Hi all,
Every episode we set off to unpack and give more detail to the top things in the Sunday letter. Each week, I inevitably take us on 10 tangents (or connected dots). This week is no different.
A quick few notes:
Kirsten got fancy and added images live during the video recording. Do we like
Don’t forget you can now tit the hyperlinks to skip to the bits that strike your fancy.
Did you know that if you read these email in the Substack app, at the top of every letter, there’s a little ‘Play’ symbol and it will read to you? Lovely, right!?
Now, of course, you’ll ask: why the old English man’s voice? A valid question. I have a lifelong love affair with BBC News. It just felt right. Not everything has to make sense. So, if you’d like to submerge yourself in the Sunday letter while cooking or driving, this could be for you.
As always, this pod dives into the biggest trends, shifts, and brands. Diving deeper and unpacking our favorite bits of the Sunday letter.
THIS WEEK’S PODCAST EPISODE:
Canceling cancel culture
An instant fix to InstaCart’s ad & was the ad a dupe?
Are we in our rebuttal ad era?
Hims & Hers switches to dark mode
Pam and Martha = Rebranding babes
My favorite part of Matt Klein’s Meta Trends report
Niche sport brands are winning
Is Methylene Blue the future of wellness?
More brands are joining the menopause movement
Brands partying more
The Year of the Snake is a delight
Enjoy!
What we get into:
CULTURE
01:36 — CANCELING CANCEL CULTURE // For better or worse, today there’s very little that makes you cancel-worthy. There’s an audience at the end of the spectrum.
F&B
05:08 — INSTANT FIX FOR INSTACART // 3 things are true: 1) Every team that works on a Super Bowl works their butts off, and that’s worth recognition 2) The premise of Instacart’s IP-packed Super Bowl ad wasn’t bad 3) There’s one tiny, simple thing that could have taken it from missing culture to tapped in.
And as promised, Michael Abata’s post comparing InstaCart’s ad to an oddly similar ad from Target in 2004.
12:39 — OG or 0 GRAMS // Is Kellogg’s latest ad brilliant or missing the big picture? And, are we in our ‘rebuttal ad’ era? Surreal’s posted a rebuttal ad to Kellogg’s and Tony Chocolonely had a hot take on Cadbury’s ad (there’s an article here, right?! Who do I pitch?)
DRUGS & BOOZE
16:29 —HIMS & HERS U OK? // Brands leading from a place of fear, inciting fear—never good. This video is quite the brand positioning video. I know we’re in our dark mode, but as I’ve said the tone is more optimistic than sad. This is not that.
SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS
21:11 — REBRANDING BABES // Kirsten has a fun post on this duo. And without a doubt, Pam Anderson and Martha Stewart teaming up in this Elle article was a highlight of the week—gush. Adrienne Raquel was already on the map but this photography is a flag in the sand.
RETAIL
27:55 — META TRENDS MAKING SENSE //
’s Meta Trends 2025 report has so many brilliant insights and nuggets you just have to read it for the full effect. The best? “See demographical attributes not as boundaries but ingredients.” I have a post about this on LinkedIn scheduled to unpack it, too, if you’re not in a listening mood.
SPORT
33:27 — WINNING PLAY: NICHE // Sports brands are masters at niching down. It’s something other categories should study. Halfdays is one great example. Bandit, Rapha, Pas Normal, Off Season, Omorpho are others.
WELLNESS & BEAUTY
34:04 — THE FUTURE OF WELLNESS? // First hand testimony on Methylene Blue delivered.
TRAVEL
35:42 — MENOPAUSE MOVEMENT // Canyon Ranch’s M/Power menopause retreat points to a gaping whole in services for a growing cohort of women. Equinox launched a series of spa treatments in collaboration with Stripes aimed at menopausal clients. This space won’t go back into the shadows.
Missing the letter this all ties back to? This way:
That’s all folx.
-Chris
If you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.
PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too.
Share this post