The Drink Cart: Match Point
What the deuce? This week we're talking Apple AI, SEO restaurants, political ads, French tennis, British baseball, NFL season tickets and the underrated Jungle Bird.
Another week and this one makes it mid-freaking-June. And this one is newsletter #14. And yes, I did crack and order some baseball cards this week. Here are a few quick opening takes:
Yes, Twitter has now hid the secret shame of my likes, just as nature intended it.
No, a remote tribe in the Amazon did not get addicted to porn.
But yes, a fan was blasted with a taser during a baseball game this week.
Are we really surprised that TikTok is breaking young voters brains?
And yes, I have been thinking about hot dogs in croissants for about 12 hours now.
GQ’s list of 2024 overrated items, based on a fun old 1995 list, is a fun, triggering troll job. My top 5: Multistep skin-care routines, Cold plunges, Espresso martinis, The AI apocalypse, Funky ceramics.
Lastly, this news of Americans “slathering their hot dogs with mayo” is not okay. Repeat, not okay.
Opening hottest take: What kind of target audience is buying the new exclusive Jake Paul Walmart personal care brand? I feel like you want to keep an eye on those people with some sort of watch list.
Today’s “newsletter,” I promise, is more than just thinking about the hallowed red clay of Roland-Garros, or is it?:
Parisian tennis pop ups and old tennis ads, baseball and politics in the UK and a sneaky tiki cocktail
AI highs and lows, SEO naming best practices and the new social media post style
There’s even NFL season ticket unboxing and classic diner hats in this thing
1. Apple gets into the AI game
It’s crazy to me that 7,789,687 watched this Apple keynote this week. That’s probably more complainers than watched Disney+’s new Star Wars show The Acolyte. And only Apple would take AI and rebrand that into Apple Intelligence. I can’t help but say that in Jerry Stiller’s signature Frank Costanza ‘yelling-voice’ when on their website they call it, “AI for the rest of us.” (And for the record, they never should have traded Jay Buhner, obviously. To be fair Ken Phelps was a vibe.) Editor: Did you just sneak baseball and baseball content into this story? Me: 100%.
Where was I? Oh, Apple Intelligence, is coming in beta this fall in iOS 18 and select devices in the US, and this features some AI writing tools, notification and email summaries, image creators, custom emoji generation (oh lord) and some wrapped up ChatGPT integrated in all your Apple stuff. Final verdict: The landing page kind of feels like they used AI for it.
2. The Classic SEO restaurant move
Finding a completely SEO-centric restaurant name on your travels is always very exciting. Spied this incredibly named restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and can’t stop think about how utterly perfect it was for a restaurant with a water view. it’s no Thai Food Near Me, but I’d still give it 8/10, no notes.
3.Savage faux political ads
Since we mentioned D-Day last week here, it’s worth following this story. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to leave the ceremonies in Normandy almost immediately and return home.
Ben Golik a creative director at Uncommon mocked up this billboard the next day garnering mega attention for an election just a few weeks away. The work references another famous faux political ad from 1978 and The Drum does a comprehensive look at how the work came together.
4. London Baseball drip
This weekend marked another London Series of MLB. I am still bummed that the 2020 version was cancelled when I was set to go. But this year’s didn’t disappoint with Spice Girls walk up songs, football-style knee slides and incredible bats, shirts and shoe designs.
5. Today’s fandom
One of my never-gonna-happen goals is to be a season-ticket holder - the thought of going to 81 baseball games is terrifying, maybe football’s more reasonable schedule is more likely. What’s interesting is how teams are evolving the season-ticket experience.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shares that the NY Giants, to celebrate their 100th season give you a gift box featuring replica Super Bowl rings and a double-sided commemorative ticket. The more interesting thing is how digital is now driving these commemorative moments since there are no real tickets anymore. How long until we return to real tickets?
6. What do we think about green croissants?
Last week in pop ups was Jaquesmus, this week it is Lacoste. Speaking of the Lacoste brand, they also have a tennis themed room in the Brach Hotel in Paris that is equally stunning. And honourable mention goes to these Roland-Garros clay looking Stella Artois beer glasses.
And thanks to this, my FYP is now 30% tennis content. And I’m not mad about seeing courts like this. (Full disclosure: I don’t even play tennis, nor do I want to.)
I’m so glad I got on this Tennis kick and didn’t have to post the Corona beer shoes. But all this volleying got me thinking about some old Lacoste tennis branding and ads that were in my feed a few times. Look. At. Them.
7. Meaningless inspirational quotes
This is what happens when you try to force the concept of AI into every single creative idea and headline. VIA Rail out here trying to be more clever than it has any reason to be (Found by Katie).
8. New Instagram Style in time for the Summer
Noticed this style of social post from Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me from Rhode. This full vibe carousel, colour blocked, grid video posts, is now unlocked? Let me get this straight, brands are going to drop 16 videos, all colour coordinated, for one social post? That is wild! The likes and comments don’t lie tho.
9. Hat of the week: The Somerset Patriots Diners Cap
This week, the hat that caught our eye was from deep inside enemy territory. The Double-A Affiliate of the dreaded Yankees The Somerset Patriots are rebranding for three games as the Jersey Diners. Thankfully they are all sold out in my size.
10. Last call: The Drink Cart Jungle Bird
I love a good hotel created cocktail. In the 1970s Jeffrey Ong See Teik, working as the beverage manager of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton hotel’s “Aviary Bar.” Here he created an iconic welcome drink for the ages. Legend has it that this Tiki Mai Tai meets Negroni Jungle Bird cocktail was named for a collection of tropical birds at the hotel and perhaps, served in a bird-like cup. Forget the birds, and just make this one as soon you can.
The Drink Cart: Jungle Bird
1 1/2 oz dark rum
3/4 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz pineaple juice
1/2 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz of simple syrup
Bottoms up! What did you think of this week’s newsletter? Drop me a comment or question below or tell me how your drink from the cart turned out.
The Drink Cart is a weekly newsletter of advertising, pop culture, baseball and cocktails from Jackson Murphy.
Newsletter #14 was a banger! The Drink Cart is still undoubtedly my favourite advertising, pop culture, baseball and cocktails Substack. THAT VIA RAIL AD!