David protein bar is eating their competition
Plus: Dr. Squatch is selling bath water, and Gen-Alphas don't want your plots.
Morning,
Excited to meet a bunch of you in London for GOOD DRINKS this coming Monday. Swing by if you’re in town for SXSW.
If you only read one thing in this letter I recco: DAVID IS GOLIATH or LOSING THE PLOT.
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
BIEBER BILLIONS // No doubt you’ve heard Hailey Bieber sold her company, Rhode, for $1B to e.l.f Cosmetics. Rhode is one of the best case studies the branding biz has in it’s pocket. Sure, Bieber is an enormous influencer, but she invested in her brand. That lovely vending machine cost $1MM. And is now the industry reference for a vending machine (most brands shed a tear when they hear the cost). She’s constantly rolling out new products, full campaign creative with pop-ups, multiple times a year. e.l.f. is no stranger to marketing. They pull off big things last minute but have a scrappier style. The question is, will they let Bieber continue the way she has or try to rein her in? I was recently chatting with some consultancy folx who were talking about another very popular makeup brand being shopped around. They warned, once the change of hands happens, the appetite for fun marketing diminishes quickly. Hopefully, Bieber negotiated a say.
GALLOWAY’S WAY // Creators are going all in. On themselves. Sinners director, Ryan Coogler, negotiated with an immediate percentage off box office returns in addition to IP rights after 25 years. Well, the mother and father of podcasting, Swisher and Galloway , are doing the same. Instead of negotiating a flat fee, their new contract is based entirely on how much money their podcasts generate. Vox Media will pocket about 30%, while the co-hosts split the rest. To the tune of ~$70MM. The power dynamics in media are shifting rapidly.
F&B
DAVID IS GOLIATH // Speaking of power struggles, David, the protein bar company, is winning theirs. They announced this week that they acquired their factory. At first glance, you think, smart supply change move. But no, if you read
, who has been doing next-level deep reporting on this, you know this isn’t a supply chain thing. It’s an IP play. Their factory owns the rights to a patented ingredient called EPG. This ingredient allows fat to pass through the body without being fully absorbed (meaning very low caloric intake). Other brands that relied on this ingredient (which is banned in Europe but not in the US) will have their supply cut off. When interviewed, David’s founder said the 3rd part of a 3-part moat: brand, trade secrets, and now IP. The result? A fast $75MM valuation. Playing chess in a checkers world.DRUGS & BOOZE
N/A EVERYWHERE // We might be at peak N/A obsession. Water is now rebranding itself as non-alcoholic. Beer companies are pivoting to energy drinks as N/A bevs. We’re replacing booze in beer with THC. And Ghia took over Bon Marche because there’s nothing more fashionable than not drinking. I remember only 5 years ago when I said N/A would be big, and people laughed at me. We might be peaking, but interest isn’t waning. It’s important to remember that the majority of N/A drinkers aren’t fully sober. This is a game of moderation.
SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS
LOSING THE PLOT // One thing been rattling around in my mind all week? This from
: “I saw this TikTok from a woman explaining that in an effort to bond with her Gen Alpha sister, she asked her what her favorite Disney channel shows were. Her sister looked her dead in the eyes and said, “I don’t engage with plot-based media.” Absolutely fascinating.SMELLY BOYS // A couple of weeks ago, April Uchitel wrote a post that caught my eye. She said her 16-year-old son knows more about fragrance (top notes, dry down...) than she did before she became the CEO at Violet Grey. And then
said beauty sales among U.S. teens surged 23% in the past year, with boys leading prestige fragrance purchases. 60% opted for high-end options, while girls favored mass brands. Some fragrance brands might want to rethink who they cast for their ads.ELDER CARE // This post captures the changing face of grandparenting perfectly. Today, most grandparents are as fit, if not fitter, than their kids. They are weightlifting, wearing good clothes, and have 100% not interested in being seen as elderly. More children have living grandparents than ever before, who spend $179B yearly on them, and while the average age is 67, they aren’t like the grandparents of yore. It’s high time most brands retire their dated view of this consumer.
RETAIL
CENTERED ON CRAFT // I knew Louise Trotter would be good for Bottega. I loved her Lacoste era. This week, they teased a new campaign with just hands. The campaign is centered on the craft of their woven leather. It’s simple but effective. The casting and styling are really good. Given that luxury ‘quality’ is under more scrutiny lately, with lots of consumers bemoaning that brands like Chanel for falling apart in under 1000 steps, this story has good timing. Luxury isn’t immune to the global desire for brands to regain quality standards. This is half the reason I hear for people shopping vintage—a sector going from strength to strength, and commanding appointment-only shopping.
SOUL MATES // Converse cast Amelia Dimoldenbe, “everyone’s favorite flirt” and host of Chicken Shop Date, for a dating show called Chuck Mate. In the show, contestants can only see the other contestants' shoes. It’s a fun concept. And a pivot for Converse in terms of focus/style. But, while the casting is great, it’s missing some of the rawness that Chicken Shop is known for, and that feels like a miss.
TECH
AI TAX // It’s not been a great month for AI optimists. This AI-written apocalyptic Substack was just the start (that astutely points out AI workers don’t yet pay tax, and what a problem that will be). This week, the CEO of Anthropoic predicted the decimation of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next 1- 5 years.
recently pointed out that new tech doesn’t have a plan for the world it’s creating. A little grim. Less grim for many of those here? Most people think we’ll require mass retraining programs for consultants, lawyers, and anyone with an office job. The focus? Inter-personal leadership skills, AI-collaboration, and creative, out-of-the-box thinking.SPORT
SUPER SUPERSTITIOUS // Heineken created a pop-up. For only 2 people. 2 fans of the Women’s Arsenal team who religiously (and superstitiously) have watched every Arsenal match in the same pub. When they made it to the final of the Women’s Champions League, they didn’t know what to do. Stay in their lucky pub or go to Lisbon for the match. So, Heineken recreated the pub in Lisbon just for them. What stands out is the appreciation of female fans. Rarely do women’s sports fans get the spotlight. But we’ve reached a turning point. Expect more brands to start recognizing them.
WELLNESS & BEAUTY
NORMAL DIVERGENCE // “A record 7MM American kids have ADHD, up from 2MM in the mid’90s.” And there are a lot of businesses jumping in to help. Shimmer is making 1:1 coaching “affordable” (it’s still $230/month). Inflow offers self-guided cognitive behavior therapy for ADHD. Sidekick, the browser, is making ADHD-friendly moves to fix gazillion tabs from distracting you (I might need this). Mindbloom offers ketamine solutions for ADHD-caused anxiety (the two are frequently connected), and Neurode is making a focus-inducing wearable. And one early-stage founder I know is working on an AI-learning solution for kids with ADHD (reach out if you want to back her).
NOT MID // Midi Health is answering the call of seemingly every woman on Insta and TikTok by helping them get a full, truly comprehensive view of their health (versus cobbling it together like most of us are currently doing). They have a new program called AgeWell that will “layer bloodwork, genetic testing, DEXA scans, and full-body MRIs onto routine mammograms and Pap smears, enabling personalized prevention across heart, hormonal, brain, and muscle health, plus weight management and cancer prevention.” It’s about time. They have also been using great mom influencers like Caitling Murray to get the word out—love this.
TRAVEL
ALL-IN // Parents are all-in on all-inclusive travel (again). Demand for kid-friendly all-inclusive resorts is up 70%.
calls it “luxury tailored to parental burnout.” Anecdotally, every parent I know is doing this lately. Most of us don’t have grandparents around for the whole summer (because, per above, they are off living their best lives), camps are expensive, and this is about the only way modern-day parents get a break.NO SH*T SOUVENIRS // This isn’t the first time I’ve told you the sh*t souvenirs aren’t cutting it. While the internet is crowded with teens hitting up Brandy Melville for this-city-only goods. And French grocery stores are completely out of butter because tourists are taking it all home. Local beauty hauls are also a huge thing. This dude in Paris is trying to make the good old-fashioned ‘PARIS’ tee into something cool. Smart move by Sezane for doing a hotel gift shop takeover in the Hamptons this summer.
FUN FOR THE WEEK
Cute collabs: Blue Bottle X Marimekko & Haruko Yawaka for AAPI month with Oishi, Gentle Monster x Bratz, and Mansur Gavriel x Stamperia Pascucci.
Love this haphazard, DIY Rubbegoldberg machine by Mango.
Strava has a new childcare grant so moms can train for recreational races. Love.
Fun pop-ups: REFY hotel & Merit’s dry cleaners.
Fun ads: Dyson’s new fan, and Nike x Indian brand, NorBlack Nor White.
Dr. Squatch is selling Sydney Sweeney’s bath water
FILA used AI for their SS26 campaign. The images are criminally boring.
These WWGPT bracelets by
are hysterically funny.Kim Chappell is now on the board of Recess, a platform to navigate summer camps.
This new healthtech company specializes in autoimmune diseases. Lots of potential.
Flamingo Estate made everyone blush for Memorial Weekend.
I need to go to the Olive Young festival next year.
The USA World Cup is studying Taylor Swift's tour due to the comparable scale.
- . A delightful Sunday read.
Despite their apparent issues, I’m very into this Cartier showroom.
Tiffany’s new Milan flagship has a better art collection than most world-class museums.
WhatsApp is continuing its sports groups chat, this time in partnership with Offball.
Urban Outfitters has a new concept, On Rotation, to foster brand discovery.
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.