The Youth Lab

BARBADOS X RI RI

“May you continue to shine like a diamond.” Barbados PM to Rihanna

As Barbados became a Republic and removed the Queen of England as head of state this week, Rihanna was honoured as a national hero. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley noted that the superstar has commanded “the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence with her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth”. We are SO here for this.

Takeaways: There is always merit in celebrating the people that have excelled and contributed to your story. During this season especially, take a moment to sincerely thank those people who you value in your life/work.

SELLING SUNSET SERIES 4

“Selling Sunset series 4 woooooo!!!! the joy these messy rich white ladies give me is truly unmatched!!!!!” Nathan Bryon via Twitter

“Selling Sunset should be 87 episodes MINIMUM”. Davey B via Twitter

If you’re been on the internet this week it’s likely you’ve come across a Selling Sunset meme or reference, even if you didn’t know it at the time. The show has returned to Netflix with a new season to binge watch (or as a treat, one episode at a time) - and everyone is losing their minds online, living for the drama. Why is the show so popular? It’s a mess. Letting you see the behind-the-scenes “reality” of selling mansions across Hollywood, there is so much drama between the agents, arguments after lots of wine, backstabbing, hustling and so many powerful fashion looks. The villain of the show, Christine Quinn, is willing to go the extra mile to make reality TV with sparks flying “You know what? I got this, because if we don’t get another season thanks to you boring bitches, you will never hear the end of it.’ So I fell on my sword and I did what I had to do.” She’s owning her spot in the show and letting you know HER real estate value.

Takeaways: You have to break some eggs to make a cake; embrace the mess. Sometimes it’s good to be a bit chaotic, especially if it gets people talking. On the flipside, if you’re choosing the messier route, take care not to offend. It’s commendable to own your narrative and ambition but be wary of needing to clean up after yourself.

2021 WORD OF THE YEAR IS..

NFT! There has been an 11,000% increase in usage in the abbreviation since last year, and tops the list of words of the year from Collins Dictionary. Described as “a digital creation that has a certificate of ownership, registered on a blockchain, or digital ledger of transactions”, read back on our 52INSIGHTS for a bigger deep-dive. NFTs go hand in hand with ‘the metaverse’, which also featured on the ‘top words’ list... With the summer of 2021 decreed the shot girl summer it’s no surprise that there is also a nod to the vaccine roll-out with double-vaxxed making the list. Another big conversation as the workforce continues to adapt to the changes that come with the pandemic, meaning that hybrid working is on everyone’s lips and on the list too.

Takeaways: Listen into trending conversations. Digital terms in particular give a signal to what next.

DUOLINGO’S TIKTOK ACCOUNT

“Duolingo has used its TikTok account to combat negative conversation online about the app’s (too) frequent push notifications. By enhancing the brand’s personality via their mascot-led content, they switched the direction of online conversation - a huge win, and loads of laughs!” Niamh Martin, Junior Account Executive, Social & Digital Innovation team, THINKHOUSE

Duolingo’s (a language education app) TikTok account is the perfect kind of unhinged content we need during the holiday season. The company’s bright green owl mascot has become a TikTok celeb, gaining millions of views over the last few months under the guidance of 23-year-old social media manager Zaria Parvez who started creating videos for the account in September. Duo the owl “twerks on conference tables, slides down walls to Taylor Swift's "All Too Well," and says he's "thirsty" for Dua Lipa, whom he has also called "mommy."” Read more here.

Takeaways: Giving younger team members the freedom to take the reins (and loosen them) on channels like TikTok can garner amazing results. Not only do they ‘speak internet’ more fluently, they’ll maximise on trends much more effectively when they have the freedom to do so.

LEGACY LOVE FOR GREENPEACE

Thousands of people have started to leave money to environmental organisation Greenpeace in their wills, following a storyline on hit show ‘Succession.’ In short, a wealthy character on the show decides to snub his nephew (Cousin Greg) of his inheritance, and leave it to Greenpeace instead. The nephew starts to consider how he could sue Greenpeace for ‘his’ money. Greenpeace UK hopped on the conversation, tweeting the actor who plays Cousin Greg in the show, Nicholas Braun. The tweet got millions of impressions and conversation and donations keep rolling… Greenpeace’s legacy webpage has reportedly seen a tenfold surge in traffic since the episode was first broadcast earlier this month.

Takeaways:

• From the environment to economics, short term thinking has been blamed for many of the issues that younger generations are concerned about. Thinking about legacy and long term impact is critical. Longer term thinking and messaging is becoming more relevant to younger generations who are looking ahead to milestones like 2030 or 2050.
• Meaningful, unlikely partnerships can lead to incredible standout.

CELEBRATING A LIFE WELL LIVED: VIRGIL ABLOH

“'I'm here to be an inspiration to kids that were like me, are like me, that didn't believe that design was for them. That starts and ends my design mission.” Virgil Abloh

While it was very sad news to read the tragic death of celebrated artist, architect, designer, leader and so much more, Virgil Abloh, who passed away this week after a private battle with cancer, we’re taking a moment to celebrate a life well lived. Abloh is celebrated for embracing youth culture and collaboration, lifting up new emerging talent and thinking of the future that was equitable and representative. When speaking about his own design technique, Abloh described it as “trolling”, looking at what was already around and changing it by 3 to 5%. Sometimes it’s ok to reinvent the wheel, when you’re bringing other people along and making it new again.

Takeaways:

• Build with collaboration and creativity at the core of everything you do. This will lead to creating things you didn’t get to see yourself, and it’s a huge catalyst to connection with younger generations. Listen to all the voices in the room and make room for everyone.
• Remember we’re all only here for a short time. Make the most of the time you have, and know that you don’t always know what is going on behind the scenes in someone else’s life.

CHRISTMAS STAMPS & MORE

The team at THINKHOUSE was honoured to get the opportunity to put our stamp on the festive greetings across Ireland this year as we were invited to design the An Post Christmas stamp collection for 2021. We created a series of colourful stamps that will hopefully invoke a warm familial festive feeling and bring people a tiny bit of joy stuck to their Christmas post! Read more here.