There are rumors that Omnicom might retire the DDB brand. I’m usually in favor of brand managers killing brands, but, from a personal standpoint, DDB has a special place in my heart. I spent almost four years in the Stockholm office leading the strategy department, and most importantly, I met my fiancé there.
💥💥💥New job alert💥💥💥
I helped Oslo-based vibes coding tool RIFF develop its brand positioning. The brand is now live. It was super fun collab with the team at RIFF, as well as our freelance team consisting of Lucas Carlsén, Laura Buckenham, and Carl Bachmann.
The most interesting things I’ve read, seen, thought about, or debated the last two weeks. High and low.
⛪️ NEW GOTH FRONTIERS. TikTok is debating gothleisure. Soft goth is this year’s makeup trend. Goth scents are the latest niche fragrance obsession. The fashion world embraces the goth vibes. During Ethel Cain’s concert in Stockholm last week, Anna von Hausswolf, who just released a new album, joined her on stage. Saga Cavallin reports on the goth resurgence and Way Out West’s booking of The Cure and Nick Cave. Andres Lokko writes about how Rosalía best embodies neo-gothism with her new song and music video “Berghain.” It might be time to pick up that year-old Tish Weinstock book.
🏈 AMERICAN MERCHBALL. Last year, the NFL went all in on rap and collabed with Tyler, the Creator and Drake. Now, fashion is officially on the field. Earlier this year, NFL collabed with Emma Grede, among others, to launch fashion apparel brand ‘Off Season’. Late last year, they announced a collab with Todd Snyder, and next in line is Lululemon, which will add NFL team logos to some of its most popular pieces. They are also collaborating with cashmere brand Naadam, and recently named Abercrombie & Fitch their official fashion partner. I texted Carl, who runs Sweden’s leading NFL podcast, a few questions:
Why is the NFL betting on fashion apparel?
A strategic shift from fan expression and game-day ritual, to lifestyle. A way to grow ”soft fans”. The NFL doesn’t see apparel as merchandise anymore, but as media. A wearable form of storytelling that extends the league’s reach into culture, fashion, and global markets.How has it been received in the NFL community?
High and low. Many hardcore fans recognize the shift to larger audiences and pick up on collaborations feeling inauthentic – labeling them as “logo slaps”. But I guess it’s the same in all growing subcultures, right?
The “Off Season” launch got praise because of the other founder, Kristin Juszczyk, a player's wife who started it all by creating one-off pieces by hand for friends (Taylor Swift) and family. Making the brand feel both authentic and super creative. But they also got some slack because of the choice of Fanatics as the manufacturer of their apparel – known as the lowest quality merch brand around.Are you buying any of the stuff? If so, what and why?
I’ll pass on the Crocs, but had my eyes peeled on the collaboration with Kith last year, with some great ‘90s flavored rugby shirts, quarter-zip anoraks in vintage nylon, and coach jackets – but unfortunately they didn’t do my team (Go 49ers!). And I do like the Football x Football Collection, where they re-imagine all 32 NFL clubs with designs inspired by classic soccer jerseys.
In essence, following Byron Sharp’s advice on driving growth among light users by creating mental and physical availability today implies collabs with Kith, hanging out with rap stars, and moving $2,986 cashmere sweaters.
✉️ MERGERS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS. The newspaper industry is facing consolidation. Puck just bought AirMail in a deal worth $16 million, and Graydon Carter is taking a step back from his editor role. Paramount Skydance (which owns CBS) has purchased the Substack Newsletter “The Free Press” for $150M and named its founder, Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS.
🍸HEALTHY DRINKING. The death of partying has been upon us for a while, but it might be changing. Heineken CEO Dolf Van Den Brink believes the fact that beer’s role as a social lubricant should be taken into account when discussing its health effects. Smart since Heineken is positioning itself as the beer for social occasions. GQ also argues that quitting drinking will make us less social. Emily Sundberg did so earlier this year. The Independent claims that we are so miserable because we are healthy.
✍🏻 THE NEW JOURNALISM. A third of all journalists are now creator journalists – independently publishing content outside a traditional media organization. Pivot is arguing that most successful writers have a job at a traditional media house “for the credentials” and make most of their money making their own content. Alex Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner claims “media companies should be like music labels for journalists, treating journalists like artists to be supported and grown individually.
🐻 BEARISH ON AI. This Tuesday, Michael Burry (of The Big Short fame) shared that he has placed short bets on NVIDIA and Palantir. Wall Street has since offloaded those stocks, and Quartz believes that the AI boom is now starting to wobble. Capital expenditure is at record highs among big tech to finance the AI arms race. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley believe a stock market correction is imminent, and the IMF believes AI is the new dotcom bubble. OpenAI has asked the U.S. to guarantee loans for its $1T AI push, saying government support would make borrowing easier and cheaper.
👩🏻⚕️WELL WOMEN. Women’s health has not always been taken seriously, leading to a shift in which more women are taking it into their own hands. The issue has slowly made it to the top of the agenda, and a new wave of entrepreneurs is pushing it forward. SvD spotlights Swedish startups Estercar and Femma, both addressing women’s hidden pains, while Swedish femtech OG Natural Cycles expands into wearables with a new tracking bracelet, and Daya Ventures is “the world’s first femtech venture studio”. On the wellness side, Canyon Ranch is opening a women-focused resort in Austin, and Six Senses Portugal is offering yoga, wellness, and biohacking through its Female Wellness Program.
🇰🇷K-POP’S GROWN-UP MOMENT. K-pop is growing up and taking a real place in society. RM of BTS recently spoke at the APAC CEO Forum and highlighted K-pop’s role in global diplomacy. G-Dragon is the youngest recipient of the Korean Government’s honor for culture and arts. David Beckham got knighted to a string version of K-pop Demon Hunters.
🖥️ LINKEDIN ADLAND. Is LinkedIn the new big ad platform? LinkedIn’s ad revenue forecast for 2025 is up 18.3% from last year, and it has surpassed those of Snapchat, Pinterest, and Reddit. Last year, LinkedIn tried to push luxury brands into advertising on the platform, and it might have been working. I get ads from Van Cleef & Arpels, among others, in between people’s job updates and long rants from random thought leaders.
📖 PRINTING UPWARDS. Is the print return shifting from a small fringe to something that actually makes revenue? i-D’s sophomore issue, since its return to print, tripled revenue. Now they have launched an additional zine featuring 10 of Substack’s most interesting writers in print. BOF has a story of why Perfect Magazine works so well. London-based agency Culture Defined is releasing the second issue of their print magazine. On the more fringe side of the spectrum, Gen Z is bringing fliers back.
🐎 POLO GAMING. Sora has opened up a new world of creativity, and that is a world of Ralph Lauren mixed with 64-bit gaming aesthetics. I really would love to play the “1992 Ralph Lauren Collector Simulator 64DD Exclusive”. If it isn’t available, I’ll go all in on “Ralph Lauren Boxing Simulator ’67 Limited Arcade Edition”.
🌋 AI JOB APOCALYPSE? US Fed Chair Jerome Powell claims “AI apocalypse is real” and job creation is almost zero due to AI making them more efficient. Amazon is going to cut 14,000 corporate jobs, and many big companies believe they can grow without hiring. Goldman Sachs believes that the shift is moderate and most increases in unemployment are transitional rather than permanent.
📉 TRACKING EVERYTHING. Health-tracking ring market leader Oura is growing among women, but it faces competition and is losing gym bros to players like Whoop. Both players also offer blood tests. But the category is evolving. Sweat tracking is the latest craze, and you can now track your poop to ensure your gut health is alright.
Stuff I read, listen to, and watch. Some ladder up to bigger insights, and some are just great reading in their pure form. I’ll share them here.
👩🔬 The Journal of Advertising Research special issue on generative AI is free.
📱Trend: brands make short films (sometimes with Nadia Lee Cohen).
📰 How to reach young men in the manosphere.
📰 Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?
📰 NYT article on every celeb’s favorite designer Emily Dawn Long.
Stuff that’s relevant for Stockholm-based marketers. Hence, exciting job openings, new third places to freelance work, or random gossip.
📹 Absolut Drinks on why Tjoget is Tjoget.
🍸 CAIA is launching a glögg together with Blossa.
🗺️ Map of Stockholm’s startup ecosystem.
📉 Tracksuit is now covering Sweden.
I wrote about being bullish on Sweden, and the job market took it seriously. There are a ton of interesting Sthlm gigs right now:
💼 Community Manager at A House
💼 Copywriter at Mantle
💼 SoMe Manager at IW Agency
💼 PR & Social Media Intern at Filippa K
💼 Head of Marketing and Communications at Sting
💼 Influencer Community Manager at Tretorn
💼 Art Director at Steamery
💼 Client Manager at LIWLIG
💼 Planners and Brand Consultants at Forsman and Bodenfors
Don’t forget to share this with your friends.
XOXO.
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