Welcome back!

In this edition of DTC Creator, we've got everything covered: AI interns, clandestine agencies, fictional sitcoms, and fresh recipes.

Dive right in and enjoy!

A special note from our sponsor Amplitude

Did you know that 79% of shoppers shop online at least once a month — using websites and apps across various devices? 🤔

Complex journeys can make it difficult to drive effective campaigns and measure impact across channels.

The good news? The right digital analytics platform can help you:

• Generate personalized campaigns

• Understand and optimize the path to purchase

• Grow revenue and customer lifetime value

Explore six ways your company can get visibility into the impact of your marketing efforts — even when customer journeys get complicated.

PNC takes pride in being ‘boring’ 

Being boring isn’t always a bad thing, especially if you’re a bank— according to PNC. 

The Scoop:

• In their latest national campaign, Pittsburgh’s bank PNC claims that it is ‘boring’ and that ‘boring is good’. 

• William S. Demchak, chairman and chief executive officer of PNC says: “Our work is focused on being reliable and trustworthy”, in a release earlier this week. 

• PNC worked together with ad agency Arnold Worldwide for this TV spot that featured actor Chris Diamantopoulos.

Banks are meant to be boring

After the recent turmoil in the banking scene, PNC is focused on being boring. To them, being boring means being reliable and trustworthy, as their CEO, Bill Demchak says. 

Demchak also says “In a frenetic industry that sometimes chases shiny objects, we’ve grown our business by focusing on the essential financial needs of customers, patiently nurturing relationships over generations and delivering results,” 

He goes on to say that he believes that their new ‘boring’ approach positions the bank well for growth opportunities. 

Boring is Essential

Smart, dependable, steady

The bank teamed with ad agency Arnold Worldwide to create their latest TV spot that featured actor Chris Diamantopoulos, who proclaims that “Boring is the jumping-off point for all the un-boring things we do.”

The 60-second commercial, called ‘Boring is Essential’ sends the message that your banks are meant to be boring, because boring is “smart, dependable and steady— all words you want from your bank.”

Campaigns aside, PNC is planning to give 1200 of their existing outlets a make-over and is aiming to open up branches in at least 100 new locations by 2028. 

US sues Apple, claiming that the company has thwarted innovation

The U.S. Justice Department and 16 attorneys general sued Apple on Thursday, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws.

The details

The U.S. Justice Department accuses Apple of violating antitrust laws by gatekeeping their hardware and software features that are available on their popular devices from rivals. 

The suit was filed on Thursday in New Jersey federal court and signifies the conclusion of a five-year investigation into the world's second most valuable tech firm. 

The lawsuit claims that Apple has thwarted innovations that could have made it easier for consumers to switch phones by misusing its power over app distribution on the iPhone.

Apple has refused to support non-Apple smartwatches, cross-platform messaging apps, limited third party digital wallets and has also blocked mobile cloud streaming services.

Apple feels threatened

Since the suit, Apple saw their shares take a dip of 3.8%, their biggest decline since February. 

The company counter-claims that the lawsuit was wrong and warns that it could set a dangerous precedent where governments could “take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology” and has vowed to stand against it. 

The company has gone on to say: “At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love— designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users.” and that “This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.”

We’re going back to the 90s with Samsung’s fake sitcom

Since the world has been riding the nostalgic waves, brands have been leveraging on the new rave and Samsung has just joined the chat. 

Best in the House:

Since more shows like “The Nanny” or “Full House” are being added to streaming services due to demand, Samsung’s latest campaign for its TVs decided to showcase that Samsung has the best of both worlds: the charm of the 90s available at the best resolution on Samsung TVs.

“Best in the House”, created by Quality Meats has Saturday Night Live’s alums Molly Shannon and Tim Meadows play as twins Nikki and Rafael who are competing to be the best in a ’90s-style inspired sitcom.

The show runs for 3 minutes and features 90s outfits, classic humour, and even the weird uncle next door. 

How is this the best for Samsung?

The clip is dull and grainy at first (standard quality in the 90s), but once Samsung’s AI Upscaling is applied, the video transforms— tremendously. 

The company plans to show this transition on a Samsung TV in its upcoming Samsung Unbox & Discover event Thursday night. This is to promote their latest upscaling technology that is now available on their 2024 TV product line.

Watch the transition and upscaling yourself. 

More marketing news

• Bryan Irving, former Meta marketer, replaces Felipe Avila as Lyft’s new Chief Marketing Officer. 

• Is fighting the new way? Apparently, agencies can really benefit from creative debates or disagreements, promoting innovation. 

• Agencies are now using ‘AI interns’ to humanise generative technology, like Xara at Jack Morton. 

• Wieden+Kennedy’s former executive team that worked on their Nike account secretly opened their own agency. 

• You won’t see her, but you’ll hear her: Regina Hall voices Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine’s first campaign in a very long time “You Have Good Taste”. 

• Apple’s new TV spot features ‘Don't Let Me Go’, a song by Terrace Martin through singing photos. 

DTC news you can use

• Ted Baker is facing uncertain times while they search for a new buyer. 

• The marketing boss at Trainline wants her staff to think like scientists. 

• Matalan releases their first brand platform. 

• Chips Ahoy has a new packaging, new recipe, and Keke Palmer. 

• How is the latest TikTok ban attempt different and what are its effects? 

Top 3 Advertising picks of the week

1. McDonald’s celebrates their chicken menu that “hits different”. 

2. Denny’s wants you to know that they have “a booth ready for you”, always.

3. Sports streaming platform FuboTV takes a shot at Disney with #SaveMySports.

We're not sure about you, but we're all set to catch a Lyft home and binge-watch Friends all weekend long 😝

See you again on Monday!