Podcast Summary: The Unofficial Most Interesting Retailers List (November 2025) — Thanksgiving Special

Podcast: Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast
Host: Susie Deva Canyon
Guests: Analysts Emmy Lederman, Rachel Wolf, Senior Analyst Zach Stambor
Date: November 26, 2025
Episode Theme: This Thanksgiving Special ranks and discusses the most interesting, innovative, or smile-inducing retail moves of November 2025, with a focus on creativity, surprise, and what the team is grateful for in retail.

Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving-edition of "Reimagining Retail," the eMarketer team presents their unofficial and highly subjective list of the eight most interesting retailer moves of November 2025. This edition spotlights not only strategic brilliance but also joyful, hopeful, and innovative retail moments worth celebrating as the industry evolves. The episode is split into two segments: first, the committee’s countdown; then, a chance for other analysts to revise, challenge, or add to the list.

Tone: Playful, sharp, and warm—reflecting the spirit of gratitude and curiosity around Thanksgiving.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Most Interesting Retailers — November 2025 Rankings

8. Pillsbury x Club Wyndham: Let It Do Studio (00:23)

• Concept: Pillsbury partners with Club Wyndham to create a bookable, immersive hotel room themed as the Doughboy's baking cottage—a campaign embracing nostalgia, play, and data-driven giveaway activations.
• Why It’s Interesting: It’s an unexpected brand collab that leans into holiday joy and “Instagrammable” moments.
  • Notable Feature: A giggling Doughboy hotline.
• Quote: “I am thankful that this is just a different, unexpected activation that people are partnering together that you would have never thought.” — Susie Deva Canyon (02:19)

7. Nutter Butter’s Unhinged TikTok Strategy (03:32)

• Concept: Nutter Butter’s decades-old TikTok takes a hilariously “unhinged,” meme-driven approach, prioritizing entertainment over traditional promotion.
• Why It’s Interesting: Shows a major brand (Mondelez) trusting a social team to go weird and authentic, not just promote.
• Quote: “They know they're not gonna be the number one snack brand...so they're like, let's lean into the fact that we're kind of on the outskirts.” — Emmy Lederman (04:53)
• Memorable Moment: “Unhinged is definitely the way to describe a lot of what they’re doing on TikTok.” — Rachel Wolf (04:47)

6. Jell-O’s Cheeky “No Thanks” Holiday Molds (05:11)

• Concept: Limited-edition Jell-O kits in molds shaped like divisive foods (Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, pecan pie) play on holiday traditions, available exclusively on Walmart.com.
• Why It’s Interesting: Old-school brand using modern, tongue-in-cheek humor to create viral, urgent holiday content.
• Debate: “Who doesn’t like pecan pie?” — Zach Stambor (06:20)

5. Dove x Reebok “Kintsugi” Sneakers (06:55)

• Concept: Sneakers inspired by kintsugi (art of repairing with gold) celebrate imperfection, repairing, and resilience—aligning with Dove’s messaging.
• Why It’s Interesting: Thoughtful approach to beauty and imperfection; involved workshops at Reebok locations (notably, only in India).
• Critique: Execution was muddled—distribution and publicity were limited, mostly in India.
• Quote: “It goes against that wasteful culture around sneakers and is a lot more intentional.” — Emmy Lederman (08:12)

4. Kiehl’s “Kids Should Stay Kids” Campaign (09:55)

• Concept: Kiehl’s pushes back on the Gen Alpha beauty trend with a campaign urging kids to avoid complicated skincare routines, resurfacing as response to new children's beauty launches.
• Why It’s Interesting: Effective “quiet flex” demonstrating values-aligned messaging that resonated with marketers and the public.
• Quote: “Let them have messy hair and wild hearts, not complicated skincare routines.” — Emmy Lederman (11:10)
• Strategic Insight: “Kiehl’s…know that they’re never gonna touch the Gen Alphas, so they’re a safe person to come out with this messaging.” — Emmy Lederman (12:38)

3. Starbucks Viral Bearista Cup (12:38)

• Concept: Holiday “Bearista Cup” merch—a teddy bear cup with beanie lid—sold out swiftly, driving in-store traffic and resale crazes.
• Why It’s Interesting: Demonstrates merch can still generate virality, even at higher price points, and softens Starbucks’ brand image.
• Note: The campaign sparked both fervor and occasional chaos (“people getting into fights around the... not sure if that’s exactly the environment Starbucks was going for.” — Rachel Wolf, 13:32)

2. Whole Foods x Too Good To Go Expansion (14:34)

• Concept: Whole Foods expands its partnership with the anti-food waste app "Too Good to Go" nationwide.
• Why It’s Interesting: Smart sustainability move that meets consumer demand for saving money and reducing waste while attracting shoppers who might explore the store.
• Quote: “Great way for Whole Foods to shed their whole whole paycheck reputation.” — Emmy Lederman (15:26)
• Bonus: Whole Foods also rolled out a hybrid store/micro-fulfillment center concept with Amazon, allowing QR code-based pickup for non-food essentials (16:26).

1. Gap’s Breakout Year of Memorable Marketing (17:52)

• Concept: From viral Cat’s Eye “Milkshake” cover, to cool “Wicked” apparel, to a fresh holiday campaign highlighting up-and-coming talent, Gap capitalized on authenticity and nostalgia.
• Why It’s Interesting: Gap sidesteps star-saturation in favor of rising talent and real creative energy—a human-centric approach in the age of AI.
• Quote: “...just that entertainment driven content that we know is coming from actual people who have been vetted to be talented is something that consumers are craving.” — Emmy Lederman (19:50)
• Strategic Takeaway: “It’s more cool to have the up and coming talent in your ad than say, like Sabrina Carpenter or Sydney Sweeney.” — Rachel Wolf (19:20)

Second Half: Analyst Moves and Additions

Moving Kiehl’s Up (21:08)

• Rachel’s Move: Kiehl’s bumped to number two for timely, needed stance in the industry.
  • Rationale: Stakes an important position about kids and beauty, likely to influence more brands.

Netflix House Makes the List, Dove x Reebok Bumped (22:57)

• Zach’s Addition: Swaps in newly opened Netflix House (experiential entertainment retail) at number eight, emphasizing its blurring of entertainment and commerce.
  • Quote: “I am so thankful that Netflix House is finally open and we can stop hearing about, like, it will open...” — Zach Stambor (22:57)
• Team’s Reaction: Regret over Dove x Reebok’s limited rollout but excitement for what Netflix House might signal for the future.

Airbnb x Instacart Experiment (25:12)

• Zach’s Suggestion: Praises new “kitchen stocking” service (in testing) that allows Airbnb guests to pre-order groceries via Instacart.
  • Ranked: Number six—above Nutter Butter, below Jell-O.
  • Quote: “I just love it. I think this is such an interesting collaboration, and it would just be ready for you when you arrive.” — Zach Stambor (26:22)

Thredup’s Peer-to-Peer Selling (27:32)

• Rachel’s Suggestion: Applauds Thredup’s launch of a vetted, peer-to-peer resale marketplace, noting the importance of curating for quality and experience.
  • Team’s Take: Recognizes potential but expresses wait-and-see skepticism about adoption and impact.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Age-Appropriate Campaigning:
  “Let them have messy hair and wild hearts, not complicated skincare routines.” — (11:10)
• On Brand Authenticity:
  “They know they're kind of random...let's lean into the fact that we're kind of on the outskirts.” — (04:53)
• On Experiential Retail:
  “It really, it's all about the surprise and delight. And once you get something from one of these bags, you very well might then purchase that again from Whole Foods.” — Zach Stambor (16:01)
• On Modern Marketing and Talent:
  “...just that entertainment driven content that we know is coming from actual people who have been vetted to be talented is something that consumers are craving.” — Emmy Lederman (19:50)

Final Unofficial List (as Amended, 27:00)

1. Gap: For breakout, authentic, nostalgia-driven, and talent-spotlighting campaigns.
2. Kiehl's: For staking a timely, values-driven stance about children and skincare.
3. Whole Foods x Too Good to Go: For scaling food-waste reduction with national impact.
4. Starbucks: For viral Bearista cup and cozy merch campaign.
5. Jell-O: For cheeky, limited-edition “No Thanks” holiday molds.
6. Airbnb x Instacart: For “kitchen stocking” pilot collaboration (new addition).
7. Pillsbury x Club Wyndham: For immersive Doughboy cottage hotel experience.
8. Netflix House: For launching a high-stakes, entertainment-retail hybrid concept (new addition).

Honorable Mentions:

• Claire’s (mall nostalgia and turnaround)
• Thredup (peer-to-peer resale)
• Dove x Reebok (Kintsugi campaign, dropped for limited execution)

Summary of Takeaways

• Nostalgia and authenticity are driving memorable retail moments—brands that balance play, boldness, and purpose stood out.
• Old-school brands (Jell-O, Pillsbury) succeed by embracing humor and reinvention.
• Brand values and boundaries matter—Kiehl’s highlights the importance of saying “no” when it’s authentic.
• Cross-industry collaborations and surprise (Airbnb x Instacart, Netflix House) mark the next evolution in retail.
• Execution and scale are key—a great campaign needs proper rollout to maximize impact (Dove x Reebok as cautionary tale).

Useful Timestamps

• 02:19: Pillsbury x Wyndham (Let It Do Studio)
• 03:32: Nutter Butter’s TikTok weirdness
• 05:11: Jell-O’s limited “No Thanks” molds
• 06:55: Dove x Reebok kintsugi collab
• 09:55: Kiehl’s anti-Gen Alpha skincare push
• 12:38: Starbucks Bearista cup mania
• 14:34: Whole Foods x Too Good to Go expansion
• 17:52: Gap’s creative campaign year
• 21:08: Analysts move Kiehl’s up the list
• 22:57: Netflix House added; Dove x Reebok bumped
• 25:12: Airbnb x Instacart kitchen stocking collab
• 27:32: Thredup’s new P2P marketplace

Conclusion: This episode offers a feast of creative retail experiments, thoughtful brand positioning, and a peek at what's driving consumer excitement in November 2025. Against the backdrop of Thanksgiving, the podcast reflects both on the joy of playful innovation and the substance of meaningful brand decisions.