GOOD THINKING

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.These aren’t trends (yet!). These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Skip to the bits you fancy1.02:53 — THE ART OF PERCEPTION // There’s a lot of anti-AI sentiment. But it is sure doing a damn good job at making people appreciate things most had forgotten to care about. Is it pushing brands and consumers to value humanity?* Marie Dollé says we’re moving from creating to validating. Do we think this is where we exact greatness? My gut instinct says: probably not* Jasmine Bina says we’re breaking a lot of unspoken contracts.* Spotify begins what will surely be an avalanche of “real” certifications. But where’s the line? And will they work? Did “Organic” help much? B-Corp? The list of reasons against this approach working is a mile long.* Matt Klein’s fascinating survey on AI says that Americans now default to “This is fake” six times more often than they default to “This is real.” Trust collapse isn’t imminent. We’re swimming in it. The messy middle is making us question everything.Pendulum Swing → Huo Qubing, a Chinese war epic produced by a 20-person team in 48 hours on $3,000 in compute, racked up hundreds of millions of views. There’s an appetite for AI-gen’d content, so long as you bring a perspective.2.19:16 — A BODY OF EXPERIENCE // The bar for brand experience is moving from “looked good” to “made me feel something.” The best examples are physical, sensory, and emotional. The metric brands should be tracking is: “it made me put my phone down.”* Neko Health turned a check-up into a beautifully memorable end-to-end physical brand experience, from space to staff to report. It was emotional.* Veuve x Yinka Ilori’s Chasing the Sun was five minutes, one room, both of us near tears.* Morioka Shoten sells one book a week and designs the entire room to make you feel the story.Pendulum Swing → People still want the “shot.” We saw it time and time again at Salone/Milan Design Week. The camera still eats first (for now).3.28:33 — GATHERING IS THE NEW MEDIA BUY // The clearest community signal is not “build a community” in the abstract. It’s hosting something people want to show up for. And who you are gathering is half of the value-add.* Dinner for One Hundred expanding from pop-up dinners, singles nights, young-and-old gatherings, and garden parties into its own restaurant/pub.* Mama’s Night Market, Resy’s up-and-coming chef program, live tuna carving, and “gays eating garlic bread in the park” are all pulling wild turnout.* Marimekko’s Salone activation turned the restaurant collab into the event itself. Not a logo slapped on a dinner. A gathering where both brands added value.* Nadine @ The Stanza says that the new currency in hospitality is the other guests.Pendulum Swing → Logging off is in. While you could argue that the above is a form of it. There’s still a performance in the above. The gathering is made for capture. But many are opting for untaped and 100% private.4.37:42 — OPERATING SYSTEM // Health is moving beyond “issues”. This is more than just “preventative.” Health is becoming ambient. Where everything is tracked, scanned, logged, and monitored on-going, and the adjustments are more regular.Places it’s showing up:* Neko Health keeps score of your moles for you. And tracks correlations for your “biological age.”* Eight Sleep Pregnancy mode auto adjustment and Barrière lactose patches.* M&S’s Nutrient-Dense line and Chrono-Nutrition products in Japan.Pendulum Swing → Nonnamaxxing and trusting your instincts is returning.5.43:34 — NEW PLAYERS // The appetite for sport isn’t crumbling, but the format is changing. Clips, niches, amateur leagues, women’s sports, new operators. Legacy players aren’t losing because people stopped caring. They’re losing because they keep judging the new behavior instead of building for it.Places it’s showing up:* Golf’s rebrand is accelerating, and now women make up nearly 30% of players and 60% of new golfers. And smaller brands are meeting the moment.* Ultramarathon participation is surging, and brands like Mount to Coast are targeting the niche.* Gymshark is moving into gyms. The line between apparel and operator has blurred before. But this time it makes sense.Pendulum Swing → ESPN has lost 40% of its cable subscribers over the past decade. From 100M households down to 60M. The biggest sports brand in the world is struggling to compete. The appetite for sport isn’t crumbling, but it is changing. And legacy players aren’t evolving quick enough.Letters and episodes referenced:* Old Navy is a secret athleisure giant* QVC walked (and went bankrupt), so WhatNot could run* Gucci was odd & Veuve and Dior wowed* Ganni has gone wrong* Milan Design Week unpacked* L.L.Bean has fully logged off. And many others have too.ABOUTChris 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Kirsten brings the talk she’s been giving to businesses, schools, and anyone who will listen to the pod: embracing cringe. This isn’t a keynote in a pod, it’s a discussion about something we have both lived through. Continue to live through.We talk about why cringe is a “compass pointing you toward the thing that matters”. We get into what cringe actually is (not a confidence problem), the science behind why we move away from discomfort, how to find your climbing partner for cringe mountain, and what brands can learn from all of it.A vulnerable but fun topic.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:26 — CRINGE MOUNTAIN // What cringe actually is: not a confidence problem, but the feeling of getting vulnerable, taking the mask off, and doing something anyway.05:00 — WHAT IT UNLOCKS // Tackling shame. And why cringe never fully goes away, it just gets easier.08:24 — THE SCIENCE OF DISCOMFORT // The amygdala, a saber-tooth tiger, and reframing discomfort.11:13 — EVERYBODY STARTS AT THE BOTTOM // Kirsten was mortified by her first LinkedIn post. Chris didn’t want to do the podcast. Nobody starts halfway up cringe mountain.15:00 — BECOMING A SHERPA // How to climb with someone else and why nudging people onto the mountain means you can’t quit (a helpful incentive!)18:34 — BRANDS ON CRINGE MOUNTAIN // The brands doing it best have climbed.23:00 — UP ALL NIGHT EITHER WAY // You’re up all night cringing that you said the thing, or up all night cringing you didn’t.28:31 — A CRINGE BUCKET LIST // Success, MC’ing a conference in London, perimenopause, vulnerable parenting, and the next leg of this journey.35:15 — HATERS + THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT // The bigger your stage, the more people poo-poo it. Also: nobody’s watching you climb out of the pool. Just begin.That’s all, folx. – ChrisIf you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.ABOUTChris 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we unpack the marathon essay that was this week’s Sunday letter about Salone (Milan Design Week).We hit 15+ experiences across four days: Marimekko, Dior, Gucci, Veuve Clicquot, Hermès, IKEA, H&M x Kelly Wearstler, USM, La Double J, Marni, and more.What worked, what missed, and the formula we’d hand every brand team heading there next year.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy00:01 — MILAN DESIGN WEEK // What Salone is, why Fuori is where the brand action really happens, and why this is bigger than Cannes.05:03 — CLAUDE SAVES THE DAY // 1,000 photos, a personal crisis, and solving it with Claude Code.09:18 — SPECTACLE FOR SPECTACLE’S SAKE // Corso Como and Gentle Monster. Beautiful for the drone, a little underwhelming in person.14:44 — MARIMEKKO // A 45-minute walk to a hidden garden. Very worth it.22:43 — IKEA // Meatball chupa chups, design collabs, and why the Milan public might completely change your strategy.30:20 — THE PHOTO PROBLEM // Mosca’s pink labyrinth and guaranteeing “the shot.”32:37 — H&M x KELLY WEARSTLER + USM x SNØHETTA // Turning furniture into the art.38:19 — DIOR + GUCCI // One was a memory. One had unexplained soda cans.44:10 — VEUVE x YINKA ILORI // Chasing the Sun: five minutes, one room, both of us near tears.48:53 — HERMÈS, SKODA, NIKE // Understated and refined, formulaic but cool, artistic but not an ‘experience’.54:14 — LA DOUBLE J + MARNI + THE BEST PARTY // A transformative gong, a two-month café takeover, and Honey Dijon confirming that partying is, in fact, not dead.01:02:14 — THE FORMULA // Photo ops, brand ambassadors, spectacle that makes a memory, setting the course for the future and PS. Please put yourself on Google Maps.The full write upABOUTChris 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 +17K 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 SubstackPS. Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to [email protected]. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we have one of our favorite agency partners and favorite humans, Ben Varquez, to talk all things college marketing.We discuss Bama Rush, what NIL actually opened up for brands, Alphas, and what many brands get wrong when they show up on campus.Enjoy!Meet Ben VarquezBen Varquez is the Managing Director of Youth Marketing Connection (YMC), one of the leading youth marketing agencies in the US. He’s spent 15+ years connecting brands to college students, campus ambassadors, and the next generation of consumers. We’ve worked together for over a decade, and I can personally say, you’ll never meet a better team for the job.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy04:39 — THREE WAVES // Red Bull to now.09:13 — ALL THINGS BAMA RUSH // Bama Rush has exploded. But now it’s saturated. Now, standing out is the actual work.11:02 — NIL CHANGED THE GAME // Student athletes can finally get paid, and that’s opened up integrated campaigns that didn’t exist before. Co-branding versus sponsored posts is where things are going.15:33 — WHAT POPPI IS DOING RIGHT // Always-on ambassadors across hundreds of campuses. Social content layer. Pop-up moments. Brand-to-brand partnerships. And an in-house team that knows campus.17:53 — YOU CAN’T JUST ROLL IN // Campus administrators aren’t professional marketers. Food contracts are no joke. Most brands find that out the hard way.19:55 — THE THREE RULES // Build relationships before you show up. Do the pre-work. Don’t disappear after your pop-up.24:55 — THE COLLEGE CALENDAR // If you want to activate in Fall, start in April. Ben walks the full year: back to school, rush, football, holiday, spring break, and more.29:25 — WHAT KILLED SPRING BREAK // Panama City Beach was the spring break capital of America. 350,000 students. Tens of millions in brand spend. Then one city passed a law. And it all collapsed.34:16 — BUILDING A STUDENT SUB-BRAND // If your brand can’t naturally speak to 18-25 year olds, no campus spend will fix it. Ben’s analogy: don’t build the walls until you have the foundation.37:57 — THE ALPHAS ARE COMING // They’re building content creator careers in high school. Their parents are submitting them to agency rosters. And they’ve decided doom and gloom is out. Hope is back in.41:30 — QUICKFIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend Ben is most excited about. And the mistake that kills most campus programs.Thank you to Ben for coming on. Reach out to him via YMC at youthmarketing.com or find him on LinkedIn.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to [email protected]’s all, folx. – ChrisIf you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’ve been name-dropping Nina Beckhardt on this podcast since its inception. Every time naming comes up, she comes up. And she kindly agreed to make it much more official and come on to discuss all things brand naming.We get into what brands get wrong with naming, how to do it right, why it’s a fantastic positioning tool, the placeholder trap, why dropping vowels doesn’t fool trademark law, AND why the right name should make you a little uncomfortable.And unsurprisingly, it goes way beyond naming.Enjoy!Meet Nina BackhardtNina Beckhardt is the founder of The Naming Group, an LA-based naming agency that has named things you own, have tasted, and have touched. Think Chevy Sonic, Reebok footwear, hiring software, butt wipes, and everything in between. She specializes not just in individual names but in naming systems, naming architecture, and building naming practices inside major organizations. In short: she’s a powerhouse. And the partner we always turn to when tackling the hairy beast that is naming.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy03:39 — GIVE IT A JOB DESCRIPTION // Question #1: Does the name do its job? Not just “does it sound nice.”06:01 — THE WHITE SPACE // How to find the open territory.06:39 — LIKABLE ≠ MEMORABLE // Research from master namer Anthony Shore: the most likable taglines and names aren’t always the most memorable. The same is true for naming.15:46 — THE TIGER IN THE WOODS // The most underestimated mistake in naming: showing the final name to a decision-maker who’s never been in the room.17:38 — SYSTEM 1, SYSTEM 2 // Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow, applied to naming.22:58 — THE PLACEHOLDER PROBLEM // The danger of codenames. Familiarity breeds affinity. Even when it really, really shouldn’t.27:28 — THE NAMING CRITERIA FRAMEWORK // Nina walks through the full framework on building a name that can grow and change over decades.31:10 — VOWEL-DROPPING IS SILLY // Dropping letters is not just lazy, it might even hurt trust. And it certainly doesn’t always help with a trademark.36:21 — AI IN NAMING // How to use AI to do naming right. If you must.41:42 — QUICKFIRE // Poetic words and hiring people with “naming” in their title.Thank you to Nina for coming on. Reach out to her via The Naming Group, follow her on LinkedIn, and read her very excellent Substack @NamingAtScale.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to [email protected] 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.These aren’t trends (yet!). These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy1.00:00 — THE SOCIAL PRODUCT[ION] // More brands are building around gathering itself. Not “community” as a fluffy brand word. Actual tools, rituals, and systems for getting people together, keeping them together, and making that worth paying for.Places it’s showing up:* Rodeo, built by Hinge’s ex-CPO and COO, wants to “wrangle” scattered plans and simplify group hangs.* Posh raised $37M to become infrastructure for the people to monetize their ability to gather.* Dick’s is pulling serious revenue from GameChanger, turning youth sports stats, livestreaming, and coordination into a business of its own.Pendulum Swing → You could also just skip the coordination and build for gathering. Swig is winning because kids want somewhere to go. And brands like Princess Polly, Edikted, and Altar’d State are redesigning stores with bigger fitting rooms and hangout spaces built for content creation. Same need. Different answer.2.00:00 — PRESENCE IS A FLEX // In a world of booking bots and blue-light glow, actual presence is a premium. The strongest hospitality moves right now are creating conditions where you actually have to be there, pay attention, and actually enjoy the moment.Places it’s showing up:* People’s is by-referral-only bar and restaurant built as a “tonic” to bot bookings.* Chick-fil-A is rewarding people with free ice cream for putting their phones down.* Pinterest’s phone-free Coachella pop-up.Pendulum Swing → Amex’s new lounge concept, Sidecar, is built specifically for travelers with less than 90 minutes before boarding. Less “linger” and more “make the most.”3.00:00 — FUND THE FRINGE // Some of the most interesting businesses right now are being built in places that used to be treated as too niche, too taboo, or too specific. Turns out, many of those spaces were just too ignored.Places it’s showing up:* Polari Labs released A-balls, a solution for anal douching, and sold 1,000 units per minute in the first hour.* EYWA is building a lab-grown psilocybin supply to reduce the cost of treatment for resistant depression.* Lucille is going after Ensure’s lane with a complete nutrition shake designed specifically for seniors.Pendulum Swing → “Do what’s working” is still working. For example, we’re nowhere near peak protein. And in the pet space, “human-grade” is the new “organic.” A must-have, even if it might not mean much.4.TRAINING DATA IS A BRAND DECISION // AI is no longer just about what the model can do. It’s about what it’s fed. Training is becoming a strategy. And a brand asset.Places it’s showing up:* Oura is building women’s health AI trained on better sources.* PharmAIcy is selling “psychotropics” for LLMs to get enlightened answers.* The truth is, the Age of Authorship means we can all build. What we build and what we build on matters more than ever.Pendulum Swing → Stagwell’s CEO is talking about AI as a way to make cheaper content and better targeting. A temporary reality at best, but a popular one.5.00:00 — THE GIFT SHOP // Not everything is a hard sell. Brands are building softer, stranger, more specific ways in. Not the hero product. The adjacent offer that gets you close enough to care. But still investing in what matters.Places it’s showing up:* Bilt is opening a Neighborhood Café. Not new. What is: the member’s club vibe.* Gymshark rewarded London Hyrox finishers with a jacket potato pop-up. No gym apparel in sight.* REFY launched a community hotline for product development.Pendulum Swing → April Fool’s fake products and fake collabs have become an actual joke. The comment sections wants what you are putting down. But most aren’t delivering. Except for Claude Code.Letters and episodes referenced:* Hermes tents? Yes, pls.* Welcome to the Age of Authorship* Disney is making people cry* Coach is charming everyone* Gymshark made a potato pop-up* All things Expo West!* Pets are in their biohacker eraABOUTChris 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with Fred Hart. But this time, with all things Pet Expo. Think: Human-grade food you’d happily eat, Doritos and acai bowls for dogs, and cats finally getting their due. Oh, and wolf fecal probiotics.And as a bonus, Michael Abata, our fave retail expert who also happens to work for Chewy, shared some inside expertise and questions to help guide us along.It’s a fun episode.Enjoy!Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:37 — “HUMAN-GRADE” GIMMICK // It means the food was made in a facility that also makes human food. That’s it. Basically, it’s all just marketing.05:30 — PROCESSING AS MARKETING // Freeze-dried, air-dried, cold-pressed, gently cooked. It’s all about how it’s made.07:34 — 80% AUTOSHIP // Pet parents are reliable, creatures of habits. And they love a subscription.08:38 — FORBIDDEN FLAVORS // Dorito-shaped kibble. Alfredo for cats. Acai bowls for dogs. And a bit of psychology on the side.13:17 — PROTEIN PARADOX // Chicken and beef are the most common allergens for pets. There’s a reason. And it’s driving the rise of bison, elk, venison, and kangaroo. Though kangaroo and California aren’t friends apparently.14:50 — CATS FINALLY GET A CHAPTER // Dog ownership has plateaued. Cat ownership keeps climbing. And brands are just now catching up.19:52 — FOREVER YOUNG // Longevity supplements, immunity toppers, hydration powders. Pets are in their biohacker era, too.26:58 — SHIFTS WORTH NOTING // From photography to illustration, ancestral/organ meats, and wolf fecal probiotics. Fred tried to explain it. We are still processing.If you love Fred, you’ll want to catch this episode about Expo West if you missed it.Huge thanks to Fred for the download — and for coming back. If you’re building in CPG and want the sharpest eye in the room on your brand, find Fred on LinkedIn. And reach out! [email protected] 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week on the pod, we unpack the letter that was eating me alive for 4 weeks.We talk about entering the Age of Authorship, what it means for you, what it means for brands, and why it’s way more impactful than the dawn of the internet, and much more akin to the creation of electricity.It’s a meaty one.Enjoy!Skip to the bits you fancy01:20 — THE ESSAY IS BORN // Why we’re here.04:36 — THE GENIE PORTAL // Building a peptide app opened Pandora’s box.07:52 — THE MINDSET SHIFT // The barrier to entry went from an HBS degree and a technical co-founder to $200. But the bigger point is the mindset shift.09:04 — THE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS HITS // Day 4 or 5. It happens to everyone. And then you get to the other side.14:00 — NOT INTERNET. ELECTRICITY. // Claude Code isn’t a tool. It’s infrastructure that will change everything.14:34 —MATTERING WILL BE ALL THAT MATTERS // When anyone can build anything, features aren’t a differentiator. Belonging, trust, inspiration — that’s what’s left. You need to build a brand16:22 — TASTE VS. VISION // Taste will matter. But it won’t be the gamechanger. Vision will be.25:01 — ABUNDANCE FATIGUE // The pendulum: we’ll crave human-scale, unscalable experiences.36:37 — CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE // Eileen Gu on neuroplasticity. Toni Morrison on surrender. Change is coming. You get to decide what comes next.Give the full thing a read here.Want us to unpack this for your team or at your next offsite? Reply or email [email protected] 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Everyone who reads regularly knows we are huge fans of Fred Hart. Fred is one of our fave follows on LinkedIn for all things CPG. And he walks just about every tradeshow there is, so you don’t have to. He very kindly agreed to join us the second he landed back home from Expo West and told us everything you need to know.This episode is packed with new brands, new categories, emerging design trends, and millions worth of ideas. You are welcome!Enjoy!Meet Fred HartFred Hart is a branding consultant, creative director, and design strategist obsessed with building and studying CPG brands. Today, he consults with both brands and agencies looking to unlock the next level of success, and he spends an inordinate amount of time at trade shows so the rest of us don’t have to.He’s a must-follow on LinkedIn. You’ve already met him in our 2026 guest predictions. Basically, we’re fan girls.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:22 — LINKEDIN’S FAVE CPG EXPERT // 15 years in CPG, 10 years running an agency, and why Fred now spends an “inordinate amount of time at trade shows” — by design.03:52 — PROTEIN WEST // Protein has infiltrated everything: jello, pasta sauce, coffee, straws, jam, chips, ice cream, ramen. Fred’s take: We are nowhere near peak protein. Not even close.07:01 — CHISELED DAVID // David is winning in the most crowded category at the show without shouting macros at you. And they weren’t even inside the building (for an interesting reason). But they went big.08:34 — TWO AUDIENCES // Sturdy Sauce put 80 grams of protein in a jar of pasta sauce. First, you think ‘gym bro’. But you should also think ‘busy mom’.11:48 — COVERING REAL FOOD BASES // Cottage cheese bases. Greek yogurt bases. The brands making protein ice cream actually taste good. And why Halo Top’s moment may have passed.14:01 — REAL FOOD IS BACK // Seven different brands selling tallow chips. Date candy going mainstream. Frozen strawberries dipped in chocolate. And more.15:17 — FROZEN ZONE // Roberta’s is in the freezer aisle now. Ramen, dumplings, global cuisines, and premium pizza. The frozen category is having a full renaissance.18:25 — MILK IS COOL NOW // Moozy is a fifth-generation dairy farmer selling A2 milk in a sleek can with lots of solid flavors. Fred was a fan.20:10 — THE UNEXPECTED FINDS // Paco Jones, aka Mexican ketchup. Loonen, a water brand so obsessed with purity that they test for 300+ contaminants and put the results on every bottle. And more.23:48 — FUN ACTIVATIONS // Goodles did a charm bracelet hunt through the whole show floor. Chobani built a full soccer stadium booth. And more.25:58 — EXPO WEST & BEYOND // Fred sings the praises of @snaxshot’s event. Shirtless date butlers, with QR codes on their chest. Dark rooms. Ice cream experiences. And more. So fun.29:01 — BACKPACK FOUNDERS // The brands that are too early for a booth, just walking the floor with a product and a dream. There’s a brand opportunity here that’s waiting to happen.30:10 — WORST IN SHOW // Dupe brands and Beyond Meat‘s new protein beverage. Yes, you read that correctly. Yikes.32:34 — SHOW STOPPERS // Western branding is having a moment. Oil painting labels. Cream of the West cowboy grits. Fred’s got a 54-brand packaging breakdown dropping this week. Keep your eyes peeled for that.34:08 — THE INDULGENCE PENDULUM // Sugar is back. Gluten is back. Sunshine Buns is not apologizing for anything. The clean-eating era is getting tired, and brands that lean into taste without a health claim are winning.36:20 — WHAT ABOUT NA? // Kava. Zebra striping. The moderation movement is quietly reshaping the entire NA category.37:33 — WHAT’S UP WITH GLP-1 // Practically absent from the show floor despite all the cultural noise. Why only the big strategics can play here right now — and what Banza is completely missing.40:51 — CREATINE WEST // Creatine is exploding and not just for gym bros. Women’s health. Menopause. Brain health. Strength. It’s in sodas, bars, gummies, powders, and cereal. Fred’s prediction: “Next year will be Creatine West.”43:34 — GREENS AND KETONE IQ // Grüns is on a tear. Huel cracked the RTD greens code. And Ketone IQ was originally developed for the Department of Defense, which tells you everything about where it’s going.45:47 — MISSED OPPORTUNITY // No food brand is marketing biological performance improvement the way Whoop does for wearables. That is a massive, wide-open door. Someone should walk through it.Huge thanks to Fred for the download — and for coming back. If you’re building in CPG and want the sharpest eye in the room on your brand, find Fred on LinkedIn. And reach out! [email protected]’s all, folx.– ChrisIf you listened/read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.These aren’t trends (yet!). These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Skip to the bits you fancy1.03:00 — ADDICTION HAS A NEW FRONTIER // Building has replaced bingeing. Claude Code has ushered in a new class of obsessive makers. And I’m very much among them. We unpack it in a LOT more detail on the pod. Truly, this one deserves its own letter and pod soon.Places it’s showing up:* “I replaced Netflix with Claude Code,” says Nikunj Kothari. “I lie in bed thinking about what I can spin up before I fall asleep... I still take aimless walks. The agents come with me now.” And he’s one of thousands. Soon to be millions.* Nothing released Essential Apps. Fully custom app built on your phone’s home screen in 5 minutes.* Alphas are swapping influencer dreams for fast-built entrepreneurship. A YC-backed 19-year-old raised $1.2M to build autonomous cattle-herding drones. Dreams are changing shape.Pendulum swing → When everyone can build, the question isn’t what you made. It’s whether it matters. And even outside of digital/tech, too many brands are still phoning it in. Take ChatGPT’s swag box. A company that has reshaped civilization shouldn’t be mailing logo pins and basketballs across the country for attention. Speed and access are now limitless. Taste and mattering are not.2.19:15 — ENTERING MEDICI 2.0 // We’ve grown tired of brands siphoning off culture. We want them to invest. Some are getting it. Patronage is becoming more popular.Places it’s showing up:* Starbucks is providing financial support to emerging designers.* Kotn opened a creative residence and private hotel in Shoreditch. Creatives stay for free. Patronage looks good on them.* Aritzia acquired Fred Segal, including the iconic Melrose lease. Their framing: stewarding a beloved brand into a new generation.Pendulum swing → Logo-ing without labor is going strong. Everyone is taking shortcuts from Carl’s Jr. to Gucci to the Olympics.3.29:35 — BIOHACKING IS GETTING BOO-ED // This one lived in our pendulum swings for a year. It just graduated. The backlash isn’t brewing anymore. It arrived. And loud.Places it’s showing up:* Scream circles and somatic release classes are going viral on TikTok. Fun is having a bigger moment on Substack than ever.* Diet Coke is owning its fridge cigarette moment. They refuse to apologize for being Big Soda.* Gen Zs are taking sleepcations.* Here’s the link to the Soft Biohacking article by @Nadia that I mention.Pendulum swing → Bryan Johnson opened 3 spots in his $1M/year longevity protocol. 1,500+ people applied in the first 30 hours. The optimization industrial complex is not going anywhere. Both things are true at once. Sometimes in the same person.4.34:30 — IT’S ALL CONNECTED, TRULY // The line between your digital and physical world has dissolved. Not blurring. Gone. Finally.Places it’s showing up:* Spotify and Bookshop.org launched Page Match. Scan a page from a physical book to sync your exact spot in the audiobook.* Alibaba’s Qwen skipped Chinese New Year red envelopes and bought everyone a free boba, customized and paid for through the LLM.* Apple is reportedly working on a camera pendant that acts as the eyes and ears of your iPhone, capturing ambient context to make Siri proactive. We are not going to be looking at screens much longer.Pendulum swing → Pure Steel‘s new coffee maker is 100% plastic-free, down to the internal piping. As the digital layer seeps into everything, the physical objects we choose are getting the same level of deliberate treatment as supplements and food have had. It’s not “clean,” it’s “pure.”5.45:00 — CARETAKER GENERATION NEEDS HELP // There’s a wave of caretakers joining the world soon. And it will be one of the biggest areas of growth. Start paying attention to this.Places it’s showing up:* Luffu, from the founders of FitBit, tracks health stats for the whole family. Not your metrics. Everyone’s. Built specifically for the emerging caretaker generation.* Solace Health is scaling human-centered healthcare navigation.* Sekra, backed by Travis Kalanick and Equinox’s Harvey Spevak, is building wellness apartments with sleep-optimizing circadian lighting and values-based applicant screenings. Optimizing for the community. Not just self.Pendulum swing → The self-health era is not slowing. We pay $557B out-of-pocket annually for health now. We want to be in control. Authorship is becoming a demand, not a preference.Letters referenced in this episode:* Whoop is giving wearables a good name* Erewhon is becoming a med spa* Aritzia bought Fred Segal* ChatGPT’s swag box will make you cryABOUTChris 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 +17K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Ready for some serious travel envy? You really aren’t ready. One conversation with Tori Simokov, founder of Window Seat, and you’ll be rebooking your summer.This episode is about brand experience, worldbuilding, questioning whatluxury really is, and why the hospitality industry teaches some of the best brand lessons.If you’re in hospitality, there’s a lot of validation and a few PSAs (especially for bathroom designers). If you’re not, there’s even more. Every hotel we talk about is a brand case study disguised as a vacation recommendation. And if you just want a great travel list, hold onto your seat.Enjoy!MEET TORI SIMOKOVTori Simokov is the founder of Window Seat, one of our fave travel and hospitality letters. Launched in late 2023, the Window Seat now averages 50,000 monthly views and reaches a highly engaged audience of high-income, frequent travelers and industry insiders across the US and key international markets. A former corporate brand strategist, Tori has been featured by CNBC, Travel & Leisure, and more.She’s also one of the loveliest, most curious people in the space. And she overcame a horrific fear of flying to get here, which is a story worth hearing on its own.Follow Tori on: Substack | IG | TikTokHit the links to skip to the bits you fancyPS. Somewhere in here, Kirsten’s internet goes out, but we get her back, don’t worry. Roll with it like we did.02:17 — FEAR OF FLYING, A LOVE STORY // How Tori went from terrified flyer to travel obsessive. We love this story too much.07:11 — RESIDENTIAL LUXURY // Why every Park Hyatt feels different on purpose. Tokyo, Kyoto, and the strategy of making a hotel feel like a home, not a palace.10:25 — AMAN VS. PARK HYATT // Two approaches to luxury hotel branding. Consistency everywhere vs. locality everywhere.13:00 — THE BATHROOM PETITION // Mirror placement. Doors that close. Lighting you can see in. These are fundamentals, not features. And most hotels are failing.18:31 — THE COAT CONCIERGE // Park Hyatt Chicago’s partnership with Canada Goose. The kind of brand collab that actually converts.21:10 — THE GIFT SHOP FLEX // Programming that brings guests together without forcing it. Merch people want. And why the gift shop is the ultimate test.30:00 — WORLD BUILDING // Pressed vinyls, signature scent, and a brand world so strong it’s been an institution for decades.31:18 — IDIOSYNCRASY AS MOAT // In a world where anything digital feels disposable, thoughtful human weirdness becomes the most valuable thing a brand can have.33:27 — HAVEN’T BEEN YET // Tori’s wish list. Including Nintendo’s old headquarters turned luxury hotel in Kyoto.35:28 — AIRPORTS AS DESTINATIONS // Changi, the new LaGuardia, omakase in a Japanese terminal, and why airports are becoming cultural hubs.43:05 — MICRO VACATIONS // The average American vacation is three days. Hotels haven’t caught up.46:12 — QUICK FIRE // The rapid hits on hospitality, trends, and brand instinct.1. 3 things every travel and hospitality brand should do?“Design an unforgettable anchor experience. Build a brand universe. And remove friction before you add features.”2. What trend has you most excited?“Romanticizing the journey. Luxury rail, luxury sailing. People are starting to care about the travel itself, not just the destination.”3. What do most brands get wrong, and who gets it right?“Confusing luxury for excess instead of restraint. Park Hyatt gets it right. It’s not marble and gold. It’s anticipatory service and feeling like you’re at home.”Huge thanks to Tori for coming on. If you’re in hospitality and want us to come audit your property, depending on location, we’ll do that too. Hit us up.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s episode is part of our GOOD ADVICE series that we kicked off with the Laid Off? Stuck? Scared? episode.This episode started, like so many things have in this letter, with a reply! Patrick Hanlon, longtime GOOD THINKING reader and author of Primal Branding, is a frequent name in my inbox. He shared his book with me, and when I read it, I liked how simple it was. And after chatting, I learned he has led workshops for folx figuring out their next chapter. And, so, here we are.The truth is, as cringe-inducing as it sounds, if you listened to the Laid Off episode, you know I truly believe you have to build in public. But so many people get stuck with figuring out ‘what their brand is’ before getting started. You can reverse engineer it. But having some founding principles is useful. It was for us when we started IN GOOD CO.So, whether you are job searching, pivoting, or starting something new, this episode is for you.If you’re a brand that’s untethered, right now, it’s also for you.A place to start. An ultra-simple framework to begin thinking about the most fundamental issue: what’s the story I want to tell, and why should they care.In 2026, whether you like it or not, you are a brand. This episode is about how to build one from the ground up.Enjoy!Meet Patrick HanlonPatrick Hanlon’s thesis is pretty simple: the most powerful brands aren’t logos or taglines. They’re belief systems that attract people who share those beliefs.His book Primal Branding came out 20 years ago and is being re-released. It’s taught at places like NYU and is required reading at YouTube.His core idea? Every strong brand has seven pieces:* Creation story* Creed* Icons* Rituals* Lexicon* Non-believers* LeadersIt’s fundamental. And perfect for thinking about your own brand.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy00:01 — PRIMAL BRANDING 101 // Brands are belief systems. Humans connect through story.04:45 — THE SEVEN-PART FRAMEWORK // Creation story. Creed. Icons. Rituals. Lexicon. Non-believers. Leaders. But you need all 7. Miss one, and it gets messy.06:40 — RESUME ≠ NARRATIVE // Why listing titles and logos is not a story. Your narrative has to be shaped around relevance and belief, not pedigree.09:53 — BAD BUNNY AS A MASTERCLASS // How Bad Bunny articulated identity through icons, language, and origin story on the biggest stage in culture.12:49 — WHAT YOU’RE NOT MATTERS // Boundaries build trust. Defining what you won’t do can be more powerful than saying yes to everything. Even if it’s scary to say ‘no’, it’s worth it.15:42 — RITUALS BUILD MOMENTUM // What’s a ritual in a personal brand? Patrick’s morning writing habit. Chris’s Friday newsletter rule. Consistency creates authority.18:24 — QUICK FIRE WITH PATRICK // Three things every brand should do. Why ghosting marketing may rise. Where founders misunderstand brand power.19:40 — WHY THIS FRAMEWORK WORKS RIGHT NOW // Why this is especially useful for people rebuilding careers, launching something new, or clarifying their voice.22:10 — OTHERSHIP NAILS IT // How Othership uses origin story, rituals, language, and belief to create true community, not just customers.27:00 — PERSONAL BRAND IS VISUAL TOO // Your portfolio, your typography, your email tone. Icons are not just for billion-dollar brands.29:10 — LEXICON & LEADERSHIP STYLE // Why naming your perspective matters. Active positioning. Owning how you think is critical.31:20 — BOUNDARIES AS STRENGTH // Why not niching down was actually a boundary.36:20 — SOULCYCLE & THE POWER OF CULT ENERGY // SoulCycle is making a comeback. And why its primal brand might be the reason.41:15 — FUNDAMENTALS > FLASH // Frameworks are useful because they force you to check the basics. A good place to start when you need one.Huge thanks to Patrick for joining us. Find Primal Branding here (or better yet, at your local bookstore!). And find Patrick here, on LinkedIn.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

What brands can learn from Bad Bunny + the ads we loved and those we didn't.A few things: 1) In no way is this comprehensive. Drop ones you loved and hated in the comments. 2) It goes without saying, but I said it twice just in case: Whatever we say about an ad, or whatever you want to say about commercials as a ‘relevant’ form of advertising, we know teams put a lot into these. And you deserve to pat yourselves on the back and celebrate. It’s no small feat. Well done to all. 3) The timestamps lead to the section in the pod, and the brand names lead to the ads.Enjoy!Skip to the bits you fancy01:28 — BAD BUNNY // Just wow. On every level. Thoughtful, layered, inspiring. From the details he wove into every part of it (talk about lore!), to the Puerto Rican sign language interpreter, to all the Latin American designers represented, to the custom Zara (!?) look, every detail had meaning. And the BTS was engineered perfectly for social. If you’re looking for brand inspiration, unpack this. It does a lot of what we’ve told you is working. And let this Ricky Martin quote bring you to tears while you’re there:“I know what it means to succeed without letting go of where you come from. I know how heavy it is, what it costs, and what is sacrificed when you decide not to change because others ask you to. That’s why what you have achieved is not just a historic musical accomplishment, it’s a cultural and human victory. You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico.”07:06 — INSTACART // Great casting. Who doesn’t love Benson Boone, and pairing him with Ben Stiller was genius. The vibe was great. And that’s where it went to pieces. But the message was lost. The short version was confusing, the long version too bizarre.09:12 — TBNP // A (regional) Super Bowl ad from a ‘new media’ brand is notable on its own. Using logos of past guests to turn the spot into a reach machine, now that was really clever. Brands proudly sharing “Mom, I’m on TV.” was very feel-good, too. Smart, generous, and very made for sharing. Claps.11:32 — LIQUID IV // Singing toilets are unhinged. But it pays off. Clear insight, catchy song, and an actual aspirational flex people are seeking (no yellow pee) to close it out.13:34 — COINBASE // A clever sing-along idea, for sure. The issue is that the brand perception for Coinbase gave everyone the ick when they were tricked into singing the brand name. You need brand love for this crescendo to hit.15:24 — DUNKIN’ // Stacked cast (that made sense together) and packed with nostalgia. Add all the bits of Boston energy, and it just worked.17:50 — FANATICS // Pulling a fun, real bit of lore like the Kendall curse and then managing to convince her to be in on the joke should get applause on its own. It was also executed very well.20:23 — MANSCAPED // This felt Dr Squatch adjacent. Certainly appealing to the same audience. Unhinged, weird, slightly provocative on almost-mention of ball hair. Funny and certainly memorable. Well played for a small brand.21:41 — LEVI’S // A fun, well-executed reminder of how iconic Levi’s is. Ending on Doechii was the icing. And the “Behind every original” was excellent.23:05 — PRINGLES // Ok, points for putting the product front and center, which is hard with a star like Sabrina Carpenter. But the tone didn’t feel like her. Memorable, but slightly off.24:41 — PEPSI // With our small group of Alphas, this spot hit. The Coke bear reference was greatly enjoyed. The Coldplay scandal was funny if you got it. But the AI-ness was very distracting.26:00 — POPPI // Great cast, pure vibes, which might just have been the entire brief. The premise has been done a thousand times. Drink this, enter another world, followed by “Can I have some of that?” Felt too familiar, but perhaps it’s novel enough for the generation they’re targeting.27:08 — XFINITY // Not a brand either of us had on the bingo card, so claps just for that. The old Jurassic Park footage mixed with new moments to show WiFi speed was genuinely funny. The product made the joke work, which is rare, but when it happens, it’s great.28:59 — RAISIN BRAN // You can picture this in the pitch room, and it felt like it made it to the screen in its full purity. Which never happens. It was just too good. Shockingly, one of the best, from a category that felt dead in the water.30:26 — NERDS // It was hard to make sense of this. Andy Cohen makes sense if you know Real Housewives = moms = candy gatekeepers. But the leap was too big. Candy has a perception problem, and this didn’t solve it.32:15 — RITZ // Jon Hamm, Bowen Yang, Scarlett Johansson, what could go wrong? Apparently, more than you think.33:32 — KINDER BUENO // The “No bueno” line was sticky. Not much else, but sometimes the line does the job.34:26 — BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM // This was a PSA for the UACR urine test as an early warning for stroke and heart attack in women. Octavia Spencer and Sofía Vergara made it fun. And shockingly informative.35:45 — NOVARTIS // If one PSA had to win, though, it would be this one. “Relax your tight end” for colon cancer screening is genuinely funny. Beautifully shot, misdirects before the payoff in a good way, and removes shame. Very well done.37:16 — SQUARESPACE // Film noir and horror vibes mixed with Emma Stone. Felt threatening, a tad wasteful, and oddly angry. Missed the plot.38:05 — RO // Clear and functional. Shows how the app works. Does the job. Didn’t inspire, but got the message through on a big stage.38:56 — SLACK // This didn’t hit with any audience. The overlap wasn’t there. Alphas who like MrBeast couldn’t care in the least about Slack or Salesforce. For Slack users, the Salesforce connection gave us all the ick.40:25 — RAMP // “Multiply what’s possible” is fine. Generally love what this brand does. But sticking with Kevin from The Office as mascot felt like an old-school advertising model. Not something we associate with this brand.41:53 — OPEN AI // “You can just build” didn’t land. Tried to borrow warmth without earning it. Boring.42:58 — GOOGLE GEMINI // Google remains unmatched at heartfelt tech storytelling. Human, emotional, and genuinely moving. Very few brands can balance heartfelt correctly. Many have tried and most fail. Google does it consistently.43:41 — CLAUDE // Went straight at AI ad anxiety and made it funny. Bold, accurate, and self-aware. Well played.44:35 — BUD LIGHT // Stacked cast that was odd but worked, the product front and center, and it was actually funny. Traditional Super Bowl energy but done right.45:26 — BOSCH // Execution was fine. Campaign line was elite: “The more you Bosch, the more you feel like a Bosch.” Made me laugh at least.46:14 — SVEDKA // AI robots, no story. Felt flat and boring. A theme emerged with AI use, and this pointed directly to it.46:48 — REALFOOD.GOV // MAHA’s processed food PSA with Mike Tyson deserves its own unpacking one day. The link between food and mental health that MAHA is pushing is getting much louder. But that aside, do we need to ask who wants Mike Tyson as their role model in a PSA? Wow.47:27 — ELF // Hysterical telenovela with Melissa McCarthy. Timely, specific, and genuinely funny. One of the favorites.48:18 — GRUBHUB // The line “Grubhub will eat the fees” is smart. Clear product benefit, easy to remember. Why George Clooney, someone else will have to answer that.49:11 — DOVE // Strong message about girls dropping out of sports due to body confidence (something a few brands have latched onto in the last year). Meaningful, but didn’t hit the emotional heights of Dove’s classics. If they can modernize without losing that emotion, it would be amazing.50:36 — HERS / HIMS // The “Rich people live longer” opening was tough. Very dystopian. But the access message and pointing to the changing meaning of “the frontier of good health” felt very aligned with where culture is going.51:11 — AI.COM // Nothing to say. Site crashed. Worst of the bunch. And I couldn’t find the ad for you.51:42 — THEMES // Lots of unhinged, which might not work next year (we say why). Unexpected winner. Good castings. And a very telling mix of AI-forward and human-forward.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.Again, these aren’t trends (yet!). That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Skip to the bits you fancy1.01:00 — ANTI-SCALE BY DESIGN // We’re watching brands quietly reject growth-for-growth’s sake. In a moment where almost anything can scale instantly, value is accruing to experiences that don’t. The limit isn’t artificial. It’s structural.Places it’s showing up:* A watch that’s only available to buy when it’s snowing.* 113 Spring’s 1.5-hour mind-scent experience to create a single fragrance.* Invite-only, no-phone parties in Ibiza capped at 300 people.Pendulum swing → At the same time, we’re getting a giant as we’ve never seen. OpenAI is introducing ads. It is already the new health infrastructure (see below). And automated replies, instant, and everyone being able to ‘mass communicate’ features like “comment XXX for a DM” mean we have scale like never before, from individuals to potentially the biggest juggernaut we’ve ever witnessed.2.08:10 — ZERO BARRIER ECONOMY // The cost of making something has collapsed. Shipping is easy. Tools are everywhere. But speed alone isn’t defensible. And feature most certainly are. If building isn’t the advantage, what is? A perspective.Places it’s showing up:* A custom run-tracking app built in ~30 minutes with a Claude Code subscription.* Alphas and young Zs moving from influencer dreams to fast-built entrepreneurship.* OpenAI opening ads, reshaping discovery, and monetization.Pendulum swing → Acquisitions take time, and speed is at an all time high. Expect more strategic partnerships this year. See: OpenAI–Pinterest rumors. Olive Young landing inside Sephora. Apple and Google are getting friendly again.3.16:45 — NO SAFE BETS, THX // We want difference. We want originality. But the systems we’ve built reward sameness. Community becomes a weakness when it only gives you more of the same and doesn’t stretch you.Places it’s showing up:* Patrick Kho called out “community” in favor of scenes built on intersection and contrast. It might sound like semantics, but it’s actually just pointing out what we’ve diluted in our push for getting closer to our consumers.* 222 Place selling chance encounters with no profiles, no DMs, no swiping.* Casting Connor Storrie is an argument against overly algorithmic decision-making.Pendulum swing → We want difference, but, unfortunately, it’s not safe to be different (obviously, you can see this in a very macro way in the news lately). Algorithms reward consensus. Institutions avoid risk. But humans still crave surprise. And we crave debate. Zoe Scaman, using AI as a sparring partner, is telling. We need safe places to say the ‘thing.’4.24:30 — LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU // We’ve talked about high-effort content a lot. But the lens is zooming out. It’s not just content. It’s seeing your brand as an entertainment engine. We want reasons to invest in you, to remember you, and buy you. And that’s requiring investment.Places it’s showing up:* Gap and Dick’s hired Chief Entertainment Officers.* Bissell turned a vacuum into a mini-series where the product is essential to the payoff.* Guess and a flash drive brand ran absurd ads that require us to think differently.* W Magazine made a film, then elevating the BTS to be the actual ‘work.’* Luxury brands like Tiffany & Co are leaning into relevant stories. Recognizing that gloss can come with a side of real.Pendulum Swing → Influence is shifting from polished sellers to real participants. Brands are giving the power to the people.5.33:20 — STACK OF RECEIPTS // Wellness has moved from belief to evidence. What used to be dismissed as “soft” now comes with data, continuity, and proof.Places it’s showing up:* Eli Health’s saliva-based hormone testing or a Rythm on you arm monthly makes testing constant.* Recovery is becoming sport—from toe spacers to sensory shoes—because we can not only feel the value, we can track and measure it.* ChatGPT Health is connecting records, habits, and biometrics into one system. It’s now the operating system of wellness, and you can search it, query it, and better yet, let it get proactive.* We unpack this more on this pod.Pendulum Swing → The softer side grows in parallel. Fun, friendship, posture, nights out are becoming revalued. And while now we COULD track them, that’s entirely not the point.The letters referenced in this episode:* Louis Vuitton is making houses* Drunk Elephant has lost it* Banana Republic has a speakeasyABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to EPISODE 100 (!) of GOOD THINKING. When I started this letter, I thought it might only last a few weeks, and here we are. It’s truly one of the best things about my week. Has introduced me to so many wonderful people. And honestly has just been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.To celebrate, Kirsten decided to interview me for a special edition of the pod. As you might have gathered, I don’t LOVE talking about myself, so take this as the rare occasion that it is to hear the rather funny origin story, everything the letter has taught me, and a lot more.And to say thank you, and because one of the best parts about this letter is the sheer variety of people who read it (you all work in so many interesting categories and businesses!) we’re going to give away 100 year-long subscriptions. The only thing I ask is: tell us what category you’re in and something fun that makes you ‘different.’ Big or small. I’ll close out the offer next week, so get in there. And share it with anyone you think would like a free sub!ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

For those of you who don’t know, I live in Italy, near the Dolomites And the folx at Amigo (my favorite travel app, and no, this isn’t sponsored), asked me to write about the best-of-the-best, as people begin to fly in for the Olympics.Of course, I had thoughts. You can find all my recs in the article, alongside many, many other favorites I have in the area, on the app. Use the code GOODTHINKING to skip the waitlist.Enjoy!00:01 — HOLY GEOGRAPHY // This is the most spread-out Olympics ever. Milan is not close to Cortina. We chat about why you have to ‘enjoy the journey’ to make this work. Luckily, Italy does have a lot to make that easier.04:05 — MILAN // Where we eat, drink, shop, and get our faces reshaped (in the most amazing way) when we’re in the city a lot. Milan takes some time to fall in love with. But it’s possible.17:30 — CORTINA // Cute, cold, and way farther than you think. We give a reality check on distance, and chat about where to stay, where to eat, and where to shop. And why you should probably just stay the night, or five.28:55 — DOLOMITES // Big landscapes, gorgeous (and new) spas, modern Alpine hotels, and why this is where you go to exhale.37:00 — ALTO ADIGE & TRENTINO // The broader region quietly has some of the best stuff. Especially if you’re visiting in a warmer season. Great Wine, amazing architectural gems, food to write home about.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Last week, we were in Michigan and had countless fascinating conversations about where wellness is going. We’ve discussed all these topics in the last year in the letter, but we’ve never done a deep dive on what’s emerging in wellness in one spot. Well, here it is! Not trends. Not protocols. Just the stuff that feels in motion right now.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:53 — TRANSPARENT PROCEDURES // The shame cycle around cosmetic work has broken down. Neck lifts, blephs, face lifts, people will give you all their secrets. People want results to look natural, but they are no longer pretending nothing happened.05:54 — MEN’S BEAUTY MOMENT // Men’s ‘beauty’ and wellness has actually arrived. Gen Z and Alpha boys are driving it, from skincare to Botox to testosterone to lookmaxxing. And it’s pulling older men in with them. And much like women’s beauty, it’s coming with confidence and dysmorphia in equal measure.07:56 — BRAIN HEALTH AS A WELLNESS ZONE // The brain is giving the heart a run for its money as your most focused-on organ. Brain massages, neurosensory meditation, and tracking cognitive states as a biomarker are emerging fast.10:24 — ROUTINE LONGEVITY // Full-body MRIs, biological age testing, and everyday interventions move from elite to expected. Longevity stops being abstract and starts becoming operational.12:05 — PEPTIDES SURGE // In the post-GLP-1 world, where injectables aren’t feared, sub-Q peptides emerge as the next frontier for longevity and skincare.14:10 — ERGONOMICS AS BIOLOGY // Posture, oxygen, heart rate, brain function. Ergonomics will stop being about comfort and start being about measurable biological impact.15:52 — CYCLICAL EATING // Carb and protein cycling, seasonal eating, PMS, and postpartum menu planning are bubbling on the fringes. How, when, and why you eat is going to get more nuanced. And tracked (see: WEARABLE PROOF). 'Protein everything' is a yesterday conversation.18:28 — PSYCHEDELIC PRECISION // Ibogaine and other psychedelics move out of counterculture and into targeted mental health conversations, with a growing focus on safety, structure, and outcomes.20:40 — BEAUTY TOURISM // Skincare vacations are becoming commonplace. Where you become well is the topic du jour. And new realms will emerge.22:00 — WEARABLE PROOF // Wearables are shifting trust. Reviews will come with screenshot evidence. The bar gets higher. But new potential is being unlocked.23:52 — FUN IS HEALTHY // Perhaps the most radical wellness trend is the rejection of caring about wellness trends at all. Less optimization. More pleasure. Fun is a legitimate wellness strategy. As just more evidence, look the heart action here:26:28 — TCM IS HOT // Chinese medicine, hot foods, women being believed, and treating causes instead of symptoms. What’s old is very much in right now. For good reason.There’s a lot of overlapping ideas in these Part 1 & Part 2 of the 2026 Predictions. Give those a listen/read if you haven’t.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,Ready to be inspired? Us too. One chat with Carmen Graham, former Frida marketer and new CMO of Genexa, did just the thing.This episode is about challenger energy, leadership inside regulated categories, motherhood, and how trust actually gets built when the stakes are high.If you’re managing up, this episode has got tips for you. If you’re new to, or considering a new category, it has great advice. If you’re a leader who needs a jolt of ‘YES!’, it has that too. And if you’re a working mom, hold onto your seat. It’s thoughtful, funny, and very human.Enjoy!Meet Carmen GrahamCarmen Graham is the CMO of Genexa and one of the most grounded, lovely, and culture-literate marketing people you’ll have the pleasure of meeting.Having spent the last 15 years working publisher, agency, and brand-side, Carmen’s career spans Complex, Verizon, agency life, and most recently Frida, where she helped define a new tone for modern parenthood brands. She’s also a mom of three, outspoken about motherhood and leadership. And must-follow on LinkedIn because of it. I can’t wait for you to meet her, truly.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:29 — NEW ROLE, REAL MOMENT // Why Carmen took the Genexa job and what drew her to the brand.04:01 — FROM FRIDA TO HEALTHCARE // Bringing challenger brand energy into a highly regulated category.08:35 — SHAKING THE TREE // How Genexa’s first campaign landed internally and why that mattered more than metrics.10:49 — TRYING AGAIN AS A CULTURE // Why being willing to experiment, even when things don’t work the first time, is a rare but wonderful instinct to build.15:02 — GENERIC MOM ADS ARE DEAD // Why reality beats perfection. And why being polarizing is better than not speaking to anyone at all.18:24 — THE MOM GROUP CHAT // Turning real parental behavior into insights.22:30 — WHAT ‘CHALLENGER’ REALLY MEANS // Disrupting a 70-year-old category without losing credibility.26:12 — MAHA AND AGENCY // We went there.31:21 — TRUST IS THE MOAT // Why Genexa is playing the long game in healthcare.34:35 — MOTHERHOOD ON LINKEDIN // Why visibility, honesty, and sharing logistics actually matter.39:10 — HOW CARMEN LEADS // Transparency, calendars, and building a team culture that works and lets you be your best.43:02 — UNCONVENTIONAL LEADERSHIP // Breaking silos and bringing teams along for the ride.45:24 — QUICK FIRE // The rapid hits on brand, leadership, and instinct.* 3 things every brand should do?“They should leverage social as the first place for their insights...Care about how you look. Care about the aesthetics…And take care of your people.”* What’s your biggest learning / what would you do differently?“I would never sacrifice my integrity for work. And I would never sacrifice the integrity of the work for one piece of feedback. Stick to your guns.”* If you could collaborate with one other brand on something, who would it be and why?“I would love to collaborate with Poppi. Wash it down.”* If there were one celebrity spokesperson for the brand, who could it be?“The Foster Sisters.”* One word that sums up your brand?“Relief. Feeling better.”Huge thanks to Carmen for chatting. And if you’re building a brand, new or established, and pushing things. Reach out! [email protected]’s all, folx.– ChrisIf you listened/read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the 2026 Predictions, guest edition!In case it’s not abundantly clear, this Substack is based on my love of reading a borderline insane amount of just about everything. And nothing gives me more pleasure than reading those with perspectives as strong as my own. I asked some of those I admire and read most to share their thoughts on the year ahead. I’m genuinely humbled by the caliber of people who agreed.And finally, a quick reminder that we put all this goodness into a fun stand-alone site for you to share, devour, and explore. Check it out here (use your Substack email for the email section, and it won’t duplicate you.)As always, the lens of this letter & pod is a best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy!05:00 — CULTUREANU LINGALAANU : Connecting dots and building a world-class trends library.ASPIRATIONAL HUMANITY // We’ll see the continued acceleration of Aspirational Humanity — as artificial intelligence hyper-flattens mass culture, anything denoting evidence of humanity becomes exceptionally desirable. And as a consequence, we’ll begin to see the emergence of a Hierarchy of Humanness.* Human-created cultural products positioned as most valuable, and priced accordingly* Elevated synthetic content that is “humanwashed” to recreate a semblance of humanness — the new “premium mediocre.”* Synthetic slop for the masses, akin to ultra-processed food and fast fashionI’m hopeful that 2026 will see the rise of Subversive Sincerity, or a version of progressivism that is less ‘cringe’ and channels a more rebellious energy. This would manifest primarily in subcultural spaces that intentionally evade the algorithm. But some of mainstream cultural indicators would include the resurgence of rock music and a revival/remix of punk, goth, and grunge aesthetics in fashion.MATT KLEINZINE : You know him. You love him. Culture interpreter extraordinaire.NUANCE BECOMES THE ANTIDOTE // In 2026, our planetary crises and personal conflicts will increasingly stem from a culture that has abandoned complex, ambiguous, grey-area thinking. Strengthening this atrophied capacity for nuance is mission critical.MICHELLE BLASERThe Pollinatr : An expert observer, tracking things coast to coast.SOUTH > COASTS // The coasts are out and the South is in. Visa’s data shows the South is now growing faster in population and GDP than any other region, and it’s expected to keep outspending the rest of the country through 2026. The old “undereducated redneck” stereotype is dead. Southerners have real buying power, and they want brands that speak to their culture, not around it. YETI, Dr. Pepper, and Tecovas get it. The rest of the industry needs to catch up.VICTORIA MONTGOMERYWomen in Brand : A woman putting words to culture. And connecting women in brand worldwide.NOSTALGIA FOR HUMAN KIND // Well, the world’s a bit rubbish, isn’t it? In 2026, brands will compete for ‘culture shaper’. With the 2025 AI avalanche making us so co-dependent we ask Chat to remind us of our own name, brands will tap into smaller communities to build trust, champion human connection, and find extraordinary in the ordinary (with a conversion KPI). Think Claude pop-ups and AmEx live, but the onus on unique experiences that spread joy.We’ll see human-crafted content win - though the jury’s still out on whether that’s perfection in imperfection (the ultimate UGC), or polishing the slop with quality craftsmanship and big budgets (more Apple mnemonic).OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBOas seen on : Wise, always on point, and giving it to us from the Gen Z perspective.NEW LOOK // There’s going to be a shift away from the “glossier-fication” of everything towards a design language that is sexier and more mature, particularly in beauty and wellness.MARIE DOLLÉMarie Dollé : A modern-day philosopher bringing the best perspectives to your inbox.NONSENSE COMMUNITIES // Dictionary.com named “6-7” as word of the year. What does it mean? Nothing, really. It’s just a meme that lots of people repeat whenever they get the chance. Some teens shout “six-seveeeeen” because they think it’s funny. And others do it because they think it’s cool to say. While it may seem trivial, I think, in fact, that it illustrates a broader sociotechnical trend in which meaning is deliberately erased to create tighter human bonds. Think about it: AI can repeat “6-7,” map its spread, or generate infinite variants, but it cannot belong, because it has no playground, no fear of exclusion, no thrill of a joke whispered behind the teacher’s back.This logic appears elsewhere, from children banned from social media who end up building an entire social network inside a shared Google Doc, to the rise of algospeak in 2022, when users on TikTok and YouTube invented coded language to evade automated moderation, turning nonsense, euphemisms, and emojis into a shared dialect. Across these cases, humans exploit ambiguity and absurdity as a feature. How so? By creating communication systems that are illegible to machines and outsiders. The point is to produce a sense of community rooted in the deep pleasure of co-created secrecy and belonging.What brands could leverage: Instead of chasing clarity or viral simplicity, brands can create cultural magnetism by designing spaces where audiences shape the meaning with micro-languages, evolving symbols, playful rituals, or ambiguous signals that reward participation over passive consumption. It’s a great way to cultivate singularity, insider affinity, generate culturally resilient engagement, and occupy a space algorithms, and competitors, cannot easily imitate or infiltrate.23:33 — F&BFRED HART@fredwhart : LinkedIn’s and my favorite expert on all things F&BEMBRACE THE ANALOG // As AI flattens culture into frictionless sameness, drowning out the authentic voice and dulling our senses with visual slop, more value shifts to the unmistakably human and the art of craft, taste and principles. While Coke catches flak for its second AI-generated Christmas ad, Apple has skipped CGI and used hand-cut glass in its latest ad. Lay’s global redesign uses real potato-stamping patterns, Polaroid is rejecting screens, and Radford Beauty used nothing more than the founders’ handwriting and sketches to create a category-shaking brand identity. In a world obsessed with automation, human inefficiencies are becoming the competitive moat. All hail the analog.26:27 — SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZSEINAT ISRAELI@einatisraeli : A lover and champion of all things Silvers and longevity.MIDLIFE SPOTLIGHT // Midlife is about to steal the cultural spotlight. We’ve spent years idolizing youth as the engine of culture, but the real disruption is coming from people 45–65 - the ones rebuilding careers, bodies, identity, and relationships, and for women, navigating menopause with a new kind of confidence. In 2026, midlife emerges stronger as a cultural force, influencing wellness, work, style, and the way we imagine the 100-year life.BEN VARQUEZ@benvarquez : A man on the ground with Gen Zs on campus.REAL COMMUNITY // When it comes to Gen-Z/Gen-Alpha, influencers will take a back seat to community. There’s been a lot of recent backlash for over-consumerism and being out of touch with the general state of the economy (see: Jaclyn Hill), so we’d love to see more brands do PR trips with regular consumers they gather through public UGC instead of paid creators.33:00 — FASHION & RETAILMICHAEL ABATA@michaelabata : A retail expert with killer observations and a heart of gold.AUTOMATED AND POP-UP RETAIL KEEP GROWING // Staffing challenges + the mall declines + “I just want it now” = more automated and pop-up retail. From airports to college campuses, more brands and retailers will explore automated and pop-up retail moments in high traffic areas. In 2025 we saw Amazon, Chick-fil-a, Bath & Body Works, Lululemon, Auntie Anne’s, Funko and Pokemon expand into these retail quick solutions. Who will be next? Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 Link 6MORE LUXURY GOES HOSPITALITY // From Coach to Ralph Lauren, luxury brands will continue to lean into hospitality to expand their brand presence and create deeper emotional connections with consumers. I suspect we’ll see unexpected brands jump into hospitality in 2026. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Alo, Beis, Tiffany & Co or Rivian jump in. Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5QSRS JUMP INTO THE BEVERAGE CATEGORY // McDonald’s tried it with CosMc’s. Now Chick-fil-a and Taco Bell are in on the hot hot hot coffee and beverage growth as consumers are spending money on little luxuries and Starbucks loses significant share. New competitors like 7Brew and Dutch Bros have lit a fire under traditional QSRs. Who will be next in 2026? My bet is on Chipotle or Cava taking an agua fresca approach. Or perhaps we’ll see another unexpected player like Shake Shack spin something up? Link 1 Link 2 Link 338:17 — TECHDANIELLE GREENBERG@danielle-greenberg : No one knows more about where AI is headed than this woman. And she’ll teach you everything.PERSONAL TOOLBOX // AI use will shift from choosing one assistant to assembling a personal toolkit. I already use ChatGPT for personal tasks, Gemini for analytical or visual work, and Claude for creative thinking. This kind of deliberate, purpose-driven use will define mainstream behavior next year. Example here.BRANDS, PLURAL // Brands have already started moving away from mass appeal, and 2026 is the year this becomes the norm. They will design for people as they truly are: contradictory, plural, and complex. The brands that respect that complexity will outperform the ones still chasing a single story.MICRO MADE // Micro-apps will become the default way people interact with technology. Instead of adopting long-term tools, people will build momentary apps for precise needs, use them once, and move on. Software becomes transient and strictly purpose driven, where utility wins over attachment.44:32 — SPORTVICTORIA BUCHANANNon-Sweat : Looking at the fringes of sports and culture and making it make sense for now.OBSESSION BECOMES CULTURAL CAPITAL // A pivot away from viral performance toward high-fidelity skills, real knowledge, and uncompressible mastery. People are choosing things that fight back; books you have to wrestle with, music that demands presence and pursuits you can’t shortcut with AI. The new flex is simple: prove you care enough to go deep.47:26 — WELLNESS & BEAUTYJAMIE ROSENOffice of the Surface : The person you turn to for all the best hidden wellness spots.COLLABS SHALL DIE // Because everyone is in their own little content bubbles, it’s harder than ever to create impactful cultural moments. Up until now, collaborations have been a smart way to speak to two audiences you didn’t know could intersect. But there is a very real fatigue for them in the market. The consumer has become so very savvy, and they are getting inundated with content and partnerships on repeat. Instead, the brands who use their own cultural lens as both gut-check and filter can continue to stay interesting while generating fresh storytelling and constant world-building.JENNY EVANSLit From Within : My go-to for the future of health, skin, and inner wisdom.LONGEVITY OVERDRIVE // In 2026, longevity is about to become the new “microbiome”—the buzzword every wellness and skincare brand will be screaming from the rooftops. But this time, the hype is backed by real mitochondrial science. Brands like Timeless are already leading with research-driven supplements and activities that boost cellular energy and spark true regeneration. And you know I’m not a filler girl—I’ll take injecting peptides any day—but I am surprisingly obsessed with Sunekos, the only bio-stimulating injectable I can stand behind. And of course, my favorite beauty biohack of all time? Red light + methylene blue. It’s mitochondria magic, and trust me—2026 is the year everyone else finally catches up.52:06 — TRAVELTORI SIMOKOVWindow Seat : Who knows all the best hotels and how to get there in business class.AIRPORT TOURISM IS COMING // Terminals like LGA’s TC, Changi’s T3, and Hamad’s indoor garden are turning airports into micro-cities of sensory delight. We’re approaching a world where people book flights to or from these airports just to spend time in them.DEVI RHODESWell Done: Wisely advising hospitality brands on how to get it right.ANTI-RECOMMENDATION RISES // Anti-recommendation becomes the new hospitality currency. Hotels and restaurants stop pretending to be for everyone and start getting specific about who they’re actually for. “Perfect if you want to eat dinner at 5:30pm” or “Not for you if you need a gym.”In a landscape of infinite sameness, specificity becomes the only honest filter that works. Saying “we’re for people who hate brunch” doesn’t shrink your audience...it just finds the right one in multitudes. Turns out the middle-aged guy who wants a martini at 4pm and the 19-year-old who thinks bottle service is depressing have been waiting for the same brutally honest menu all along. “Not for everyone” takes the cake.FUN FOR THE WEEKIf you got here and are thinking, what else?! I love your lunacy. Read my predictions here if you haven’t!If you loved this, give it a like, but also make sure to hit subscribe/follow to all the amazing people above. Your inbox and your mind will not regret it.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to Year 2 of GOOD FUTURE. Everything you should be watching in 2026.Unlike a typical issue, most of these links lead back to past GOOD THINKING issues, so you can dive deeper into each topic. It’s a rabbit-hole wonderland.Each prediction comes with a counter-prediction: the pendulum swing. These two realities will live simultaneously, sometimes appealing to the same consumer. This email is long. It might be cut off. Read it in the app.In the podcast episode, we dive deep into each of these, unpacking them more. It’s not just a reading of the list but a guide to help you understand each prediction more. Hit the titles to skip to the bits you fancy! And this year, we went even BIGGER. Now, if you’re eager to share this with your team, colleagues, boss, mom, bestie, or just want to be even more consumed, we made a site with all the predictions, pics, and examples, explainers and AMAZING guest predictions (that we’ll be discussing and sharing here in the new year!) from so many incredible contributors including Ochuko Akpovbovbo, Matt Klein, Michelle Blaser, ANU, Marie Dollé, Jamie Rosen | Beauty Notes, Devi Rhodes, Fred Hart, Michael Abata, Danielle Greenberg, Jenny Evans, Ben Varquez, Einat Israeli, Victoria Buchanan, and Women in Brand.CHECK IT OUT!Let’s dive in!05:22 — CULTUREINNER WORLDBUILDING // Culture is swinging inwards. As the constant availability of knowledge increases, we are reclaiming intuition, privacy, and unshared experience. In 2026, we place more boundaries. Protection from the prying eyes of strangers’ lenses, the near-invisible listening and recording devices that are always on, and AI sleuthing that allows anyone to know anything. This isn’t just about evasion. It’s about valuing your gut, keeping things for just you and your close friends. We’re building inner worlds.* ‘Camouflage Culture’ rises. “The run you don’t track, the party you don’t post.”* Group chats become a ‘channel.’* ‘Algorithmic Evasion’ sounds sensible and not sci-fi.* No-camera zones become standard practice.* ‘Intuition’ regains validity. Improvisation is seen as a valued skill.The pendulum swing?Radical spectacle rises. As inner worlds get gated, shared experiences get bigger. Brands build wonderlands to compete with AI for attention. Building brand in this era will be about showing up. And our expectation is brands go big or not come home with us.13:13 — F&BBIOLOGICAL DINING // Food becomes a protocol. Biology is replacing diet culture. Think: mitochondria health, hormone regulation, vitamin absorption, glucose-safe, recovery enhancing. We want our food to be working for us, not against us.* ‘Deuterium-depleted’, ‘hydrogen-packed’, we get comfortable with scientific terms.* Patented ingredients like low-absorption fats become power plays.* Non-glucose-spiking becomes a strong position.* Creatine-infused milks arrive from a major player, not just a niche brand.* The wearables are everywhere, and smaller. Tooth-worn wearables aren’t extreme.* DoorDash or [insert delivery brand here], powered by AI, allows you to customize biology-supporting meal delivery.The pendulum swing?Food bites into entertainment experiences. As many brands turn to hard facts, other swing toward lore, play, and worldbuilding. Every surface and touchpoint is an opportunity. Character IP booms. Restaurants become cinematic extensions. Brand mythologies become an essential brand-building tool.18:45 — DRUGS & BOOZEHIGHLY USEFUL // Drugs will get rebranded as productivity and recovery tools. The stigma dissolves, and we shift our perception from escape to enhancement.* Psychedelics get longevity framing.* Ketamine is increasingly recognized as a focus/ADHD aid.* More states fund Ibogaine trials for PTSD and more.* ‘Clean’ nicotine mainstreams. It’s on the shelves in offices. And locker rooms.* GABA gets more energy.* Even cannabis is getting a more generous lens.The pendulum swing?Let’s live a little makes a comeback. Vices regain popularity. A glass of wine, a late night, and a cheeky cigarette are no longer counter to your other lifestyle goals. Think: moderation in a more extreme way.24:21 — SILVERSPOST-DEMO // Age and stage no longer map to behavior. Mindset > metadata.* Brand books with age demos become laughable.* Kids are sushi connoisseurs and edit like expert showrunners.* Silvers are doing Hyrox competitions, gaming nightly, and cruising constantly. Retirement is a sport.* Millennials and young Gen-X begin electing for part-time retirement as job cuts reframe careers. Fractional work is the new norm in this cohort.* Senior sports get reinvented. Mixed-age teams and strategy-forward formats built for older bodies emerge and are welcomed.The pendulum swing?Aging is assisted, but not in assisted living centers. Exoskeletons replace canes. AI lenses for vision makes bifocals history. Hearing gets truly augmented. Regular homes are transformed to allow for longer aging in place. Even advanced healthcare comes in-home as remote monitoring becomes easily accessible, and healthcare distrust/staffing shortages make patients feel safer with loved ones.30:35 — ALPHAS & ZSALPHA AGENCY // Kids aren’t passive consumers anymore. They’re co-authors. Alphas gain real influence at home and in culture. Brands start designing for participation, not passivity.* Tweens drive family viewing and large purchases.* Kids focus on soft skills and learn to be persuasive.* Cars, homes, tech, all have to appeal co-generationally.* Participation expectations and tools explode. Alphas assume your IP is theirs to play with.* Kids (and their parent) will craft their own versions of shows to fit their personal interests.The pendulum swing?They embrace self-selected digital hermit-dom. Not completely, but often. As Alphas’ agency expands online, the countermove is retreat. Post-social media worlds emerge where teens make the rules away from prying eyes. And quiet, analog, real-time experiences and interests rise. They are doing it not for the feed but for the fun. Think long, slow experiences like movies, golf, chess, the list goes on. But don’t be fooled, they won’t be playing it in your old-school ways.38:38 — RETAILFULL SPLIT // This trend is a full pendulum swing in and of itself. Shopping is going to split into two extremes: effortless automation or intentional effort. AI will handle transactions instantly. And, physical retail swings towards immersion and old-school brand building.* For example: Car dealerships become about the experience and brand. Your AI agents handle the negotiations end-to-end.* LLMs will get ads. And we learn to ignore them. Brand building is about to become paramount.* Luxury goes full experiential. Planes, trains, boats, art galleries and hotels are the new retail store. But you can track the price of your purchase before you make it. Spas reach new heights. But AI-tailored treatments enter the chat.* Vintage thrives (even in luxury) as provenance beats AI slop and tariff-induced cost-cutting measures lower quality to impossible-to-justify standards. Smart brands will take note.The pendulum swing?Invite-only aisles replace public browsing. Anti-algorithmic, ‘taste-driven’ platforms rise. Friend-vetted, invite-only/members-only, no-website stores become bigger. No digital or AI layering here.46:58 — TECHTRUST COLLAPSE // When everything looks real, nothing feels real. AI is making influencers indistinguishable from their digital twins. Trust becomes the word of the year.* Brands generate perfect AI creators, ushering in a new era of character IP.* Influencers outsource themselves to clones, and the industry collapses under the fakery.* Students outsource their taste to AI.* Human-made and the ‘evidence’ proving the fact becomes a point of pride and a needed standard.* Brands that breach trust and plant seeds of doubt. A ‘made by humans’ stamp, like ‘Organic’ emerges. But much like the former, we don’t know what to believe.* Ultra simple, human-focused content surges.* Recommendations change venues. We trust our train AIs over influencers.* Brands hire human experts to infuse humanity into robots and AI systems to make them more appealing.The pendulum swing?Influence shifts to intimacy. IRL, face-to-face, local communities, real experts, and small groups where you know the person in front of you isn’t a clone go wild. Meet-ups, audience gatherings, niche communities (including on group chats that filter bots) get bigger. Disconnection has been predicted for years, but we’re demanding it now.53:17 — SPORTAMATEUR GLORY // Amateur sport becomes the main event. Creator leagues, street tournaments, and amateur leagues become the real entertainment. And snag major league ad deals and the glory.* High-stakes peer leagues grow.* Fan festivals become competition hubs.* Neighborhood tournaments get elite-level branding and facilities.* Everyday-athlete competitions surge, hosted in spectacular venues.* Fan proximity expectations deepen.* Fans become the media. Superstars become guests. Amateurs take the trophies and the revenue.The pendulum swing?Recovery becomes a serious sport. Social saunas, no-workout-full-recovery gyms, and wellness dayclubs turn restoration into the main event. Brain massages, recovery treats, and plunge/bathing pop-ups spread. Smart mattresses and wearables turn recovery scores into status.58:18 — WELLNESS & BEAUTYEVERYDAY INTERVENTION // Wellness shifts from self-care to self-intervention. People treat their bodies like systems to tune, upgrade, and augment. Biohacking but commonplace, zero feelings of ‘that’s extreme.’ Self-diagnostics become routine and expected.* Peptides on every corner, not just in whispers.* NAD+ is everywhere, but injectables become the only acceptable format.* Full-body scans, biomarkers and bloodwork become as standard as aspirin.* Brain health becomes a daily score.* Apps help people taper off meds as they take health into their own hands.The pendulum swing?A rise in ‘Wellness Anarchists’. People want quality without restriction and reject rigid protocols. Doing less grows (not just in wellness), valuing silence, pause, and boredom over optimized routines. And the highest flex becomes the run you don’t track. A move toward unlogged and unposted à la ‘Inner Worldbuilding’ but with a side of ‘f**k-around-and-find-out.’01:02:02 — TRAVELPOTENCY ON DEMAND // We’re more desperate to feel things. Travel becomes a way to dose intensity, not escape it. High-effort experiences meet zero-effort logistics. Extreme rituals, niche skills, experimental treatments, without any hassle.* Extreme retreats go mainstream. Bridesmaids book themselves into darkness.* Biohacked expeditions are the new extreme ‘travel hack.’* Medical and cosmetic tourism accelerates. A new ‘Korea’ emerges, possibly stateside.* ‘Temperament’ tourism begins. Prescribed trips for your well-being.* Hotels offer unparalleled ‘best money can buy’ amenities, but they better be maximalist.* AI concierges remove friction. Humans add the ‘human-tested adrenaline’ overtop.The pendulum swing?Zero-intensity travel. Dead-zone escapes, phone-free spaces, and do-nothing itineraries gain cultural capital. Silence, boredom, and unstructured weekends become the ultimate luxury. Things like ‘knit and chat’ become a week-long affair. The trip where nothing happens on purpose—Bricked on arrival.01:05:16 — FUN FOR THE YEARDISCOVERY SCRAMBLE // AI buries small businesses, but newsletters surface them. AI flattens search and pushes everything toward the same, or worse, aggregate answers. Niche brands and small businesses are harder to stumble upon. But newsletters become the new discovery engine.MEDIA MUTATES (AGAIN) // Old media will die, and new media fractures more. Substack, newsletters, and creator-led journalism become the new power centers. Until they don’t. Big names want out from under platform fees and rules, causing things to splinter into a new version of the old guard.HIGH-EFFORT EVERYTHING // Time to lean into: harder to make, harder to fake, harder to find, harder to follow. As AI floods the market with slop, high-effort output matters. People want the thing that took time, skill, taste, or pain to produce. Campaigns look different in this light. High production is no longer synonymous with effort. High creativity is. And don’t forget to document the process.AI OVERRUN // Rapid AI adoption breaks the bubble (and the workforce). AI goes into overdrive: mass adoption, mass efficiency, and the very real possibility of a bubble popping. Brands confront the idea of doing more with fewer humans. But all is not lost. A new wave of solo entrepreneurs emerges. Think: 5x the Covid entrepreneur-boom, powered entirely by AI tools. 2-person shops become powerhouses.ROBOT NORMALCY // Little bots are about to go mainstream. Not creepy humanoids but helpers. Tiny, non-threatening robots that water plants, deliver groceries, check inventory, guide guests, run errands, and quietly reshape expectations of convenience. Waymo becomes boring. Doorstep robots become standard.REACTIVE TO RECOMMENDED // AI is about to flip the script. Fueled by your millions of late-night queries, access to your calendar/email, and your wearable, it will know what you need before you do. An anticipatory underlayer to your life. Gift for your daughter’s friend’s party next week? Ordered when you added it to the calendar. Midnight fever? Genexa at your door in the morning. Recommended is the new reaction.See it with more detail! Click here.That’s all, folx.I can’t thank you enough for all the love, energy, and support you’ve given the letter this year. This year you’re enthusiasm has had us buzzing. Because of you, we’re speaking at SXSW 2026! Gave talks at Ollie, Brands & Culture and J.P. Morgan this year.If you feel like giving me a gift this year, give this a share. And give us a vote for SXSW London 2026. And book us to speak at your next event or team offsite. Reach out! [email protected] any and all questions into the comments!I can’t wait to be back in 2026, bigger and better than year. I’ll be back in your inbox early January.Happy holidays and happy new year!ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This one’s a little different.Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking to so many people who suddenly find themselves on the job market. Friends. Former colleagues. Readers. People we admire. People who are exhausted. People who didn’t think it would happen to them.December is supposed to be soft. A brain break. Instead, a lot of people are waking up to layoffs, restructures, or the quiet dread of not knowing what comes next. It sucks.And while we don’t have all the answers, we do see patterns in the conversations we keep having. The same fears. The same pressure. But also some similar advice on how to get up and start again. Many folx are questioning if they should go it alone. Or not. We wanted to dig into all that.Zoe Scaman said this this week, and it hit hard:“Losing a job isn’t just losing income. It’s losing identity. It’s losing the structure that told you who you were and where you belonged. It’s waking up on a Monday with nowhere to be and feeling like the map has disappeared… But those skills you built, the instincts you honed, the ability to see patterns and make things that move people — none of that disappears because some holding company decided to please shareholders before year end. That stuff lives in you. It’s yours. You built it.”That’s the spirit of this episode. Not a pity party. Not toxic optimism. Something closer to a rallying cry.If you’re in the thick of it, we hope you feel a little less alone. If you’re steady right now, maybe this helps you support someone who isn’t.If this is useful, tell us. We might make it a series.And if you need us, truly, we mean it. We’re here. Hit reply.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy.00:00 — A DIFFERENT KIND OF EPISODE // Why we made this, who it’s for.01:33 — WHAT WE’RE HEARING MOST // The same fears, the same questions, and the shift we’re sensing across the industry.03:10 — YES, IT’S GRIM. BUT ALSO… ENERGY IS SHIFTING // Why we actually think there is more movement happening than the headlines tell you.06:33 — THE QUESTIONS EVERYONE ASKS // “How do I get someone to give me a chance?” “How do I get hired for the thing I want to be doing?”07:50 — THE PERMISSION TRAP // Stop waiting for someone to authorize your talent.10:00 — THE CRINGE MOUNTAIN THEORY // Everything you want lives on the other side of the cringe. Posting, sharing, saying the thing. It’s daunting. But it works.Side note: Just yesterday, in Lenny Rachitsky’s ‘How AI Works’ series, talking to a recruiter, they said this (read: LinkedIn is a thing):“Michal’s recruiting automation succeeded because she asked the hiring team exactly what criteria they use: “Candidates must be from Israel or working at an Israeli company, active on LinkedIn within 3 months, and employed at their current job for over a year.” By codifying these specific requirements, she created an agent that found candidates the team had missed.”12:14 — THE RED PLATE TRICK // A ritual for surviving the early days of putting yourself out there.17:05 — HANDLING THE HATERS // Why negative comments hurt, how to process them, and when to delete without shame.18:30 — “I WRITE A SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTER.” // The GOOD THINKING bartender story. Fake-it-energy that actually matters.20:07 — WHY COMMUNITY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER // Isolation, post-COVID connection gaps, and how to find your people again.24:00 — PERSONAL BRAND REAL TALK // Why your resume isn’t enough anymore and what employers look for first.30:00 — SHARE YOUR SECRET SAUCE // On originality, fear of being copied, and why sharing your thinking builds opportunity.35:00 — FOLLOW THE FLOW, NOT THE PLAN // Letting go of the “it has to look like this” career mindset.37:55 — SHOULD YOU GO OUT ON YOUR OWN? // The honest, unglamorous truth about entrepreneurship.39:35 — WHY A PARTNER 10X’S EVERYTHING // The real reason IN GOOD CO works: energy, accountability, and not doing it alone.42:00 — THE GRIEF OF LEAVING A JOB // Whether you quit or were laid off, there is a loss you have to feel before you move forward.44:34 — IF YOU’RE STUCK IN A JOB YOU CAN’T LEAVE // Managing up, reading the room, and improving a situation that won’t change itself.Thank you, as always, for being here. And if you’re one of the people this episode is for, we’re rooting for you.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with the GOOD THINKING gift guide. Year 2. We went bigger! And there’s also a ton of exclusive GOOD THINKING discount codes—thanks, brands!Warning: this post is long and will get cut off. View it in a browser or the app. Categories include: CULTURE, F&B, DRUGS & BOOZE, SILVERS, ALPHAS, FASHION & RETAIL, TECH, SPORT, WELLNESS & BEAUTY, TRAVEL, and FUN FOR THE HOLIDAYS.We gave it our best QVC energy.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:53 — CULTUREALICE // Chocolates that are half wellness, half treat. No actual drugs. Just functional goodness that work. If you struggle with being an introvert, I personally recc these. Take a square before an event and you’re somehow much more ready to be conversational.OTHERSHIP // Contrast therapy, meets wellness, meets my favorite thing to do when I visit New York. If your person lives in New York or Toronto, gift them one of their guide ‘journeys’. I did the Self-Care one and the Sound Bath one and have wanted to go back ever since. Use code GOODTHINKING for 22% off single sessions and class packs in NY and Toronto through Feb 28, 2026 (one use per person).GOHAR // Not sure what to say, these lemon squeezers are adorable. Do you need them no. Do you want them, absoultely yes. Get the set with the cute wrapping. I’m also after their ‘egg’ earrings. Love.NEWSLETTERS // Obviously, newsletters are a love language. For one in almost every category read my Why is this interesting? Media Diet but top of the list:* Puck for retail. Lauren Sherman and Sarah Shapiro / Line Sheet are indispensable. Use code HOLIDAYCD for 20% off.* as seen on for culture generally.* Feed Me a classic for an absolute reason.* Link in Bio for everything social but staying up to date on marketing.* Casey Lewis for all things Z and Alpha. Her Monday Digests are the best.* Yaling Jiang for the china market.* Plant Based for all things wellness.* Window Seat for travel.* Nadine @ The Stanza for hospitality.12:50 — F&BFISHWIFE // This was on the gift list last year and it’s so good we’re here again. The ultimate tinned fish gift set in a giant blue box is actually the ultimate gift. Use code GOODTHINKING10 for 10% off sitewide.UNCLE’S // Love gifting small biz food gifts. This is mine for 2025. Thai green curry “blocks”that are freeze dried. Great for the friend who likes to cook but also likes shortcuts.GEORG JENSEN // I love these boujie kettles. A kettle lives on the counter, so make it a good one. Tea lovers with love you. Pair it with PG Tips (classic and my life-long fave) or Cedar Hill’s Brain Fog tea or Wilden Detox tea if you’re EU-based.17:21 — DRUGS & BOOZEHIKE // Hopped edgy seltzer. Delicious and not average whatsoever. Great for NA drinkers or “one more but make it light” people. Perfect for the holiday table. Support small.HELLER // Spotted this Asti ice bucket in NYC and it was perfect. Affordable. Cute. What’s not to love.GHIA // This Monsieur Fizz bottle opener is part swag, part adorable. A little object of joy for anyone who takes their aperitivo ritual seriously—non-alc included.AFTERDREAM // THC drink for your non-alc yet cali-sober design friends. Use code GOODTHINKING10 for 10% off.ENGINE // Organic, Italian gin. Cool packaging. Actually tasty. Very giftable.22:22 — SILVERSRESTORE // Whether they’re healing (from a marathon, cancer, eye surgery, life—pick yours), hyperbaric oxygen therapy gift cards are an amazing gift. For the Silver in your life who’s into longevity, recovery, or just trying something new, this is awesome.CADDIS // Readers that actually look cool. The “I refuse to age quietly” eyewear.OMORPHO // Didn’t intend to add this to the list as it was here last year but they added an adjustable weight option and it really is the best around.ADIPEAU // The website and the packaging don’t read this way but this is THE skincare for anyone perimenopausal and up. If they complain about ‘crepey skin’ this is your gift.27:41 — ALPHAS & ZSABBODE // For the college kid or first-apartment person. Custom embroided gifts that are actually cool.POK POK // Montessori-ish digital play that actually builds kids’ imagination versus drains it. Use code GOODTHINKING50 for 50% off an annual subscription on their site.SHANA BLAKLEY // If you have 3 or 80 bags of your kid’s favorite drawings, or know someone who does, gift this class. I’m so excited to do this with Harry’s art. Use code GOODTHINKING for 20% off.DRIZZLE BOARD GAME // Ice-cream-themed board game created by a 13-year-old. Cute, clever, and 100% inspirational.MIND GAMES // After way too long on FragranceTok trying to understand why teen boys are obsessed with cologne, I’m no closer but know that this brand comes up a lot. But truly, all cologne seems like it’s the teen boy gift of the season.TINY COTTONS // This is my go-to for baby/kids clothing gifts. Good patterns, high quality. I’m gifting this striped sherpa sweatshirt to all of Harry’s cousins so they match and will wear it again.TRADER JOE’S // This 12-days of beauty advent calendar is a hit with our Alpha girls. Very over the shaming of kids and skincare. Have we all forgotten the strangle hold the Body Shop had on kids?CHOMP SHOP // Pricey but lasting. Love this cardboard “table saw” and tools so kids can turn boxes into cities/castle/marble mazes/you-name-it. I have it on good authority it’s hair-pulling and tiny-fingers safe. On our list this year.38:47 — FASHION & RETAILLE BONNET // Anyone who watched during the bad-haircut-era of the podcast knows that the passion for a good beanie here is strong. These have perfect proportions, every color, and are in all the ‘cool’ shops in Europe.MARIMEKKO // A legacy brand that has not just maintained cool but has grown it. Love the pyjamas, shirts, and bed sheets. If you have a stripes/pattern person in your life, shop here.AEYDE // The number if compliments I have received on these red shoes is insane. A Berlin-based shoe brand for the footwear obsessed person in your life..KAS MARIA // This person makes small-batch clothing look better than anything you’ve ever seen. Personally on my gift list to self.ELISA JOHNSON // Sunglasses that cause Kirsten to get stopped in the street constantly.MEMO BOTTLE // Worst name, great product. Slim, high-quality water bottle that fits in a small purse.GOOD QUALITY HUMAN // Trucker and corduroy hats that half of LA is now wearing. Made by incredible humans on a great mission. Use code INGOOD15 for 15% off.45:16 — TECHBRICK // A tech device that I’m actually using—rare. If you want to stop the mindless scrolling without shaming yourself, this is the move. A lovely gift for teams that you want to untether. You set your own rules, it removes the decision fatigue. Use code GOODTHINKING for 20% off..NEURABLE // Gifted to me but I love these. Brain-sensing headphones that track your focus, suggest when to take breaks if you’re flagging, and the sound is great to boot. Use InGoodCODiscount50 for $50 off per item in your cart. Shipping in 2026 because demand is wild.BIOMAT // For the bougie woo-woo lover in your life. Not a small gift but lasting. Heated crystal mat with PEMF. Kirsten has hers on her desk chair and adores it.53:50 — SPORTBANDIT // For the cool runner or workout girl/guy in your life. Rad, good quality, understated.SAVANNAH BANANAS // If the Harlem Globe Trotters and baseball had a baby, we’d be here. And fams love it. Perfect for the sports enthusiast and the doesn’t-love-sports-but-lives-with-those-that-do in your life.PENT FITNESS // Insanely expensive weights but they look like they belong in a gallery.56:19 — WELLNESS & BEAUTYFFERN // A limited-drop fragrance subscription. Excellent unboxing. Taking perfume to a better level.MONASTERY // Adore the packaging and quality of the brand. The Everything Kit is a very special splurge gift. But the item on my list and everyone I know’s is the mask.THE FLOSS // Fascia flossing isn’t huge yet but it will be. Mobility, nervous system work, and back-pain miracles might happen. It’s changed my ‘bad-ish back’ life. Use code INGOODFLOSS for 35% off your first month.VICTORIA BECKHAM // The foundation drops and complexion duo are the heroes, they have Augustinus Bader infused and are lovely. Also love the cheek sticks.ART OF ACCOMPLISHMENT // A meaningful gift for teams, or a person in your life that’s into self-developments. The description/brand doesn’t do the course justice. Trust.ABEL // Clean fragrance that’s Jenny Evans approved. Personally have gifted with much success.BEAUTYGRASS // Skincare made by Jenny Evans herself. The Moonlit is retinol without it. It’s all I use. Use code GOODTHINKING for 20% until Jan 10th.BIODANCE // These are a go-to gift. Easy. Amazing. Korean sheet masks that actually do something.65:51 — TRAVELKOLO // Amazing color-blocked slippers that are great for long plane rides or the house.CLARE V // We’re unabashedly obsessed with this brand. The quality is great. Love their new travel cases that sit flat on the counter—amazing—, leather pouches and luggage tags. I also have their passport case on my list for myself—so cute. Use code GOODTHINKING for 15% off.CALPAK // Packing cubes are a religion we joined 2 years ago. These are by far the best. So many good patterns. Pick one by family member. Have your life and theirs changed.SLIP // The sleep mask in our lives. The thicker ones even work with fake eyelashes. Their pillow cases are also the best gift for curly girls in your life. I’d take about 12 more.1:10:13 — FUN FOR THE HOLIDAYSREMO // A new, more delightful version of an encyclopedia series. Artsy, nerdy, lovely.RAM DASS // A Kirsten go-to gift. Be Here Now is never a bad choice.LOUISE MADZIA // Likely on my list every year. The mugs you see on most shows. Huge. Perfect.TINY ZAPS // Get a gift card for the perfect tiny tattoos. A great sibling or bestie gift. Go together. Have it forever.MOLLY GODFREY // We mentioned LinkedIn classes but this has come up several times this year. If you’re building a ‘personal brand’ and need help getting over the cringe and figuring out this beast, this woman is who you talk to.FREE PEOPLE MOVEMENT // No gift list is complete without socks. Thick, cozy, patterned perfection.SAVOR // Beautiful, non-dairy bonbons we were gifted that look like tiny art pieces and taste great. Check them out.That’s all, folx.Have a lovely holiday weekend.- ChrisIf you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to our top 20 brand campaigns of 2025Not the biggest. Not the most awarded. Just the ones we loved.We break down why each one worked, what it tapped into, and what every brand should learn from it.Warning: the email will be cut off because I’ve added links to each of the campaigns. View it in the app for all 20 and hit the heart while you’re there.And drop the ones we missed in the comments. I’m sure there are many.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy04:00 — FFERN // A fragrance brand you can fall in love with without ever touching it. Totally anti–fragrance tropes and pure ‘Instagram Premium’ energy.09:30 — SALOMON // Loved this collab with the Gohar sisters. It nails where ads are right now: the campaign itself has to be the art piece. It takes the brand into the ‘fashion’ space perfectly.13:00 — RAMP // B2B finally stopped being boring in 2025—amen. Fun campaign. And we love their Substack, Ramp Economics Lab too.17:20 — BILT // A made-for-social TV show about NYC renters that didn’t even lead with the brand. Risky and smart.20:35 — ARGOS // The UK’s equivalent of Sears turns its products into “art pieces” with five famous TikTok comedians. Funny and weirdly effective.22:45 — NZ HERPES FOUNDATION // A nonprofit campaign done well. They leaned straight into stigma with elevated humor, not slapstick, and it worked.25:10 — OURA // Silvers, sex, sports, longevity... all in one campaign. Give Us The Finger is edgy without trying too hard and completely reframes aging.27:00 — REFY // Close-up lips, iconic older women, and zero “fixing.” Quiet, elegant, and genuinely aspirational aging.28:45 — BOBBIE // Unexpected casting that makes total sense. And an amazing supporting cast of creators people have been following for years. This team keeps nailing it.32:00 — MERCEDES-AMG // Highly social-friendly. Brilliantly shot. Cheeky and misbehaving at times. Entertaining always.34:20 — ASTRONOMER // When the internet sets your brand on fire, you can hide, or you can shoot your shot. Making a moment of a moment can be a winning strategy.36:05 — PALOMA WOOL // A mother of a campaign. Zero clichés. Not a Mother’s Day ad. Just great art direction.37:50 — APPLE // A pop-up cubicle in Grand Central with the real cast of Severance, plus a fake self-help book. World-building so good it got people to watch the show.40:05 — A24 // An 18-minute fake leaked Zoom call that tells you basically nothing about the movie. Funny because we’ve all been in that meeting. Great because the ad is a piece of culture in it’s own right.44:45 — GAP // This brand remembered it could try again. A year of high-effort, optimism that seems to have woken up every CMO we talk to.48:00 — BOTTEGA VENETA // Black-and-white hands, slow rollout, stunning photography. A simple idea, well executed.49:55 — TOBLERONE // A staged airport tantrum that went viral. Triggering? Maybe. But interesting.52:00 — DUOLINGO // The bird died, came back, and the internet broke. You remember it.53:40 — YETI // A holiday campaign that makes both the outdoor-obsessed and their long-suffering partners feel deeply seen.55:00 — TACO BELL // Letting people build the menu is risky. Letting them get voted onto billboards is even riskier. But love the participation.All the campaign links can be found in Substack.ABOUTChris 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 +16K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,What can 18 athleisure brands teach you about brand experience? A lot apparently. And a very clear pattern emerged: clarity is rare. But when a brand has it, you feel it instantly, and it changes everything.Whether you’re in retail or not, this episode is about the decisions that signal who you are and who you are for. Warning, due to all the pics, this one will get cut off. If you want all 18, view in the app.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy04:00 — LULULEMON // A brand loses its power the moment it stops knowing who it’s for. The everything to everybody strategy is never the right move.08:36 — NIKE X SKIMS // A huge launch means nothing if the store gives you no reason to care. The fixes are complicated, but they matter.13:20 — BEYOND YOGA // If the space feels like a sample sale, the brand message is missing. Retail 101: If you remove the logo, you should still know where you are. 15:58 — ALO // When every detail reinforces the story, brand expansion looks effortless.20:51 — WILSON // The unexpected star players. Lessons in updating legacy. 24:28 — ADIDAS // A store that feels like pickup instead of discovery leaves no memory behind. Where’s the brand we experience at every other touchpoint?27:54 — VUORI // Soft fabric isn’t enough to carry you in this economy. It might be working but for how long?31:20 — FREE PEOPLE MOVEMENT // Fun, energy, and stellar merchandising do a lot for desire. 34:59 — ON // Great product with no story around it creates a brand that feels unfinished. The product works, but the experience feels removed.41:10 — AVIATOR NATION // A complex one. Dated from the beginning, but doing well in many other ways. 44:06 — ATHLETA // Windows are the first handshake, and this one missed that moment. And others. The zoning did work at least.46:46 — BANDIT // A differentiated perspective in a very crowded market is refreshing.49:25 — TRACKSMITH // Strong design choices can carry you far.50:53 — HOKA // Hugely popular, a bit basic but working.51:40 — LACOSTE // Retail as a signal for who you want to become.52:58 — NEW BALANCE // They may have cultural heat, but the store feels lukewarm.53:40 — GYMSHARK // When the fundamentals are sharp, the clarity is real. (no pics, sorry but many from the London store in this letter.)54:09 — PSYCHO BUNNY // Mixed signals make everything confused.That’s all, folx.-ChrisIf you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.Again, these aren’t trends. That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think.Skip to the bits you fancy.1.01:00 — CULT WHITE COATS // The new status symbol isn’t who does your hair—it’s who does your bloodwork. Medical credibility has become the luxury signal of the moment. Doctors are now a brand asset.Places it’s showing up:* AG1 is signing NIL deals with doctors to build trust beyond the influencer set.* Lanserhof raised $110M by centering its “doctor-led” longevity model.* Canyon Ranch and Hotel del Coronado are turning clinical care into lifestyle design.* Dr. Levine has become a household name.Pendulum swing → AI is flattening the hierarchy. Platforms like Counsel and Fountain Life’s Zori AI use doctors purely as validators for machine-made diagnoses. 2.05:41 — COLLAB HANGOVER // The culture of slapping logos together has hit the wall. And the fringes are cringing. The power move now is editing, not endlessly co-branding.Places it’s showing up:* Le Creuset’s meme-ification and limited-time fatigue.* Wicked’s 90-plus tie-ins and the growing ick for gluttonous licensing.* “Anti-update” energy around J.Press. Keep the soul. Skip the twist.* Campbell’s x Cynthia Rowley reads odd, saved only by a clear donation mechanic.Pendulum swing → Smart world-building still plays. Adidas’s “Believe That” awards and Augustinus Bader x Dua show extensions that deepen the story rather than dilute it.3.19:08 — POLISH IS POWER // Soft skills are surging. From finishing schools for founders to AI-free dining halls, polish has become a performance differentiator. It’s not about manners for manners’ sake—it’s social fluency as a trust-building tool in a noisy, automated economy.Places it’s showing up:* High Point University’s etiquette dinners as career prep.* Alpha Schools selling “agency” as luxury education.* Slow Ventures’ etiquette bootcamps for non-B-school AI founders.* Allison Stadd 🥁 ’s excellent piece on life skills they don’t teach with $200K degrees.Pendulum swing → No human involvement is being sold as a selling point. Meta’s “just give us your credit card” automation offers everything without any ‘human intelligence.’4.25:40 — THE MEMORY METRIC // The next wave of brand experience isn’t about virality. It’s recall. The most powerful marketing now lives as lived experience: something you can tell a story about, not just scroll past. Memories are becoming a business model.Places it’s showing up:* Moda Operandi’s gifting site is selling memory-making experiences.* Malbon and Birdie Houses blending leisure, lodging, and lore.* Damdam’s Explorations travel program as IRL brand immersion.Pendulum swing → Memory building takes time, yet we’re addicted to immediacy. Instant resale offerings, AI shopping tools, and even healthcare shifting from ‘reactive to recommended’ shows how we’re not just in a hurry, we want you to read our minds and bodies. (This section deserves a whole separate podcast, honestly, we start to unpack it, but the implications are huge.)5.36:35 — CRAVING CONNECTION // The power base has shifted from public platforms to private proximity. Influence is now measured in closeness. Not clout. The best brands and communities feel more like group chats than comment sections.Places it’s showing up:* Offball’s The Chat is using WhatsApp to make athletes feel like besties.* HoYoverse measures success in cosplay density and fan edit velocity, not just revenue* MSCHF is predicting that smaller experience will matter more than mass reactions.Pendulum swing → But connection is getting calibrated. Instagram’s editable algorithm, Priceline’s “dead zone” predictions, phone-free bars, and the rise of “Bricking” show that while we might want togetherness, we want guardrails too.The letters referenced in this episode:* The Ordinary is deeply confused.* The Row is giving Goop.* Moda Operandi is crazy. But onto something.* Campbell’s x Cynthia Rowley wasn’t on my bingo card.* Adidas has already won the Super BowlThat’s all, folx.-ChrisIf you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we chat with retail expert Michael Abata. In addition to being one of our favorite voices on LinkedIn, Michael is a lovely human and a complete brand experience / retail nerd—get ready for a lot of geeking out on this episode.One thing we both love about Michael is his love of the little, mundane things brands do. He gets in the weeds. He talks about gas stations and pop-ups with the same enthusiasm most people reserve for flagships and flashy made-for-Cannes campaigns.We talk Altar’d State, Spirit Halloween, Rivian, AI-powered fitting rooms, and why brands should be looking to middle America malls for inspiration, not just Tokyo or London.Retail is moving again. Brand experiences are back. And Michael’s is great at showing what it looks like when brands stop chasing trends and start walking stores.Michael has also written about just about everything, so I’ve added links throughout the show notes below. Rabbit holes galore if you want to dive deeper.It’s a good one.Enjoy!Meet Michael AbataMichael Abata has a passion for retail. With 20+ years of experience from Target, Shutterfly, CAMP, Made By Gather to his most recent gig bringing to life IRL Chewy Vet Care at Chewy. He also does a ton of side gig work with his agency Anahata, working with retailers, leaders, and startup founders. Most importantly, you’ll find Michael active on LinkedIn commenting, sharing, and posting about all things retail, culture, and experiences.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy03:04 — WHY RETAIL STILL MATTERS // From Old Navy to Chewy Vet Care. And why gas stations and airport shops deserve more love.→ More on gas stations: QT, Buccees, what’s happening in Europe.08:01 — HALLOWEEN, BUT MAKE IT COMMERCE // Spirit Halloween has no right to be so good. But it is.12:02 — REINVENTING THE MUNDANE // Rowan’s ear-piercing rebrand. A masterclass in experience-first thinking.→ More on Rowan’s experience: Link15:50 — THE NEW UNDERDOGS // Altar’d State is quietly outplaying the teen brands you used to know.→ If you’re new to Altar’d State: Here’s a good walk-through. And this is their furniture brand.19:13 — EXPERIENCE > AD SPEND // Rivian’s $100 deposit strategy. Plus: Joshua Tree outposts, Venice vibes, and a pile of dirt at SXSW.→ More on Rivian’s experience here: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4.23:17 — EATALY, SMALLER BUT STILL SEXY // What happens when a 60K sq ft brand gets smaller?27:32 — DICK’S GETS IT RIGHT // House of Sport, Public Lands, and why families actually want to go.→ More on Public Lands & Dick’s: Link 1, Link 2.34:50 — WHEN TECH MAKES SHOPPING BETTER // Fitting rooms with screens, walkout tech, and the digital bits that actually help.→ More on Amazon’s walk-out tech here: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3.38:44 — MISSTEPS & MISSED MOMENTS // The surprising number of execs who’ve never walked their own stores.46:05 — THEME PARK RETAIL & THE FUTURE OF EXPERIENCE // Mattel, Netflix House, Meow Wolf—and the return of the gift shop as IP engine.→ More on theme parks: Universal, Netflix House, Netflix Bites, Cosm.53:00 — RETAIL MEETS HOSPITALITY // Yowie, RH, and the return of the all-day store.→ More on retail meets hospitality: Yowie, Ralph Lauren, Restoration Hardware, Louis Vuitton.58:30 — THE ANTIDOTE TO AI // Why physical experience is still the brand moat that matters.59:32 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every retail brand should do, one word that sums up Michael, and who he’d overhaul tomorrow.ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

While we were in LA and NYC together, we did a LOT of retail and brand touring. And it became pretty obvious that many of the retail 101 basics are missed by most. We’ve worked with dozens of retail brands over our careers, and too often, we also end up fixing the fundamentals. We love a great big campaign, and brave brand moves, but if you’re not getting the simple things right, it might be for nothing.But before you think ‘retail’s not my thing’, this episode is not-so-secretly all about brand as experience. As we know, human IRL experiences are increasingly important today. Doing them well is often in the details.Let’s dive in!Hit the timestamp to skip to the bits you fancy00:01 — RETAIL 101 // Why even the best brands forget the basics. And why this series exists.03:30 — POSITIONING IS LOGOLESS // From Brandy Melville’s single-minded energy to Telfar and Clare V’s spot-on perspective, your positioning working can be summed up with one simple rule: if we wiped all the logos away, would we know it’s you?08:00 — SERVICE SELLS // What Nordstrom taught the industry, how Bombas done oh-so-right, and why good service still shapes memory.12:15 — STAFF MATTERS // Uniforms that hit (Massimo Dutti), attitude that fits (Aime Leon Dore), and when it feels like a mismatch (Psycho Bunny).15:15 — SHOPPABILITY = SANITY // Why Sezanne’s sweater wall fails and what Gymshark, Alo, and COS nail re: flow, sizing, and color logic.20:20 — DON’T MISS YOUR MOMENT // If you get them into the fitting room, you’re 80% of the way to purchase. We chat Kith’s missed moment, Everlane’s “find-my-size” screen, and Printemps’ fitting zones.24:57 — PRETTY PACKAGING // Why Corso Como’s bags and packaging walls are so great, what’s smart about Marimekko’s graphic totes, what Clare V’s duster does, and why Officine Universelle Buly wrapping feels like part of the product itself.27:31 — STORE DESIGN 101 // Doors, light, flow. From Alo’s “portal” entrance to Casper’s “prison-gate” mistake and Bon Marché’s zoning perfection.33:37 — MERCH MAGIC // How Wilson and Buck Mason use storytelling, mannequins, and props to make you buy more, and why Gap still hasn’t quite nailed it.39:17 — STREET VIEWS // Alex Mill and Anthropologie, and Reformation prove the little things still pull people in.And yes, this episode is all physical experiences. We’ll get into digital and the cross-over/360 experience in another episode! We’re doing a few more as part of this retail series. Next up is a chat with Michael Abata about his favorite retail observations and what brands are getting right. After that, a look at the future of retail and an experiential deep dive. Stay tuned and tell us what you want covered next.That’s all, folx.– ChrisIf you listened/read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.Again, these aren’t trends (yet!). That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.1.01:04— SLOP TSUNAMI // It’s getting sloppier out there. The world is becoming saturated with AI-generated content, rage-bait, and suspect content. It doesn’t really matter if the content is AI or not. It’s slop.Places it’s showing up:* Friend’s rage-bait subway ads.* Phia is making suspicious—likely AI, maybe not—influencers to push their product.* OpenAI and Meta both releasing ‘social platform for AI-generated content.Pendulum swing → People have been gravitating toward offline mode, and it’s only increasing. @matt Klein calls it ‘Camouflage Culture’, @anu calls it ‘Algorithmic Evasion’.2.07:59 — TRUST LOVE // Trust isn’t built in public anymore. It’s happening in small networks. Private lists, friend feeds, resale loops, and group chats where someone else does the filtering for you. The more curated, the tighter the circle, it feels, the more credible it gets.Places it’s showing up:* Beli is replacing Yelp with friend-fed restaurant lists.* Etsy is acquiring Tise and leaning into “taste you can trust.”* Invite-only WhatsApp thrifting groups are shaping resale culture.* Lore is becoming shorthand for effort. And in effort we see trust.Pendulum swing → AI fakery everywhere. We don’t know what’s real. Slop isn’t just creeping in. see above.3.13:48 — LESS IS MORE // After years of overproduction, people are choosing places and experiences that feel real, a little unvarnished, and full of intent. Less branding, more quietly great.Places it’s showing up:* A24 x Frenchette’s restaurant, Wild Cherry, is the ultimate date spot.* J.Crew’s 190 Bowery pop-up that felt like a live-in apartment, not a photo backdrop.* At Paradigms, there were logos but much more ‘brand’. Logo-light.* Related: My good friend and brilliant strategist @deviheugle wrote a great piece on the potential for a logo-less brand. Give it a read.Pendulum swing → Luxury brands are going loud. More is more. Especially at Gucci. But also at Loro Piana. And many others.4.21:48 — SHAMELESS ERA // The new rebellion is dropping embarrassment. From beauty to sport to motherhood, the people and brands winning right now are the ones removing shame from the room and saying what everyone already knows.Places it’s showing up:* Sofie Pavitt and Charlotte Groeneveld are showing their lifts without apology.* Paloma Wool is celebrating motherhood with power, not politeness.* Frida installed a breastfeeding statue.Pendulum swing → It seems everyone needs to rage. Whether it’s tagging the Friend campaign. Or loudly weighing in on the American Eagle X Sydney Sweeney campaign. Or Jia Tolentino’s sponcon debacle, we are unable to contain our feelings. Warranted or not, we’re bursting to scream out feelings into the ether.5.29:21— POWERFUL CONTRADICTIONS // People aren’t one thing, and they’re done pretending they are. Wellness types who party, ice cream brands that host sober raves, ultrarunners who stop mid-race for a beer—it’s all part of the same story. The tension isn’t confusion. It’s real.Places it’s showing up:* ‘Wellness anarchists’ who chase performance and pleasure in equal measure.* Magnum Ice Cream launched Hydro: ICE pops for sober club kids in Ibiza.* Gwyneth’s zucchini cig-smoking NYFW moment. Vices meet wellness.Pendulum swing → Some audiences still crave purity—clean aesthetics, clean eating, clean food, clean medicine. But the cultural heat is in the grey space, not the rulebook.The letters and podcasts referenced in this episode:* Magnum Ice Cream wants you to rave. Sober.* Google doesn’t understand humans* Loro Piana has gone quiet luxury to full Jamiroquai* Adidas has already won the Super Bowl* Aerie and Refy killed it this week* Nike is a parable. Eugene Healey drops gems. Brands are now entertainers.ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we dive into a topic that’s been coming up a lot in the letter: embracing contradictions as a brand advantage.Most brands get flattened by simplification. The majority of brand guidelines sap the real out of the ‘audience’ they pretend to understand.From wellness drinkers who love wine to ultra-marathoners who stop for a smoke, this episode is a call to stop blanding yourself (and brands) from the inside out.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:01 — CONTRADICTIONS ARE A SUPERPOWER // The power of tension.03:55 — BRANDS DOING IT // From Liquid Death to Duolingo, why friction beats focus.06:10 — THE BRAND BOOK IS DEAD // Why “our girl loves X” is a dangerous and outdated fantasy.08:15 — FIND THE HUMAN FIRST // How we actually uncover contradictions in brand workshops and why they matter more than personas.10:51 — BOUJEE SKINCARE, DIRTY PILLOWCASE // A skincare story that proves every audience has layers.13:27 — BUILD FOR THE JUNGLE, NOT THE ZOO // Why brands fail when they design for “the zoo,” not “for the jungle” according to Tom Beckman.16:09 — A TALE OF TWO CUSTOMERS // What happens when you try to blend opposites and please everyone.18:55 — PRECIOUSNESS IS THE ENEMY // The PSA for every brand still clutching their brand book too tightly.20:10 — COMPLEX CAREERS // Why multifaceted humans build stronger brand.22:13 — AI CAN’T DO CONTRADICTION // This may be your biggest opportunity.25:45 — SAME SAME VS DIFFERENT // Why ChatGPT’s new ad accidentally proves our point about the loss of soul in creativity.28:53 — STOP RATIONALIZING EVERYTHING // The real danger of over-editing identity.ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

If you work at a legacy brand or spend any amount of time thinking about how to reposition them, this week’s episode is for you!We chat with Matt Repicky, Chief Brands Officer at Tailored Brands, aka Men’s Wearhouse.But before you think menswear is not for you, think again.Matt’s pedigree is pretty wild (more below). He was part of the team that returned Barbie to relevance, and now he’s tackling a repositioning of another household name. And doing it in a way that’s the opposite of safe.We talk comedy, creative risk, how people actually shop, employee creators, Savannah Bananas, and why IRL matters, but your website might not.Legacy brands are moving again. And Matt’s showing what it actually takes to move one from the inside.It’s a fun episode.Enjoy!Meet Matt RepickyMatt’s done time at Barbie, Amazon Fashion, and now Men’s Wearhouse. He’s currently Chief Brands Officer at Tailored Brands (Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank), leading a massive repositioning.A lot of people talk ‘brand transformation,’ but Matt’s been on the inside doing it. And sharing how, which is the most refreshing part.Matt’s been leading Men’s Wearhouse into a new era that’s a lot less buttoned up.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy03:05 — DREAM JOB TO DREAM JOB // From Barbie to shaping your role.09:03 — STOP BEING PRECIOUS // The tighty-whities ad and lessons in being brave.12:55 — EMPLOYEES AS CREATORS // 25,000 store storytellers. How to think about EGC (employee-generated content.)17:12 — HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS OF BASEBALL // Why the Savannah Bananas made perfect sense—even if most didn’t see it.23:26 — RETAIL, COMEDY, CULTURE // A preview to Matt’s ANA talk and why humor fits Men’s Wearhouse now.28:23 — RETROFIT INTO THE MOMENT // You can’t force culture. Meet it.33:05 — THE SITE WON’T SAVE YOU // Why brand websites won’t matter in 5 years.36:15 — WHY IRL STILL MATTERS // Service, tailoring, the suit-shopping ritual, and why you have to pay attention to how people really shop.38:28 — BRAND EXTENSIONS // How to do it right.42:27 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do, biggest learning, dream collab, one word.* 3 things every brand should do?“Staying connected to your consumer. I talk to 300 men every single week.”“Always be questioning.”“Keep looking at where you can show up as a consumer in a new or different way.”* What’s your biggest learning / what would you do differently?“If you believe in it, give it a try.”* If you could collaborate with one other brand on something, who would it be and why?“I’ve long had WWE on my radar.”* If there were one celebrity spokesperson for the brand, who could it be?“So I don’t have an answer for that, but I’ll tell you whenever we ask consumers. It’s either the Dos Equis guy, because I think he sounds and looks like George Zimmer, or Idris.”* One word that sums up your brand, what would it be?“Consistent.”And here’s the links mentioned:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DObPJOfjsou/https://www.instagram.com/menswearhouse/reel/DHTtzNBNr4O/?hl=enABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Let's unpack everything from Paradigms. It’s very rare that I leave events impressed by the branding, and rarer still that every talk gave me something lasting. But this one delivered.Because I found myself compelled to add photos and quotes, this letter will get cut off. View it in the browser or the app, or you might miss gems like everyone’s favorite TikTok strategist’s hot takes on why you need to be less precious about your brand, and give employees more agency.As always, this pod dives into what’s happening in brands and culture. This week is no different there.THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:* Beaded bracelets are the new lanyard. And hospitality is in the details.* Brands are the entertainment arm of the business. And all branding is retrofitting.* What’s a ‘Living Wall’ and how it helps fix global brand chaos.* Brands need more discipline to be uncopyable. And why agencies need optimists.* Reframing heritage as something that’s living and evolving. Not holding you down.* Respecting your audience is the step many forget.* How blending cultures requires nuance and creativity (and one of my fave talks)* Why you need to acknowledge people’s innate fear of change when rebranding.* Why one of the world’s largest brands needs a typographer on staff.* Eugene Healey reminds us that your best content creators already work for you.* Why brand clarity helps you move at the speed of culture.* AI isn’t the end of your job. But nor should it be the beginning of your idea.* Brands today need soul. That doesn’t come from guidelines. It comes from stewards.* Nu Goteh captured everyone’s heart with a lot of wisdom on who gets to be a ‘designer.’* Nike Journal’s 400 stories cost less than most campaigns. And did more than many.* Four pools, three outfit changes, one candle mishap in the Moroccan desert.* And an extra day in Marrakesh = more thoughts on hospitality.Enjoy!Skip to the bits you fancy.PARADIGMS00:01 — DETAILS MATTER // This event is held in a different city EVERY year. And yet it felt like a well-oiled machine. Everyone running a conference needs a Rebecca Harmer in their lives. Hey Studio did the identity this year (the motion was great) and brought a level of brand detail that left a very tough crowd very impressed. Frontify, the brand behind the conference’s tagline is ‘Where Brands Live’. Well, it lived up to it. Everything was considered, down to the bracelets with activity charms and tent number, to the environmental signage on urns, to incredibly useful swag you were happy to keep, to systems like Slido for Q&A, to ensure you felt not just impressed, but cared for—absurdly rare for an industry conference.TOM BECKMAN18:01 — POSITIONING IN 2025 // Branding is all about context. And all branding is retrofitting. Today, the brand is the entertainment arm of the business. And entertain is changing. “Italian brain rot is bigger than Marvel.” So what are you building, and what risks are you taking to ensure you’re meeting the moment? For more, follow Tom Beckman, Global CCO @ Weber Shandwick, here.“Branding is retrofitting.It’s about defining what you do in the time that you are living in…Today, the brand is the entertainment arm of the business”HSBC’S LIVING WALL23:31 — A LIVING BRAND // HSBC’s rebrand has been rolling out over years. And now, they want to elevate their positioning by investing in brand—amen. One tool they’ve built that’s been incredibly helpful merging dozens of global teams: a living wall. Follow Tom Gilbert @ Design Bridge & Jamie Lillywhite @HSBC for more.“The ‘Living Wall’ allows us see all the creative happening globally at any time.”JAMES GREENFIELD26:55 — SO YOU WANT TO BE UNCOPIABLE? // To be uncopyable, you need discipline. Discipline leads to distinctiveness. And if you’re running an agency today. One hack to getting work for the likes of Amazon, Lyft, Bold and more, out the door? Optimists. More wisdom from James Greenfield, CEO @ Koto over here.“We also hire optimists because brand projects are very difficult. They require optimism.”RUBY BODDINGTON32:24 — BRANDING BEYOND BORDERS // Without a doubt, one of the best segments of the conference was curated by Ruby Boddington from It’s Nice That. Being in Marrakesh, it was so lovely to have African and Arabic speakers share a much need global perspective.BLACKPEPPER STUDIOS32:27 — HERITAGE ISN’T A COSTUME // Asmah Mansur-Williams and Nkenna Amadi from The Blackpepper (the team behind Joshua Kissi’s site) reminded us that heritage isn’t an anchor, it’s alive.“We don’t treat heritage as a costume.”MARWAN KAABOUR36:17 — BOOKS ARE BRANDS // Book designer and author, Marwan Kaabour’s veered, in a great way, into borderline poetry. He talked about how books can be brands, his work for huge publishers, and why audiences need to be respected, and their worlds given a universe they can live in. Marwan’s hit book, The Queer Arab Glossary, is on Amazon (but I recc supporting your local bookstore.)“Books are like songs. They are capable of entire universes.”MINA MAURICE41:12 — PLAYFUL IN TWO SCRIPTS // Mina Maurice of 40 Mustaqel’s talk was one of my faves. He shared his approach to designing in Arabic, a language with countless variations. And how to merge two words, Latin script and Arabic without flattening either. Check out his SOLE DXB festival project for a taste.“Many clients said they wanted the brand to be more modern, which was code for ‘look less Arab’.”PAYPAL46:06 — TURN THE DIP INTO A BUMP // You can’t just drop the rebrand and expect applause. Iskra Velichkova from PayPal Germany shared her GTM playbook for avoiding the rebranding ‘dip’. And why you have to acknowledge ‘the fear of change’ head on. Her agency partner Burkhard Müller, CDO @ Mutador was on stage, too. But he stood back and let Iskra lead—one of my fave plays of the day.”Frequency still matters.”SPOTIFY50:36 — DESIGN FOR ALL // a) did you know that Spotify has a typographer on staff b) have you ever asked ‘what does this font sound like’ c) designing type thoughtfully allows us to enjoy things for as long as we live. Custom line heights. Built-in contrast. Fonts that flex to vision changes. It’s invisible work that matters.“Does this font sound good?”EUGENE HEALEY53:37 — PERSONAL BRANDS // Just about everyone in our industry know @eubrandstrat (Eugene Healey) for his unique ability to constantly drop clarity on the ‘thing you’ve been thinking but didn’t have the words' for’. He chatted about his personal journey with becoming a brand (fun and fascinating!) but then turned his attention to how brands can and should be harnessing personal brand—via their employees (more on that in this Sunday’s letter). Brands need to become much less precious with their brand, and forgo the delusion of control. It’s time to lean into the chaos. Those that do, will win.“Letting go is scary..until you realize you already have.”“Employers should harness the libidinal energy of employees.”SKYSCANNER55:50 — DALLAS TO CANCUN // Brand simplicity = speed. After a rebrand that left them with guidelines that looked nice but the team couldn’t use, Skyscanner simplified. Hard. That simplicity enabled them to move at speed when a culture moment felt right. The result? Virality. And a Lion. For more, follow Carla Sandhu and Ross Mawdsley.“We couldn’t have done it if the brand hadn’t been so simple.”BUILDERS CLUB57:36 — AI IS SOUP // Tools don't matter without ideas. And AI is just a tool. Just like every tool, it all flattens out unless you have a point of view. Now to save your job? Have a perspective. And use all the tools in the arsenal—creatively. Builders Club, Jonas Hegi, walked us through all their ‘thinking.’ behind their works with everyone from Nike to OpenAI. Many of the spots have been referenced in this letter. The common thread: the originality cuts through.“Imagination requires tools.”“AI has democratized production and ‘weird’. So ideas are more important than ever.”CONDÉ NAST01:00:31 — SCALE SOUL, NOT SAMENESS // You don’t build award-winning brands through guidelines. Those are the foundation, and on top of them, you must add ‘soul’. And that requires stewards. Nicola Ryan is the VP at Condé Nast, and she shared why you need to break some of your own rules.“You don’t scale brand through documentation. You need people…You need stewards.”NU GOTEH01:01:35 — NU WISDOM // Solve, don’t sell. Design is plumbing. We need to broaden who we think ‘designers’ are. Branding isn’t always visual, it’s structural. It’s hard to summarize all the gems Nu Goteh dropped. All I can say, is the name on everyone’s after party’s lips was his. If you’re looking for keynote speakers, he’s your philosophically-minded diamond.“Move from selling to solving.”NIKE (BUT NOT NIKE)01:04:00 — NIKE LESSONS // One thing about Nike is you can’t speak about the work while you’re there. But, having left, Meirion Pritchard and Dan Rookwood, shared their journey of navigating the complexity of one of the world’s biggest brands, and how Nike Journal’s 400+ stories cost less than a single campaign, but had massive ROI.PS. Nike bashing was ABUNDANT at the conference. Their recent fall from grace became the favorite parable for ‘why investing in brand matters.’ If all ‘press is good press’ Nike might have been the winner without having to even speak.THE AFTERPARTIES (PLURAL)01:05:57 — HEINEKEN COMMERCIAL VIBES // On the first night we had dinner in a super stunning set-up. The last night we moved to a Bedouin camp with four pools and 3 after parties—fun times were had.MOROCCAN HOSPITALITYBefore I left Marrakesh, I couldn’t not explore. I stayed at the Maison Brummell Majorelle (a masterclass in good staff and luxury-less-is-more spa experiences) near the Yves Saint Laurent museum, wandered into the medina, dined on rooftops, and heard the calls to prayer. What a magical place. I’ll add my faves to my Amigo over the next few weeks (the catch up is real!). Use code GOODTHINKING if you want to bypass the waitlist.WHAT WOULD I CHANGE ABOUT PARADIGM?Not much. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations. But not one to hold back:* Vastly better caffeine with much shorter lines.* Greater gender parity in the speaker list.* Even greater diversity / speakers from the country you were in.* Fractionally more sleep!* A list of people that attended (I met cool people I can’t find!)FUN FOR THE WEEKI met so many lovely people. And this is by no means a comprehensive list of attendees, but thoughts I’d get some good-to-knows on your radar.* After Hours is a very fun, very sought-after agency run by two very cool people.* Hyperfocus based in Hamburg, amazing worldwide.* Studio Drama for excellent typographic needs.* OK Social. Jack and Jimmy are the reason I know about Paradigms. London but global.* Craft are creative recruiters to know.* Women in Brand is ensuring we get more women in leadership. Amen. Follow co-founder Victoria Montgomery here. (Victoria is part of the team behind the Word of the Year. ‘Brain Rot’ thanks her.* Spanner, aka the “design speakeasy” from Andy Bullock based in PDX.* Design Week, a UK brand and design pub with tons of industry news.Massive thanks to Frontify for inviting me. I don’t know where the next year’s Paradigms will be, but I’ll see you there. And don’t forget to tell them I sent you. ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up. Again, we’re not calling these trends. That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply, what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think.1.02:19 — POTENT NEEDS // Hard to say if mainstream isn’t cutting it right now, or if it’s too much. But regardless, consumers are chasing intensity as a salve—sauna raves, nicotine tonics, and supersonic jet setting and ice-breaker breaking cruises. We’re upping the risk, rupturing from reality in any way possible. Potency is a dial to turn up.Places it’s showing up:* Ayahuasca retreats, Hyrox comps, and sauna raves surge in popularity.* Nicotina Energy launches to “clean up” nicotine as a performance aid.* Supersonic jet projects promise speed and spectacle as the next travel flex.* We’re now cruising with ice-breakers over 12 days to get to the North Pole.* THC bevs outnumber wine bottles at Foxtrot.Pendulum swing → Parents, and adults generally, are also begging for a brake pedal. Calling for the return of classic iPods, landline phones, and education that, sure, uses tech, but only for 2 hours, the rest—hands-on learning.2.10:54 — JACKS OF ALL TRADES // For a hot minute, in a deeply performance-marketing-driven world, brands got tunnel vision. Product was king. Times are a’changing. Brands and business are rapidly expanding their wings, becoming entertainment studios, job centers, art dealers, and vintage resellers.Places it’s showing up:* Brown Harris Stevens runs 16 podcasts under Studio 1873.* Ralph Lauren buys back vintage to own the market and the stories.* Bilt and InStyle launch serial social shows with their own ‘cult’ followings.* Newsletters sprout job boards, event calendars, Fashion Week summits, and survey businesses..* Maison Margiela is expanding into the art market.Pendulum swing → Less is more. Brands are coming offline entirely. Restaurants are only serving one thing a night. Friction, tight curation, and experience are all the rage..3.18:04 — SILVER LUXURY // Forget aged, boring, and uninfluential, Silvers are shaping entire categories. Senior housing, cruise lines, and pickles all carry their imprint, redefining cool through spending power and longevity.Places it’s showing up:* 4MM Americans turning 80 in five years. Senior living occupancy is soaring. (And underserved.)* Ritz, Four Seasons, Guntû buck cruise stereotypes to capture “never cruisers.”* Pamela Anderson & Flamingo Estate deliver lux pickles with a side of sexy Silver.* Menopause brands (Midi Health, etc.) are no longer considered niche (the need never was.)* Oura puts Silvers and longevity at the center of high-end wearables.Pendulum swing → Younger cohorts, meanwhile, are DIYing and hacking aging altogether. Hoping to completely avoid it. Think GLP-1 micro-dosing, blood-cleaning, AI-driven health care, and more.4.23:46 — CO-SIGN HOUSEHOLDS // The Alpha-parent dynamic isn’t top-down anymore. It’s side-by-side. Alphas bring the interests, parents bring the spend, and, interestingly, together they’re aligning on some very mainstream moments. Back-to-school hauls, K-Pop sing-alongs, and more.Places it’s showing up:* Alphas control ~$3,484 a year and are driving “nice-to-have” BTS buys like locker decor.Parents join the fun: #BackToSchool hauls and K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-alongs are becoming family affairs.* Little Spoon × Siete meals mirror adult plates with 11–14g protein, teaching palates and portioning early.* Solid song strategies are hooking parents. Fall Out Boy and Blink-182 are writing tracks for Marvel preschool shows. K-pop shows and Super Kitties are all delivering songs you can’t unstick.Pendulum swing → While Alphas and their elder Z/Millenial parents are loudly co-signing mainstream moments, Zs are pulling in the opposite direction. Their decisions have moved to group chats, where context and approval come only from peers. They’re not interested in the comment section or the masses' opinions.5.23:46 — CO-SIGN HOUSEHOLDS // Health used to be whispered, but now we’re in megaphone-mode. From herpes pride campaigns to men’s clinics disguised as members’ clubs, medical and health brands aren’t settling for technical and bland because consumers aren’t interested in that either.Places it’s showing up:* New Zealand runs a national herpes campaign with an unforgettable URL and great energy.* Cutler Center for Men makes preventative care feel like a sports lounge, complete with concierge “Joes.”* Midi Health positions menopause as mainstream, not niche.* The rise of full-body care centers like Healf and Fountain Life make standard healthcare look antiquated.* Gym brands like Dogpound and The Ness are amping up workouts with true community.Pendulum swing → Cosmetic acupuncture (aka Notox), undetectable face lifts (and hand lifts?!), and micro-dosing ‘maintenance’ GLP-1 programs prove that we don’t want to be loud and proud about everything.The four letters referenced in this episode:* J.Crew are "dumb dumbs"* Depop, Lucky, and Gap are feeling sexy* Marketing is no longer a dirty word* New Zealand wants national herpes prideABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

A light and easy one for you this week, though certainly not without its hot takes. Back-to-school means denim season. Well, it has traditionally. We discuss if that’s still the right thinking with the rise of Bama Rush.This season, denim looks different from recent years. We talk about why effort is making a comeback. And why brand risks are critical, but you need to take us on the journey.Light but not that light!And a heads up. Next week, we’re taking a 1-week pause on the podcast for a full digital unplug. Send recs for Comporta, Portugal, pls!Hit the timestamp to skip to the bits you fancy00:01 — DENIM SEASON // Back-to-school always equals denim. But this year felt more charged. We get into all the campaigns. What we like. And of course, what we didn’t.04:01 — AE RAGE-BAIT // We chat AE. How could we not? And here’s Kirsten’s LinkedIn post.07:51 — ABERCROMBIE SNOOZE // Safe and made for performance marketing isn’t cutting it, and more. Are they losing the ground they’ve gained?09:24 — GAP GETS IT // Gap is taking us on a repositioning journey. And we’re here for it.12:26 — MARKETING ≠ A DIRTY WORD // Brands are now advertising their ads. Effort, a POV, and entertainment are back.16:50 — DIESEL SPICE // The “OnlyFans of denim.” But they own it.20:29 — LUCKY PIVOT // From soccer mom jeans to Addison Rae. Quite the shift.21:54 — LEVI’S LEGACY // ‘Americana’ feels charged these days. Levi’s might be playing it safe. Smart?28:51 — HERITAGE VS RELEVANCE // Brave is the only way forward.30:30 — CAMPAIGNS AS JOURNEYS // Why every ad is now a rung on the brand journey ladder.35:03 — BTS VS BAMA RUSH // Back To School might have always meant denim, but it’s not competing with Bama Rush. Too much noise?ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,We have a fun episode this week, diving into the brand content boom and made-for-social shows (drop a comment if you’ve seen the right word for these!). We get into all the examples below, talk big-picture takeaways, and more.Enjoy.Hit the timestamp to skip to the bits you fancy03:36 — BILT / ROOMIES // This campaign is so good that it got Patrick Coffee Wall Street Journal looking into it. @rachel Karten first brought this one to everyone’s attention with her interview. It’s a great example of how marketing is no longer a dirty word, ‘effort’ is back in style, and a single-topic accounts being a good strategy on TikTok.16:02 — THE CHECKLIST // Are people sharing it? Talking about it? Commenting? Feeling seen in it? That’s the bar.16:19 — ALEXIS BITTAR / BITTARVERSE // Alexis Bittar was one of the earliest players with their ongoing series. Now celebrities are appearing on it. A great example of doing humor and creating shareable meme content, without being a ‘funny’ brand. However, the view count of Bittarverse dwarfs their other content, and had they launched today, perhaps they would have made a standalone account.21:29 — LITTLE CEASARS / PRETZEL CRUST ISLAND // Slapstick Survivor parody with Nickelodeon slime energy (if you’re old like us). Bizarre, unhinged, but honestly should have gone further24:35 — INSTYLE / THE INTERN // Basically The Office reimagined for today, with an intern who’s terrible in all the right ways. Smart casting has made this more relevant than InStyle has been in years.29:04 — ARGOS / ARGHAÜS // For US listeners: Argos is like Walmart or Sears. A catalog brand than went digital who sell just about everything. Their spoof on conceptual art shows off their product range, powered by beloved UK TikTok comedians who bring both delivery and built-in audiences.38:29 — TOWER 28 / THE BLUSH LIVES OF SENSITIVE GIRLS // Product-heavy and campaign-driven. Works better as a limited run tied to a campaign/launch, rather than a on-going seasonal show.41:42 — CDPH // ME AND NIC BROKE UP // A Chicago Public Health vaping cessation campaign turned into a shareable short series. Proof that even the driest topics can be entertaining. Full transparency, I was involved in the strategy of this project alongside the amazing folx at YMC.45:37 — OATLY // CAFÉ CON EL ABUELO // A softer, docu-style series where a grandson takes his abuelo to bougie cafés. Charming but less viral than others. Likely part of Oatly’s broader elevation strategy that their lookbook is going for.50:35 — HONORABLE MENTION: PATAGONIA DOCS / / While Patagonia isn’t making social-first shows, they’ve been making brand films since the dawn of time. But they should evolve. They need to hire a TikTok editor, like Byron Stewart has talk about. Or talk to the editors at The Diary Of A CEO, who are masters of this craft.52:37 — BANDIT / DIALED // A year-old but still strong series. Mini-docs about runners that work because they tap universal truths of runner pain. Less humor, but still share-worthy.That’s all, folx.-ChrisIf you listened/read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Very excited for this episode. If you’ve been reading here, you know we’re both obsessed with the healthcare overhaul happening right now, the opportunities in the peri/menopause space, and brand leaders who refuse to behave like the rest.So we were thrilled when Joanna Strober, CEO and co-founder of Midi Health, agreed to come on and chat.In this episode, we get into the myths that still dominate the female health space, why longevity is really just prevention rebranded (meant as a compliment), and how menopause can be a leadership superpower.Health, futurism, and leadership all in one. Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy04:44 — MENOPAUSE IS HOT // Joanna’s shirt says it all. We talk about her perimenopause story, the $1,000 consult that got her going, and why she built Midi.09:05 — MYTHS NO MORE // The two big misconceptions—“too young” and “all done”—and why they’re holding millions back from care. Plus, why this market is bigger than anyone thinks.14:01 — SHOW & DOUGH // Midi is both B2C and B2B. And each benefits from the other.16:34 —WORDS MATTER // Prevention has gone through a rebrand, and it’s now called longevity.26:16 — MENOPAUSE MINDSET // How the mindset shifts in menopause become a leadership superpower.30:10 — THE FRUSTRATION EMAIL // The bold customer move every brand should steal—and why it works.34:55 — JOANNA’S STACK // Fiber gummies, cortisol managers, and why design matters as much as efficacy. The packaging is cute:THE DEBRIEF39:26 — PATIENT TO PILOT // Patient-led care is becoming the new norm.40:16 — LEADERSHIP EDGE // Menopause as a “no-ego, more-clarity” superpower.41:26 — MAKE IT YOUR PROBLEM // We unpack the “frustration email.”43:40 — PREVENTION’S KALE MOMENT // Rebranding prevention. The takeways.44:27 — INSULIN ERA // We go on a tangent. Insulin-friendly enters the chat.Meet MidiThis episode isn’t sponsored, We just like what Midi and the are doing and how Joanna speaks on LinkedIn and asked her to come on.You might know them for working with influencers like Caitlin Murray.But in case you aren’t familar: Midi is modern healthcare for ‘your second ac’t. They offer virtual care for women in peri and menopause. Think HRT, supplements, care, you name it, all covered by insurance.Big picture Midi is working on reframing midlife from taboo to category.Huge thanks to Joanna for chatting.ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.Again, we’re not calling these trends. That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply, what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think.Skip to the bits you fancy.1.ACCESSIBLE HERITAGE // Heritage and collectibles are getting experiential. And more accessible. The story still matters, but the circle that wants a piece is widening. And how we buy these coveted products in changing too. Auctions streaming, car shows that rival Coachella, and fractional tokens let anyone buy a piece of whatever pie they want. If the trove is sealed, today’s buyer will look for a brand willing to unseal one. And make it entertaining.Places it’s showing up:* Christie’s $87.7MM jewels sale pulls in first-time bidders chasing Mughal lore.* Pebble Beach’s “Cannes of cars” lets visitors check out the best. And post about it.* Robinhood tokens offer slices of SpaceX and OpenAI pre-IPO.* Gap archive drops and J.Crew’s ’90s revivals.* Whatnot live card breaks deal luck and wins in real-time.Pendulum swing → Private WhatsApp founder circles and private CMO-only dinners are rising. As some doors open, some are closing harder.2.IP PLAY // Fan fiction has moved to into brands. Consumers are remix logos, menus, and jingles—then spread the mashups wider than any ad buy can reach. Join the party or let the party start without you.Places it’s showing up:* Starbucks' ‘Secret Menu’ and Taco Bell ‘Fan Style’ let your ideas take over.* KFC × Uniqlo × Luckin name-mash goes viral as “Can you marry me?”* Jet2Holidays’ jingle turns into an airport catch-phrase and viral meme.* Skøda co-creation with grafitti for the Tour De Femmes.Pendulum swing → Curated lens are loved. Ibiza’s Jondal or Grand Cayman’s Palm Heights invite you in but on their terms. You live inside their edit. And you love it.3.LIVE BUT OFF // When every phone, watch or wearable can listen, silence feels like service. No-camera zones, traceless payments, and ‘closed rooms’ all point to a future of no-go-zones. While the appetite for live events has never been bigger, we’ll want the good ones to be offline.Places it’s showing up:* Tyler asks for “no cameras, please” so his fans won’t become memes.* Cannes CMOs’ camera-free rooms keep talk between peers.* Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat moves payments over Bluetooth. No internet, no trail.* Bee bracelet records chats for you, and lets you search them. The convenience will likely outweigh the fears.Pendulum swing → Wimbledon fires off 373 posts in a week, and it worked. And they snooped on people’s convos and everyone loved it.4.SUBSTACK’S THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS // The sharpest B2B (and many B2C) moves are happening in newsletters, not boardrooms. Writers run paid surveys, bundle SaaS trials, and launch job boards. These ‘influencers’ are giving the people what they want and the brands what they can’t find anywhere else.Places it’s showing up:* Emily Sundberg GLP-1 survey sells insights we crave and the ad slot.* Subscriber polls by Rachel Karten , Ochuko Akpovbovbo , and Kate Whalen surface signals Ipos could.* Lenny’s $10K AI-tool bundle makes a newsletter is better than any paid Google ad.* Substack job boards are making LinkedIn look inefficient. And proving it missed the moment.Pendulum swing → Face-to-face will matter more than ever. As AI influencers, and AI twins (this is the influencer I mention on the pod using it, much to the distain of her followers), take off, the world becomes somewhere you don’t fully trust. Human handshakes will matter more than ever.5.BUILT BY ME // One-size-fits-all is hitting rock bottom. People are DIYing apps in an afternoon, and text-to-video is getting so easy your kid can make a top tier production in a day. But it’s not just tech that’s getting this ‘build my own’ mindset. Health care is too. The commonality is: I’m the expert on me. I know what’s best. And I can do it myself.Places it’s showing up:* MenstruAI pads & Mira jingle put lab-grade tests in the bathroom.* Healthcare desires are changing. What we want to bundle is shifting.* Showrunner lets subscribers script and star in their own series.Pendulum swing → Expertise still matters. Hotels are offering classes with Venus Williams and Olympic cyclists. We still love experts. We just want to pick them.The four letters referenced in this episode:* P&G made 'yassified condoms'. Oh, wait, it's shampoo.* Taco Bell wants to make your tacos famous* Cash App made a mini-movie with Timothée Chalamet* Mira Fertility made the best ad—of all time?ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Touching on our fave things from the last month of letters.Of course, we talk about Astronomer’s crisis marketing. We also discuss Range Rover’s misunderstanding of culture versus consumer. Why Bees and wearables will make privacy a super luxury. Plus, we talk about the rise of jingle, why ‘Holistic’ means something else today, and how Claire’s can thrive in this next chapter. And a bit more.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:39 — THE NEW CRISIS MODE // Astronomer’s latest move was a crash course in modern crisis comms. Read this in the letter here.08:18 — CUSTOMER VS CULTURE // Range Rover’s new emblem misses the point. Their customer is not who keeps them cool. In the letter here.16:54 — POSITIVE PRIVACY // No-phone zones are about to be something we celebrate and crave. More here and here.22:50 — CLAIRE’S CLARITY // To the right the ship, Claire’s needs to be thinking big. We discuss what needs to happen. Here’s that letter.31:10 — JOLLY JINGLES // M&S drops a song about snacking. And Mira Fertility made the most shareable ad on the internet—about perimenopause. We chat why this is happening.00:36:21 — HOLISTIC HEALTH 2.0 // Holistic isn’t what it used to mean. We talk about where this is all headed. And why some who failed were just too early. More here.40:31 — DESTINATION DUPE // Azores over Hawaii. Comporta over the Amalfi Coast. Why the future of travel is off-the-beaten path but with good sheets. Found in this letter.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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We have such a fun episode and letter for you this week! Our friend, Yaling of @Following The Yuan, who you all know well from my countless references, agreed to do a special China edition of the newsletter and come on the pod to discuss it.As always, the lens of this letter is a best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands. This time with an amazingly insightful Chinese lens!Let’s dive in!CULTURETOMORROWLAND CHINA // Tomorrowland is known for its free-spirited outdoor extravaganzas, and a global celebration of electronic music. In a highly censored environment, my first impression is that its China edition is poised to be quite different. Judging by its collaboration between Tomorrowland, esports company Hero Esports, and local entertainment venue INS Land, the launch in November would be an indoor club night at best.NEZHA 2 SUNSET // China’s mystical cartoon Nezha 2, which became the highest-grossing film in the world, finally sunsets after 153 days on June 30 in China. Its success is seen by patriots as evidence of the country’s soft power. But how much advantage has it received from preferential treatment, as most movies come off after a month?F&BLOVING LYCHEE // From Chagee’s “One Ride in Red Dust” (lychee black tea with milk) to Chapanda’s sea salt lychee milk tea, fresh Lychee beverages are shaping up to be this season’s MVP flavor in China. That perhaps has something to do with a surge in lychee production in the Canto area, which is 4 times higher than last year.DRUGS & BOOZECHINESE CRAFT // A panel at the recent Craft Beer China 2025 trade show spotlighted the growing appeal of “dual-use” ingredients—substances rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that serve both culinary and therapeutic purposes, like goji berries and Sichuan peppercorn. The market for such functional alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is expected to reach 26–30 billion RMB by 2025. But brands should stick to the 110 officially approved ingredients—or risk being accused of “TCM-washing.” A craft beer that doubles as a hangover cure? Sounds ideal.SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZSTEEN PRODIGY // 15-year-old climber Li Meini, a new Arc’teryx athlete, completed a 5.14a-level climb in Yangshuo when she was just 10. Climbing hasn’t been accessible at a mass level in China. It’s always encouraging to see brands investing in next-gen athletes. (Chris: China has been investing heavily in outdoor sports, more here.)RETAILSTARBUCKS FENG SHUI // After Louis Vuitton revealed its new multi-purpose space in Shanghai, The Louis, combining retail, Le Café Louis Vuitton, and an exhibition area. People noticed that it's facing Starbucks’ largest store in China, Starbucks Reserve Roastery. That's bad feng shui. As chatter spread through Shanghai WeChat groups about this, Starbucks turned to RedNote to ask for help to counter the narrative. That’s a great example of making people feel that they’ve been heard, and that you aren’t taking yourself too seriously.TECHELECTRIC POP // Labubu’s maker, Pop Mart, is now eyeing the consumer electronics sector, according to hiring posts of R&D engineers, quality experts, and category buyers for coffee machines, kettles, and more. Will we see Labubu-shaped kettles and coffee machines? I’m waiting to be surprised.XIAOMI RACING AHEAD // Xiaomi’s newest fitness band is out in three styles: standard, NFC, and a luxe ceramic version. The Band 10 features a 21-day battery life and is compatible with Xiaomi’s smart home operating system. However, selling at 379 RMB ($53), it lacks built-in GPS, so tracking can be a bit off. Since 2024, Huawei has overtaken Apple to become the No. 1 smartwatch seller in China, with Xiaomi following in third place. Can Apple’s upcoming Ultra model handle the pressure?SPORTHYROX MILESTONE // Indoor fitness competition Hyrox now has more than 100 affiliated gyms in mainland China, across 23 cities including Beijing, Kunming, and Shenzhen. As multiple chain gyms shut doors, the rest are chasing for traffic and usp in an economic downturn, and Hyrox’s olive branch comes at the right time.WELLNESS & BEAUTYBIG RE-SET // Hong Kong-based PURE Group, known for its premium yoga and fitness chains in Asia and the US, is betting big on wellness with the global debut of Re:set on July 1 in Hong Kong. The smart wellness studio includes a cold shower system, and an integrated area combining red light therapy, compression, and zero-gravity recliners. As the traditional fitness industry gets threatened by the emergence of community sports like Hyrox and run clubs, it’s an interesting experiment to watch for fitness and wellness businesses as they ponder their next bet.TRAVELHOTEL BAR // Popular Beijing bar brand Tiaohai (which literally means ‘jumping into the ocean’ in Chinese) is jumping into hospitality. Its first hotel, “Tiaohai Living,” will launch in Shenzhen’s Nantou Ancient Town in August. The positioning? A youth-centered community hotel for creative, adventurous souls to explore local living and of course, enjoying a good beer in the meantime.FUN FOR THE WEEKBrands and people you should be following:* Luckin Coffee, the Chinese coffee brand that just entered the U.S., and language learning app/meme master, Duolingo, announced their July wedding and everyone’s invited (to try their green mung bean latte).* Samuel Gui Yang — a trailblazer in new Chinese style fashion* hu_die_gong_zhu — the queen bee of China’s “Too Cool” trend* Barlotuschina — a creative bar concept that has 6 establishments in China and the UK (London). It’s on my list!* fabric_qorn — an edgy Shanghai-based designer brand, where every piece feels like it belongs in a contemporary art gallery* anguschiangofficial — I feel an immediate affection toward this playful Taipei brand maybe because I share the same surname as the designer/* nazenaze.cn — a thoughtful project led by Chinese fashion group ZucZug to support ethnic minority communities in central China with making a living through ‘weaving slow’ (what the brand name means) while preserving the traditional technique* zelamlim — first spotted him in an Arc'teryx Lunar New Year campaign — turns out he's a surfer, painter, and reminds me of both Chinese fine brushwork and surrealist paintings* wofulcibei — memes are the best learning tool for a new language. If you’re learning Chinese and like chaos, start here.* accentsisters — NYC-based bookstore throwing the coolest events celebrating Chinese regional accents and all things diasporic.* yusu_suyu — multi-talented creative who DJs and cooks, sometimes she does those two things together* she_shan_yu — Taiwanese tattoo artist based in London, I’ve been telling myself for a year that I should get my next tattoo from her.* fengchenwang — one of the most commercially successful Chinese designer brands* itsyue_yu — London-based fashion graduate, her imitation of a British accent is uncanny* chazence_official — Macau-based studio that uses tea waste in designing products, shop fronts, and more* daigasikfaan — (means ‘everyone, let’s eat!’ in Cantonese) London-based Hong Kong blogger who does easy-to-follow East Asian recipes Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We've talked a lot about bravery on this podcast—what it looks like, how it feels, and why the brands that have it are winning.But brave (or courageous) brands don’t happen without courageous leaders. And courageous teams.So we were excited to chat with Ryan Berman, host of The Courageous Podcast, and expert on brave brands and brave behaviors.We talk all about leading through uncertainty (hello AI, hello tariffs, hello world order), building the kind of team that doesn’t freeze or squash greatness when it’s needed most, how teams get unstuck, how polite culture kills bold ideas, and I ponder if social media managers might be the most future-ready leaders we’ve got.This episode is one giant reminder that courage isn’t a campaign. It’s a muscle. Use it or you lose it, as my pilates instructor loves to say.There’s a lot of wisdom, a little therapy, and a surprising rugby metaphor by yours truly.Meet Ryan BermanRyan is a friend and the founder of Courageous. He’s spent 25+ years helping brands make braver decisions—before they’re forced to. He’s counseled leaders at Snapchat, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, and Bausch & Lomb.He’s done keynotes for just about everyone you can imagine. And his three-part framework—Knowledge × Faith × Action—builds courage from the inside out, so you can show up as the brand the world actually wants.Ryan has interviewed over 220 guests—everyone from Navy SEALs to CEOs, astronauts to his 9-year-old—all on the topic of courageous leadership. (He once interviewed us, too. Give it a listen!) So, he’s a bit of an expert. And couldn’t be a nicer person to talk to about handling the ‘future’ we’re all currently walking into.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:39 — THELMA, LOUISE & RYAN // Meet Ryan, a career fear-fighter.05:40 — 220 INTERVIEWS, ONE TRUTH // The most surprising insight from Ryan’s 220 podcast conversations.11:25 — KNOWLEDGE × FAITH × ACTION // Ryan’s three-part framework.18:15 — SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST // Why courageous teams should pause before they race ahead.22:45 — IDEAS NEED LEADERSHIP // Courageous ideas die without courageous leaders.25:55 — GOAT = GREATEST OF ALL TEAMS // Time to reframe GOAT. Are you working in one? If not, the first thing to ask is: why not?34:10 — THE AGENCY DEATH SPIRAL // Is all creative work headed in-house? Is the agency to in-house back-and-forth cycle over? What still works about external partnerships—and what doesn’t.41:05 — THE LONELY CMO // It’s lonely at the top. And that’s worth talking about.44:45 — WELCOME TO WORRY WAR II // How panic is distorting strategy, and why a clear North Star is more necessary than ever.48:20 — AI SIDEKICKS & CLARITY OVERLOAD // You’re not leading an 80-person team. You’re leading 160. Every human employee now has an AI assistant, and how that changes things.50:16 — THE REAL COST OF “POLITE” // What’s the conversation your team keeps avoiding?52:02 — PERFORMANCE ≠ PREFERENCE // AI is about to make every brand an expert marketer. Your ability to optimize won’t be your differentiation.53:30 — COURAGE IS A MUSCLE // Bravery isn't a campaign. It’s something you have to practice. Daily. And it does get easier.55:12 — SOCIAL TEAMS & FEARLESS LEADERS // Why social media managers might be the most prepared to be fearless leaders in the new era of AI.Huge thanks to Ryan for joining us. Find him at ryanberman.com, on LinkedIn, or listen to The Courageous Podcast wherever you get yours.That’s all, folx.If you liked this one, hit the heart. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too.If you liked this, you might like this episode, too. ABOUTChris 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back with another episode of GOOD SIGNS—a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.Again, we’re not calling these trends. That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply, what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think.Skip to the bits you fancy.12:45 — GIVING GENEROSITY // This isn’t about the ‘purpose economy’. And it’s not just utility. Brands are leading with generosity. The brands winning aren't selling dreams. They're solving problems. They are moving from an extraction mindset to one of contribution. In a world that feels busy and transactional, these brands are showing up with something genuinely useful before asking for anything. And it’s resonating.Places it’s showing up:* Bold Bean Co. free beans for Glastonbury-goers on the late train.* Gymshark’s patch-sewing station for Hyrox finishers.* IKEA’s well-designed grab bars and step stools for Silvers.* Zara’s Travel Mode.* Hinge’s $100/month for staff to go on dates + “Your Turn Limits” to reduce ghosting.Pendulum Swing → In parallel, we’re seeing pure, unadulterated indulgence moments win.* The $60K Pan Am experiences.* Xenon-assisted Everest climbs.* Ritz-Carlton’s Luminara yacht.* Capital One Lounge’s 45-min JFK cheese tastings.219:47 — THE REAL ISSUE // Trust isn’t something you declare—it’s something you earn over time. And it’s becoming a premium product. As AI floods content feeds and creators fight for reputation over reach, trust and realness have become valuable commodities. But this isn’t just about being transparent. Imperfection is a competitive advantage. And you’re hard-earned reputation is a strategic position not to be messed with. There are many levers of trust and realness and they all have more value than ever.Where it’s showing up:* @babytamago and Kerrygold’s unpaid influencer trip.* Emily Sundberg’s J.Crew rebuttal.* Adidas’ ‘She Breaks Barriers’ campaign shot by a childhood friend.* Dr. Squatch’s scrappy, gives-no-fs style.* Fanatics Fest removing the barriers between you and your idols.* McDonald's social manager breaks the 4th wall.* Steve Madden's "blunt, uncle-esque charisma."Pendulum Swing → AI influx is here. From cheap, unhinged fever dream content to brand-owned AI influencers. We’re in for a lot of ‘it’s not real but we don’t care’ energy.* Kalshi’s “AI fever dream” ad.* AI influencers on the horizon.329:51 — MAINSTREAM REBELLION // Whole industries are being remade as people reject legacy gatekeepers. From education to sports, finance to fashion, the alt is the main event. New institutions are emerging, and they don’t need credentials to hold power. There's a wholesale rejection of established authority manifesting across every category. People aren't just seeking alternatives—they're actively hostile to anything that feels institutional or mainstream.Where it’s showing up:* Base44’s inception to $80MM sale in 6 months.* ATHLOS League, where athletes are owners, not just players.* Outro Health + PainWaive off-boarding people from big pharma.* Texas investing $50M in psychedelic research.* Dishoom Hotel + Jacquemus parasols at Jondal.* OnlyFans means adult content is no longer owned by the big players* Oura’s “Give Us the Finger” campaign put users in control.* 25% of Gen Z say destination dupes feel "trendier" than originals.* Linq’s revenge porn startup flips the control.Pendulum Swing → Institutions can evolve, not just collapse. Some traditional players are adapting instead of dying—meeting new expectations without abandoning their roots.* What made Pam Am great was never just the plane and the logo. It was the difference in the offering.* Higher ed will be reframed as ‘thinking gyms.’* Flag football + youth leagues are evolving a sport for the times.439:26 — CHOOSE YOUR OWN VELOCITY // Taste is moving faster than strategy. Influence is flowing laterally—group to group, comment to comment. Fandoms rule the world. Consensus is building in real time. And momentum is spreading through word-of-mouth, not brand decks and marketing campaigns. And how you respond to this matters. Brands need to choose their own velocity adventure.Where it’s showing up:* Creatine > Collagen — The hive of anecdotal evidence is driving trends versus what corporations are marketing.* Snap’s Saturn is built for velocity and visibility.* Gen Alpha’s voice-only habits.* Fred Again x Skepta’s Twitch-to-YouTube album release.* Corporations will enable employees to create vibe products.Pendulum Swing → Not everyone is racing. Some are investing in longevity—in storylines, slowness, and staying power.* Belmond’s timeless luxury.* Nike’s Breaking 4 campaign.* Adidas’ Superstars with Samuel L Jackson.* Vera Bradley + Drunk Elephant. But be warned: if you try to play in the fast lane but don’t understand it, it will bite you.546:30 — PUSHED TO BE BETTER // AI is no longer automating the obvious; it’s learning “style” and “flair.” Perhaps, teaching the machine the fringes of creativity doesn’t kill it. Maybe, just maybe, it raises the bar.Where it’s showing up:* Owl.ai judging “style,” allowing athletes to focus on flair, not penalties.* AI influencers will push real influencers out of GRWM mediocrityPendulum Swing → The rise of moments the algorithm still can’t grasp or reach. Presence, or hyper-personal craft, becomes the point.* Wimbledon’s bespoke gifts.* Boardroom’s invitation-only members' club.The four letters referenced in this episode:Steve Madden is beloved by TikTok girlies.Loewe x The Grateful Dead. Worried? Alphas and Zs are killing brands. Is Erewhon moving to Paris?ABOUTChris 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.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

What really happened at Cannes 2025? We break down the brand experiences that mattered—and the ones that fell flat. From Pinterest’s immersive takeover to Google’s elusive events, here’s our full recap with real talk, real insights, and everything we wish brands knew.THIS WEEK’S EPISODE:* 02:01 — Pinterest brought their brand to life 88 ways when most didn’t do 1—and won.* 08:37 — Female Quotient wins for most actionable takeaways.* 14:03 — COLLINS House managed the one thing lacking everywhere else: atmosphere.* 20:19 — TikTok’s team wins for best understanding of guest experience.* 24:38 — Canva did 3 things very right: visual identity, swag & gatherings.* 28:09 — LinkedIn was dialed in. And packed it with a brand’s best friend: good staff.* 32:35 — Brands & Culture became our de facto hub—something desperately needed.* 35:49 — Yahoo’s team built something very cute. But it lacked one crucial thing.* 38:25 — Sports Beach was a popular destination. But they had a plan for it.* 39:56 — Marriott had the right talent. But they misunderstood the assignment.* 42:29 — Brand Innovators continues to crush it. But dear lord, that logo.* 45:15 — BCG wins for the lowest ceilings in the history of all events.* 47:09 — Goals House: the coolest crowd and chillest vibe came together over impact.* 49:09 — Sunday Dinner gathered and bonded people—no small feat.* 50:50 — Google, the impossible hard ticket. But why?* 52:10 — Thrads: Young guns with a Rolls-Royce and a robot dog.* 54:09 — Inkwell winning with an important message.* 55:42 — A few quick thoughts on Substack. Invisible yet there.* 57:05 — The hottest ticket: the closed-door sessions.* 58:10 — Kirsten tells us about judging Young Lions* 59:08 — Little notes on Amazon, Tubi, Snap Meta, DoorDash, and more.* 01:02:20 — 10 hot takes on what needs to happen next year.ABOUTChris 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 SubstackPS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we chat with Hilary Dubin and Caroline Vasquez Huber, the founders of Jones, about how they’re re-imagining the healthcare space (spoiler: they consider themselves a wellness & beauty brand). And along the way, we get into some of our favorite topics: shame (a topic we also tackled in a recent episode with strategist and cultural futurist, Jasmine Bina), gratitude, and vulnerability.Jones is building a suite of cessation products, from mints to an app, but it’s bigger than that. They are re-defining what it means to be a Quitter. And giving us a great example of how healthcare is changing.Huge thanks to Caroline and Hilary for chatting. Give Jones a follow on Instagram and TikTok. And if you happen to be looking to quit, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of resources:* The benefits of quitting vaping.* The science behind Jones' app.* And the ultra taboo question: Will I gain weight?ABOUTHosted by Chris Danton and Kirsten Ludwig, this show cuts through the noise, pulling sharp insights from across retail, tech, F&B, wellness, travel, sports, beauty, and more. No silos, no fluff—just the most relevant trends and strategies shaping business today.Subscribe to the best brand and marketing on YouTube and to GOOD THINKING on Substack to get the sharpest insights delivered every week.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, you can listen there too. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Robbie Bent and his 4 co-founders didn’t just build a wellness brand—they've built an emotional experience people cry in (literally).In this episode, we go deep on the origin and evolution of Othership: how it went from backyard ice baths to a multisensory space where people breathe, feel, and transform.We talk about building a 100-year brand, the power of consistent design, why vulnerability is a strength, and how Othership became a space for everyone—not just the “wellness elite.” Whether you’re building a business, a community, or a category, this one’s packed with insights.Skip to the bits you fancy:01:54 — BACKYARD BATHS // Othership’s journey begins in a backyard, with a few baths. 04:00 — SAUNA LOVE STORY // How a sobriety journey and a Valentine’s Day date turned into an emotional wellness movement. 11:04 — SCIENCE NOT SPIRITUALITY // We chat about why the language brands use is critical. 12:12 — EMOTIONAL GYMS // A future where emotional wellness classes are as normal as SoulCycle—Robbie’s 100-year vision. 16:54 — VULNERABILITY FOR ALL // It’s not just tech bros crying in saunas. But why that diversity is a good thing. 20:43 — BRICK & MORTAR BATTLES // The unseen complexity of scaling a business that has walls. 25:05 — EVERY DETAIL MATTERS // Custom scents, audio, even receipts—why obsessive brand execution is the the secret to success. 29:15 — THE SECRET SAUCE // The one big lesson every brand can learn from Othership’s journey. 30:37 — FRIENDSHIP FIRST // How to make a 5-founder model work. How co-founding with your partner and friends can work—if you're willing to do the hard stuff. 37:07 — QUICK FIRE STARTS // Robbie answers our lightning round. 46:32 — THE BIG TAKEAWAYS // Kirsten and I get into our big takeaways from the conversation.ABOUTChris 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 +14K 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 SubstackAny missing links, check the Substack! Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re breaking down the wildest, weirdest brand campaigns making noise — and what they say about where marketing is headed. From a tween tantrum turned Toblerone ad to OpenAI’s cringe-core collab with Jony Ives, we’ve got thoughts.Skip to the bits you fancy!04:31 — TOBLE MELTDOWNA tween tantrum goes viral in an airport. Turns out to be a Toblerone ad. Smart or triggering? We get into it.13:15 — HELI DELIVERYElf airdropped skincare to a sailor mid-ocean. Fun. But did it make sense?20:22 — PURE GOLDWhen a sugar-drink giant tried to block PureSport’s activation at a half-marathon, they pivoted. It was brilliant. Here’s the LinkedIn post we mention.25:15 — AI TATTOOSThis Cybersmile campaign is unsettling, powerful, unforgettable — exactly as intended. This might be the best use of AI imagery I’ve seen yet.32:01 — OPEN CRINGESo many people loved the AI-heavy OpenAI Jony Ives launch video/photo. We had other feelings.41:32 — CHUCKMATESChicken Shop Date’s Amelia joined forces with Converse for ‘Chuckmates’, a dating show where shoes are the first impression.45:13 — TOMATOES RISINGHigh fashion goes playful with Loewe’s giant tomato hot air balloon. The luxury brand that dares to be witty and weird — and pulls it off.ABOUTChris 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 +14K 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 SubstackAny missing links, check the Substack! Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re talking to one of the most interesting thinkers on LinkedIn: Jasmine Bina. We got deep into how shame is the final frontier for brands, and what it takes to reframe our most deeply held beliefs.Skip to the bits you fancy!04:35 — THE SHAME REFRAME // Why shame is valuable for brands and how it’s about reframing the story — not just taboo busting.08:05 — CHANGING THE STORY // How brands can actually create a new identity for consumers to overcome shame. 12:09 — UNTAPPED FRONTIERS Menopause, debt, obesity — shame is where brands make real cultural change.14:03 — GOOD EXAMPLE // A look at MindBloom, the ketamine therapy brand talking transformation, not just mental health.16:00 — AI & SHAMING // Jasmine on whether AI will just perpetuate our shame scripts.21:00 — THE PENDULUM SWINGS WITHIN US // Why consumers are living contradictions — no more neat labels, and how this is also true for shame stories.28:17 — CRAVING REAL // There's a real appetite for brands that are honest and vulnerable. Why that’s the biggest opportunity now.31:09 — THE QUICK FIRE // Jasmine answers our quick fire:What’s the biggest conversation you don’t think is being had right now?The disappearance of the menopause ‘dark years’ and the rise of ‘gambling over everything.’What’s your biggest thing you think a brand should be doing differently as compared to two years ago?”Get away from vibes and go back towards meaning-making….People are looking for deeper systems, myth-making, world-building.”Favorite Substack or podcast?Political Currents by Ross BarkanAnd Peter Zeihan’s Patreon, “for his quarterly calls where he explains the world to you in an hour.”What’s one new tool that you use that everyone should know about?My Mind. “It's like a much, much smarter version of Pocket that's way more visually useful too."What niche brand is crushing it right now?”A high luxury brand from India called Sabiasachi.”ABOUTChris 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 +14K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Now, the newness continues. As I mentioned, rather than a weekly companion podcast, we’re going to do a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.We’re not calling these trends. That’s way too heavy for a month’s worth of content. These are GOOD SIGNS. Signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply, what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy103:31 — FRICTION FLEX // Friction is the new flex. This isn’t about limited-edition or scarcity. This is brands (and people) deliberately introducing slowness and effort. Making everything less greased for ease. Opting into harder, slower, more friction-filled experiences now signals care, taste, and, yep, luxury. It’s a pretty big flip on the last decade, where the definition of greatness was ‘frictionless’.Places it’s showing up:Outline’s print catalog with over-the-phone orders.Deliberately slow experiences.Friction-filled Substack strategies.Invite-only drops, referral-only conferences.Scratch-and-sniff campaigns you have to see IRL for the full experience.Paynter jackets.Pendulum Swing → Without a doubt, it’s AI. We are hurtling towards working with our eyes closed (or with no human eyes at all). But much like self-service kiosks and self-checkout have proven, it’s critical to think about what consumers want ‘eased’. There’s a lot. But it’s not everything. Sometimes frictionless causes friction.217:07 — HARDCORE WELLNESS // We’ve moved past wellness meaning ‘spa’. We’re all-in on wellness to confront the un-fun stuff—death, grief, chronic stress, parenthood, aging, mental load, brain health, menopause, you name it. This isn’t the mental health conversation. It’s a conversation about what ‘caring for ourselves’ really means. Places it’s showing up:Eazewell’s AI-powered death concierge as ‘mental load’ relief Postpartum hotels and beautiful birthing tools. Longevity dads & health as the new ‘provider mode.’Eldercare’s overhaul.Preventative health boom.Pendulum Swing → There’s a growing rejection of the wellness industry as a whole. Meaning? Fewer supplements. Less optimization. For ‘leave me be’.324:50 — INTELLIENT OR INTIMATE? // The ‘I’ in AI might need to change from ‘intelligence’ to ‘intimacy’. We’ve gone from not wanting Apple to track our data to offering a meal delivery business our biometric data and health history. And used ChatGPT to discuss our deepest concerns. Why? There’s value in the exchange. We’re also seeing consumers trust the logic of a bot over the bias of a body. Our comfort with AI's ‘wisdom’ is growing faster than most expected.Places it’s showing up:Meta glasses with live translationWonder’s biometric meal deliveriesWaymo’s riseChatGPT is everyone’s therapist.Pendulum Swing → A deep mistrust "tech bros" still lingers. And the conversation around he value of intuition and anti-patterning is growing louder every day.431:39 — REAL ROMANCE // We’re seeking human experiences more than ever. And not just basic ones. Core-memory-worthy ones. Intimate-ones. We are completely in love with ‘real’. It’s all about the romance. Places it’s showing up:Corona’s Brazilian mega concertAlo Pit Stop recovery bar Shopping at the old Barney’sIntimate Uno-filled after partiesBookTok and wineBreakfast clubPendulum Swing → Especially for post-Covid teens, online identities now feel more “real” than their physical presence. IRL is ‘fake’ and their online presence is a more ‘true’ expression of who they are.539:59 — GREAT EXPECTATIONS // Maximalist mindsets and max expectations are everywhere. From travel to renting, everything is getting layered with extras. You could say ‘downtime must now do something’, but it’s more about wanting to get the max out of life. We’re squeezing the most out of everything.Places it’s showing up:Airbnb offering glam, training, and massage to supercharge travel.Supplements and skincare minibars are coming to hotels.In-building amenities as renter requirements (co-working, dog runs).My own work travel philosophy.Pendulum Swing → The growing movement of anti-consumerism. Happenstance travel. ABOUTChris 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 +14K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Substack is the new shiny penny in brand marketing—but done wrong, it can do more harm than good. In this episode, we get into how brands can actually use it well: what’s working, what to watch out for, and what too many are getting wrong. We’re talking strategy, good examples, and the insights everyone seems to be searching for. Skip to the bits you fancy. 03:01 What’s Substack? // A primer on the platform reshaping content and brand engagement. Who’s Nailing It? // The brands making Substack work—and those that aren't. 12:03 American Eagle x Casey Lewis // How AE's collaboration with a Substack OG is redefining brand partnerships. 14:53 Hinge’s 5-Part Tease // Exploring 'No Ordinary Love' and the power of a limited series. 17:56 Loeffler Randall’s Founder-Led Take // Jessie Randall's personal Substack and the rise of founder-led content. 20:59 Must-Haves and Must-Nots // The do's and don'ts for brands venturing into Substack. 39:53 Who’s Reading // Understanding your audience and delivering real value. 46:45 The Basic Basics // From welcome letters to cross-posting—Substack fundamentals. 52:04 Takeaways, Insights, and Nuggets // Key lessons and actionable insights for brand strategists.If you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too.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 +14K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

In this inaugural series episode 'HOW GOOD GETS GOOD', we talk to Moot, a new model for youth hospitality. A membership club created by teenagers, for teenagers. We talk about why Moot started, the enormous appetite from tweens, teens, and parents for spaces like this, and what other brands should know about building for the oft misunderstood Alpha.Hit the links to skip to what strikes your fancy!03:04 — What is Moot and why teens (and parents) are desperate for it.06:08 — Meet Cheryl and Paul, the founders of Moot.07:07 — Why society fears Alphas. But shouldn’t.10:58 — Are sanctioned spaces inherently uncool?17:20 — How Moot designed their space with teens.22:00 — Parents hold the purse strings. Teens hold the influence. You need both.24:47 — Trust your audience. Give them respect and they’ll give it right back.28:42 — Advice for brands? No shock. It’s all about vibe.31:08 — Brand partnership opportunities & not mollycoddling teens.USEFUL LINKSMeet Moot, a new model for youth hospitality. A membership club created by teenagers, for teenagers.Website | InstaABOUT THE PODCASTChris 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 +14K 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 SubstackPPS. If you like this, I write a newsletter for 14K subscribers on the best-of-the-best on trends, marketing, and culture—everything I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands. Get GOOD THINKING in your inbox weekly with the link in my bio. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

This special edition of GOOD THINKING WEEKLY unpacks the 5 big lessons we learned on our inaugural live GOOD THINKING NYC TOUR. If you haven’t read the letter, it’s a good one. But rather than recapping the letter, we unpack our most important takeaways from the day.Hit the links to skip to what strikes your fancy!05:58 — The biggest themes from the tour—what kept showing up.12:06 — Intentionality is the new baseline. The best brands are doing more.18:07 — Why the consumer journey still matters—and where most brands miss.23:56 — Retail as an experience lab: who’s getting creative, and how.28:08 — From tiny touches to full-on immersion: experience wins.30:13 — What today’s consumers expect (hint: it’s not just convenience).32:30 — Pop-ups, collabs, and why they still work when done right.36:20 — Retail’s AI era is here. It’s not about automation—it’s about brand.43:27 — Respect your consumer. If you don’t, someone else will.54:45 — IRL is having a moment. Smart brands are showing up in person.Missing the letter this all ties back to? This way.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 +14K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all,Welcome back to our weekly companion podcast to the Sunday letter. We get deeper into the big hits across every category. And unpack them further.I’m playing with the formatting of these podcast emails to see if we like them better. Let me know what you think!Hit the links to skip to what strikes your fancy!* 2:20 — Why pricing isn’t just about affordability anymore—it’s about perception.* 7:32 — First Rounds On Me: the dating app that opened a café. IRL is booming.* 11:40 — Heineken’s anti-phone stunt (but can they make it really happen?)* 15:50 — Minecraft’s movie moment, Gen Alpha zone, and why brands are missing it.* 19:28 — Retailers using Close Friends as a loyalty tool.* 29:37 — Shopify’s approach to AI was a messy message. It didn’t have to be.* 30:30 — Atlanta Hawks are now a content company too.* 33:28 — Exosomes, salmon sperm, and skincare that’s pushing limits.* 35:35 — Proper Hotels wants locals in the sauna—it’s smart.* 39:18 — LeBron’s Barbie moment and why it matters, especially now.* 42:51 — Mystery cups, chocolate drops, and fun in a feed-first world* 43:51 — Stüssy’s consistency and mastering multigenerational influence.Missing the letter this all ties back to? This way:https://ingoodco.substack.com/p/minecraft-made-an-experiential-movieChris 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 +14K 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 Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe