The second coming of the bookstore is bigger than reading. It’s about book clubs, readings, and good old-fashioned socializing. Photography was going to kill painting. Amazon > the bookstore. AI > humanity? Or maybe AI is the very thing we need to remember why we like being human?

SKI HEATS UP -> Offball // Halfdays, a ski brand you’ll hear more of as we approach the Winter Olympics, has partnered up with beauty brand, Ilia, on their new product launch—a moisturizer for cold climates. This content is fun. The whole launch is cool. I’m in

METHYLENE BLUE // I don’t know much about this YET but my wellness guru, Jenny Evans, can’t stop talking about Methylene Blue. Typically, whenever she says something it’s huge within the year. Consider yourself told.

CALL IF CANCELED // Ochuko Akpovbovbo shared (we all bought paid subs, yeh?) that cancel culture insurance is now a thing. “The policy includes a 24/7 hotline and a 60-day plan to manage negative media coverage.” But are they late? We’re entering an age where very little might get you canceled.

HEAVY STUFF // Hims & Hers is all gloom. Maybe it’s the impending ban on GLP-1 dupes? This ad is dark. The soundtrack says it all. It’s quite the opposite of their ‘approachable’ brand. Healthcare branding is getting more daring but ‘grim, docuseries-trailer’ is not the right direction.

Customer brand trips > Influencer brand trips.

Year of The Snake swag: Hermes Mahjong sets. Fortune-telling cards. All of it.

DEGROWTH FOR GROWTH // “Edging as a business strategy. It works.”—welcome to my favorite line of the week. Matt Klein reminded us all this week that it’s always better to keep them wanting more. A tried-and-true ‘edging’ strategy keeps products desirable enough for a successful revival.

SILVER BOWL // Silvers are all over the Super Bowl. It’s only February and already my predictions are coming true. Hellmanns cast Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Uber Eats paired Charlie XCX with Martha Stewart (Martha is busy!). And Willem Dafoe and Catharine O’Hara teamed up for Michelob ULTRA. The theme? Silvers are funny, sexy, cheeky, sporty,... See more