Wonderfully written! As a consumer, I’m so tired of being sold to. And as a marketer, I see this as a massive problem.

I love the solution you pose at the end and agree that the ladder is the right path — but it’s definitely harder to get discovered this way. I wonder if we’ll evolve by focusing more on local options again, returning to small-batch... See more

The future won’t belong to the brands screaming loudest into the algorithmic void. It will belong to the ones who figure out how to stop screaming entirely. To stop performing desire and actually service it. To stop building vibes and start building ladders.

What does that look like? Esteem won’t mean not securing another “limited drop” but a guarantee: clothes that last, technology that isn’t designed to break in 18 months, health products that actually... work. Belonging might look like brands investing in communal infrastructure instead of pretending their Discord server is a community.... See more