window displays; but their latest installation is no laughing matter. Their new ‘joke shop’ activation will feature in-store merchandising that will sell whoopee cushions, rubber chickens, and other prank accoutrements for 99p and under. The activation will run until March 30 and feature work by artists Max Seidentopf and Mel Brimfield, paying homage to independent joke shops that used to pepper the high streets of England.

TikTok Shock. In a rare move of bipartisan agreement, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has unanimously agreed on draft legislation that would make TikTok illegal to operate in the United States. Once again proving that Commerce is inextricably linked to Culture, the government’s oldest-standing legislative committee of more than 50 members from both parties agree that TikTok (and its Shop) are a risk to the United States national security. It’s unclear if the draft language contains mention of “skibidi toilet” or “Ohio”.

Out of Scope? When we first reported back in 2022 on SEC guidance that would mandate reporting of ‘Scope 3’ emissions, it seemed like an untenable requirement that would limit competition and omit smaller brands from accessing marketplaces like Amazon or Walmart. Yesterday, the SEC agreed. The weakened rule will only require Scope 2 emissions reporting, but will doubtless create new opportunities for carbon reporting software and teams to track emissions. Listen to our podcast with Sustainabase founder Gaida Zirkelbach which explains Scope 2 and Scope 3 in more detail, and how brands and retailers can get ahead of compliance challenges.

‍Oscar Ads Are Booming. As we report on the podcast this week, live event viewing is trending. And while the Oscars advertising boom is real, it’s new brands like KimK’s Skims that are the most-anticipated 60-second spots. Skims will debut their first-ever television advertising campaign featuring Kim playing over 30 characters. Her bum plays a starring role as the lunar surface, where ass-tronauts probe and drive about in a rover.

‍Looks like a Prosciutto. Sounds like a Soprano. The internet’s obsession with charcuterie has us looking for labneh in all the wrong places. Today reports that some keen eyes have spotted that Ariana Grande’s dress in Wicked looks suspiciously like deliciously cured meat. “Why does her dress look like prosciutto?” and “It’s a gabagown” are among the top-tier comments.

The Mall of IndAIa. In a scene straight out of Blade Runner, the ‘synths’ have taken over the Mall of India in Naperville, Illinois. Robot chefs, controlled by an artificial intelligence, are able to run 24/7, generatively producing recipes based on user input. Nala Robotics, the robotics company that produces the technology, calls it the "first fully-automatic multi-cuisine robotic chef." What’s the recipe equivalent of AI’s inability to generate fingers and scissors?

‍Burying Daylight Savings. The world’s first DTC casket company, Titan Casket, has partnered with Ryan Reynolds’ creative agency, Maximum Effort, in a new brand campaign starring David Dastmalchian as a new brand ambassador. Their mission: to end Daylight Savings. The new domain burydaylightsavings.com claims that daylight saving time has been shown to lead to a 24% increase in heart attacks and a 6% increase in fatal accidents. Titan Casket was featured in our 2023 Journal, Archetypes.