The Relevancy Read

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

A Sampling

The brandland business model.

January 17, 2023

Borrowing from Disney, utopian "brandlands" become popular business model as consumers seek comfort and consistency.

Jimmy Buffet wants you to retire at Margaritaville. Kygo wants to become the the Gen Z Jimmy Buffet with Palm Tree Community. Luxury retailers like Louis Vuitton and Restoration Hardware enter hospitality with idyllic taglines, LV Dream and RH Guesthouse. Next up is casual taqueria, Tacombi, positioning itself to become a culinary Mexican Disneyworld. With outside investment funding rapid expansion, founder Dario Wolos envisions the restaurant chain and grocery line as a portal to all-things Mexico, where customers can dine, party, shop, and plan vacations and activities in his beloved country. Being unpredictable once felt like a critical branding pillar, but now putting down roots resonates with consumers who are overstimulated, untrusting, and craving consistency.

As the War on Drugs wanes, clean-drug commerce is afoot.

British Columbia’s new drug decriminalization policy kicks in this January, inspiring a Vancouver resident to open The Drug Store, a shop dedicated to selling clean and tested substances contributing to the overdose crisis and providing education on how to quit. While the new policy only pertains to possession (selling is still illegal), the store concept aims to challenge the constitutionality of controlled substance laws, and positions brick-and-mortar retail as an instrument to reducing the rising number of drug related deaths and arrests. As chic cannabis boutiques surge and psychedelics seep into the cultural bloodstream, a world in which drugs clean up their act and go from back-streets to storefronts doesn't seem so far fetched.

Rental services find an ideal application in South Asian occasion-wear wardrobing.

Still finding their footing for everyday wear, clothing rental services seem to have found a sweet spot catering to South Asian weddings. Since celebrations span multiple days and require specific outfits, renting is practical in terms of price and sustainability. Borrow The Bazaar and Preserve have meticulously curated digital experiences allowing customers to browse by event, level of coverage, and spectrum of tradition.

Printable cosmetics mean perfect eyebrows no longer require a trip to the salon.

Spotted at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, L’Oréal showcased Brow Magic, a brow makeup printer that can produce professional-like microblading results at home. The handheld device uses AR technology that scans a user’s face to create a personalized eyebrow look based off their natural facial features. Developed in partnership with Prinker, a pioneer in printed, non-permanent tattoos, the high-tech gadget signals the embrace of technology by the beauty industry, with more at-home hardware expected to come.

Only Apple can bring VR headsets from novelty to AirPod-level ubiquity.

Apple’s first mixed-reality headset could arrive as early as this spring. The Reality Pro standalone headset (no computer or phone required) will differ from Meta’s VR product line with a mixed reality offering, allowing an augmentation of the user’s actual surroundings rather than completely replacing it with a computer-generated world. The buzzy product launch will help push the mainstream adoption of mixed reality. As AR becomes more realistic in terms of application and adaptability, a brave new world of marketing and customer experiences cracks open and carries weight. Already feeling overwhelmed by all the tech talk? Reach out to The Co for a digestible breakdown on all things metaverse.