Ghost Mail Weekender

Happy Sunday Voornaam,

Last weekend, we were lamenting the cricket. Today, we are celebrating another victory for the Springboks. It was also rather fun to see Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis making a live appearance as the UFC Middleweight Champion and the fifth most dangerous man at Loftus.
In an incident unrelated to the rugby, Dominique lost her house keys this week - a stressful thing to have to deal with. That's not quite as stressful as the recent situation of a couple in Utah though, who lost a whole cat.
In a Facebook post, Carrie Clark, the cat’s owner, reported that Galena went missing on the 10th of April. “She literally just vanished!” Clark said in the post, adding that they put up flyers on social media and around their neighbourhood in search of the missing feline.
7 days later, Carrie received a message that was both happy and confusing. Galena had been found and her microchip had been scanned - by a veterinarian more than a thousand kilometres away in California. Apparently, an Amazon worker had found Galena hiding in a warehouse and taken her to the vet. She was found to be hungry and dehydrated, but otherwise healthy.
Putting two and two together, Carrie realised that Galena had been hiding in an Amazon return box in her home when she was accidentally sealed in and handed to a courier. Fortunately for Galena, one of the side seams of the box split open in transit, making it possible for her to breathe and eventually escape after 6 days in the box. As any cat owner knows, boxes are sheer heaven for cats. There's also that old saying about curiosity...
Dominique will be phoning her local Takealot warehouse on Monday to hear if her house keys haven’t perhaps pulled the same trick.
Moving on from cats making bad choices to Gen Zs and Millennials making excellent choices, Satrix brings you a highly insightful article on their data showing the investment trends for the under-40s club. You know, the people who watch the Boks or Banyana Banyana and still feel like it could've been them, had they gone to gym more often. As dreams of sport careers fade, at least the investment portfolios tend to grow. Learn more in this great piece>>>
Dominique Olivier's piece this week is on businesses behaving badly. There's a story about Amazon that is somewhat less endearing than the cat. Domino's also features, with pizzas hot and fresh at all costs. And of course, no article on corporate ethics would be complete without an appearance by Nestlé. Read it here>>>
Read on for a short story about music in retail stores, as well as unusual phobias. And remember: hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
The Finance Ghost (follow on X) | Dominique Olivier (connect on LinkedIn)

Media setting the mood

TL;DR: Shoppers may not know Mood Media, but Mood Media knows shoppers.
Mood Media is not the kind of company that many of us have heard of before, especially down here in South Africa, but now that we’ve learned about them, we’re a bit obsessed with their concept. Based in North America, Mood Media specialises in creating immersive retail experiences by curating a store’s soundtrack, scents, and signage to reflect a cohesive brand personality. As the global leader in retail atmospherics, Mood Media influences the sensory experiences of millions of shoppers daily without those shoppers even being aware of it.
Why is there a need for this? Because over the past 40 years, research has consistently shown that music can make customers linger longer, consume more, and feel a stronger connection with staff in stores. A cohesive store atmosphere can drive higher sales than one lacking a unified theme (just ask Edgars, shame).
Mood Media starts each project with an in-depth discovery process to create a detailed client profile, akin to a sophisticated personality quiz. Their team, which includes world-class DJs, music PhDs, and music designers, develops curated, ad-free playlists tailored to each brand. These playlists are meticulously crafted, taking into account factors like lyrics, tempo, and overall brand image. Unlike generic playlists, Mood Media’s creations are legally compliant for commercial use and are designed with human expertise, considering everything from customer mindset to store decor.
For brands seeking a unique olfactory signature, Mood Media also offers a library of 2,400 scents, enabling the creation of custom fragrances. This sensory branding can extend beyond the store, with some hotels selling candles that carry their exclusive scent, allowing customers to take home a piece of their experience.
Beyond scents and sounds, Mood Media produces a variety of content, from narratives to QR codes and drive-thru menus, crafted by a team of expert animators to deepen customer engagement. The company’s attention to detail extends to understanding customer behaviour through metrics like "dwell time" and "footfall," ensuring every aspect of the in-store experience is optimised.
Their comprehensive approach includes precise recommendations on the placement of informational screens and speakers, aligning every element to enhance the overall atmosphere and drive brand loyalty. By thoroughly understanding their clients' goals and customer demographics, Mood Media effectively transforms retail environments into cash cows for some of the world’s most distinctive brands, including Sephora, Abercrombie & Fitch and Burberry.
Dominique wants to think that there will be a market for this kind of upscaled shopping experience in South Africa one day, but then she remembered that the last time she was in a Mr Price store, she couldn’t spot any clothing on the shelves that looked like it had been ironed. So maybe we need to work on a few basics first.

Short stories v.02: Business behaving badly

Millennials and Gen Z are shaping the future of investing

Dominique's fast facts: Unusual phobias

An assortment of facts that will take you only a minute to read.

Ephebiphobia (Fear of teenagers). Is it really a phobia, or is it common sense? The band My Chemical Romance seemed to make a strong argument for the latter way back in 2006. People with ephebiphobia may perceive teenagers as out of control or dangerous and believe they are rude, unpredictable and do not follow rules.

Ergophobia (Fear of work). Every office knows a poor soul suffering from this particular phobia. People with ergophobia tend to have extreme anxieties associated with their place of work or work environment. Some may have a fear of manual labour or the act of working itself, while others can have a fear of finding a job.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (Fear of long words). Whoever came up with this word was clearly also involved in the insertion of the letter s in lisp and the triple t in stutter. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is not only the word for the fear of long words, but also the record holder for the longest word in the dictionary. The next time you need to explain what irony is, feel free to use this as an example.

Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth). The severity of arachibutyrophobia varies from person to person. Some with this condition may be able to eat small amounts of peanut butter, but others will completely avoid eating peanut butter or anything with a similar consistency.

Plutophobia (Fear of money). Most of us probably wish we had more money, but for those suffering from plutophobia, that would be a punishment. People with plutophobia may fear wealthy people or fear becoming wealthy themselves. They generally dread money and having to deal with it. Plutophobia sufferers may even go so far as to sabotage their own careers to avoid making more money or becoming wealthy.