GOOD THINKING

This week on the pod we did things a little differently—still experimenting to find the best value.

More topics. More fun.

* Walmart's wellness strategy and repositioning

* Barbie-fication of movies

* The gap between Gap’s great marketing and its experience

* NueCo’s questionable claims

* Why Louis Vuitton’s scaffolding trick feels new again

* The enormous potential for Yeti and some potential pitfalls

Enjoy!

LINKS

Walmart's stocking Poppi

Walmart's earnings

Wicked’s wicked packaging error

r.e.m., launched Wicked sets.

Starbucks' Glinda’s Pink Potion and Elphaba’s Cold Brew.

LEGO Wicked line.

Beis new product

St. Pancras station Wicked Christmas tree.

Liberty London Wicked windows.

Premiere themes

Nue Co’s alcoholism claims.

Louis Vuitton's scaffolding

Yeti’s on a retail expansion spree

SEOUL

Details on the Soeul trip can be found on our Substack

ABOUT

Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.

Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +15K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands |Follow her on Substack

This week we dive into two brands that gave me a smile during a dark hour. Calm and Slack.

AdWeek's, Five Takeaways From Calm's Election Night Ad, T.L Stanley

Calm's ad

Slack's notification

Rhode knows how to hack your feed. They are always a masterclass in marketing. And this London pop-up is a shining example. We get into why it's so good and what other brands can learn from it.

LINKS

Rhode's London pop-up

Episode 40 of GOOD THINKING on Substack and TikTok

ABOUT

Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.

Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +15K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands |Follow her on Substack

Bobbie, the formula brand, just released this ad with Molly Baz. It’s historic on all levels. We get into it.

LinkedIn post

TikTok of Good Thinking 39

Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.

Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +15K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack

This week's pod is a double-header.

We dive into the Starbucks x AG-1 collab. Who’s the biggest winner? And what both brands need to consider.

We also couldn’t help but touch on the re-rise of specialty retail. Why is it making a comeback and where is it going?

As always, this pod is casual. A chat between friends. Fun listening. Diving into the biggest trends, shifts, and brands of today.

Still under 20mins.

Links:

“STARBUCKS IS OPTIMIZING -> Snaxshot // Starbucks has partnered with AG-1. You can now add a scoop of greens to a refresher or just get a shot in a glass of ice water. The latter is shocking. The last time Starbucks partnered so heavily with a brand may have been their ill-fated pastry partnership with La Boulange. While I think the ‘healthification’ of everything is losing steam, this is a big general audience AG-1 to gain.“

“THE RETURN OF SPECIALITY RETAIL -> Retail Diary // Steven Alan has returned to retail. Since closing his boutiques, Alan has been busy helping other brands, like Clare V grow, but now he’s back. Alan is an outstanding curator.  A curated lens is very much back. Taylor Lorenz as one example. ShopRat another. Big Night—the list goes on. Steven couldn’t be better for this moment. Having taste is the future.”

This week on the podcast, we talked about LinkedIn’s favorite brouhaha of the week: The Burger King Ad. We discuss the recent controversy, a woman's right to choose—her food, get into empowerment vs. judgment in marketing, and what BK might have done a little differently. Enjoy!

Relevant links:

The Burger King ad

The GrubHub ad

Bobbie

In this episode, Kirsten Ludwig and Chris Danton chat about the emerging theme of less ‘produced’ content, how ‘less produced’ doesn’t mean less effort and they discuss Nutter Butter and their 1-year journey to viral fame.

In this episode, we chat splurgy yet accessible indulgences as a brand trend. We explore how brands are adapting to consumer desires for affordable luxury and how quality plays a role. We also touch on how 'luxury' is changing in the face of AI. Enjoy!

In Episode 34, we chat about the opportunities for brands in the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Los Angeles.

Yes, it's 4 years out but the Paris games offered some unique learning worth capturing.

We explore the importance of showcasing the Paralympics and shifting the narrative from focusing on disabilities to celebrating the incredible athletic abilities of the participants.

We also discuss the challenges of navigating the spread-out nature of LA and the need for brands to understand the different locations and events.

And we chat about LA's culture and ways that can be used to make the games more fun for spectators and athletes alike.

We dive into the phenomenon of Rush Talk on TikTok and how it relates to back-to-school as a whole.

We talk RushTok, Gymshark is getting it right and the Gen-X and silver generation opportunities during this season.

A fun one. Hope you enjoy it.