Perplexity's ad mocks Google. And scares me.
Plus: The Ordinary is selling viral eggs, and Edible Arrangements takes their name seriously.
Morning,
Big day! A topic we discussed on a recent podcast episode was picked up by the lovely Patrick Coffee at the WSJ. Even bigger? It made the front page of the business section!
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If you only read one thing in this letter I recco: FUN FOR THE WEEK or SEARCH WARS.
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
YOU UP (FRONT) -> As Seen On // YouTube is after more ad dollars. Last week, their charity soccer match blew Premiership sponsorship out of the water. Now, they are hosting upfronts. The Spotter Showcase has all the bigs from, MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Rebecca Zamolo, Colin & Samir, etc., participating. YT has the viewers—time to leverage.
the best brands roll out 15 big announcements per year (from shades to new products). And, noted risk aversion is making every brand to look the same (this was VERY true at Expo West). Back stateside last week, I went into a major big box retailer, and ALL I saw was store-brand goods. Margins on store-brand are great, but if you forget that consumers crave newness, you’re shortsighted. If you look like every other brand, no one will notice you. And if you have nothing new to say, people stop caring. The people want discovery. Otherwise, the fun and cultural relevancy die.F&B
WATER IS THE NEW N/A // Liquid Death hired a very pregnant (and influential) Kylie Kelce to position water as an N/A beverage. I love anything that positions pregnancy in a slightly unhinged way too. While most people think Liquid Death is just stunty, whoever is over there with the strategy insights is continuing to do their job right.
NO SNACK, NO SUGAR -> The Hustle // After a good long run, taking the place of dinner, snacks are down. 42% of US consumers are forgoing chips and cookies. Some say it’s prices, but awareness around sugar and ultra-processed foods must be contributing. In the UK, regulations on fats, salt, and sugar are impacting the snack biz, too. With MAHA fandom rising, whole foods might be where it’s at (as I’ve been saying).
DRUGS & BOOZE
// Guinness 0.0% 2X’d sales in Europe last year, making up ~3% of Guinness’s global volumes. 3% is big numbers. Full sobriety isn’t as big as the hype (p.42 of Report), but ‘occasionally-sober’, no-day, and no-weekday drinking is massive (sober-curious is misleading).DRUGS FOR ATHLETES // Sett, a Zyn competitor, raised $3.8M for their nicotine pouch positioned around productivity and ‘athletes’. Apparently, athletes are looking for ‘safe’ performance enhancers. 50% of (soccer) League players use caffeine gum for performance. I noticed this brand, NuStrips, at Erewhon this week, too.
EDIBLE BY NAME // Edible Arrangements saw Brev’s revenue numbers and thought: Edible is in our name, why not?! They launched edibles.com this week to sell CBD-based beverages. I spoke with their Chief Development officer, Mark Mele. He said the plan is to launch a brick-and-mortar franchise concept soon. Given the popularity of CBD bevs, this could become a new ‘bar’ type (done right). In the meantime, Edible Arrangement franchises will sell them in their newly refreshed ‘coffee shop’ style stores.
SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS
SHOPPING RELIGION -> Puck* // Remember how I said that trad wife vibes would be big in 2025? It’s big on campus too.
reported that Altar’d State is giving LoveShackFancy a run for its money in the South. You can get a WWJD or an Extra Spicy Margs tee, with a side of virtuous contributions.RETAIL
PHEOBE INSPIRED -> Puck // According to Puck, everyone from COS to Everlane is getting their inspo from one source: Phoebe Philo. PP has Delphine Arnault, on their board and everyone in high street at them? One to watch.
TECH
SEARCH WARS // Perplexity, the AI platform, is poking fun at Google and traditional search in its first-ever ad. They cast Lee Jung-jae of Squid Games as the lead. The ad is funny but comparing AI to SquidGames gives me the shivers.
// Partiful is releasing a B2B function. Their interface is nice (so nice, Apple duped it), and this space needs it. But, I have found it a fiasco re: customer service. Businesses don’t love zero helpfulness—so we’ll see.SPORT
PUMA TAKEOVER -> Offball // Puma wants 2025 to be their year. They’re taking Nike’s place supplying Premier League’s (soccer) balls. They had a Balenciaga collab at Paris Fashion Week. Have a new drop in their ongoing partnership with Fentyt. And went bold with this new spot about Runner’s Highs (it’s like brand misbehaving but cheeky).
WELLNESS & BEAUTY
SHILA WHAT?* // Remember when I told you about Fascia Flossing because it came up 3 times in one day? Well, we’re back. Within 24hrs, 3 separate folx mentioned Shilajit. Fred Hart spotted it at a London tradeshow, and two friends in LA were all about it. I asked my resident wellness guru,
. She says it helps reduce heavy metals—a trendy topic. And, it supports your mitochondria function—another trending topic (mentioned on this Mel Robbins’ and Jenny’s episode on Methylene Blue).TRAVEL
GO TO SLEEP -> UserMag // Hilton partnered with Calm on “sleep support content.” Westin is all in on their ‘Heavenly beds.’ The global sleep tourism market was valued at approximately $74.54B in 2030 and everyone wants a piece of it.
JOBS
Looking?! A top women’s fashion brand needs a Head of Creative* & Digital Graphic Designer* in LA. Not into these? Say hi to my friend Keva Dine—seriously, the best.
FUN FOR THE WEEK
Very obsessed with this Beis human claw machine by my MKG friends. So fun
Vogue is hosting a vintage market, BabyBjörn gets funny, and love a branded Moke.
Air France won’t be outdone by Lufthansa. Jacquemus is designing their PJs.
First Chick-fil-A, now Disney. Brands don’t get the potential of employee influencers.
- shared this Artizia campaign. Pharma-coded, funny, and few clothes!
China wants to win the AI race. And the automated auto market. Space Race much?
Love these Cook Club’s Cookbook Parties and Happier Grocery’s House Parties.
The Ordinary and MSCHF launched ‘Ordinary Eggs’—$3.37 + the right kind of viral.
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.
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