Newsletter 7/8/2022: Drake’s Google Trend Problem

From the Desk of Dennis:

Does anything ever drop (a new song, film, book, etc) with the worst possible timing for you? That’s how I felt about the new Drake music video, “Falling Back” which accompanied his new album, Honestly, Nevermind.

In a different world, I might be sitting back and chuckling along at the Big Punchline: western wedding traditions juxtaposed against a mass marriage. Unfortunately for Drizzy Drake, I also just watched Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey on Netflix, a docuseries profiling Warren Jeffs and his churches criminal mass marriages of underage brides. This put a bit of a sour taste in my mouth when I watched Drake do the same thing with a bunch of IG models while he gathers a bit of a rep for being a creep and/or absentee parent. I haven’t watched it or listened to the album much since, and judging by the Google Trends screens below, I’m not alone.

The moral of the story? Always be double checking your social calendar against your social listening.

Best,

Dennis A. Wilson

This Week in Marketing and Technology:

CNN, “'Minions: The Rise of Gru' breaks box office records”

“‘Families want to be in theaters," Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic theatrical distribution, told CNN Business. "They want the social event of it all.’”

Tired: Seeing Minions in Theaters

Wired: Seeing Elvis in Theaters (my next movie in theaters)

Expired: Seeing Cats in theaters (my last movie before the pandemic)

New York Times, “Twitter Is Ready for a Potential Legal Battle With Elon Musk”

“There are many “drastic” actions Mr. Musk could take, but as it pertains to the deal, there are two clear possibilities: He could deliver a letter to Twitter saying he is terminating the deal, and he could sue Twitter. Those two actions would most likely, but not necessarily, happen simultaneously."

I swear I don’t want this newsletter to be MuskWatch, he just keeps putting his fingers in all the relevant tech pots. Let’s take bets on what his final number for bots on the service is. The official estimate is ~5%, I’ll say 9%.

Vice, “Texas Supreme Court Rules This Train Is a Train”

“It did not rule on ‘whether high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas is a good idea or whether the benefits of the proposed rail service outweigh its detriments.’”

Finally, a common-sense Supreme Court ruling we can all get behind.