Playing the Wrong Game
On March 25, a California jury held Meta and Google liable for deliberately engineering their platforms to addict children, sidestepping the long‑standing federal shield that has protected Silicon Valley. The ruling marks the most consequential Big‑Tech verdict to date and signals a potential end‑game for the current social‑media model. Simultaneously, a growing cohort of affluent young users is abandoning smartphones for dumb‑phones and private communities, rejecting algorithmic feeds. Brands that continue to chase algorithmic scrollers risk wasted spend and diminishing relevance.
The Show Business of Brands
The article argues that the most valuable consumer brands are moving toward a premium‑focused model that serves fewer, higher‑spending customers while leveraging cultural production. It likens modern CMOs to television showrunners, responsible for crafting a coherent brand narrative that behaves...
Sell up, Not Out
The article argues that modern luxury is shifting from product performance to perceived quality, illustrated by Oishii’s $15 vertical‑farm strawberries and Quince’s $50 sweatshirt that rivals $1,500 designer equivalents. It labels this trend “premium mediocre,” where branding, packaging, and experience...
A Culture-Driven Organization
The article argues that culture should be the foundation of a business, not a peripheral marketing layer. In mature markets where product advantages fade quickly, cultural relevance becomes the durable moat that fuels pricing power, better unit economics, and sustained...
Legibility as Status
The article contrasts a "legibility economy"—where value stems from recognition by a select few—with an "access economy" that thrives on mass recognition. It uses Hermès’ limited‑edition "Quelle Idole" mini‑handbag and Taylor Swift’s ubiquitous branding as opposing case studies, illustrating how...
