Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for GOOD THINKING
BusinessSociety & Culture

GOOD THINKING

Chris Danton & Kirsten Ludwig | IN GOOD CO

This podcast will dive a little deeper into bit of our weekly GOOD THINKING letter. Not a recap or a reading, just chatting more, unpacking, giving more insights—the fun stuff. Like the letter, the lens 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.

ingoodco.substack.com
Play
Open in
  • 21 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 52 min
  • English

Episodes 21

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Wednesday · 57 min

    Affiliate links are out. Press trips, too.

    Hi all, We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — these are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month. This month’s episodes are sponsored by Herman Miller. Kirsten’s house is basically a MillerKnoll showroom at this point. We both now have the pleasure of sitting in two Herman Miller chairs for every podcast that we were fitted for (a service they offer in all their stores!). I can safely say mine is a wellness investment. My back is my weakest link, and after a month of travel in the US, being back in my chair is a true delight. If you spend eight hours a day in a chair, make sure it fits you perfectly. Get fitted or order yours here. Now onto the episode. Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments. Skip to the bits you fancy 1. 04:48 — EXHAUSTIVE CHECKS // The question used to be whether something was good. Now the first question is whether it’s real, and we’re all doing the checking ourselves. I wrote “I checked. Not AI.” under a stunt I liked this month. ZINE & YouGov found that “Americans now default to ‘This is fake’ six times more often than they default to ‘This is real.’” ANU has a great read on it, calling the age we’re entering ‘post-reality marketing’. This Sentimental Garbage note Anu shared really explains the exhaustion. But as I said in the 2026 predictions, the question now is how long before we all stop showing up to platforms that we can’t trust? Places it’s showing up: * Stan Lee’s estate sold his voice and likeness to ElevenLabs. Nobody is asking for this IMO. * Oblist’s ad is lovely conceptually, but AI-gen’d. Does it matter? Maybe. * Louis Vuitton built a car to look like its own bag and got trolled as “AI slop IRL.” But it was real. Pendulum Swing → Bobbie rolled out its own Substack called Sally Forth. It’s full of real stories, from real people, with real unvarnished takes on parenthood. Belmond appears to have bought out Sam Youkilis’s IG stories. He’s a trusted, real photographer, and every story is saturated in his credibility. 2. 22:47 — WHICH ALPHA? // Brands keep guessing at what kids want, missing, and then wondering what’s happening (often coming to incorrect conclusions). The kids are extremely clear about what they want. Just go talk to one. Places it’s showing up: * Build-A-Bear downgraded its outlook and the CEO blamed overdoing it on innovation. Wrong analysis. They misunderstood the innovations Alphas/Zs are looking for. * Skylrk beat Apple to the punch. Everyone wants an MP3 player. They made one. * J.Crew’s cropped roll neck felt confusing when Alphas openly want baggy and have for years. Pendulum Swing → Aiming at whoever’s paying could work. Maybe. Maisonette’s new tween brand Neon Rebel reads like a gifting site for adults for tweens. 3. 31:44 — HOME CLINIC // In the SILVERS 2026 predictions, I said distrust in medical institutions, thin infrastructure, and the cost of care would push people to handle it at home. That part happened. What’s new is the hardware finally got good, and it finally looks good. Places it’s showing up: * Strolll built AR glasses that walk patients with neurological disorders through physical therapy on their own. * Luffu launched a wearable that does the Life Alert job and looks vastly cooler. Martha Stewart had the right instinct first with her Life Alert challenger. * Dyson made a toothbrush with a camera in it, arriving right as the dental health to brain health conversation gets loud. Ick, but it will take off. Humans love gross things. Pendulum Swing → Katie Stone and I got into the death of expertise on the pod, where GLP-1s might be the miracle and DIY peptide cocktails are very much not. 4. 40:29 — SOURCE CODE // Everyone has the same tools and the same Pinterest boards, so the work all looks the same. Sources and good choices matter again. Places it’s showing up: * Figma launched Source Material, a show where the creatives share their references. * Andrew Chen is predicting Adversarial Creativity: make something specific, timely, weird, and useful right now, then make the next thing. * Nordstrom’s series with Recho Omondi gives instant clout back to a brand that had fallen off. Pendulum Swing → Not a true pendulum but an adjacency. People are now reading their Substack essays aloud on Instagram. We keep leaning harder into what makes us us. 5. 48:13 — THE FUTURE OF NO // Is the affliate link era over. Likely not. But “no” is becoming a differentiator. Credibility, uniqueness and a curated guest list are a positioning statement. Places it’s showing up: * Shop Rat by Emilia Petrarca is done with affiliate links, press trips, free product, and sponsored posts. Credibility is worth protecting at almost any cost. * Pellicano’s Marie-Louise Sciò says scaling and standardization aren’t worth what it would cost. * Wimbledon will not accredit creators. Who you allow in is a positioning statement now. Pendulum Swing → The pendulum here is just the other side of the misunderstanding. Katie Stone made the same case on the pod. Rigid press trip itineraries kill the story. There’s a whole deep dive to be done on the new frontier of PR. Letters referenced: * Brand love or trust? Bobbie says trust * Science is getting Substacked * Justin Bieber is one-upping Apple * The sauna bubble, GLP-1s and the death of expertise * Dior x A24. No provincial product. And for paid readers, in case you missed it, our first-ever quarterly GOOD TRENDS. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy BOLD CAPPED links jump to that moment in the recording. Brand names take you to past letters where they were mentioned. 03:11 — CULTURE // HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT // The trust collapse has brands and businesses having to respond. Ramp · Vittles · Shop Rat 11:40 — F&B // MOMENT MAKING // Food has always been an experience. But it’s not all dinners. Goop Kitchen · Fortnum & Mason · Oatly 17:02 — DRUGS & BOOZE // MODERATING MODERATION // The wellness anarchist, a term coined by Tom Garland, is underrepresented. Diet Coke · Cannes · Columbia · Romanticized hangovers 20:42 — SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS // HELLO, ALPHA // Alpha zones were the 2025 prediction. Alpha agency is 2026. Here they merge. Tututu Space · Claire’s · Comme’N 25:19 — FASHION & RETAIL // VALUES VERSUS VALUE // Showing what you’re invested in is the right investment. Chanel · Aritzia · Greenrow 29:32 — TECH // AGE OF AUTHORSHIP // The age of authorship isn’t about AI. It’s about mindset. Jeff Dean · Lovable · Age of Authorship 37:04 — SPORT // EXPANSIVE GAMES // Sport has been unbinding. Not all unhinged, but many of the rules aren’t welcome anymore. Exercise Snacks · Salomon x Pas Normal · $1 Ultra 41:48 — WELLNESS & BEAUTY // DATA DON’T DO IT // Measurement isn’t the goal. Improvement is. Dumbo Health · MyFitnessPal · WHOOP 45:38 — TRAVEL // LUX NOT LUX-ING IT // We’re questioning what luxury is, and most isn’t cutting it. United · The Stanza · Anagram 50:52 — FUN FOR THE QUARTER // B2B UNBOUND // B2B marketing has evolved. Most brands just haven’t caught up. Frontify · Okta · Air That’s all, folx. This post has bonus content for paid subscribers. Upgrade to get full access. That’s all, folx. -Chris Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

  • September 9 · 56 min

    The sauna bubble, GLP-1s, and the death of expertise

    We’ve been trying to get Katie Stone on the pod for ages. It all started in a freezing January Herman Miller headquarters in deep-winter Michigan. Katie writes @Plant Based, one of our favorite Substacks in wellness (and honestly just a fave overall), and she consults for a who’s-who of wellness and beauty brands. We get into wellness travel, the sauna bubble, peptides and GLP-1s, what wellness even means once it becomes an industry, branded Substacks done right, and a very heartfelt PSA for United and Delta. If you work in wellness, build brands, or just want to travel and live a little more intentionally, this one’s for you. AND! New perk for yearly paid members! September 9th, at 5pmGMT/12pmET/9amPT we’re introducing a QUARTERLY 10 GOOD THINGS interactive session. A masterclass for the quarter. Become a paid member and then sign up here! This month’s episodes are sponsored by The Keva Dine Agency. Enjoy! Meet Katie Katie Stone writes Plant Based, one of the most-read wellness Substacks, covering wellness, beauty, and the culture around them (don’t miss her Into the Fridge series). She’s also a brand consultant for wellness and beauty brands — content strategy, Substack, copywriting, brand building — with clients like Soft Services, Earthbar, and west~bourne, plus past work with The Farmer’s Dog, Sakara, and Jolie. She studied journalism at USC Annenberg and still writes for The Strategist, Vogue, and WSJ. Find Katie on Instagram, on LinkedIn, and at katie-stone.com. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 05:23 — JOURNALIST TURNED BRAND BUILDER // Katie’s origin story. She wanted Condé Nast, realized journalism wasn’t going to cut it, and made a pivot. 09:57 — CHANGE IN PUBLIC // “No one is paying you enough to feel bad about changing what you’re doing.” All about evolving in public. 12:34 — WELLNESS TRAVEL // Not eat-pray-love retreats. We chat wellness travel: Tech-free resorts, lymphatic everything, and land you’re actually a guest on. 17:24 — GIVE THE WRITER THE REINS // Rigid press-trip itineraries kill the story. Guardrails yes. Rules, no thanks. 21:04 — THE SAUNA BUBBLE // We all 3 love a sauna, but is this bubble about to pop? 22:38 — THE TEMAZCAL // A call for real deal experiences. 27:33 — PEPTIDES & THE DEATH OF EXPERTISE // GLP-1s might be the miracle drug, but DIY peptide cocktails not so much? We discuss the death of the expert. 34:03 — WHO’S ACTUALLY DOING IT RIGHT // Wellness is how you live, not something you buy. 37:24 — A BRAND MADE FOR NOBODY // You can’t build a brand if you don’t know who it’s for. 39:38 — EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A FOUNDER // But how you adding value is the question everyone should be asking. 44:30 — HOW TO ACTUALLY WRITE A SUBSTACK // Consistency over everything, and get creative about value. It’s a publication, not a newsletter. 50:44 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do, the best advice she’s ever gotten (“stop thinking about yourself so much”), and the category Katie would love to disrupt. 55:47 — PSA FOR UNITED & DELTA // The airline rant about cheese plates. Huge thanks to Katie for coming on. Subscribe to Katie Stone and follow her on Instagram. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • September 2 · 1 hr 9 min

    10 things: fake finance gurus, nicotine, alpha entrances, and more.

    New series alert. Welcome to 10 THINGS: ten things standing out to us this month, one from each category we cover in the letter. It’s not GOOD SIGNS. SIGNS is about the cross-pollination of signals. 10 THINGS is more of a fly-on-the-wall to the conversations we are naturally having about the letter when we’re hanging out. This month we get into secret accounts, Fishwife’s tin-on-the-side Sweetgreen collab, the bowls of cigarettes lying around everywhere, a kids-only entrance, Sézane slowing down, the great Google exodus, StudBudz, scalp wellness, and airlines finally having some fun. Plus one just for FUN FOR THE MONTH. If the Sunday letter is sometimes a lot to keep up with, consider the sampler platter for the drive to work or while doing dishes. AND! New perk for yearly paid members! September 9th, at 5pmGMT/12pmET/9amPT we’re introducing a QUARTERLY 10 GOOD THINGS interactive session. A masterclass for the quarter. This is only available to yearly paid members. Our yearly membership is $111, so that’s just over $25 per quarterly session. Plus, you get the full archive to read everything we talk about (including all the links we’ve added below). You can ask questions prior to and during. And you get to laugh with us live. It’s a steal, no?! Become a paid member and then sign up here! This month’s episodes are sponsored by The Keva Dine Agency. Enjoy! Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 06:16 — CULTURE // SECRET ACCOUNTS // With all of these, the left link will help you skip to the timestamp in the pod. The ‘Read more’ like this one will take you to the letter and segment that we’re discussing. Paid members have access to the full archive. 16:41 — F&B // DIY TUNA // Read more. 23:52 — DRUGS & BOOZE // BOWLS OF CIGARETTES // Read more. 33:45 — ALPHAS, SILVERS & ZS // ALPHA ENTRANCE // Read more. 41:23 — FASHION & RETAIL // NOT SO FAST SEZANE // Read more. 49:42 — TECH // GOOGLEY EXODUS // Read more. 54:27 — SPORT // STREAMING BUDZ // Read more. 58:15 — WELLNESS & BEAUTY // SCALP WELLNESS // Read more. 1:01:52 — TRAVEL // AIRLINES DELIVERING // Read more. 1:06:34 — FUN FOR THE MONTH // MOM & POP POP-UPS // Read more. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • August 26 · 48 min

    Brand love or trust? Bobbie says trust.

    We are so excited for this one. We first met Kim Chappell and Michelle Blaser at SXSW in Austin this year. We did a panel on trust and personal brand at Soho House. And pretty much immediately said we have to do this again. So here we are. Kim Chappell is the Chief Brand Officer of Bobbie, the mom-founded, mom-led organic infant formula company. She’s also, by pretty universal agreement, the OG LinkedIn mom. Michelle Blaser is a brand marketer (Duolingo, Epic Games) who’s now out on her own, writing The Pollinatr and one of the biggest voices on LinkedIn. She also happens to be a Bobbie mom. These ladies have not just helped build some of your favorite, most referenced brands, but they’ve also built personal brands that lots of people envy. And we get into how they did all of the above. We chat trust, cringe, sallying forth, building up your team, building a group of internet besties, and so much more. If you are building a brand, leading a team, posting on LinkedIn, or are still working up the nerve to, this one is for you. Enjoy! Meet Kim Chappell Kim Chappell is the Chief Brand Officer of Bobbie. She joined the company in the co-founder's San Francisco basement in 2020 and launched and built the brand into the fastest growing infant formula company in the US since the 80's. Under Kim's leadership, Bobbie has been a 3x recipient of Fast Company's Brands That Matter and a 2024 Shorty Award winner for Best Small Brand. She was named a 2026 Most Innovative CMO by Business Insider, a 2025 Forbes 50 Most Entrepreneurial CMO, a 2025 AdWeek Creative 100, and Shorty's Brand Marketer of the Year. She is a mom of three who lives in Austin, Texas. Meet Michelle Blaser Michelle Blaser is the author of The Pollinatr, the newsletter for strategists who want to stay ahead of culture. After 15 years working with culture-first brands like Duolingo, Netflix, and Epic Games, she’s built a reputation as the strategist’s strategist: spotting signals, connecting the dots, and translating insights into actionable strategies. She now helps companies and executives build influence where it counts: LinkedIn. She hails from Texas and lives with her husband and two boys in Raleigh, NC. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 00:00 — THE BAND’S BACK TOGETHER // Internet friends are real friends. 04:02 — A $500 ASK // Kim’s whole LinkedIn thing started with one email to her CFO about shipping breast milk. 06:56 — LEADERS SET THE CULTURE // Why LinkedIn is a fun group of virtual coworkers who have your back, and why leaders should overshare on purpose. 08:53 — THE DAD GAP // It’s not all mom talk. Two-thirds of dads say culture doesn’t see them. Brands should be paying attention. 12:41 — YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IS RECRUITING // Post about the duality and the top talent comes to you. Go do your own PR. 17:38 — TRUST OR LOVE // Both landed on trust. Love follows. 18:59 — THE RECALL WEEKEND // A competitor’s recall, and Bobbie’s no-strings response. 21:16 — HAVING HATERS IS A GOOD SIGN // If you’re not in the arena, so I don’t care what you think. 22:49 — THE TRUST BATTERY // Charge it every single day so it’s there when you actually need it. 25:19 — CLIMB CRINGE MOUNTAIN // Go where it’s uncomfortable. 37:27 — SUBSTACK IS MY LIVING ROOM // LinkedIn is a stage (and a water cooler). Substack is where the real you shows up. 40:45 — WRITE FROM THE HEART // Kim on AI slop, quality over volume, and typos as proof of humanity. 44:48 — DO THE DAMN THING // The final word: share the mess, just start, make what you’d want to read. Huge thanks to Kim and Michelle for coming on. Follow them. You’ll have some new besties, too. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • August 19 · 56 min

    Is the establishment cool again? Yes, but...

    We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 5 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. This week, we have an exciting development: our first sponsor! This month’s episodes are sponsored by The Keva Dine Agency. Keva actually placed Kirsten in a job years ago, so she can vouch firsthand. She’s the recruiter CEOs and CMOs call when culture fit matters as much as the resume. If you’re hiring, or you’re thinking about your next move, Keva’s who you call before you post the job. Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments. Skip to the bits you fancy 1. 04:24 — LESS IS BECOMING MORE // For years, especially recently, more has been the default. More speed, more growth, more choice, more output. But as things speed up at scale, many are seeing a strategic advantage in a slower, or periodically slow, approach. Places it’s showing up: * Sézane is looking to slow down and grow up. Proving that speed is a choice. * The sprint is not new to tech, but rest is. Founders are building in rest as work gets faster. * Ditto, a dating app, skips swiping and sends 1 curated single match every Wednesday at 7pm. Pendulum Swing → Google shows what happens when more means more layers. Jeff Dean had a ChatGPT-like bot years ago, but bureaucracy stifled it. Lean frontier labs are shipping while bigger organizations ask, refine, second-guess, and ultimately struggle in a consensus swamp. 2. 23:36 — TRACKING TO TREATING // We spent the last decade giving people more information. Data was coming out of our eyeballs, driving every decision. But as our ability to collect infinite amounts of data has increased, an alternative take on tech is also emerging: actually just being of service. Places it’s showing up: * Bobbie launched The Feeding Concierge for new moms’ feeding questions: a 24/7 bespoke AI agent, expert-led virtual circles, and 1:1 consultations. * In the first wave of trackers, the goal was just to get data. Now, MyFitnessPal has introduced an AI nutrition coach to actually help you use what you’ve tracked for long-term benefit. * Dumbo Health, a sleep-focused platform, is offering physician interpretation and hardware. Not just scores. Pendulum Swing → Sometimes the product should just do the job. So many brands pitch flashy AI creative tools, but the time-saving, tedious-work-reducing AI tools are what teams love most. 3. 32:22 — MADE IN CHINA, WANTED IN CHINA // China’s homegrown brands aren’t simply cheaper alternatives to Western options. They’re winning on performance, cultural fluency, and just coolness. And netizens are deliberately making them a first choice. Places it’s showing up: * At the Nike ACG Chongli 168 Ultra Trail, 58% of the shoes worn were Kailas Fugas. * In China, Adidas rebranded its TERREX outdoor line as Shanchuanli, which is softer, less rugged, and more attuned to the market. * Pane, a Shanghai-based sneaker brand, did a nice-looking collab with Head. Pendulum Swing → Maybe it is less about local and more about global appetite. BYD, the Chinese car brand, is gaining speed in the EU and the US. Perception is changing globally. 4. 40:51 — EASY DENSITY // Wellness has spent years asking consumers to optimize and add another thing to the routine. That said, shortcuts aren’t new. But what they are for is. GLP-1s have increased our need for nutrient density. And players are emerging to meet the moment easily. Places it’s showing up: * PlantChi is a nutritional seasoning, a food topper to get the density up in whatever you’re making. * GLP-1 users struggle to get protein from smaller meals. Clare launched an all-in-one nutritional supplement to tackle it. * In LA, protein water is the rage. Plainspeak is a new entrant. Nutra is another. Pendulum Swing → Sneakies is sneaking a “full serving” of fruits and vegetables per bag. But that full serving is 5 spinach leaves and half an apple. What counts as dense hasn’t been properly codified. 5. 47:48 — INSTITUTIONS ARE COOL AGAIN // After years of chasing internet-native, emerging, cool challenger brands as a default collaborator set, we are swinging the other way. Suddenly the establishment is interesting again. Places it’s showing up: * Aritzia and The Juilliard School launched a back-to-school collection. And Bode with Yale School of Music. * Dancer and choreographer Kyle Abraham performed his latest piece in the NYT’s offices. * Greenrow revamped the NY Botanical Garden’s historic Stone Cottage. Pendulum Swing → Generally, we know that trust in institutions is at an all-time low. The arts (I consider the Botanical Gardens art) seem to be the one area where that’s not true. But if we’re just looking at the letters for a swing, we can see that “old guard” brands, like AARP, are still not getting how to be relevant to their audience. Letters referenced: * Gap is teaching marketing. * Aritzia made back-to-school dance-worthy * Beefeater makes sobriety a pleasure * Aman needs a new media consultant * Sézane is slowing down. On purpose. Hallelujah. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • August 12 · 53 min

    The sans-demic is over

    Last year at Paradigms, out in the Moroccan desert, I met Chris and Will from Studio DRAMA, a type design studio. They make custom typefaces for brands, and they’ve done it for Heinz, KFC, and Michelob Ultra. Like most people at Paradigms, they are also genuinely rad people. We get into why niching down was great for them, why every tech brand looks the same (but shouldn’t), an optimistic take on AI, and we learn many, many new words. There are lessons in here for studios, freelancers, and a side of brand many CMOs overlook. Enjoy! Meet Studio DRAMA Chris Nott and Will Richardson are the co-founders of Studio DRAMA, the world’s first custom type foundry. William leads the studio’s creative vision. Building brands through distinctive typographic storytelling that challenges category conventions and amplifies identity at every scale. Under his direction, Studio DRAMA has developed award-winning custom typefaces for global names such as KFC, BBH and Snickers. Chris leads the studio’s creative practice. Shaping brand identities through distinctive, typographic systems that bring strategy and storytelling into perfect alignment. Chris has overseen the creation of bespoke typefaces for global brands including Mozilla, Heinz and Vogue. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 04:16 — A BRAND-LED TYPE FOUNDRY // Not a foundry, not an agency, somewhere in between. 08:52 — THE BRAVERY TO NICHE // For a year, they were everything to everyone. Learning to say no is what changed the business. 15:16 — MONTHS, NOT YEARS // Busting the myth that custom type takes two years and +$2M. 18:01 — THE SANS-DEMIC // How every brand ended up speaking in the same generic sans. 21:40 — TOUCH TYPE, NOT LOGO // Brands are scared to touch the logo. Type is the thing they can actually own. 23:36 — WHAT BRANDS GET WRONG // Why type design shouldn’t come at the end. 26:41 — WHO NEEDS A CUSTOM TYPEFACE? // Their answer: if you can make something distinctive and memorable, why wouldn’t you? 30:10 — THE NANDO’S EFFECT // Spot a sliver of a letter around the corner and you already know it’s Nando’s. 33:25 — TYPE AND LOGOS // The logo-font approach VS redrawing the wordmark and the typeface together so the whole system finally connects. 37:00 — SCRITALIC // The new word they had to invent to describe what they were even making. 38:42 — THE OPTIMIST’S CASE FOR AI // Where AI has a role. And a big upside for smaller studios. 42:50 — AI CAN’T DO THE CRAFT // It’s great at generic sans. Get ready to have to be different. And need humans for it. 44:28 — DRAMA WISDOM // The best advice for going out on your own. 49:14 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do, and the typographic elephant in the room. Huge thanks to Chris and Will for coming on. It was so good to finally sit down with them. See their work at studio-drama.com. Follow along on Instagram. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • August 5 · 48 min

    Candy shops are putting big brands to shame

    A couple of months ago, I met Danny Giacopelli in London while I was over Mc’ing Brands and Culture. Danny writes For Starters. A super fun newsletter all about starting cool businesses. Danny is a New Yorker who lives in London (at the Barbican, maybe the coolest place to live ever), and he spent years at Monocle and then ran Courier, so he’s been telling business stories his whole career. We get into the big word that is “community”, the businesses he’s obsessed with right now, the analog comeback, and his case for buying a business instead of starting one. There are lessons in here for small businesses, new media folks, and also lots of lessons that bigger brands often overlook. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/O16MoPBlM3I Meet Danny Giacopelli Danny Giacopelli is the founder of For Starters, an independent weekly newsletter for the next generation of small business owners, read by thousands around the world every Friday. He got his start hosting one of the podcast industry’s earliest business shows, The Entrepreneurs, at Monocle, then became editor of Courier, the global magazine about working on your own terms (later acquired by Mailchimp). Born and raised in New York, he’s lived in London for 16 years. And yes, his newsletter’s address just says “Barbican.” Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 02:11 — MEET FOR STARTERS // From Monocle to Courier to his own thing: the best newsletter for the next generation of small business owners. 02:58 — THE BARBICAN FLEX // His newsletter just lists “Barbican” as the address. I mean, come on. 04:36 — THE SMALL BUSINESS BUG // The best stories are the people who failed and kept going, not the ones who raised a fortune. 10:42 — BUILDING IN PUBLIC, ON PURPOSE // Danny mapped the business model from day one. Memberships, partnerships, and products and, yes, community. 13:56 — YOU CAN’T BUILD A COMMUNITY // You can only nurture one. The nicher the topic, the better. And how brands can actually buy communities but they can’t forget to feed them. 16:52 — NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS EASY // You can’t copy someone’s viral playbook, only learn their process. Legacy “5 tips to a billion” media is b******t. 20:08 — THE BUSINESSES HE LOVES // All Day Goods turning restaurant plastic into knives. Yanaa’s real-food energy pouches. Storytelling like Paynter. 24:56 — WHAT ELSE CAN A PRODUCT BE? // Milkadamia ships oat milk as dissolvable sheets instead of water. Change the format, change the business. 27:02 — THE ANALOG RENAISSANCE // Landlines, vinyl, sweet shops, bookstores. Real sales. And a big response to AI. 38:13 — BUY IT, DON’T BUILD IT // Millions of boomer businesses need a successor. Buy one. 39:33 — BUILD FOR THE SILVERS // Everyone chases Gen Z. Wealthy 65-to-70s are underserved, and every product made for them is cringe. 42:19 — TELL THE BETTER STORY // The bodega owner who came from nothing beats the Wharton-to-McKinsey grad every time. Hero’s journey, learned the hard way. 44:11 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend he’s most excited about. And what most brands get wrong. Huge thanks to Danny for coming on. Read For Starters and find him on Instagram. 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 +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

  • July 29 · 53 min

    The pie is infinite. Act like it.

    We’ve been trying to get Melissa Rosenfield on the pod for about a year. As you’ll see through the episode, she’s a lady in demand! We finally made it happen, and it was worth the wait. We met Melissa four or five years ago, and the friendship was instant. As was the admiration. Every time we run into her at Cannes or SXSW, we walk away wishing we’d gotten more Melissa time. PR can be a strange, icky business. It never has to be but it gets that rep for lots of reasons. Melissa’s approach is totally the opposite. We get into what’s changed in PR in just the last eight months, why the spray-and-pray pitch is dead, the problem with over-optimized positioning, and why “generosity is a flywheel.” If you run a brand or work in comms, this one’s for you. Enjoy! Meet Melissa Rosenfield Melissa Rosenfield is the founder of IFP Communications, a New York agency known for making heritage brands relevant again and challenger brands impossible to ignore. Before IFP, she was the Viceroy Hotel Group’s first-ever Director of Vibe. She writes In Fine Print on Substack, and has been named a PR News Top Woman in PR and a multi-year Inc. Power Partner. Find Melissa on LinkedIn, subscribe to In Fine Print, and see more at ifpcommunications.com. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 02:22 — THE WORLD’S FIRST DIRECTOR OF VIBE // Melissa’s story. From director of vibes to today. 05:18 — CALCULATED RISK, ALWAYS // Every good move is a calculated risk, and you have to let an idea sit before you kill it. 07:20 — PR’S SUBSTACK MOMENT // The talented writers went independent, and earned media feels like the early days of Instagram. 09:24 — STOP SENDING THE GENERIC PITCH // Getting 700 pitches a week. Lazy blasts do more harm than good. Be a human. 15:23 — THE HAIR TIE THAT WON THE WORLD CUP // Over-optimized positioning kills discovery. Loosen the reins and let people run with it. 22:20 — WHY GOOD PR IS SLOW // In the age of AI speed, the things that actually build a brand take time. 24:15 — STILL HERE IN 150 YEARS // A watch CMO said the only real KPI was longevity of the brand. 28:01 — NOBODY FOLLOWS A BRAND ON LINKEDIN // People follow founders, not logos. Richard Branson is the OG blueprint. 31:01 — THE C-SUITE PERSONAL BRAND DILEMMA// Building up a great exec isn’t a threat. Done right, like most things, it raises the whole ship. 34:09 — HOW TO FIX CANNES // Fewer six-figure CEO panels, more of the people actually in the weeds doing the work. 40:07 — MAKE A SEAT AT THE TABLE // Stop asking where your seat is and start creating seats for other people. 46:56 — GENEROSITY IS A FLYWHEEL // Give it away. The pie is infinite, and abundance always beats scarcity. 50:10 — EVERYBODY LOVES A COMEBACK // Take the calculated risk, and do your own PR hard in your first three years. Huge thanks to Melissa for coming on. If you need PR help. Or are starting out and want to learn the ropes from an expert, sub to her letter : ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • July 22 · 52 min

    Sitting in discomfort is a superpower

    Last year at Paradigms, in Marrakesh, I had a front row seat to Nu Goteh’s talk. Nu is one of those speakers who drops so many gems that you feel a bit dizzy after the talk. He’s philosophical, funny and just really delightful to listen to. We get into learning in public, where his fearlessness comes from (Liberia, a refugee at three, a tribe of storytellers), why sitting in discomfort is the ultimate superpower. If you’re starting your career, navigating change, thinking about the future, or are a keynote speaker in the making and want some thinking from someone that does it on the regular, this one is for you. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/0GwqdrxRyE4 Meet Nu Goteh Nu Goteh is the founder of the strategy and design studio Room for Magic and co-founder of Deem Journal, a platform for design as social practice. Born in Liberia and raised in the US after arriving as a refugee at three, he spent 15 years marketing for brands like Puma, Red Bull, and Sonos before turning to work that sits at the intersection of design, culture, and dignity. He won the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for emerging designer, and he’s one of the most magnetic keynote speakers you’ll ever see. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 02:54 — WISDOM AT PARADIGMS // Chris saw Nu give one of the most soulful talks of the whole conference and knew Kirsten would love him. 04:45 — THE PERFORMANCE // Lessons on keynote speaking. The first person you need to satisfy is yourself. 08:23 — ROOM FOR MAGIC // Meaning-making meets form-making. 12:17 — LEARNING IN PUBLIC // His talks open with vulnerability, not authority. “Come along while I figure it out.” 17:49 — WHERE IT COMES FROM // Born in Liberia, a refugee at three. What his tribe taught him about storytelling, emotion, and ‘facts’. 20:14 — “WHAT’S AN INSIGHT?” // An insight is a hidden human truth. Who does it best? Comedians. 25:25 — THE WOBBLY SPEEDBOAT // The ambiguous space is the one that’s increasing in value. 28:31 — NOBODY DOES IT ALONE // A shout out to his wife, and killing the myth of the single person doing it all. 32:48 — DISCOMFORT IS THE SUPERPOWER // Sitting in discomfort is the biggest one there is. 35:43 — SHROOMS IN THE HOT TUB // His monthly practice in accepting discomfort. 44:55 — NOBODY’S COMING TO SAVE US // So step forward. The universe tends to meet you when you do. 48:23 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend that excites and scares him. And what brands keep getting wrong. Huge thanks to Nu for taking us on this one. Find him on Instagram, read Deem Journal, and see Room for Magic. 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 +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

  • July 15 · 44 min

    Everyone's hiring a hand-painter

    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. 02:44 — MALE ORIENTATION // Men’s health has moved out of the shadows. Much like women’s health (PCOS, peri/menopause, etc), people are openly discussing male fertility, hormones, and ED. And brands are building to meet the conversation. Places it’s showing up: * Sperm-maxxing is trending. Sperm health is being reframed as a vital sign worth tracking. * Hone sells TRT. Legacy sells at-home sperm freezing. Mojo treats ED on a mind, body, and communication model. * The manosphere pushback is getting louder. Pendulum Swing → The flip side of this is the (sad) anxiety-related underbelly. The Trinity Stack has men mixing GLP-1, growth hormone, and androgens at home. All of this sits very adjacent to look-maxxing. 2. 10:07 — CREDITING CREDITING// There’s so much talk about not appreciating humans. But there are lots of examples lately of the inverse, too. The people behind the work being applauded. Places it’s showing up: * Following in the footsteps of Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Alaïa, Balenciaga brought out their studio team at the end of their latest couture show. * Canva’s CMO worked the door at her team’s Pride party. * Yungblud pulled his producer on stage to thank her. * “Shot by” credits are creeping back onto billboards. Pendulum Swing → Meanwhile, AI isn’t killing jobs, but companies keep blaming it for the headcount they cut anyway. 3. 20:13 — ROOM WITH REACH // Corporate gatherings as gathering-content-opportunity for creators is gathering steam. Places it’s showing up: * Cannes used to be about the awards. But Instagram wouldn’t know it. Creators flocked in to make content and connections. B2B is now entertaining the masses. * Oatly’s corporate gathering was a very tasteful, made-for-the-feed affair. * Substack’s first media summit did the same. * Goop Kitchen co-hosted a low-key creator picnic in the park with Katie Stone. Pendulum Swing → With Meta glasses and every device running Granola all day, closed doors will grow faster and faster. Phoebe Bridgers phone-free concerts are just the cusp. 4. 30:59 — CANDOR CAPITAL // Founders are making candor work for them. And, honest conversation is being sought outside the comment section. Places it’s showing up: * Topicals’ founder posted about her flop and asked the audience to diagnose it. They loved being asked. * Peter Rahal, founder of David, went vulnerable with Emily Sundberg, and it worked. * Creator trust is shifting toward direct relationships: DMs, paywalled Substack comment sections and chats, group chats, and private communities. (We discussed this in particular at length in the last GOOD SIGNS) Pendulum Swing → Zuck sat for Emily Sundberg’s interview and played it safe. No candor = no payoff. 5. 40:28 — HIRING HUMAN HANDS // Commissioning handmade moments, especially live ones, is becoming the flex. Places it’s showing up: * Fred Again had a 72-year-old sign painter hand-paint his India tour poster. * I’ve been saying brands should hire sketch artists. Live drawing is about to have a moment. * Soof Flash treats garment repair like tattooing. Imperfection is the point. Pendulum Swing → The AI flood is rising. Being “AI-pilled” runs $7,449 per employee a month, and Eternal turns your bloodwork into an unnecessary podcast. Letters and pods referenced: * Oatly makes “corporate” look good * Levi’s doesn’t need a logo. Trophy-worthy. * What was Skims thinking? * LVMH wants to buy Hyrox? * Cannes hot (very hot) takes * Topicals’ founder shared a brand flop. It worked. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • July 8 · 44 min

    Topicals' founder shared a brand flop. It worked.

    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 comes to social. We’ve wanted this one to happen for ages, and it’s finally here. Enjoy! Meet Byron Byron got his start in sneaker retail back when “social strategy” barely existed as a term. From there: fashion media, then back to retail and the agency side, building social, content, and influencer strategies for Nike, Jordan, adidas, TikTok, Levi’s, Wingstop, Chipotle, and more. Today, he’s Senior Director of Social for a portfolio of heritage fashion and retail brands, and he writes Tapped In, a Substack read by 3,000+ marketers, creatives, and strategists. In short: he thinks outside the social box, and we’re better for it. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 02:11 — TAPPED IN // How Bryon got to where he is today. 03:21 — BYRON’S INTERNET // Everyone says they have their own internet. Byron actually does. And he refuses to stay in his box. Amen. 07:53 — CULTURE FIRST, SOCIAL SECOND // Social through a culture lens, not the other way around. 09:28 — SPORTS IS THE LAST UNIFIER // The Knicks might be the most unifying thing on the internet right now. Sport is the one piece of culture everyone can still rally around. 13:08 — PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE // Social commerce isn’t a trend anymore. And everyone’s still hunting for a TikTok shop person. 16:25 — ANTI-AI IS A FLEX // Right now, NOT using AI is a win. But it depends on your brand. Porsche can’t. Kalshi can. 19:37 — RETAIL CAN’T BE TRANSACTIONAL // Entertainment first, niche down, and go backwards to go forward. GAP, J.Crew, and yes, Chili’s is a heritage brand. 26:32 — THE UNTAPPED PLATFORMS // Reddit, streamers, and YouTube. 30:35 — SUBSTACK FOR BRANDS // You can’t just show up and perform there. It takes a real perspective and a dedicated team. 32:48 — COMMENTS EQUAL CONTENT // Social listening is the lowest-hanging fruit there is. Look at your own comments, and you’ll never run out of ideas. 34:09 — TRANSPARENCY IS THE FLEX // The Topicals founder didn’t hide that her brand Bread’s new launch flopped. Put your face out there. Be transparent. People become bigger fans of it. 40:02 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend Byron’s most excited about. And what brands keep getting wrong. Huge thanks to Byron for coming on. Find him on LinkedIn and subscribe to Tapped In! 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 +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

  • July 1 · 1 hr 26 min

    Cannes hot (very hot) takes

    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 reinvent this whole thing, because what else are two fresh pairs of eyes good for? Quick note: this email will get cut off by all the photos. Carry on in the browser for the pics. Enjoy! Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy * 00:00 — No five takeaways. One giant episode of hot takes (live from a heat dome). * 03:04 — The many worlds of Cannes, and why we happily fit in none of them. * 08:32 — Creators are walking ad platforms now. And dominated the conversation. * 11:12 — Every AI panel opened with the same Claude-written line. * 13:29 — Amazon built a whole port of partners, but missed the one ‘Amazon’ moment. * 16:51 — Cîroc ditched the panels for a wellness villa. Brave. Smart. * 20:56 — Female Quotient got the memo. Even brought daycare. So many claps. * 24:16 — Canva dominated for many reasons. Their own CMO running the line was icing. * 29:07 — Brand Innovators went bigger. * 29:52 — Pinterest wants you offline, and this year they focused the message. * 33:16 — TikTok’s cold room won. The scent bar less so. * 36:51 — Meta filmed your content for you. And provided a breeze. * 41:06 — Edelman House lived up to the promise. A home away from home. * 43:22 — Our dinner: breathwork, phones away, masks off. Such an amazing evening. * 46:31 — The AI Tech Sandbox was beautifully built, yet empty. We have some guesses. * 46:58 — Yahoo looked very cute. But yet again it was quiet. Minus 1 exceptional dinner. * 47:16 — Uber handed out free pizza at 1am. Kings of the gutter bar. * 49:13 — PayPal’s patisserie was a meeting you wanted to go to. * 50:05 — DoorDash had nice amenities. Next year, they could deliver more (literally). * 51:25 — Google and YouTube became the creator hub they wanted to be. * 53:29 — Breakfast with Knotch and chatting about AI tools that actually make sense. * 54:23 — Our happy hour. Feet in the sand. Lovely company. * 55:04 — Our swim. People want to get in the water. With or without the heat dome. * 55:53 — Substack’s breakfast was cute but needed a host. We have ideas. * 56:06 — Collins House. Always exceptional. Always a breath of fresh air. * 58:28 — Burgers Magic Frites was the house party you really wanted to get into. * 1:00:24 — The Carlton is still worth every visit. Crowded but so many familiar faces. * 1:00:52 — Brands & Culture do it right every time. And Kirsten moderated a panel. * 1:01:59 — LinkedIn’s rooftop was nice, but felt a little less integrated this year. * 1:03:22 — Dept’s Souvenir Shop/Secret Garden were the stars/sleeper hit of the week. * 1:05:10 — The Wall Street Journal brought serenity and great conversations. * 1:07:07 — Sport Beach turned us away. But we still discuss it (briefly). * 1:07:59 — Spotify had the hardest ticket in town. * 1:08:22 — Reddit brought real food, and it felt like a new era for them. * 1:13:01 — Adobe is an OG in Cannes, but might be getting out-hustled by Canva. * 1:13:58 — Snapchat. What. Was. Happening?! * 1:17:39 — Grindr’s bus was pure energy in a little footprint. Winning staff. * 1:18:19 — ManyChat went full analog. But maybe you actually missed the brand? * 1:20:00 — Foster Kramer had the crowd Substack missed. A delight in person. * 1:22:19 — The basement, where the work actually lives. Why you go + what’s missing. * 1:24:02 — The awards, and a real push for human creativity. AMAZON A PORT, NOT A PLACE // Amazon built this whole “port” of partner spaces, Twitch, IMDB. All were very cute. Oprah’s gratitude corner, especially. And the rosé fountain in the bar was cute. But the overall brand felt a bit disjointed. And the heat made fun experiences like caricatures an impossibility. Fixable things. But also next year, the yacht, pls. CÎROC ALLS WELL // Cîroc went bold. No panels, all wellness villa: paddle, massages, IV drips (mildly controversial), a helicopter just sitting there. We bet a lot of brands copy this next year. FEMALE QUOTIENT GOT THE MEMO // FQ leveled all the way up. Down on the beach now, with a charm bar, a very smart matcha-ordering situation, swag you’d actually keep, great line-ups, a rooftop for meetings, and daycare so panelists with kids could still show up. They clearly know their audience. CANVA LIVED VALUES, GOOD VIBES // Canva’s always great, but this year it was an experience the whole way through. Pool stage, good experiential moments, XP Land, the best Pride party on the Croisette. But the best part was their C-Suite running the lines on the last night, so their teams could celebrate. Obviously, no one else would know that. And that’s what was so f-ing cool about it. Very inspiring. Love them even more. BRAND INNOVATORS BIGGER, DARKER, COOLER // Big move to the beach. Private cabana offices around the edges for sponsors. A bit dark but certainly cooler. Like many, the casting of the panels was 1 creator to many brands. Not wrong, but felt a bit traditional. PINTEREST CLEARLY GOOD // Always the most experiential, but this year the message felt tighter: we’re an online platform that wants you living your IRL life. Bleach/hair salon, tattoos themed to their 2026 predictions, DIY notebooks. Only note: they shaded the patisserie, which was kind of the whole show last year. Just wish there had been a way to check in for some experiences as the lines in the heat were TOUGH. TIKTOK COOL BUT SMELLY // Fully enclosed, fully air conditioned, which was lovely. Closing off the room for talks is nice for noise, but hard when running late is a perpetual Cannes-life problem. The build-your-own scent bar inside was tough. Macy’s fragrance floor smells. TikTok has the right team, but really needs to figure out its brand (the kind with a capital B). META SURPRISINGLY ELEVATED // We did not expect “elevated” from Meta, but got it. A whole gradient event sub-brand, a flower Mobius you walk through, very rad uniforms. The creator vignettes (Laila Gohar, Yuki Kawae, Louis Rubi — who did the uniforms, and more) were staffed with creators to help you get perfect content. The only ding was the grumpy staff (not the event producers, who were a delight). In fairness, the heat was criminally difficult. EDELMAN HOUSE A REAL HOUSE // First activation they’ve ever done, and it was the one place that actually felt like a house, not “come see our brand.” AC, coffee, matcha, popsicles, cold towels, happy hour every day, open to everyone. Great clients (hi, Victoria’s Secret’s new CMO), genuinely delightful staff. Nailed it. OUR DINNER MASKS OFF // Twenty people, cocktails, then breathwork with our good friend Michael, then the kind of real conversation nobody else was making room for. Not the 27th creator-slash-AI chat. A meaningful connection in a sea of networking. Thank you to Edelman for giving us the keys for the night. AI TECH SANDBOX GOOD BUT MISSED // Beautifully fabricated. Completely empty. Rows of demos, a robot, and nobody touching any of it. Build for what people want, not for what you want to show them. YAHOO CUTE BUT QUIET // Visually cute, as always. But mostly a meeting space with no real reason to wander in. But Emily Sundberg hosted a dinner there. A big get for Yahoo. UBER FREE PIZZA, ZERO CREDIT // After 1am, right by the gutter bar, Uber gave everyone whole free pizzas. There was a bit more opportunity to own the moment. And given that Uber is essentially the bus system of the entire Croisette, they could go (meaningfully) bigger. PAYPAL SIMPLE BUT WORKED // PayPal took over an actual patisserie for meetings and made it adorable. DOORDASH A+ AMENITIES // Bigger this year and well done. The market of amenities was very on brand. But next year, they could deliver on what they are known for in a cool way. GOOGLE / YOUTUBE THE CREATOR HUB // A functioning restaurant, car experiences, demos, all checked the box. But our friend Trigg told us it became the place creators came to find each other which was cool. Just, please, more airflow. KNOTCH DONE RIGHT // We try to steer clear of ad-tech, but Knotch has a lovely team and a genuinely cool product: custom AI-built websites tailored to each person (their first client is Google, which is pretty rad). This is the AI we like, very Age of Authorship. Not replacing human creativity, just leveling up your experience. Not paid to say it. Just like the folx. OUR HAPPY HOUR & SWIM THE REPRIEVE // Feet in the sand, bodies in the water, brilliant people. Loved it. SUBSTACK MORE TO COME // Held at Collins House. Fantastic venue and great food. And we love the Substack team. But it was missing a bit of energy. Like every intimate party, it would have benefited from a very good host who intro’d you to rad people. Next year, they’ll go bigger, surely. We have ideas. COLLINS HOUSE ALWAYS HOME // Beautiful as ever. Brian and the boys just do it right: interesting speakers, good chat, a great singer at the after-party, and actual wind. People post up there all day and skip the Croisette entirely. Next year we want a speaking slot ;) BURGERS MAGIC FRITES HOUSE PARTY // Felt exactly like a friend’s house party, because it basically is one. Perfect food when everyone’s absolutely ravenous, a more art-side crowd, and a vibe totally different from the corporate day. Loved it. CARLTON HOTEL STILL THE MOVE // Everyone poo-poos the Carlton (too crowded, too much), but it’s still where you run into everyone (hi Lara Jackson, hi Hector). Pricey, delicious, ruthlessly professional waiters, and blessedly air-conditioned. We needed it. BRANDS & CULTURE REAL COMMUNITY // Brands & Culture always does great programming. Kirsten moderated one panel with the CMOs of Grindr and Strava, plus Stephen from De-yan. Joe, Charlotte, Michelle, Piotr, and team are the loveliest hosts, and they’re headed to New York on Nov 5th. Go. LINKEDIN LESS LINKED // Same rooftop, but it felt a touch less special this year. The TV-and-headphones setup for the talks was a nice touch, though. We still have no idea what the Cymbiotika tie-in was but we do love a little magnesium. DEPT THE OTHER FAMOUS ORANGE BAG // The sleeper hit of Cannes. Department’s orange-and-white striped bag was the thing everyone stopped you to ask about, and the Souvenir Shop pop-up was basically Colette. Real, high-quality product (not junk merch), plus a shaded garden with food and talks was truly an oasis. We’ll be back next year. WSJ SERENITY NOW // Lovely and sophisticated, just as you’d expect. Easy check-in, cute totes, coffee bar, and an air-conditioned room with excellent speakers all week. It felt serious in the best way. The wellness patio (compression boots, massage, LED face masks) was fully booked, obviously. SPORT BEACH EVENT IN AN EVENT // We got turned away at the door for agency affiliation, press passes be damned. But we don’t hold grudges. It’s become an event within the event, very athlete-forward and huge. Some people just never leave. A destination within a destination, like Collins, albeit VERY different vibes. SPOTIFY HARDEST TICKET // The ticket(s) of the week. Huge shows every single night (Raye, Mumford & Sons, so many more). Impossible to get into, even when you knew the people. Cool partnership with PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS all week. REDDIT REAL PEOPLE, REAL FOOD // Really nicely done, and it felt like a new era for them. A cute, well-branded deli serving actual food all day, tied straight to their new “We love real people” campaign. We had one tiny note that many need to learn. ADOBE COOL BUT OUT-HUSTLED // Big Cannes Lions sponsor, good work with the Young Lions, but Canva showed up with pure challenger energy and made Adobe look old-school. And the Firefly “be a Disney Imagineer” demo was really disappointing. We adore both brands, so it was confusing. SNAPCHAT NOT READY // Wowza. A whole building by the Carlton, Evan’s giant face on a billboard, a weird library waiting room, and a tiny elevator instead of the gorgeous staircase. Then: comically large glasses, tech that flat-out didn’t work, zero instructions, and an AI-portrait that was so bizarre. Evan is doing great philanthropic things, we want them to do well, but this missed in every way. GRINDR BACK IN CULTURE // A bus with a simple spinning wheel but actually good swag, run by a team who sprinted over the second you looked interested. Great energy, very on brand, and a brand that’s clearly clawing its way back into culture. We were into it. MANYCHAT CUTE, BUT WHY // The analog postcard station was adorable. The little shelf to film yourself writing was very cute. But did it connect to ManyChat’s offering in any way? Not really. I bet they’ll go bigger next year. FOSTER KRAMER THE RIGHT CROWD // A rad wine bar outside town, Foster Kamer’s perfect playlist, cigarettes on the table (like every cool party we’ve attended this year), and a proper Substack-and-journalist crowd. We capped it off with a gloriously absurd casino nightcap with the brilliant Ben Dietz (who hosted a fantastic Breakfast Club where I got to chat with Casey Lewis, finally!) and the ever delightful Max Tani from Semafor. THE BASEMENT WHERE THE WORK LIVES // We walked the work, which, weirdly, a lot of people skip. It’s cold (a reprieve) and full of reverence for the craft, but it’s a little snoozy next to the circus outside. There could be a way for this to level up without being a spectacle. THE AWARDS HUMAN WINS // Glamorous, red-carpety, genuinely emotional, whole teams storming the stage (Heineken brought the bottles). Jurors told us there was a real effort this year to reward human creativity over AI, a hard pivot from last year. There were no five neat takeaways. The whole thing was a hot take. Hopefully, a useful one. But before we go, we leave you with this because we could not help ourselves. Most Cannes ads are hysterically bad. Enjoy. ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • June 24 · 45 min

    "The right thing is the right thing" is a strategy

    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 for someone who covers and works this industry for a living. It’s a fun one. Enjoy! Meet Anthony Vennare Anthony Vennare is co-founder and CEO of Fitt, the platform connecting the people and organizations building the future of health. He works with founders, executives, and investors across fitness, wellness, healthcare, and longevity through media—consumer- and B2B-facing—recruiting, PR, and capital. Truly one of the good ones. Find him on LinkedIn. Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 02:25 — THE FITT INSIDER MODEL // Writers who don’t know their own traffic. Revenue lives everywhere except the newsletter. 10:47 — THE RIGHT THING IS THE RIGHT THING // His dad’s saying. A phrase to guide you through life. 13:14 — EVENTS ARE BROKEN // Pay-to-play makes everyone unhappy. How Fitt is approaching it. 16:33 — EUDEMONIA // An event within an event. Business gets done at the sauna, not on the panel. 19:22 — THE 2026 SCOUTING REPORT // Brands that didn’t know they were in it until launch day. One raised $5M after. Read it here. 22:19 — THE TRENDS // Validated products. Home health. Hormones and peptides. And more. 31:00 — FRINGE // Health and wellness trends Anthony is watching. Off-grid analog spaces. Living near the people you love. And things he’s watching before they’re trends. 33:57 — THE STACK // No wearables. Daily sauna with friends. Magnesium, zinc, creatine. That’s it, folx. 37:35 — WHAT’S NEXT FOR FITT // Why healthcare is the space everyone should be watching. And Wellworthy becoming the ‘Barstool’ of wellness. 43:14 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend Anthony’s most excited about. And who’s getting it right. Huge thanks to Anthony for coming on. And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com. 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 +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

  • June 17 · 32 min

    Hot dips and serendipity: A Cannes guide

    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, this is for you. 02:50 — HOW CANNES HAS CHANGED // It used to be about the awards. Now the programming is the main draw. 04:35 — BEING AN OUTSIDER IS FINE // No pass, no problem. Go open and let the run-ins happen. 05:00 — WHERE TO MEET // The properties with real space to actually talk to someone. 09:30 — TOO MANY PANELS // You panel out by day two. Some brands like Cîroc are offering fun alternatives. 11:58 — THE ACTIVATIONS WE LOVED // Where we’d go first and why. * Pinterest Manifestival: 100% worth it. * Female Quotient: Best panels last year. * Canva: Chill vibes, morning sound baths, and a proper coffee bar. * Collins House: Lovely villa, great talks, actual space to meet. See you at the Substack private breakfast on Thursday? * Adobe: Big property, festival-affiliated. * LinkedIn: Big property and spaces for creators if you are one. * TikTok: Well-organized last year. * Brands & Culture: Open to everyone, great content, we love Charlotte and Jo. * Edelman: Cooling towels and popsicles in the afternoon. Sounds like it will be lovely. * Cîroc Athletic Club: No panels, IV drips, paddle, massages, drinks. We’ll be there on Wednesday afternoon, if you’re there. * World Woman Foundation: New to us this year. * You’ll find tons more as you walk around. 12:49 — PRE-WORK // Walk the footprint, register for every event individually, and bring 10 battery packs. 16:02 — SHOES, PACKING, AND THE HEAT // Lightweight sneakers, zero synthetics, hats, and scheduled outfit changes. 19:03 — GO TO THE BASEMENT FOR THE AWARDS // If you’ve got a badge, go see the work downstairs. It brings you back to why this whole thing exists. 20:22 — THE DIPS // Warm dip is not it. Don’t forget to get real food in your body. 21:27 — WHERE TO EAT // The Japanese spot and beachside with your feet in the sand. My small saved list (use code GOODTHINKING) 24:27 — BOOK THE CAR + GETTING AROUND // Pre-book your taxis, carry-on only because strikes are real, and budget 30 minutes to walk everywhere. Hit reply if you need a recc re: taxis. 27:17 — COFFEE + THE SUPERMARKET MOVE // Stock your fridge with fruit for the 5pm crash. Good Mate and Copenhagen are your best coffee bets. Also, don’t miss Breakfast Club. Tuesday 9:00am, open invite to all. Check Breakfastclubbing.com as the venue may change. 28:25 — SWIM, MONOPRIX, AND PLAN LESS // Swim in the ocean at least once, hit up Monoprix for cute hats, and leave room for spontaneity. Join us for a Friday morning swim. Hit reply. Finally, friend of the letter, Jeanine, also put together a Spotify playlist for fun flight vibes. Have the best time. It’s going to be hot, you’ll be tired, and you’ll come back with a good story. That’s all, folx. – Chris PS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. PPS — Our job board is live. Post a job!ABOUT Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless 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

  • June 11 · 44 min

    Experiential is going long-format

    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 DEAL // Brands have been funding the arts (see this episode). Now they’re funding infrastructure. Places it’s showing up: * The Ordinary ran a free express bus between Domino Park and Prospect Park, eliminating a despised 50-minute subway route. * The UK is dropping intricate designer tiles into standard public toilets. Not brand-sponsored but could have been. * Starbucks opened an EV lounge next to a Ford dealer. Rivian has its Outposts. Pendulum Swing → Meanwhile, brands are backing out of public life entirely. The Pride flags came down. 2. 08:30 — PRIVATE SOURCE // Nobody trusts influencer reccs anymore. Everyone’s bought. Except for the community you pay to be in Conversations are happening in the DMs. And platforms are building for your personal taste and sphere. Places it’s showing up: * Real decisions happen in Substack group chats now. “Best private chef in Chamonix?” Your paid-sub-friends are there to answer it. * The founder of Yellow Trace says the honest talk lives in her DMs and at afterparties. Not in public. * The Mall and Phia turn your receipts and your closet into a feed your friends can shop. Pendulum Swing → Brands can’t buy their way in. When Satisfy and Adidas tried with their Circle Pit, the Substackers came for them from every direction. 3. 20:13 — LONG-FORMAT EXPERIENTIAL // Experiential is going long-format. Something with many parts you can sit with, sleep in, and come back to. It’s the 5-minute movie ad version of experiences. Places it’s showing up: * Design Within Reach turned a historic property into a rentable home with Boutique Homes. I’d move into the Boathouse. * Delta’s Flow State Flight starts with a focus kit on every seat and ends with a lounge waiting for you inside Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design. * Fortnum & Mason put a picnic on a boat down the Thames. Pendulum Swing → Balenciaga’s burner account is filled with iPhone photos to keep their permanent feed clean, but gives you a less filtered view. 4. 27:18 — BOT BUYERS // Agents fill and handle your cart now. But beware, you risk becoming a wholesaler and a random SKU. Places it’s showing up: * Google’s Universal Cart lets you add products from any retailer across Search, Gmail, Gemini, and YouTube. * Meta is rolling out WhatsApp AI agents that recommend products and book appointments for you. * Robinhood’s new agentic card makes purchases on your behalf. Pendulum Swing → Relationships are paying off. Evereve is near $450M on stylists who give you an hour, no commission. 5. 35:41 — RISK AVERSE // Uncertainty has everyone hedging their bets. Especially when it comes to the ‘kids’. We want guarantees, refunds, and safe outcomes. It’s risk-aversion to the max. Places it’s showing up: * Founders School will refund your $600K tuition if you don’t make $1M by graduation. * Wealthy families are sending kids to school for fiscal prudence. * 1-in-10 teens can’t leave the house without an adult. 80% can’t leave the neighborhood. Pendulum Swing → Boom Boom is finally here, steak and booze and leather. We only want puritanical vibes from our children, apparently. Letters referenced: * Design Within Reach made an Airbnb (ps. it not actually an Airbnb) * Free People backs the girls, literally * Adidas’s 5-min ad might be the future * Balenciaga made a burner account That’s all, folx. – Chris PS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

  • June 3 · 46 min

    Substack wants you to have fun and make money

    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 the event, Emily Sundberg’s superb interviewing skills. And my notes from TBPN’s Dylan , Jasmine Sun , Priya Parker , Alice Ma . Plus my fave line from Chris Best (that I definitely butcher). Enjoy! Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 01:04 — KNOW YOUR DIFFERENCE // Sometimes noticing things is a gift and a curse. But there were some lessons to be learned about understanding what makes you different. 13:34 — SUBSTACK’S FIRST SUMMIT // First big media summit, 150 people, a stunning townhouse, and really nice backdrops. 19:12 — MAKE WHAT YOU LIKE // Emily Sundberg is secretly (or maybe not, and it’s just new to me) an amazing interviewer. We also chat about what Dylan shared about the secrets to TBNP’s success. 25:57 — HAVE STYLE + TYPOS //Why writing style is suddenly a critical, and some good lessons on actually promoting your work after you put it out. 32:36 — THE ART OF FIGHTING // Priya Parker got a room of introverts to share something. It was an amazing part of the day. 37:32 — CREATIVITY FIRST // Why data will kill every good thing if you let it lead.. 43:26 — WHAT TIES IT TOGETHER // Everyone at the summit was making the thing they wanted to make. Chris Best said it plainly: have fun, make money. Please note: In case it’s no abundantly clear after listening. I actually love RISD. And just want the best for it. That’s all, folx. – Chris If 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

  • May 27 · 49 min

    Being a generalist is finally cool again

    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 links to skip to the bits you fancy 00:59 — DON’T STAY IN YOUR LANE // Why you shouldn’t always niche down. Especially right now. 01:36 — THE CAREER CASE // “You can do all of the things and do them well. Don’t let anybody put you in a corner.” 04:50 — BREAKING THE MOULD ON PURPOSE // RISD had an entire semester built around getting out of your silo. It was formative. 07:22 — DANGEROUS ADVICE // “The minute I stopped listening to somebody else’s opinion and listened to my own, things got better.” 10:33 — YOUR CONSUMER DOESN’T LIVE IN YOUR CATEGORY // “There is not one consumer who operates in your category solely. Not one.” So why do brands keep acting like they do? 15:01 — THE BEGINNER’S MINDSET // Why wellness, pet, and DTC brands all look the same. Being an outsider can be an advantage. 18:01 — THE BRANDS DOING IT RIGHT // Southwest. Gap. Othership. The ones winning are thinking bigger than their competitor set. 21:28 — THE GANNI CONTRACT // Ganni had one great store. Then they replicated it exactly. Over and over. “You are no longer fulfilling the contract of ‘experimental’ that I signed up for.” 33:37 — LAKE OR WELL? // Lakes go vast with pockets of enormous depth. Wells go very narrow, very deep. The ones who will struggle are the ones in the middle. Chris and Kirsten: lakes. Time to ponder your water status. 39:28 — YESSING YOU TO DEATH // Beware of the yes cycle. 43:00 — THE NON-NICHE NICHE // “I wrote the letter I wanted to receive.” GOOD THINKING as a case study. The connections between things is the niche, not the things. 48:14 — WHY SALONE IS WORKING // Salone went from tradeshow to showcasing the experiential side of your brand. Consumers are desperate to see a different side of the brands they love. Staying in your lane means missing that entirely. 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 +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

  • May 20 · 50 min

    Culture is a mirror

    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 a fun one. Enjoy! Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy 01:29 — BRANDS & CULTURE LONDON // I MC’d the Involve stage in London. Charlotte, Joe, and Michelle are killing it. Piotr is 04:32 — MAKE MISTAKES // Ruth Hooper, Women’s Super League. Women’s sports is perhaps the biggest cultural shift of our time, next to AI. It went from ignored to hot overnight. And that speed is tough. Ruth spoke about building at speed and being willing to make mistakes. Loved it. 11:55 — CULTURE IS A MIRROR // Patrick Boyce-Apps, Ladbrokes, had one of my fave lines of the day: “Culture is a mirror that you can give back to somebody and show them a side of themselves that they feel really good about.” His audience was completely unacknowledged. He changed it. And that changed everything. 16:24 — LOYALTY LEVERS // Zoë Phenix McCandless, United Repair Centre, was a sleeper hit. “By the time you get this repair back, you care more about that garment than when you sent it.” Repair was the topic but actually the lessons were all about how brands build loyalty today. It was really good. 21:35 — THE QUALITY CURRENCY // Clyde McKendrick, Nuevo. The attention economy is gone. The quality of the experience is the currency now. True in retail. But also beyond. 23:02 — THE FONT IS THE FEELING // Phil Garnham, ECD at Monotype gave a great talk on the power of typography. “Typography makes you feel something.” He also talked about the future. “There will be a brand typography for you and one for me and they might not look the same.” An interesting question for brand folx. 27:36 — DO THE DILIGENCE // Laura Ranzato, Clean Creatives. If your agency is working for Shell and you’re Nestlé, whose cocoa supply is being wrecked by fossil fuel deforestation, that’s not just a values issue. That’s a business issue. “Who do you want to be?” 31:44 — LUXURY FORGOT HOW TO HOLD THE MIRROR UP // Andre Bogues, Diageo Luxury, talked about why luxury needs more emotional, human-centered storytelling. We talked about some brands that are starting to do it well. 37:17 — HUMAN-CENTERED STORYTELLING // Cheryl Miller Houser, five-time main stage speaker at SXSW, had so many bangers in her talk it was hard to count. “Belonging isn’t about fitting in. It’s about accepting and seeing ourselves.” We discuss the brands she shared who are getting this right and why it matters. 41:28 — EVERY BRAND IS A CHALLENGER NOW // Will Poskett, basically the father of LinkedIn, and fellow lover of challenger brand mentality did a workshop on identifying the challenger in your brand. We love this topic. 43:04 — INVOLVE THE TEAM // Georgie and Keeley Goff, LOOKFANTASTIC, talked about building campaigns that shape your brand but also about involving the company in them. An underutilized lever that we also talk about in our Paradigms recap when Eugene Healey spoke about it. 44:35 — MAKE THE DEMO A GAME // Sportradar’s workshop was one of my faves. Talking about ad-tech is tough to make interesting. This workshop was actually successful at making it fun. Oh, and my team won. That’s all, folx. – Chris And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com. We’re opening it up in the next few months to a select few. If 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

  • May 13 · 51 min

    Is AI making brands more human?

    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 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. 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 +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

  • May 6 · 41 min

    The magic of cringe

    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 fancy 01:26 — 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. – Chris If 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. 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 +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

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes