It's Monday
A quiet stunt with loud results
e.l.f. and Bubble Skincare swapped logos on social, prompting a wave of acquisition speculation. Fans assumed e.l.f. was making another Rhode-style move — until it was revealed as a National Best Friends Day collab. A cheeky autocorrect gag sealed the deal, and the internet did the rest. No paid push, just well-timed misdirection and fan-fueled hype.
This is a case study in engineered ambiguity — a marketing lever most brands don’t pull often enough.
Pinterest confirms what your customers already feel
The 2025 mid-year trend forecast from Pinterest is clear: Gen Z is checking out.
Searches for “digital detox” are up 72%. “Thrifted home decor” is up 488%. People want slow, intentional, real-life moments — book retreats, moody lighting, vintage textures. Think: Kinfolk vibes reimagined for TikTok.
The deeper shift: Consumers are moving from optimization to groundedness. This isn’t just an aesthetic pivot — it’s behavioral. They're intentionally resisting "always-on" culture in favor of quiet, low-stim environments. The online/offline pendulum is swinging back.
For brands: Reexamine how you're framing benefits. Wellness, fashion, and beauty brands will win by connecting their products to emotional refuge, not just utility. If your brand reads like hustle culture, it might be time to slow down.
🤝 Supported by Shipfusion
Getting someone interested in your coffee is one thing. But getting that order across the finish line–on time, well-packed, and worth reordering–is another.
We ordered from 40+ DTC coffee brands to see how the post-purchase experience really holds up. From checkout to delivery to unboxing, we tracked it all. The results? Missed opportunities, delays, and broken experiences that are costing brands repeat customers.
This first-of-its-kind report breaks down where brands are winning, where they’re falling short, and what you can do to build loyalty and boost retention.
In this report we cover:
Checkout experience
Fulfillment speed + accuracy
Shipping timelines + carriers used
Packaging quality + unboxing moments
Post-purchase communication
What brands are getting right—and where they’re losing customers
Want to see how your brand compares? Read the report.
AI is dividing the room — badly
At Cannes Lions, AI was either the future or the enemy — depending on who you asked.
Evan Horowitz, CEO of Movers+Shakers, says brand clients are split: some are banning AI across all creative, fearing backlash or brand dilution. Others are going full throttle, demanding AI tools in every workflow — from content creation to campaign execution.
The tension: Platforms are forcing the issue. Meta is rolling out full ad automation. Google has replaced search results with AI summaries. The question is no longer if you’ll use AI — but how.
The middle ground: Brands that win won’t just adopt AI — they’ll know where to use it. Personalization? Great. First drafts? Fine. But when it comes to CX or brand voice, human touch still wins. Strategy needs to lead the tech — not the other way around.
Tariff chaos is making operators panic
Judah Bergman of Jool Baby had seven containers en route from China when a U.S. court briefly ruled that Section 301 tariffs were unlawful. He considered paying $5K a day to delay unloading them — just to avoid unexpected fees. Then the court reversed its decision.
The bigger problem: The uncertainty triggered irrational decisions. Operators across categories scrambled to rush orders or reroute supply chains. Outlines founder Luke Barkley Young said every Chinese supplier he works with was swamped with last-minute panic orders from DTC brands.
Even if tariffs are lifted tomorrow, the trust damage is lasting.
“When this kind of volatility hits, brands stop trusting consistency altogether,” says Kevin Sides. “Even if tariffs go away, no one believes they’ll stay gone.”
The takeaway: Uncertainty warps more than forecasts — it breaks decision-making. Brands that win in this environment are building adaptive systems, not chasing stability.
