Hello from a person very ready for sunshine.
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.
Tried to stay under the word limit but didn’t quite make it.
Let’s dive in.
CULTURE
And audience research doesn’t have to be complicated. Love this mayor who commutes with her constituents to talk to them and get to understand what’s happening for them and their community. One of my favorite leaders, Jaleh Bisharat, always did such a great job of this. Weekly chatting with real customers and users to gain insights. It’s so simple yet most founders don’t do it.
MAIN EVENT MADE FUN(NY) MOMS THE MAIN EVENT
Funny moms are a category brands should tap more. There are thousands of them but some great ones: LeeAnn Braun, Caitlin Murray, Lisa Perese-Cullen, and Nicole Dent.
BEHR IS SURPRISING GOOD AT MAKING VIRAL CONTENT
People are still not quite over AI/CGI ads if they are clever and this one by Behr is pretty good. But their ASMR content is also great.
These Pam Anderson photos are amazing. This comeback is a fun one.
TIKTOK WILL CONTINUE TO ASTOUND US
Somehow this very mediocre video is one of the most successful videos on the platform—EVER. Let this be a lesson, your content does not need (or want) to be fancy to work.
MIAMI WANTS OUT OF SPRING BREAK PLANS
On the one hand, it got picked up by the media. And locals seem to love it in the comment section. So it’s a success. But the tone and the cultural implications of spaces not welcoming certain groups, similar to the Atlantic Terminal Mall teen ban, are pretty troubling. This restaurant trend of not wanting large parties feels somewhat similar too.
F&B
A couple in CA have bought the rights to Sweet Lady Jane and are reopening it. I know a lot of people who worked on this rebrand and it was solid so I’m rooting for them!
KYLIE’S FOLLOWING 818'S FOOTSTEPS
On Tuesday, Kylie Jenner announced Sprinter, a canned vodka soda brand. Emily snagged an interview with Andrea of Snaxshot to get their take:
…”I’m sure Kris Jenner's favorite has probably already secured all the good distribution. It's already listed on Instacart, Gopuff, etc. and probably debuting at every liquor store where Kenny's 818 is available (rumor is they are looking to sell). …I would have loved to see something more along the lines of martinis with Kris Jenner’s audience, and something more elevated looking.”
I couldn’t agree more about a line of martinis.
EVERYONE’S VYING FOR A COSTCO ACCOUNT
With the demise of online ads, the (re)new(ed) holy grail is a bulk wholesale account. Fly By Jing is at Costco now, Omsom’s at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Poketo’s at the Container Store. Wholesale is a good way to go profitable which is a big focus for these brands now too with VC funding, especially in the DTC and CPG spaces, drying up.
A great chef collab would actually make sense here. But when you go to the Walls socials, it’s clear more love and fresh thinking is needed across all the brands.
They are looking to raise fresh capital as it targets $400 million in sales this year. They went full hog at the Superbowl. This month they are ‘hiring’ 2 best friends for a road trip and paying them 10K. It’s fun to watch a brand go for it like this but, yeah, it’s cash-intensive.
A COLLAB THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE BUT DOES
This Eggo x Bissel collab makes very little sense but then you see it in videos, spinning around, and it makes much more sense. I give it to the Eggo team, they are trying things. Wish this Eggo House for National Pancake Day was crazier. This brand could be more unhinged in the mom humor way.
DRUGS
JOE’S JOINING THE CANNABIS CLUB
Going for legalization right before the elections is not the worst idea.
While autoimmune conditions came in fourth in J.P. Morgan’s 2023 Annual Biopharma Licensing and Venture Report. There are a lot of wellness centers in Switzerland and Italy addressing autoimmune issues. This will be a space for sure.
ALPHAS
SUMMER CAMP IS A PERK -> AfterSchool
New York apartment complex, Ashland, is offering a free week of summer camp as a unique perk for tenants and this year the theme is Taylor Swift. Summer camps are a opportunity for brands, I swear.
RETAIL
A&F IS MAKING WEDDING DRESSES -> Feed Me
This WSJ piece says that a large part of the success A&F is seeing is in the wedding / event dress category. Now I did not see that in my Bingo card. Talk about the power of repositioning.
HIGH-PRODUCTION CONTENT ISN’T DEAD
We spoke a couple of weeks ago about Aime Leon Dore making a short film. And this week Rihanna and A$AP Rocky made one for Fenty. Just waiting for a 3rd so we can call this a trend.
SOLID, STRIPPED AND BLAND -> AfterSchool
The rebrand launched with a collection by Sophia Richie Grainge but it all just feels quite bland—the rebrand and the collection (it will sell).
Rowing Blazers sold a majority stake to Burch Creative Capital, the investment firm founded by billionaire Chris Burch. Interesting to see what this does to the brand.
ASIAN POP-UPS ARE ALL OVER MY FEED
APAC stores are always better, let’s be honest. Except maybe this Coach in Indonesia, which, similar to their Tokyo pop-up, is once again unidentifiable as a Coach experience.
RH ENGLAND OPENS DOWN THE ROAD FROM FARMHOUSE -> HURS
This opened in June but it’s news to me. It’s a 73-acre, 60-room property showcasing Restoration Hardware products with rare art, antiques, and artifacts. And it’s 24mins from the Soho Farmhouse (the best Soho House for sure— no doubt strategic (and ballsy). That Aynho Unicorn is something.
ANYA HINDMARCH OPENS ANYA MART
This brand does customization well (monogramming with real handwriting—so cute) but this Anya Mart feels a bit gimmicky. But do love how this team tries things. They are constantly reinventing the store (this isn’t easy to do!). This Itoya pop-up is a genius back-to-school move. And the graphics for their cafe packaging are also cute.
Pretty impressed Nordstroms got them on board for this. Props to that team for pulling that off, likely the doing of Men’s Fashion Director, Jiand DeLeon’s. Interesting to see BODE go this way though.
GAP DIDN’T FOLLOWED THROUGH -> LinkInBio
This tweet upset me. They did have digital lookbook with the dancing models but it’s so disappointing when retail brands don’t follow through in-store. This is a miss long-term and when you don’t have consistent brand experience the magic dies quickly.
TECH
TARGET FIRES SHOTS AT AMAZON -> The Hustle
Target is launching a new paid membership, Circle 360, next month. It will offer free same-day delivery for $49 per year. The name is clever. But there’s hardly any branding (yet?)—doesn’t feel as central to the business as Prime.
MICROSOFT HAS FONT NERD TALKING?
“A change in Microsoft Word’s default typeface, from Calibri to Aptos, didn’t register for everyone, but fans of typography got excited.” Haven’t seen this covered on any design blogs, so it maybe an overstatement, but do like article graphics.
FRANCHISES ARE GETTING A NEW LEASE ON LIFE
Rex had a great dive on business-in-a-box (aka franchises). Here are some business examples found interesting but it’s worth a full read: Moego—software for pet groomers. Moxie, business-in-a-box for medical spas. Grow Therapy, a business-in-a-box for therapists. Abby Care helps families become trained as certified caregivers. Persimmon helps nurses get trained to administer Botox.
SPORT
Mixed on this. Feels a little bit too much like a boating brand. But do like the font by Frere-Jones Type. Overall doesn’t feel as buzzy as the Inter Miami pink jerseys though.
I’ve worked on strategy and designed many projects for them and they are always top-notch. This Wellness event is fun. Bus stop is adorable. Love this host’s vibe. This take down is not my favorite though.
WELLNESS
Kids brand & event company Play is popping up Platform looking for brands with a focus on ‘Feelings’. Love themed pop-ups like this. Get in there.
YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS FUNNY -> LinkInBio
Love when brands (or agencies) do fun(ny) PSA.
ZARA LAUNCHED A HAIR PRODUCT LINE
The packaging is very good. The photography rless so—B&W is an odd choice for hair. The pop-ups are eye-catching (more awareness focused it seems). Side note: Zara kids section is all on one the Corporate Fetish trend.
TARTE IS INESCAPABLE -> AfterSchool
Unless you haven’t been on the internet this week but might not know Tarte did anyone influencer trip—chaotic. Topicals trips also have this vibe though it seems cooler and a little less drunk. But it seems like Gen-Z has grown tired of extravagant brand trips for influencers and over-the-top gifting. So many we’re ending this era too.
ROUTINE BRAND, A NEW CATEGORY? -> Feed Me
The Skinny Confidential’s Lauryn Bosstick: “We’re not a beauty line. We’re not a wellness line. It’s a routine brand.” Positioning is everything.
TRAVEL
AT HOTELS, MAHJONG IS THE NEW PICKLEBALL
“It's beyond popular,” said Cindy Present, [Lake Austin Spa Resort]. “I had no idea that so many guests would choose mahjong over fitness classes.” If they are playing it at Ace Hotels it will be mainstream soon enough.
GETTING GOOD SLEEP IS PRICELESS
Well not priceless. Spend $1,780 and you can sleep in a ‘Cocoon’? “Hotels Are Betting on Sleep Tourism.A.I.-assisted beds, on-call hypnotherapists and sequestered guest rooms, including one inside a stainless steel sculpture, are taking sleep tourism to the next level.”
THIS ECLIPSE ECLIPSING EXPECTATIONS
April’s planetary event is shaping up to be a big event. As many as 3.72m people could travel to the path of totality. Kayak has seen hotel searches increase 15x for the dates. Delta even added a second special eclipse flight from Dallas to Detroit after its Austin-to-Detroit flight sold out. Non-travel brands could get on this fun too.
FUN TO FOLLOW
We should bring back great OOH
This ear(ring) situation. Simply wow.
A round-up of fun fashion week invites
Love this band. Someone cast them.
Jalen Saunders (Five) who’s going viral in the BookTok world
Brilliant and funny animations
JUST FOR LAUGHS
Made up gen-alpha slang
AI Ohio State Butter Craving Competition—this is a departure from Henry’s work (that I love) but it’s so fun and funny.
More on butter. Western stubby VS Elgin stick.
That’s all, folx!