Magnum Ice Cream wants you to rave. Sober.
Plus: Nike is returning to form, and 'lore' is everywhere.
Morning,
Glad to be back!
The nice folx at Frontify have invited me to attend Paradigm in Morocco next week. Will you be there? Reply and let’s hang!
If you only read one thing in this letter I recco: This one’s a bit long. I didn’t read for a whole week. I was ruthless with my deletes. But the inbox had a lot of nuggets left. Skip to your sector for a shorter read. The rest of you, read in the app so you don’t miss TRAVEL and FUN FOR THE WEEK.
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
LOVING LORE // ‘Lore’ is popping up everywhere. We’ve got brands naming themselves Lore. Melanie Bender’s fragrance brand and a new bathhouse brand by the former co-founder of NeueHouse. Over a year ago, we talked about why people were lore-lovers, and it’s only picked up steam.
shared a list of ‘absurd cultural mashups. ’ Absurd, maybe. Astute, certainly. Things we want? “Yelp adding a ‘Lore’ tab to restaurant profiles.” Funny, yet true. People would love it. We’re craving rabbit holes. We’re craving context. We’re craving brands that put in the effort. Lore is fun. It’s oddly sophisticated (even campy versions). And at the end of the day, lore creates a sense of belonging—even if we can only find it in trivial ways.NERD ECONOMY // Niche nerdy topics are worth big money. If you’ve hung out with even one Con fan, you know the ‘nerd economy’ (complimentary) is not a game. This week, Lego started selling its most expensive set to date—a $1K, 9K-piece Death Star. Star Wars accounts for 10-15% of LEGO’s annual revenue of $10B+, and adults make up 1/4 of sales according
. But don’t stereotype the fans. Look at , author of one of my fave travel Substacks and proud owner of some very enviable Pokémon cards. Pokémon cards not your thing? They should be. The WSJ says they’re the ‘hot investment with a 3,000% return,' trouncing the S&P 500. The list goes on, though. Horror is booming. It’s one of AMC’s most popular genres. So popular, they created a ‘Slash Pass’ for it. Horror, like Romantasy before it, is spawning full bookstores. More? Sewing is cool again. We could go on. History buffs are everywhere. Which is all to say, this new Ipsy campaign, which positions makeup and skincare not as a frivolous and superficial activity, but as a hobby—a different type of ‘nerdy’ thing some of us like to play with—is spot on.THE UNTETHERED// Geography or ‘place’ is disappearing. This week,
said: “The future of culture has no borders.” Once, a [pick your country] brand might have only local fans. Now, thanks to the internet, what’s popular in one place expands globally in seconds. There’s both a sameness that comes from this (more on that under TRAVEL, scroll down), but there’s also a kinship. And a freedom. As a lifelong roaming expat (a term now replaced by digital nomad), ‘place’ doesn’t have many of the same meanings for me. But that’s a growing feeling. One that brands are starting to play with. shared that Tova, a new Hong Kong-based members club. But Tova’s “different from a traditional members club like Soho House or Casa Cipriani in the sense that membership doesn’t offer access to a physical location, but instead to something more ephemeral: community-exclusive events scattered around the city, sub-communities within Tova’s network focused on interests and hobbies”—fascinating. Of course, the pendulum swing to this, that has also written about, is the growing ‘deglobalization’ movement. Countries are tightening their immigration policies. And perhaps in the future, we’ll only be transient in our own lands—a sad future indeed.F&B
PRO-SCRUTINY // Starbucks is adding protein to its coffees. Not a new idea, Tim Hortons got here back in April. While many are ‘over’ the protein-everything era, this isn’t a bad move for Starbucks. But, Katerina Schneider (CEO/founder of Ritual) hits on something that’s coming that’s more relevant than ‘fatigue’: scrutiny over quality. One chat with
and she’ll tell you Whey is why most 40+ men are developing acne. And that, generally, most protein is full of crap you don’t want. The awareness around types, source, metal content, and layering of more ‘function’ like creatine, peptides, and fiber, will get louder.SUMMERING BRANDS // Reader and GOOD THINKING TOUR attendee, Jennifer Olsen (who’s the new CMO of MillerKnoll!) wrote a little ditty about brands swarming the Hamptons this summer. Many brands came and left without an impression. 2 stood out. One was Sour Milk, a new protein-forward, zero-sugar yogurt brand. A quick glance at their socials and you know these girls are going places.
DRUGS & BOOZE
ICE COLD SOBER // The newest non-alc offering at your local bar, or perhaps, club, isn’t a beverage, it’s a popsicle. Magnum Ice Cream Company has launched Hydro:ICE (exclusively in Ibiza). It’s a 77-calorie, dairy-free, kiwi and lemon ice pop enriched with vitamins C, B2, and magnesium made for the sober-curious. Oh, and it glows in the dark. Berlin is ready for this.
MAYBE IT’S YOU // Perhaps the world hasn’t completely turned sober-curious (the data says they aren’t), maybe it’s you? Garage Beer, founded by the Kelce brothers, is on track to 3X last year’s revenue, and now has a $200M valuation.
said she could write an essay on Travis Kelce. “There’s no one more American — no one more 2025 American — and few are playing the media game better.” Maybe alc brands just need to pull up their socks and hustle a little harder. Or work with a football player. Did you know that “the top two sports leagues by revenue in the world are NFL ($23B)...and College Football ($14B), the latter alone makes more than NBA, MLB or English Premier League.”SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS
ULTA-MATE BIRTHDAY // Ulta has launched a new Party Program. The 75-to-90-min birthday bashes are “packed with skincare demos, makeup tutorials, games, and product giveaways.” Most striking, the parties are priced at $42/person (12 max), and each attendee receives a gift bag valued at $100. Say what you will, but as far as birthday party prices go these days (it’s shudder-inducing), this is going to have some parents as fans, too. Also, all the handwringing isn’t making Alpha skincare/makeup go away. Check out the turnout for Salish Matter’s new line, Sincerely, Yours.
BUN BALM BAKERY // Another reader and GT TOUR attendee, Jelena Béliard, went to the (v cute) Coterie Bun Balm pop-up. Her recap was great, but her questions were better. 3 years post-diaper life, but she’s still a brand fan. “Perhaps introducing products that grow with the baby could be a way to keep moms engaged, as moms are loyal forever!” Trust takes so long to build. If you build it, don’t squander it.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT // Roblox is stealth advertising to kids. We all know this. But apparently, kids don’t. “When we ask them, ‘Have you ever seen advertising in Roblox?,’ the young people in our focus groups were like, ‘Well, no, I’ve seen it on other games where there’s a pop-up ad for something. But in Roblox, they don’t really do advertising.” Roblox says “a brand’s mere presence ‘does not always qualify it as an advertisement’ and that the onus is on the brand to decide whether its content is an ad”—comforting. Two-thirds of all U.S. kids between 9 and 12 are using Roblox.
RETAIL
COLLAB FATIGUE // Said it 2 years ago, saying it again: we have collab fatigue. J.Press, the legacy menswear brand, has a new CD. The former founder of Rowing Blazers, Jack Carlson. But check the comments on one of Emily Sundberg’s prompts (an incredible place to mine insights) on the topic: ”J Press is the genuine article now and while I don’t doubt Jack can do some work there I’m hoping they don’t go off the deep end and try things like all those gimmicky collabs we’ve seen from RB in the last several years.” This old, and apparently tired, brand ‘refresh’ trick isn’t doing what it used to. Consider yourself warned.
THE BRANDS ARE BRANDING // On the pod this week, we discussed brands becoming Jacks of all Trades. True. They are also having more fun.
might not know it, but she’s one of my fave LinkedIn follows. And I loved her latest piece on The North Face’s new permanent lifestyle line, Red Line. The brand and campaign hit all the right notes. It expands them in just the right way. Then, I stumbled into JW Anderson’s new site, and felt it there too. And then we have Tuckernuck, who are putting effort where effort should be put in retail (but rarely is), the dressing room. And last but not least, as mentioned on the pod, Maison Margiela is expanding into art. The last nail in the coffin of blended performance marketing-driven brands is in. Brands are making an effort—finally.TECH
RAMP UP ENTERTAINMENT // This week
, Substack kingmaker, shared ’s Substack, saying it was the “only good brand on Substack.” The account is run by Ramp, the fintech company giving Amex the shivers. After a quick dive, I can tell you the content is fun. Every brand is in the entertainment business.SPORT
FIND YOUR WHY // At first glance, Nike’s new Why Do It campaign is a nice twist with an impressive cast. Dig under the hood like
did, and you’ll find something much more powerful. The defusion of shame. told us shame is the final frontier for brands. “It is perhaps the only challenge left that matters.” According to Sarah Johnson, teens are dropping out of sport en masse due to shame. And yet, the data proves it's their psychological lifeline. Kids who are involved in “activities that require physical presence, real-time feedback, and acceptance of imperfection” report that physical experiences feel more real and satisfying than digital ones…The brands winning with this generation aren't shouting about empowerment. They're quietly removing barriers and creating opportunities for experimentation without judgment.” Amen.WELLNESS & BEAUTY
BABY BIOMES-> The Hustle // The microbiome space is expanding into breast milk. BoobyBiome (this name needs work) studies the microbiome of breast milk, discovering that the infant health benefits are lost when the bacteria in the milk are exposed to oxygen. They’ve raised $3.4MM to launch an oxygen-saving device to preserve the beneficial bacteria and vitamins and extend shelf life, keeping your milk fresh. They’re also developing microbiome drops to extend benefits to formula-fed babies.
NEW NAVY // Old Navy is playing for keeps. They’re aiming to take a slice out of Sephora’s (and Ulta’s—see above) Alpha traffic with a new beauty line.
says this fall, “150 Old Navy stores will debut products under $25, mixing in-house items with brands like e.l.f. and Mario Badescu, with Gap stores to follow in 2026.” In good company strategies aren’t new, but this could get interesting come holiday.TRAVEL
MONTANA MEDICAL // In 2023, Montana expanded the “Right to Try” law to allow any patient to access experimental treatments. Now, come 2026, anyone will have access to therapies that have passed Phase 1 trials but are not yet FDA-approved. Expect a medical tourism boom in Montana. Start building properties now. Make sure they have biomarker scans and cold plunges, of course.
CALIFORNICATION OF COMPORTA // The Californication of travel destinations is truly unstoppable. Perhaps in Comporta, it felt more acute due to the near-constant billboards for ‘turnkey-ready homes.’ Dear destinations, the point of travel is to experience something different. Get out of the moodboard. Give it your own spin. All this said, we had an excellent time. All of my faves are saved to Amigo (use code GOODTHINKING if you don’t have it). 5 things:
JNCQUOI Deli won with the most over-the-top brand and interior. Perfectly maximalist.
Comporta Café Beach Club’s chillness made it the best of beach clubs. 10/10 sunsets.
The Life Juice store was tip-top. Pairing it with a glass of wine at Colmo? Even better.
Xtian, the restaurant at the famed Christian Louboutin hotel, Vermelho in Melides, was disappointing. The decor of the hotel was cool, though. The straw hat with the red band that they gave guests was hysterically cheesy once you saw more than one.
Five-star hotels are only as good as their worst restaurant. Sublime’s Canalha was 0% ready to be opened. They should know better. Have a cocktail in the lobby. That’s nice.
FUN FOR THE WEEK
Nike ‘Craft’ x Tom Sachs x the ritual parenting. Love it.
Yinka Ilori at Bloomingdale’s looks fun.
Vibram made a campaign about toe wrestling. It’s weird in the right ways.
I have been saying this. Where are the edgy tennis brands?
According to
, “J.Crew sent every one of its dinner guests home last night with a red, monogrammed barn jacket”. Excited for this poppy red moment. And this pop-up is fun. But the AI blunder still stings.Hey, Hay family, make this an Airbnb, please.
Caviar and French fries. Two world-class canapés made the rounds at Fashion Week.
Jacquemus x Veuve for NYFW was fun. Love this linen ‘wrap’ for the bottle.
Love this move by Lime in response to the London tube strikes via
, my fave on Notes.Cute swag is great. Poorly made swag hurts. They should have gotten LLBean involved.
Korean ‘quiet luxury’ labels and Indonesian niche brands are giving the Europeans a run for their money.
Also in new CD news: I’m intrigued by Bentley’s.
Netflix’s Moments lets you clip and share scenes from your fave shows—smart.
Hard relate to this Skylight mural. Parenting = the best. Parenting = hard!
Drouot hired icantaffordthisbutmaybeshecan to curate an auction. Clever.
Now, this is fun swag.
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.
Glad to know collecting Pokémon cards for 25 years wasn't a total waste of money, ha!
Thanks for the shout 🤠
Excellent read as always Chris and thank you for your kind mention. Means a lot 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼