GOOD THINKING

Over a year ago, we met Bryon Stewart at our GOOD THINKING NYC tour. And we loved him from the beginning. Bryon writes one of the best social media letters out there, Tapped In . You can rely on it for surfacing things nobody else is finding. It’s as much culture analysis as it is social trends and tactics. We wanted to get Bryon on to talk about everything brands should be thinking about when it...

Much like last year, sending a Cannes recap a week after feels like you’re so late to the party, it’s cringe. Work is busy. The inbox was very scary. But we’ve made it. The heat dome couldn’t stop us (though it tried). There are a few goals for this letter/pod: 1) Heap praise on the few brands and orgs that did things well 2) Give a healthy dose of constructive criticism 3) Share how we want to re...

Everyone who reads here regularly knows I reference Fitt Insider’s content constantly. I met co-founder Anthony Vennare a year ago and told Kirsten on the spot: “You are going to love this him.” We get into the business model behind Fitt (super unique, if you’re in the new media business, I’d tune in), the health trends he is most bullish on, and a wellness stack that will genuinely surprise you f...

Last year, we booked a flight to Cannes 3 weeks before, and showed up knowing nothing. This year, we’re hosting a CMO Dinner , a very informal happy hour , and have a bit more experience. So we thought we’d share for any first-timers going. See you there? Hit reply if you want to meet. Enjoy! Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 01:41 — ALL ARE WELCOME // If you’re going for the first time,...

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 fancy. 1. 03:13 — BRAND NEW DE...

Hi all, Last week was a whirlwind. I went to my college reunion at RISD reunion and Substack’s first media summit. No surprise, but I had notes. Somehow, this reunion turned into a conversation about understanding your differentiation. And then delivering on said differentiation. But the meat of this episode is all about my takeaways from the Substack summit. We chat about the venue/branding of th...

This week, we get into why staying in your lane is one of the most dangerous things you can do right now, whether you’re a person, a brand, or building something. Niching down was always suspect advice and is now actively something you might not want to be doing. And, how the brands that are winning are looking out rather than looking sideways at their competitors. It’s a fun one. Enjoy! Hit the l...

Hi all, This week on the pod, I take Kirsten through everything I saw and heard hosting the Involve stage at Brands & Culture London. It was a super fun 2 days! Rather than recapping the talks, this is all about my takeaways. Unsurprisingly, they are about how these lessons connect with broader trends. Shame, taboos, build brand loyalty, the power of humanity, the Age of Authorship, and more. It’s...

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 fancy 1. 02:53 — THE ART OF PE...

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),...

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...

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 Varquez Ben Varquez is the Managing Director of Youth Marketing Connection (YMC), one of the leading youth marketing agencies i...

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 w...

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 fancy 1. 00:0...

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! Enj...

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 fancy 01:20 — THE ESSAY IS BORN // Why we’re here. 04:36 — THE...

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...

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 fancy 1. 03:00 — ADDIC...

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 (especial...

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 lear...

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 t...

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 com...

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 gath...

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 GOODTHINKIN...

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 fancy 02:53 — T...