Through the Google lens: search trends October 3-9
The Royals are in the playoffs, Carlton’s doing the Carlton and a Cosby Show star is in the news… what decade is this anyway? Here’s a look at a week of search trends so weird, it’s almost a Twin Peaks experience:
Play ball
The National League and American League division series thrilled fans of October baseball this week. KC fans gave their brooms a workout as the Royals swept the Angels. They’re in the playoffs for the first time in almost 30 years and at an all-time high in search as a result. And after the Cardinals beat the Dodgers to make it to their fourth straight NLCS, the only Midwest team that’s not happy is the Tigers, who lost to the Orioles (also a sweep). Meanwhile, the Giants beat the Nationals in a four-game series that was really almost like five games, since Game 2 went an epic 18 innings. The next round starts today.
Flashbacks
Fans of 90s TV shows were breaking out some celebratory dance moves this week, starting, of course, with The Carlton. This week Alfonso Ribeiro—former Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor and current Dancing with the Stars contestant—did what we’ve all been hoping for and broke out his famous Carlton dance moves on the show. Not only was Ribeiro wearing a Carltonesque sweater and bowtie, the show’s set was decorated to look like the sitcom.
News also broke that cult classic Twin Peaks is coming back to the screen. Creators David Lynch and Mark Frost will write nine episodes of the murder mystery for a limited run on Showtime. If you’re one of those people who’s like, “Laura Palmer, who?” don’t fret—the new episodes won’t be on the air until 2016, so you have plenty of time to catch up with Agent Dale Cooper between now and then.
Finally, former Cosby Show and Disney channel star Raven Symone was top of mind this week after an interview with Oprah in which she discussed personal identity and labels. Oprah told the actress not to “set up the Twitter on fire,” but it didn’t do much good as people took to the web to read more about the actress’ declaration that she is “not African-American.”
Wings, shmings
For nearly two decades, “Red Bull gives you wings” has been the energy drink company’s slogan. This week, Red Bull agreed to pay more than $13 million after settling a U.S. lawsuit accusing the drink maker of false advertising claims. The plaintiffs argued that Red Bull’s ad campaigns claim the drink gives people special energy benefits. Scientific reports, however, show it offers about the same benefits as a cup of coffee and does not, in fact, give you any wings at all. Searchers looked to find out more about the settlement, which may entitle them to $10, or alternatively, $15 worth of free Red Bull.
Tip of the week
Next time you’re on vacation and looking for a nice place for dinner, let Google be your concierge. Open the Google app and say “Ok Google, show me restaurants near my hotel” to see a variety of options. When you find the one you like, you can say “Ok Google, make a reservation there for 7 p.m.” If the restaurant is on OpenTable, you’ll see a reservations screen pop up with the details already filled out—no need to waste time on the phone when you could be enjoying your time off!
