Jo Malone is working at Zara?
And brands are sleeping on Boomers. GOOD THINKING WEEKLY Episode 2.
A few things caught my attention after sending out the first GOOD THINKING WEEKLY newsletter.
70% of you liked them—great! But ⅓ wanted them shorter. I’ve tried to make them more concise, but brevity is tough when you’re excited.
The subscribe button was broken. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why. Hoping it’s working this week. Please report back.
The purpose wasn’t abundantly clear. These are BEST-OF-THE-BEST links, snippets from all the Substacks and articles I read. I did the work so you don’t have to.
HEALTH
WOMEN’S HEALTH CEOs/FOUNDERS ARE FINALLY RAISING MORE THAN MEN
Male founders and CEOs are raising more than their female counterparts—sadly, zero shock—but it’s staggering that this was even true in the Women’s Health sector until this year. Honey Pot’s recent acquisition and the increased interest in Menopause and Peri-Menopause might have us seeing more in this space (once we get out of this funding rut). Peri-menopause is particularly interesting as it can last a decade and can hit in your 40s. I’m placing bets that we’ll start to see more brands bravely playing into this space. There’s a lot of good humor to work with too.
BEAUTY
TWEENS ARE THE NEW BEAUTY QUEENS
“If your teen or tween daughter, niece, or family friend had a holiday wish list that included snail mucin serum, you’re not alone. At an age when most of us remember wishing for Bonne Bell Lip Smackers stocking stuffers, many young consumers hoped that sheet masks, retinol creams, and even mini refrigerators to house skincare products would be under the tree.” Ashley Edwards always writes super insightful trend reports (in beauty and beyond), she’s worth a follow. Also worth a follow is GenAlpha mom turned trend reporter Faith Hitchon. I love her school-pick-up-line updates on what GenA is loving/hating.
CULTURE
NON-MONOGAMY IS GOING MAINSTREAM
At first, I thought my research for an upcoming Sexual Wellness brand was playing with my algo, but then I noticed all of these were coming from mainstream pubs I follow. Here we are with The Cut diving into Polycules and making Polyamory glossaries, The NYTimes profiling a Polyamorous mom, and Bess Kalb giving us this hysterical gem. It’s not just me; everyone is talking about this. Having witnessed a few friends wade into these waters, I think there’s a lot of interest but not a lot of readiness here. Emily Sundberg, insightful as always, had this to say: “Here’s my hot take — I think a lot of monogamists, especially the ones talking to The Wall Street Journal about their relationship style, have a degree of jealousy about non-monogamists.” The psychiatry profession is in for a real treat this year.
BRAND AS CURATOR IS NOT NEW BUT IT’S STILL EXCITING
We talked about this last week too with Casa OK’s new series. This one by Gohar World is also good. You know they know food so you’re excited for their recs. Soho House has also been doing a nice job with their city guides in partnership with Antler. I also thought the buzz around FoxTrot’s Best-CPG-Newcomer list was interesting. And then there was this from an interview on dating by After School that I thought was a fascinating ‘curation example: “I have heard of friends going to speed dating functions that are hosted by reputable brands. By going to events hosted by a brand you purchase from, you're more likely to meet someone who is "like-minded." — Rebecca, 26
BRANDS ARE STILL SLEEPING ON BOOMERS
“Compared to Millennials—who are targeted by 50% of ad dollars—Boomers have 15x the net worth, 2x the median income, and 50% higher average monthly household spend.” “Go-to-market motions are tough for older people; they’re not your typical savvy tech adopters. Many startups have to nail distribution through another channel—the health aide, for instance, or the Boomer’s adult child.” Rex always has a lot of good deep dives, we share a lot of parallel interests. I also think services focused on the boomer’s adult child is a wave we will inevitably see as we ride this silver tsunami that’s coming.
GEN Z VOTERS ARE OPTING OUT
“The whole [voting] thing is a symbolic gesture,” says Lillian, a college student in New York. “If we had a more direct voting system, I would participate more. The Electoral College is scum.” Lillian adds, "And it’s not that young voters are too lazy to get to the polls — it’s deeper than that. It’s hopeless [to us],” she says. “The collective vibe is hopelessness.” Guys, I am so worried about this election.” — Casey, I couldn’t agree more.
FEDERAL PAID LEAVE IS STILL NOT A THING
I love the formula brand Bobbie (this is a great interview with the founder, worth a watch). And also loved seeing them collab with the Big Little Feelings ladies (whose podcast is killing it). Seeing a lot of brands posting about the ridiculousness of this situation lately. Might be because there’s some bipartisan support behind fixing it. Would love to see more brands wade in here. Think it’s one of the few politically safe waters to play in.
TECH
EVEN EX-INSTAGRAM FOUNDERS AREN’T IMMUNE FROM THIS SLUMP
Artifact, the AI-powered news curation app created by Instagram’s co-founders, is shutting down just a year after launching. “We have built something that a core group of users love, but we have concluded that the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way,” wrote co-founder Kevin Systrom. "It’s easy for startups to ignore this reality, but often making the tough call earlier is better for everyone involved…” Tougher for some than others but thought it was fascinating that even AI couldn’t fix the media company model.
RETAIL
RETAILERS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK
Urban Outfitters Brands did well in 2023, but Urban Outfitters Net sales decreased 14.2%. This brand feels ripe for a comeback like Abercrombie’s. One of the strongest things about UO was its store experience which never really translated online. They also stock so many brands; it’s tough to show up in hauls when you don’t ‘own’ the product. Enjoyed these BTS images for an upcoming UO campaign though.
UNIQLO IS GIVING YOU A REASON TO TRAVEL
I’ve always loved Uniqlo’s commitment to supporting the arts, and this series at the Tate is amazing. Honestly, there’s no bigger group of people sharing ideas for what to do than moms. This is like catnip. More brands should be making experiences for parents to attend with their kids.
ZARA IS WHITE-LABELING TALENT?
“Did you know Jo Malone is working for Zara’s fragrance department? Every time I look at their new arrivals, I am more and more impressed by the way they sneak some perfume bottles into the merchandising. Today, while appreciating the photos and bottles, I read some of the descriptions and read that Jo Malone actually develops a lot of these products. Jo Malone is no longer part of the Jo Malone fragrance company. She left a few years ago and went to Zara, which I didn’t know but I guess has been the case since 2019. Maybe I’ll do a haul soon and compare some of their fragrance and cosmetics to competitors.” Fascinating. I loved this Jo Malone episode on Travel Diaries (this is a great ‘curation’ podcast, hospitality should be making stuff like this)and have had a crush ever since. I also have a crush on Zara (minus the fast-fashion bit), their digital UX and photography are always on point. I wonder who else they are hiding behind those doors?
That’s it folx.
I’ll work on making these shorter.
It’s a balance.