Apple wrote a self-help book

Plus: TheRealReal is real serious about Substack, and AI is changing influencer deals

Morning,

I hurt my back working out this week, and if I convey only one thing in this letter, it’s my new love of Fascia Flossing. I’m healed! Mark my words, this is about to explode.

More fun news: I’m on the latest episode of The Marketing Playbook. Mark and I discuss brands on Substack, AI and retail, and, of course, Silvers. Give it a listen.

And, finally, the next Breakfast Club LA is Feb 21, Zinque, 8:30am. Deets here.

If you only read one thing in this letter I recco: SEE ABOVE! But if you’re into AI, this week is for you. Head to TECH. Or go for SEVERED BUT CONNECTED.

As always, the lens of this letter is a best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands.

Let’s dive in!

CULTURE

GOOD COMPANY -> AfterSchool // Culdesac in Tempe, Arizona is a new no-car-town concept. People are craving proximity—globally. In France, the 15-minute city is taking off. Most interesting? Why residents love it. Deeper, more frequent human connections.

TILL DEATH DUO US PART // Duo Lingo has killed off its mascot. And the internet is loving (and hating) it. So many brands are joining in. It is obviously a larger campaign rollout and speaks volumes about running campaigns social-first.

SEVERED BUT CONNECTED // Apple published a self-help book to promote Severance. It’s a more subtle approach than White Lotus. It’s refreshing not to see 100 collabs. Leaning into the lore of the show is smart. They are even on LinkedIn.

F&B

EXTRAVAGANT FLOP // Pre-Super Bowl, Poppi sent 30 vending machines to select influencers. It did not go well.

Rachel Karten

explains it’s not the 25K cost, it’s the extravagance. Influencer fees are often way higher, but consumers don’t see that; it’s not flaunted in their face. Whether covert gifting or overt gifting, think about perception.

CONSUMER-FOCUSED // Taco Bell’s Super Bowl ad was great. Their new drive-thru photobooths are so smart on so many levels. Making the photos the star of the campaign, though: genius. People want brands to want them, not just influencers. It’s also why the new trend of customer brand trips is resonating.

MILK MAXXING // Move over pre-biotic soda; it’s milk’s time to shine. Fairlife, Coca-Cola’s milk brand, is now worth ~$7.4B, up from $1B in 2022. Why? Protein, baby. Ozempic-users, menopausal women, and strength-training obsessives are chugging /eating a whole lotta dairy. This is also why cottage cheese pizza is up 129%.

DRUGS & BOOZE

LIGHTING UP LIGHT BEER // Light beer is getting a heavy infusion of new players. Garage is trying to give this historically mild beer an edge. Real American Beer is giving us a specific flavor of patriotism. And Bero is serving up sophistication with a side of N/A. All the legacy players except Michelob better watch out.

SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS

LULU AND JOAN -> Einat Israeli // I have a few Lululemon readers, so perhaps they saw my predictions or my love of Joan on LinkedIn? Lululemon launched a campaign this week with Silver fitness influencer Joan MacDonald. It’s nice. Silvers are aspirations across the generational spectrum, and the reception to these posts is nice evidence.

RETAIL

IT’S A WIN // Nike’s ‘You Can’t Win. So Win’ packed a lot of star-power. Doechii on voice-over and everyone female athlete you can name. The timing is a win. Everyone is all in one women’s sports. Love the classic Nike-vibes, but this post is a miss.

CUTE NAME // On Super Bowl spot with Elmo was cute. The commercial is part of a larger campaign promoting ‘soft wins’. The ‘anti-competitive’ stance is a nice contrast to Nike’s more aggressive tone. But it feels very Outdoor Voices. The danger here is that people want something to get behind, and kumbaya is hard to keep interesting.

REAL GOOD //

The RealReal

launched a Substack.

Emily Sundberg

did a great interview with them on the thinking/strategy. Best line? “If a marketing team thinks they can bring their Klaviyo strategy to Substack and see better results, I’m not sure they will be correct.” Accurate. But there are diamonds in the comments, too. There are some seriously good ideas for how brands can be successful on this platform.

TECH

BIG AI ON CAMPUS -> AfterSchool // AI platforms are going big on-campus marketing. Perplexity, You.com, and Liner are all running programs. Perplexity got 50,000 sign-ups during a back-to-school campaign and saw a 600% increase in applications for its spring semester program. I’ve run creative and strategy for a LOT of campus activations.

GEN-AI // I shared this midweek, but it feels important to reiterate: Gen-Alpha is being raised on AI. While Gen-Z is the digital-native generation, Alphas will never know the internet as it is today. They are voice-first, AI-native, and use Google Lens 10 billion times a month. Brands need to get ready. I talked about this on Mark’s podcast, too.

ARTIFICIAL INFLUENCE //

Rex Woodbury

’s latest article on AI’s impact on customer acquisition is fascinating and, quite frankly, a little scary. He shares some interesting companies emerging in this (not so little) nook. HeyGen, let’s you make realistic videos based on any script you give it. Unsettling, cool, and game-changing for influencer contracts. Profound helps brands optimize visibility in AI searches—fascinating. And, AMT to streamline your influencer programs by automating creator outreach, contracts, and product shipments. Many people think AI will give us more time, but as

Marie Dollé

astutely wrote recently, “AI doesn’t lighten the burden; it increases the tempo.”

SPORT

CREATOR SPORTS //

Profluence Sports

says creator-led sports tournaments are about to take over. Only 40% of Gen-Z watch sports on TV, versus 60% of Silvers, so this is worth watching. Creators across every sport are challenging traditional tournaments by building their own and upping the entertainment. In golf, we have The Good Good Championship. Basketball has Overtime Elite. Soccer has TST and the Baller League. If you’re looking for good pop-up venues or sponsor opps, you might want to look here.

WELLNESS & BEAUTY

NO MORE BUT BIGGER THAN EVER // Biologique Recherche discontinued their P50 lotion, and the amount of free press mentions was staggering. Sometimes, killing something can be good.

JAC OF ALL TRADES // Jacquemus is expanding into cosmetics thanks to a new investment /partnership with L’Oreal. Many luxury brands diversify into this space, but I truly can’t wait to see this packaging. I really hope L’Oreal does whatever Simon says.

HIGHER STANDARDS // Dr. Bronner is discontinuing its B-Corp status because it says the standards aren’t high enough. Please don’t go back to outdated CSR programs, but with DEI and sustainability standards now dead in the water, people will want to see more brands take it upon themselves to stand up for what they believe is right.

DOUBLE DUTY // Rhode’s make-up that moonlights as skincare, Glow Recipe + Versed are doing double shifts as makeup, Cerave has making skincare haircare. And Vacation Sunscreen has a new product, Crystal 50. It’s part invisible sun protection, part primer. Consumers want their dollars to stretch or at least want everything to work harder.

TRAVEL

KLOOK GROWTH // Asian travel app, Klook is now valued at $1B. At first, it doesn’t seem that novel, but their acquisition strategy is. Klook is all-in on creators. They’ve essentially built a version of ShopMy for influencers to gain/track sponsorship opportunities. And they’ve realized that most people use TikTok in real time for ideas while traveling. Most of their bookings happen just 24-72 hours prior.

FUN FOR THE WEEK

• Rare to see a car brand making fun content. Cheeky Wes Anderson vibes. Yes pls.

• Brands are still into films. This Salomon x Gohar Sisters one is super fun.

• This Jordan Brand Love Hurts campaign creative is clever.

• Zara opened a ski-only store in Verbier, Switzerland. Ski is in!

• Kenko is making wooden ab rollers and stunning kettlebells.

• Quick hits: this trends chart, this jazz band pop-up van, and this adorable signage.

• This post by

  carla lalli music
  on the cost of YouTube content is a must-read.

• Custom snowball maker by Gustaf Westman is genius and cute. You should do this.

That’s all, folx.

-Chris

PS. I’m in NYC the first week of April to speak at Brands & Culture. Let’s connect!