THIS WEEK:

* Brand activism’s reboot

* Even Frida Baby is misbehaving

* Metamucil’s fear will be their undoing

* Ingredients still matter

* A cause I didn’t ask for: AI & retail

* Fantastic photography’s revival

* Bryan Johnson: crazy but onto something

* Travel is full-sensory

* Design shows like Maison & Objet are staging a comeback

As always, this pod dives into the biggest trends, shifts, and brands. Diving deeper and unpacking our favorite bits of the Sunday letter.

CULTURE

01:06 // BRAND ACTIVISM’S REBOOT

Brands are wading into political waters once more. The Skimm brought ReproductiveRights.gov back online. Others, like e.l.f and Costco, are pushing back against DEI’s demise. Creators are ending relationships with misaligned partners. And, as Ochuko Akpovbovbo said in her 2025 predictions: “What people choose to eat, where they shop for groceries, and the wellness practices they follow will be more politicized than ever.” Time to have some very tough internal convos.

05:46 // FRIDA’S MISBEHAVING

I can’t stop seeing brands misbehaving. It’s an epidemic. On Sunday, I shared DrSquatch, a smoking-coded golf brand (that I found through the amazing, Haruko Hayakawa), and Nike. This week, I came across this snot-covered OOH campaign by Frida, which led me down a whole series of ‘misbehaving’ posts. Even kid brands are taking the gloves off. And I love it. I have a post planned today on LinkedIn about why this is such a smart campaign, follow me there if you happen to enjoy LinkedIn.

F&B

08:59 // METAMUCIL’S MISS

Psyllium husk is nothing new, but the growing interest in fiber, especially in the menopause space, is something to track. Brands like Metamucil, which have existing shelf space and relationships, should be perfectly positioned for this moment. Except, like so many brands with large Silver audiences, they seem afraid to upset an existing customer to get a new one. I argue that if they updated their view of Silvers, we wouldn’t need to even have that conversation.

SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS

12:01 // INGREDIENTS STILL MATTER

A short segment in praise of brands paying attention. And, of course, we discuss NADs. Which Jenny Evans predicted would be a huge conversation. And Katie Stone mentioned just this week in an interview with Monastery’s founder, Athena Hewett.

RETAIL

20:12 // AI & RETAIL

If you aren’t educating yourself on the future of AI and retail you are asleep at the wheel. Generative search will be a very different landscape and will be ubiquitous within 2 years. I’m not even that passionate about AI, but I can’t say this loudly enough. If this is you, I have many, many thoughts in this interview. But in the pod, we get to the 3 big things I think brands need to do to prepare.

SPORT

27:01 // PHOTOGRAPHY’S REVIVAL

Between Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari pics and this beautiful Vibram shoot, we ask: is great photography back?

WELLNESS & BEAUTY

29:55 // BRYAN: CRAZY OR CLEVER?

Say what you will about Bryan Johnson but his timing might be right. The increasing awareness and concern around heavy metals, forever chemicals, etc, in everything from vitamins to baby food is growing. Bryan’s ‘Don’t Die’ certification initiative feels timely. That said, building a brand for certifications is surprisingly hard, and many, from B-Corp to LEED have struggled to manage it. A whole podcast for another day.

TRAVEL

33:20 // FULL SENSE EXPERIENCES

Each of the 3 topics in travel last week pointed to one thing: travel is becoming more and more about activating every sense—from cold plunges to ‘olfactory journeys.’ One-stop, full-sense, always-on is the future of travel.

FUN FOR THE WEEK

35:11 // DESIGN SHOWS ARE STAGING A COMEBACK

Monoprix’s enormously (cool) list of collabs announced at Maison & Objet is something to behold. But so is the revival of the good old design show. Maison & Objet has been all over my feed in much the same way Salone Mobile was last year. Something is happening here.

Missing the letter this all ties back to? This way:

That’s all folx.

-Chris

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