What's old is new again

J. Crew and Old Navy bring back the 90s, and Youtubers take on Lunchables.

Today’s newsletter is a fun one (and long overdue!) so I’ll keep it this into short. There’s been a few fun highlights these past few weeks - a trip to Chicago, a new apartment, and the start of fall in Boston. Enjoy this post from the archives to close out the summer, and expect more regular programming. Fun things are brewing!

CURRENT [RE]CS:

• The Perfect Couple on Netflix

• Keeping TikTok off my phone

• Wild Fable at Target

• The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen: Great book, tough subject matter.

NEWS (in order of most recent)

• The ‘80s (and ‘90s) are back. Nostalgia is in full swing this month as J.Crew has relaunched its iconic catalog, a beloved staple that ran for over three decades before being discontinued in 2017. The comeback features Demi Moore on the cover, showcasing her vintage J.Crew collection, signaling the brand's embrace of its nostalgia-driven appeal. They’ve seen a strong response from lifelong fans (i.e. those who collected catalogs dating back to the 80s) and newer consumers buying into the brand for the first time. Similarly, Old Navy has celebrated its 30th anniversary with the '94 Reissue Collection, designed by Zac Posen. The team sourced vintage pieces from eBay and Depop, meticulously recreating many styles one-to-one

• Campbell Soup rebrands. Soup no more! The iconic brand is dropping the word “soup” and will now be called The Campbell's Company to better communicate the breadth of their offerings (they’ve expanded into Goldfish and Milano cookies) while maintaining equity in the Campbell’s name. It’s pending stakeholder approval (lol), but I’m sure their internal deck is referencing Dunkin’ dropping Donuts from their name. I just know it.

• M&Ms to the Rescue: With 78% of consumers expressing concern about running out of candy this Halloween, M&M's is introducing its first-ever Halloween Rescue BOOths. These pop-up shops will be located in high-demand areas like Philadelphia, PA, and Westfield, NJ. But that’s not all—M&M’s is also teaming up with Gopuff to ensure candy bowls get replenished in other cities without pop-up locations.

• Amazon launches new private-label brand: Amazon has introduced a private-label brand called Amazon Saver, characterized as a “no-frills” line, where most items are priced under $5​. This move is part of Amazon's broader strategy to strengthen its grocery segment, where it currently lags behind Walmart, holding only 2.7% of consumer grocery spending compared to Walmart’s 20%. By focusing on attractive pricing and ease of access, they are strategically positioning themselves to compete with WMT and other established players in the highly-competitive grocery business. Will be keeping tabs on this one!

• Youtube influencers care about your child’s lunch. Logan Paul, KSI and MrBeast launch Lunchly, their take on Lunchables that’ll come with MrBeasts’ chocolate bars and Paul’s Prime drink. I’m unconvinced that this concept will do anything to improve consumer perception of Prime - the brand saw a meteoric rise (because hype) but sales have since plummeted and they’ve been involved in multiple lawsuits.

• Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs are changing how people eat and shop, pointing to a new wave of wellness. Recently,

  Emily Sundberg
  opened up her chat for discourse about Ozempic and the way it’s seeping into marketing (it’s a good one!) . For those interested in the behavioral food aspect, studies show:

  • Improved eating habits among GLP-1 users, with 43% of users saying they're eating more protein and 45% claiming they’re cutting down on sugar.

  • Investing in better (pricier) options that fit their goals: 90% of them said they try new grocery products and brands, which is ~20% more than the average consumer.

  • A soft spot for Sweetgreen: In a separate study conducted by William Blair, Sweetgreen was the only restaurant in the survey that saw an increase in visits from those that had started taking GLP-1 medications. Proves the two points above and also that an $18 price point isn’t enough to deter people from eating okay salads.

• Kygo and real estate development partners have big plans for Miami. The real estate company, Continuum, acquired well-known Shuckers Waterfront Grill and the neighboring Best Western for $75M, with the goal of turning it into a Palm Tree Club featuring a high-end hotel and restaurant, a 20-boat slip marina, ~118 guest suites and a large pool with a music + Miami vibe. Putting his DJ skills to work, I see.

• Back to the basics: Audiophiles are increasingly seeking stripped-back music-only devices that remove the distractions of web browsers and apps. This shift toward simplified listening has sparked renewed interest in older formats like cassettes and CDs, although finding players for these in 2024 can be both difficult and pricey. I wonder if Sony will jump on this trend.

• More than half of Americans no longer believe college degrees are worth the investment. I’m sorry, who the hell is surprised? These colleges have lost the plot - between insane tuition prices, books and bespoke course material that run into the hundreds of dollars every semester, and housing/food (i.e. the basics), the rising expenses are, at its core, undisguised greed. This fall, a few colleges in New England will reach $90,000 in tuition and costs for undergraduate degrees. An almost 6-figure/year sticker price threatens the accessibility of education and hurts the populations that benefit the most from a college degree. And then they wonder why nihilism is on the rise.

• Is rotting in bed the new going out? SORRY, another troubling post. Today’s young adults (read: Gen Z) are more inclined to stay home, leading to the rise of an "introvert economy." It’s a little weird - on TikTok the #BedRotting has over 300 million views. Go outside, I tell myself!

Thanks for reading! <3

While I regroup with my brain for the next edition,

1. Read about my first time in Chicago,

2. Subscribe!