Deja Mu: Why Temu bought so many Super Bowl ads

2/13/24 7:00PM

I think I’ve seen this ad before…

‍Online marketplace Temu ran the same ad so much during the Super Bowl broadcast that newspublications can’t agree on whether it aired 5 or 6 times, as the Chinese-owned platform looks to keep interest in its app burning in the US.

With the average 30-second slot reportedly costing ~$7m, PDD Holdings, the company behind Temu, may have splashed out as much as $42m on the promotions… and that’s before accounting for the $10m in giveaways it promised on game day.

‍Shop ‘til you drop

‍Having not even celebrated its 2nd birthday as a company, Temu has exploded onto the crowded e-marketplace landscape, becoming the most downloaded iPhone app last year in the US. The platform promises the ability to “shop like a billionaire”, with its gamified and giveaway-heavy storefront offering millions of low-cost products (mostly shipped from China) proving to have piqued American interest.

Even compared to Shein, an e-commerce giant that’s scaled at hyperspeed, Temu’s rise has been meteoric, with Google searches soaring since its US launch in September 2022. However, like the platform’s controversial compatriot — which it filed an antitrust lawsuit against in July ‘23 — Temu is attracting the ire of politicians and accusations of forced labor, at a time when US sales on the platform are already reportedly dropping.

Hyunsoo Rim

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.