The Monthly Marketing Minute: Twitter Makes a Comeback...Kinda, Consumers Will Pay a Premium For Nostalgia, All Hail ROSE'
The latest marketing and business news...
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Twitter’s Ad Revenue Shows a Pulse
Twitter’s ad revenue is predicted to show solid growth in 2025. However, it’s worth noting that this growth still won’t unwind the losses Twitter saw in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, Elon is facing challenges over wanting to merge X with xAI, a move that could create a new company valued at $80 billion. Already, a judge has blocked the merge, and I suspect more attempts will follow. Although I suspect these moves are more about judicial activism than concern over the law.
Americans Want the Products and Brands of Their Childhood Back on Shelves
A study has found that a majority of Americans want to see the products of their youth be revived. Products such as video game consoles, soft drinks, and clothing that has since been retired and removed from the market. What’s more, the study found that the average American would pay a premium of 32% to once again buy their favorite long-lost brands.
I just want someone to explain to me why Carnation ever removed its Breakfast Bars from the shelves.
I did think these findings from the study on the drivers of brand loyalty were on point:
“Respondents shared what they believe causes them to remain loyal to specific brands and their products: if the brand makes high-quality products (59%), if consumers have a good experience with the brand (58%), and if consumers have used the brand’s products for years (56%).”
Note what factor wasn’t listed: Price. With that in mind…
Latest Research Into Brands Using Loyalty Programs
Salesforce recently released a study it did into how companies are currently leveraging loyalty programs. The findings aren’t revolutionary, but will confirm some assumptions many marketers have about loyalty programs. Such as:
Two-thirds of retailers offer loyalty programs, another 29% plan to roll out loyalty programs in the next 24 months.
Over three-quarters of customers belong to a loyalty program, and the average shopper belongs to four.
Points-based programs are the most popular model, offered by 57% of retailers. One-third offer cash-back models, and one-quarter offer tiered programs.
Price increases are the top reason why shoppers lose loyalty toward a brand
I want to talk a bit about that last point. If a customer’s loyalty toward your brand is rooted in price, then you don’t have a real relationship with that customer. This is the dating equivalent of ‘I am dating her because she’s gorgeous’. Healthy relationships aren’t built on looks just like healthy brand relationships aren’t built on price. It has to be something deeper, and finding out what that ‘something’ is requires work on the part of the brand.
This is ‘punch card’ loyalty. When the customer only cares about the price, then their loyalty is to the offer, not the brand. As soon as they find a competitor with a lower price, they switch to that brand. This is why smart brands focus on building a deeper relationship with customers based on total experience. Price can even play a role, but it’s also about product design, support, marketing, personalization, everything.
ROSE’ Officially Rules the Music World
A few days ago
messaged me and asked what I knew about KPop music.‘Almost nothing’, I told him.
He then shared a video of the new song ‘APT’ by Korean pop star ROSE’, which features Bruno Mars. The video is incredibly infectious, but I wanted to share this live performance of the song, where Korean rapper Lee Young Ji fills in for Bruno. I’m a big fan of live performances and I think the interplay here between ROSE’ and Young Ji here is spectacular:
That performance was in November of 2024, and the song had just reached #1 on the global charts, making it the number one song in the world.
5 months later, it’s still there. APT has been #1 on Billboard’s Global chart Exc US, which excludes US sales and streams, for *19* straight weeks. Additionally, APT peaked at #1 on Billboard’s global chart and is currently #2. It’s insanely infectious even if you have no idea what the song is about (a drinking game, if you are wondering).
That wraps up the April edition of the Monthly Marketing Minute. Thank you for reading, and please share with your network and colleagues if this information has been useful to you!
Have a great weekend!
Mack
Backstage Pass teaches you how to better connect with your customers, readers, clients, or donors. The lessons shared here draw on my experience over the last 20 years building customer engagement strategies for companies like Adobe, Dell, Club Med, Ingersoll-Rand, and countless others. I give you real-world research, examples and tactics that show you how to create customer engagement efforts that drive real business growth.
My Tenth Month Publishing on Substack: Here's What I Learned
Happy Tuesday, y’all! Please Like and Restack this issue to help increase its visibility on Substack. Thank you! And if you are getting value from my articles, please consider supporting me by subscribing to Backstage Pass. Free subscribers get access to all articles as they come out, after one month, older articles are paywalled. Paid subscribers have …
ALL HAIL ROSE! 😂
Though in all seriousness, the Kpop fandom is absolutely fascinating. After I watched the first video, YouTube started recommending to me way too many fan reactions (many of whom were American) and it reminded me exactly of the deeper connection between musicians and their fans that you so often focus on.
The Kpop boy band / girl group machine is quite a dark one (read: *highly* exploitative) but people can build up these deep relationships with the singers. They become invested in their growth, in their personal journey, and what felt like quite a wholesome joy in seeing her succeed. So when APT was dropped, it was a stealth drop. No marketing beyond a mysterious post on Rose's IG. Infectious beats notwithstanding, the fandom really fanned the flames of the song's success.
Hmmmmm
Where do I even begin?
Not with Elon lol
I recently saw a Threads conversation where people were debating discontinued snacks, and it reminded me how these products become emotional bookmarks in our life stories. That 32% is paying to reconnect with a younger version of oneself. Brands that endure seem to understand they're selling identity as much as inventory.
A small business owner once told me, "Discount customers leave for discounts, but experience customers come back for you." The Salesforce data shows most programs are still playing the short game. I'd love to see more brands develop loyalty initiatives that feel less like transactions and more like membership in something meaningful - think REI's co-op model.
Okay, now Elon.
I think X is struggling with identity, though I could be wrong. To be fair Medium and LI are also in the same fuck it bucket but I digress.
The projected ad growth is encouraging, but I'd like to know if the deeper story is about how platforms lose cultural cachet. When users and advertisers leave, even partial recovery requires more than just financial considerations. It demands rebuilding trust and purpose. The xAI merger attempt feels symbolic of our era's blurred lines between innovation and overreach. When does ambitious vision become overextension? Personally, I think the judicial response is less about activism and more about still figuring out the guardrails for this new class of tech conglomerates. Trust me when I say this - nobody has a frigging clue.
Thank you bro........