Lab Weekly - 05/09/2025
Decoding the Labubu fad and the “Little Treat” culture; Plus, the latest news about Google search, Netflix UI, and more must-know stories and stats
Want this newsletter in your inbox every week? Sign up for our mailing list here
What Brands Can Learn from the Labubu Fad
Decoding the Labubu phenomenon, the “Little Treat” Culture, and the gamble-fication of everything
In case you missed it…
Four Macro Trends Impacting the Future of Mobility
A convergence of macro forces — shifting consumer behaviors, auto trade policies, and rapid advances in self-driving technology — is starting to upend long-held assumptions about car ownership
How “A Minecraft Movie” Hit Box Office Gold
Decoding how the latest video game adaptation broke out and became a huge hit by riding on memes, deeply engaging its fan base, while also appealing to broader audiences
Video Podcasts are Crashing the Creator Party
How video podcasts become the new power play for digital creators, and where it goes next
Google Is Rolling Out New AI Tools for Search Ad Campaigns [AdWeek]
With the rollout of this new suite of tools for Search campaigns, Google is blending its Gemini model’s capabilities with predictive intent-matching and automated creative generation. Instead of relying on keyword guesswork, Early adopters like L’Oréal and MyConnect saw up to a 27% bump in conversions when combining AI Max with broad match keywords, all without raising cost-per-acquisition.
Google has been on the defense of its search business lately. With rising pressure from AI-native search challengers like OpenAI and Perplexity, and the regulatory spotlight from the DOJ’s antitrust case, Google is racing to future-proof its dominance by infusing AI into every layer of the ad stack. The new tools reflect a larger shift in both search behavior and advertiser expectations. Whether they become a true performance engine or just another lever in a very crowded ad platform remains to be seen—but one thing’s clear: the era of search as simple query matching is over.
Related: Google’s iOS app now has a “Simplify” feature to help understand complex text [9to5Google]; Google plans to roll out AI chatbot to children under 13 [New York Times]; Google is rolling out AI-powered tools and warnings to help users combat scams on Chrome. [TechCrunch]
Netflix Unveils New Homepage Design for TVs [New York Times]
Netflix unveiled a new homepage design for TVs, its first major update since 2013, featuring fewer titles but more video and animation. Rolling out globally next week, the sleek new UI design nicknamed Eclipse notably removed the endless rows of boxy thumbnails that Netflix showed, and instead aims to help viewers “press play and stay” by leaning into motion, metadata, and personalized nudges.
As YouTube edges ahead in U.S. streaming time and platforms like Max openly concede their role as Netflix “add-ons,” Eclipse reinforces Netflix’s goal to be the main event. It also sets a new bar for the industry, which largely copied Netflix’s old UI template and now needs an upgrade. Netflix is betting on AI-powered immediacy, kinetic visuals, and subtle FOMO to guide decision fatigue; other streamers might soon follow suit, just as they did with password crackdown.
Related: Netflix will try a TikTok-like feed of vertical videos on its mobile app [The Verge]; Netflix unveils its ChatGPT-powered search that lets users express preferences using natural phrases [TechCrunch]
Instacart Debuts ‘Fizz’ Alcohol Ordering App to Target Gen Z [Bloomberg]
The innovative feature of the Fizz app is that it lets multiple users build a shared cart, each paying for their own drinks and party snacks, with the full order delivered together for a flat $5 fee. Beyond a convenience play, this app is a Trojan horse for long-term brand loyalty, with Instacart hoping to hook younger users now and graduate them to online grocery customers later.
Fizz also signals a broader shift in how delivery platforms are courting Gen Z and younger Millennials by turning logistics into a social utility. As alcohol delivery competition heats up with DoorDash and Uber Eats, the $5 flat fee and BYO-payment structure lowers friction while making group orders feel casual and inclusive. If Fizz succeeds, it won’t just boost Instacart’s order volume—it could reshape the grocery delivery category around occasions, not just menus and speed.
Related: DoorDash plans to buy Deliveroo, the British food delivery company, and SevenRooms, a booking platform used by hotels and restaurants [NYT]
Situational Awareness:
NBC to use Jim Fagan’s AI-generated voice for NBA coverage [The Verge]
Nostalgia marketing is about to get an AI boost as NBC resurrect the late iconic narrator behind the original NBA on NBC era. NBC has reportedly previewed the results in its first promo, banking on a blend of technological novelty and retro reverence to reestablish emotional resonance with longtime fans. This isn’t NBC’s first foray into AI voiceovers either; the network used a similar technique with Al Michaels during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Spotify now shows how many times people listened to podcast episodes [TechCrunch]
In its latest push to catch up with YouTube in the podcast wars, Spotify has unveiled a new feature that shows the number of “plays” on each podcast episode. This is the first time a podcast metric like this will be viewable for creators and users. Spotify is blurring the line between discovery and social proof. In an era when audiences chase what’s trending (or what appears to be), popularity, or at least the indicating stats, can be a draw in and of itself.
Pinterest updates visual search with more shopper-friendly AI features [TechCrunch]
Pinterest is enhancing its visual search capabilities with new tools that allow users to more precisely refine image-based searches and access them more easily across its platform. Aimed at helping users find styles or aesthetics they can't easily describe in words, one new feature will also help users better identify what they like about certain Pins, starting with women’s fashion in select markets. Notably, the company’s shares rose 15% after it reported better-than-expected guidance in its first-quarter earnings.
Amazon-owned Zoox issued software recall following robotaxi crash [TechCrunch]
Amazon’s Waymo competitor Zoox paused its driverless testing program for more than a week after a minor crash in Las Vegas that prompted it to issue a software recall for its vehicles. Zoox has reportedly resumed on-road testing after releasing a software update to all Zoox vehicles on April 17 — but hey, in case Zoox doesn’t work out, Jeff Bezos can always pin its auto dream on the affordable Slate EV that he invested in instead.
A Belle Communication survey of 1,141 food content creator followers reveals just how much sway social reviews hold — 73% of Millennials and Gen Z let social media guide their restaurant choices. While social media reviews were by far more influential than any other source or driver for this group of young diners, social review sites like Google and Yelp still hold some sway. Though 43.7% of respondents said they go to social media for restaurant recommendations, 38.6% said they look to social review sites.
Nintendo projects weaker-than-expected initial sales of the Switch 2, with shipments expected to reach 15 million units in the year to March, shy of analyst estimates, Bloomberg reports. Uncertainty around US tariffs is weighing on Nintendo's sales projections, with the company having lifted prices on some Switch 2 accessories
Gen AI use is trending up in the ad industry. As of January 2025, nearly half of marketers globally said they use AI daily to generate images (49%) and videos (49%), per Canva and Morning Consult.
If you find our insights valuable and would like to have a deeper conversation on technology and media innovations, or need to sound smarter in a client meeting or a pitch, please feel free to reach out to Chelsea Freitas, our VP of Strategy, at chelsea@ipglab.com.
If you liked this edition of Lab Weekly by IPG Media Lab, why not share it?