The Relevancy Read

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Hot takes, early calls and astute observations, carefully curated.

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Middle America and interoperability.

October 24, 2023

The middle needs more.

We’re reading NYU professor and Pivot podcast host Scott Galloway's latest book, Adrift. The SparkNotes: America is adrift, on the precipice of massive change, potentially good or bad. The best way to steer this ship forward? Invest in a strong middle class. Its power always prevails in the country’s strongest moments. Yet, as most Americans feel stuck in their current conditions, with better jobs, homes, and products unachievable, brands continue to turn their backs on the middle, focusing on luxury and exclusivity. Now’s the time to course correct and service this market before it’s too late.

Interoperability is the new ideal.

Let this be a lesson in the art of consolidation and curation. Uber is quietly becoming your one-stop-shop to life as consumers grow fatigued by too many apps and options. On the heels of an upcoming task and errands service called Chore, they announced package returns ahead of the holidays and a new UK feature for users to book flights directly on the app through online travel agent Hopper. Going forward, we predict partnerships will be more about customer service and user experience than “collab” marketing clickbait.

AI is turbocharging advertising.

YouTube recently introduced Spotlight Moments, an advertising package leveraging AI to detect the most popular videos related to cultural events like Halloween or The Oscars. It lets advertisers serve ads across those videos and curates content in a sponsored hub next to the advertiser’s logo, allowing brands to automatically appear alongside the most engaging content associated with the moment. Spotify's new Merch Hub uses AI to personalize recommendations based on users’ listening habits—more money for both the music streamer and artists. Expect the gap between ad spend and performance to tighten.

The obesity economy's market disruption.

After years of spending on aspirational brands, hard-to-get collaborations, and new food and spirit fads, consumer priorities are shifting. Barclays suggested shorting junk-food stock with an estimated 7% of Americans expected to be on extreme weight loss drugs by 2035. Ozempic maker Novo Nordsisk just dethroned LVMH as Europe's most valuable company. That's saying something...something brands and businesses should listen to. There is a massive shift afoot, from material goods to lifestyle concepts.

But wait, there's more...

Oyster season and ice bath addictions.

October 17, 2023

Cringe it-brands and commercial anxiety.

October 10, 2023

Bridesmaid burnout and home economics.

October 03, 2023

Fast Company Findings

September 26, 2023

Paris Design Week

September 19, 2023

Munich Musings

September 12, 2023

Retro living and artificial surfing.

September 05, 2023

Gas stations, small homes, and a good ol' office

August 29, 2023

New romance, New England, no morals.

August 22, 2023

Gen Z’s quarter-life crisis and collectibles craze.

August 15, 2023

Jell-O, dolls, and religion return

August 08, 2023

Ralph reborn, peak produce season, and the circus is in town

August 01, 2023

Peak Pickles

July 25, 2023

Big female energy drinks.

July 18, 2023

Nostalgic IPs never end.

July 11, 2023

Fresh findings from Paris.

July 05, 2023

Tourist traps' ironic allure.

June 27, 2023

Shopping's existential crisis.

June 20, 2023

Rising tides for surf culture.

June 13, 2023

Fashion’s foot fetish.

May 30, 2023

Micro clout beats follower count.

May 23, 2023

The dupe culture wars.

May 15, 2023

PMS and EDM.

May 08, 2023

Cruises’ Gen Z era.

May 01, 2023

Vegas and mahjong

April 25, 2023

Boob jobs and Judy Blume.

April 18, 2023

Condiments and Gwyneth’s $1 win.

April 11, 2023

Pasta as creative direction.

April 04, 2023

We took our talents to Texas for SXSW

March 28, 2023

Weddings’ glow-up.

March 21, 2023

Scream queens and F1 fangirls.

March 14, 2023

Rock stars and english majors.

March 07, 2023

Sleep sells.

February 28, 2023

A Goop-ified hospital giftshop.

February 21, 2023

The best Super Bowl strategies.

February 14, 2023

Kinky fashion and dupe culture.

February 07, 2023

Hikers, bikers, and ravers, on my!

January 24, 2023

The brandland business model.

January 17, 2023

Laissez-faire fashion and religious retail.

January 10, 2023

Postpartum products and anti-aviation travel.

December 20, 2022

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