GOOD THINKING

"The right thing is the right thing" is a strategy

Everyone who reads here regularly knows I reference Fitt Insider’s content constantly. I met co-founder Anthony Vennare a year ago and told Kirsten on the spot: “You are going to love this him.”We get into the business model behind Fitt (super unique, if you’re in the new media business, I’d tune in), the health trends he is most bullish on, and a wellness stack that will genuinely surprise you for someone who covers and works this industry for a living.It’s a fun one.Enjoy!Meet Anthony VennareAnthony Vennare is co-founder and CEO of Fitt, the platform connecting the people and organizations building the future of health. He works with founders, executives, and investors across fitness, wellness, healthcare, and longevity through media—consumer- and B2B-facing—recruiting, PR, and capital. Truly one of the good ones. Find him on LinkedIn.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy02:25 — THE FITT INSIDER MODEL // Writers who don’t know their own traffic. Revenue lives everywhere except the newsletter.10:47 — THE RIGHT THING IS THE RIGHT THING // His dad’s saying. A phrase to guide you through life.13:14 — EVENTS ARE BROKEN // Pay-to-play makes everyone unhappy. How Fitt is approaching it.16:33 — EUDEMONIA // An event within an event. Business gets done at the sauna, not on the panel.19:22 — THE 2026 SCOUTING REPORT // Brands that didn’t know they were in it until launch day. One raised $5M after. Read it here.22:19 — THE TRENDS // Validated products. Home health. Hormones and peptides. And more.31:00 — FRINGE // Health and wellness trends Anthony is watching. Off-grid analog spaces. Living near the people you love. And things he’s watching before they’re trends.33:57 — THE STACK // No wearables. Daily sauna with friends. Magnesium, zinc, creatine. That’s it, folx.37:35 — WHAT’S NEXT FOR FITT // Why healthcare is the space everyone should be watching. And Wellworthy becoming the ‘Barstool’ of wellness.43:14 — QUICK FIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend Anthony’s most excited about. And who’s getting it right.Huge thanks to Anthony for coming on.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com.ABOUTChris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Hot dips and serendipity: A Cannes guide

2w ago00:32:28Tap to summarize

Last year, we booked a flight to Cannes 3 weeks before, and showed up knowing nothing. This year, we’re hosting a CMO Dinner, a very informal happy hour, and have a bit more experience. So we thought we’d share for any first-timers going.See you there? Hit reply if you want to meet.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:41 — ALL ARE WELCOME // If you’re going for the first time, this is for you.02:50 — HOW CANNES HAS CHANGED // It used to be about the awards. Now the programming is the main draw.04:35 — BEING AN OUTSIDER IS FINE // No pass, no problem. Go open and let the run-ins happen.05:00 — WHERE TO MEET // The properties with real space to actually talk to someone.09:30 — TOO MANY PANELS // You panel out by day two. Some brands like Cîroc are offering fun alternatives.11:58 — THE ACTIVATIONS WE LOVED // Where we’d go first and why.* Pinterest Manifestival: 100% worth it.* Female Quotient: Best panels last year.* Canva: Chill vibes, morning sound baths, and a proper coffee bar.* Collins House: Lovely villa, great talks, actual space to meet. See you at the Substack private breakfast on Thursday?* Adobe: Big property, festival-affiliated.* LinkedIn: Big property and spaces for creators if you are one.* TikTok: Well-organized last year.* Brands & Culture: Open to everyone, great content, we love Charlotte and Jo.* Edelman: Cooling towels and popsicles in the afternoon. Sounds like it will be lovely.* Cîroc Athletic Club: No panels, IV drips, paddle, massages, drinks. We’ll be there on Wednesday afternoon, if you’re there.* World Woman Foundation: New to us this year.* You’ll find tons more as you walk around.12:49 — PRE-WORK // Walk the footprint, register for every event individually, and bring 10 battery packs.16:02 — SHOES, PACKING, AND THE HEAT // Lightweight sneakers, zero synthetics, hats, and scheduled outfit changes.19:03 — GO TO THE BASEMENT FOR THE AWARDS // If you’ve got a badge, go see the work downstairs. It brings you back to why this whole thing exists.20:22 — THE DIPS // Warm dip is not it. Don’t forget to get real food in your body.21:27 — WHERE TO EAT // The Japanese spot and beachside with your feet in the sand. My small saved list (use code GOODTHINKING)24:27 — BOOK THE CAR + GETTING AROUND // Pre-book your taxis, carry-on only because strikes are real, and budget 30 minutes to walk everywhere. Hit reply if you need a recc re: taxis.27:17 — COFFEE + THE SUPERMARKET MOVE // Stock your fridge with fruit for the 5pm crash. Good Mate and Copenhagen are your best coffee bets. Also, don’t miss Breakfast Club. Tuesday 9:00am, open invite to all. Check Breakfastclubbing.com as the venue may change.28:25 — SWIM, MONOPRIX, AND PLAN LESS // Swim in the ocean at least once, hit up Monoprix for cute hats, and leave room for spontaneity. Join us for a Friday morning swim. Hit reply.Finally, friend of the letter, Jeanine, also put together a Spotify playlist for fun flight vibes.Have the best time. It’s going to be hot, you’ll be tired, and you’ll come back with a good story.That’s all, folx. – ChrisPS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.PPS — Our job board is live. Post a job!ABOUTChris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless positioning.Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Experiential is going long-format

3w ago00:44:37Tap to summarize

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.These aren’t trends (yet!). These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Skip to the bits you fancy.1.03:13 — BRAND NEW DEAL // Brands have been funding the arts (see this episode). Now they’re funding infrastructure.Places it’s showing up:* The Ordinary ran a free express bus between Domino Park and Prospect Park, eliminating a despised 50-minute subway route.* The UK is dropping intricate designer tiles into standard public toilets. Not brand-sponsored but could have been.* Starbucks opened an EV lounge next to a Ford dealer. Rivian has its Outposts.Pendulum Swing → Meanwhile, brands are backing out of public life entirely. The Pride flags came down.2.08:30 — PRIVATE SOURCE // Nobody trusts influencer reccs anymore. Everyone’s bought. Except for the community you pay to be in Conversations are happening in the DMs. And platforms are building for your personal taste and sphere.Places it’s showing up:* Real decisions happen in Substack group chats now. “Best private chef in Chamonix?” Your paid-sub-friends are there to answer it.* The founder of Yellow Trace says the honest talk lives in her DMs and at afterparties. Not in public.* The Mall and Phia turn your receipts and your closet into a feed your friends can shop.Pendulum Swing → Brands can’t buy their way in. When Satisfy and Adidas tried with their Circle Pit, the Substackers came for them from every direction.3.20:13 — LONG-FORMAT EXPERIENTIAL // Experiential is going long-format. Something with many parts you can sit with, sleep in, and come back to. It’s the 5-minute movie ad version of experiences.Places it’s showing up:* Design Within Reach turned a historic property into a rentable home with Boutique Homes. I’d move into the Boathouse.* Delta’s Flow State Flight starts with a focus kit on every seat and ends with a lounge waiting for you inside Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design.* Fortnum & Mason put a picnic on a boat down the Thames.Pendulum Swing → Balenciaga’s burner account is filled with iPhone photos to keep their permanent feed clean, but gives you a less filtered view.4.27:18 — BOT BUYERS // Agents fill and handle your cart now. But beware, you risk becoming a wholesaler and a random SKU.Places it’s showing up:* Google’s Universal Cart lets you add products from any retailer across Search, Gmail, Gemini, and YouTube.* Meta is rolling out WhatsApp AI agents that recommend products and book appointments for you.* Robinhood’s new agentic card makes purchases on your behalf.Pendulum Swing → Relationships are paying off. Evereve is near $450M on stylists who give you an hour, no commission.5.35:41 — RISK AVERSE // Uncertainty has everyone hedging their bets. Especially when it comes to the ‘kids’. We want guarantees, refunds, and safe outcomes. It’s risk-aversion to the max.Places it’s showing up:* Founders School will refund your $600K tuition if you don’t make $1M by graduation.* Wealthy families are sending kids to school for fiscal prudence.* 1-in-10 teens can’t leave the house without an adult. 80% can’t leave the neighborhood.Pendulum Swing → Boom Boom is finally here, steak and booze and leather. We only want puritanical vibes from our children, apparently.Letters referenced:* Design Within Reach made an Airbnb (ps. it not actually an Airbnb)* Free People backs the girls, literally* Adidas’s 5-min ad might be the future* Balenciaga made a burner accountThat’s all, folx.– ChrisPS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Substack wants you to have fun and make money

Jun 300:46:16Tap to summarize

Hi all,Last week was a whirlwind. I went to my college reunion at RISD reunion and Substack’s first media summit. No surprise, but I had notes.Somehow, this reunion turned into a conversation about understanding your differentiation. And then delivering on said differentiation.But the meat of this episode is all about my takeaways from the Substack summit. We chat about the venue/branding of the event, Emily Sundberg’s superb interviewing skills. And my notes from TBPN’s Dylan , Jasmine Sun , Priya Parker , Alice Ma . Plus my fave line from Chris Best (that I definitely butcher).Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:04 — KNOW YOUR DIFFERENCE // Sometimes noticing things is a gift and a curse. But there were some lessons to be learned about understanding what makes you different.13:34 — SUBSTACK’S FIRST SUMMIT // First big media summit, 150 people, a stunning townhouse, and really nice backdrops.19:12 — MAKE WHAT YOU LIKE // Emily Sundberg is secretly (or maybe not, and it’s just new to me) an amazing interviewer. We also chat about what Dylan shared about the secrets to TBNP’s success.25:57 — HAVE STYLE + TYPOS //Why writing style is suddenly a critical, and some good lessons on actually promoting your work after you put it out.32:36 — THE ART OF FIGHTING // Priya Parker got a room of introverts to share something. It was an amazing part of the day.37:32 — CREATIVITY FIRST // Why data will kill every good thing if you let it lead..43:26 — WHAT TIES IT TOGETHER // Everyone at the summit was making the thing they wanted to make. Chris Best said it plainly: have fun, make money.Please note: In case it’s no abundantly clear after listening. I actually love RISD. And just want the best for it. That’s all, folx. – ChrisIf you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Being a generalist is finally cool again

May 2700:49:48Tap to summarize

This week, we get into why staying in your lane is one of the most dangerous things you can do right now, whether you’re a person, a brand, or building something. Niching down was always suspect advice and is now actively something you might not want to be doing. And, how the brands that are winning are looking out rather than looking sideways at their competitors.It’s a fun one.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy00:59 — DON’T STAY IN YOUR LANE // Why you shouldn’t always niche down. Especially right now.01:36 — THE CAREER CASE // “You can do all of the things and do them well. Don’t let anybody put you in a corner.”04:50 — BREAKING THE MOULD ON PURPOSE // RISD had an entire semester built around getting out of your silo. It was formative.07:22 — DANGEROUS ADVICE // “The minute I stopped listening to somebody else’s opinion and listened to my own, things got better.”10:33 — YOUR CONSUMER DOESN’T LIVE IN YOUR CATEGORY // “There is not one consumer who operates in your category solely. Not one.” So why do brands keep acting like they do?15:01 — THE BEGINNER’S MINDSET // Why wellness, pet, and DTC brands all look the same. Being an outsider can be an advantage.18:01 — THE BRANDS DOING IT RIGHT // Southwest. Gap. Othership. The ones winning are thinking bigger than their competitor set.21:28 — THE GANNI CONTRACT // Ganni had one great store. Then they replicated it exactly. Over and over. “You are no longer fulfilling the contract of ‘experimental’ that I signed up for.”33:37 — LAKE OR WELL? // Lakes go vast with pockets of enormous depth. Wells go very narrow, very deep. The ones who will struggle are the ones in the middle. Chris and Kirsten: lakes. Time to ponder your water status.39:28 — YESSING YOU TO DEATH // Beware of the yes cycle.43:00 — THE NON-NICHE NICHE // “I wrote the letter I wanted to receive.” GOOD THINKING as a case study. The connections between things is the niche, not the things.48:14 — WHY SALONE IS WORKING // Salone went from tradeshow to showcasing the experiential side of your brand. Consumers are desperate to see a different side of the brands they love. Staying in your lane means missing that entirely.ABOUTChris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Culture is a mirror

May 2000:50:36Tap to summarize

Hi all,This week on the pod, I take Kirsten through everything I saw and heard hosting the Involve stage at Brands & Culture London. It was a super fun 2 days! Rather than recapping the talks, this is all about my takeaways. Unsurprisingly, they are about how these lessons connect with broader trends. Shame, taboos, build brand loyalty, the power of humanity, the Age of Authorship, and more. It’s a fun one.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:29 — BRANDS & CULTURE LONDON // I MC’d the Involve stage in London. Charlotte, Joe, and Michelle are killing it. Piotr is 04:32 — MAKE MISTAKES // Ruth Hooper, Women’s Super League. Women’s sports is perhaps the biggest cultural shift of our time, next to AI. It went from ignored to hot overnight. And that speed is tough. Ruth spoke about building at speed and being willing to make mistakes. Loved it.11:55 — CULTURE IS A MIRROR // Patrick Boyce-Apps, Ladbrokes, had one of my fave lines of the day: “Culture is a mirror that you can give back to somebody and show them a side of themselves that they feel really good about.” His audience was completely unacknowledged. He changed it. And that changed everything.16:24 — LOYALTY LEVERS // Zoë Phenix McCandless, United Repair Centre, was a sleeper hit. “By the time you get this repair back, you care more about that garment than when you sent it.” Repair was the topic but actually the lessons were all about how brands build loyalty today. It was really good.21:35 — THE QUALITY CURRENCY // Clyde McKendrick, Nuevo. The attention economy is gone. The quality of the experience is the currency now. True in retail. But also beyond.23:02 — THE FONT IS THE FEELING // Phil Garnham, ECD at Monotype gave a great talk on the power of typography. “Typography makes you feel something.” He also talked about the future. “There will be a brand typography for you and one for me and they might not look the same.” An interesting question for brand folx.27:36 — DO THE DILIGENCE // Laura Ranzato, Clean Creatives. If your agency is working for Shell and you’re Nestlé, whose cocoa supply is being wrecked by fossil fuel deforestation, that’s not just a values issue. That’s a business issue. “Who do you want to be?”31:44 — LUXURY FORGOT HOW TO HOLD THE MIRROR UP // Andre Bogues, Diageo Luxury, talked about why luxury needs more emotional, human-centered storytelling. We talked about some brands that are starting to do it well.37:17 — HUMAN-CENTERED STORYTELLING // Cheryl Miller Houser, five-time main stage speaker at SXSW, had so many bangers in her talk it was hard to count. “Belonging isn’t about fitting in. It’s about accepting and seeing ourselves.” We discuss the brands she shared who are getting this right and why it matters.41:28 — EVERY BRAND IS A CHALLENGER NOW // Will Poskett, basically the father of LinkedIn, and fellow lover of challenger brand mentality did a workshop on identifying the challenger in your brand. We love this topic.43:04 — INVOLVE THE TEAM // Georgie and Keeley Goff, LOOKFANTASTIC, talked about building campaigns that shape your brand but also about involving the company in them. An underutilized lever that we also talk about in our Paradigms recap when Eugene Healey spoke about it.44:35 — MAKE THE DEMO A GAME // Sportradar’s workshop was one of my faves. Talking about ad-tech is tough to make interesting. This workshop was actually successful at making it fun. Oh, and my team won.That’s all, folx. – ChrisAnd if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com. We’re opening it up in the next few months to a select few.If you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Is AI making brands more human?

May 1300:51:23Tap to summarize

We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — a monthly round-up of 4 letters, looking at what’s bubbling up.These aren’t trends (yet!). These are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.Skip to the bits you fancy1.02:53 — THE ART OF PERCEPTION // There’s a lot of anti-AI sentiment. But it is sure doing a damn good job at making people appreciate things most had forgotten to care about. Is it pushing brands and consumers to value humanity?* Marie Dollé says we’re moving from creating to validating. Do we think this is where we exact greatness? My gut instinct says: probably not* Jasmine Bina says we’re breaking a lot of unspoken contracts.* Spotify begins what will surely be an avalanche of “real” certifications. But where’s the line? And will they work? Did “Organic” help much? B-Corp? The list of reasons against this approach working is a mile long.* Matt Klein’s fascinating survey on AI says that Americans now default to “This is fake” six times more often than they default to “This is real.” Trust collapse isn’t imminent. We’re swimming in it. The messy middle is making us question everything.Pendulum Swing → Huo Qubing, a Chinese war epic produced by a 20-person team in 48 hours on $3,000 in compute, racked up hundreds of millions of views. There’s an appetite for AI-gen’d content, so long as you bring a perspective.2.19:16 — A BODY OF EXPERIENCE // The bar for brand experience is moving from “looked good” to “made me feel something.” The best examples are physical, sensory, and emotional. The metric brands should be tracking is: “it made me put my phone down.”* Neko Health turned a check-up into a beautifully memorable end-to-end physical brand experience, from space to staff to report. It was emotional.* Veuve x Yinka Ilori’s Chasing the Sun was five minutes, one room, both of us near tears.* Morioka Shoten sells one book a week and designs the entire room to make you feel the story.Pendulum Swing → People still want the “shot.” We saw it time and time again at Salone/Milan Design Week. The camera still eats first (for now).3.28:33 — GATHERING IS THE NEW MEDIA BUY // The clearest community signal is not “build a community” in the abstract. It’s hosting something people want to show up for. And who you are gathering is half of the value-add.* Dinner for One Hundred expanding from pop-up dinners, singles nights, young-and-old gatherings, and garden parties into its own restaurant/pub.* Mama’s Night Market, Resy’s up-and-coming chef program, live tuna carving, and “gays eating garlic bread in the park” are all pulling wild turnout.* Marimekko’s Salone activation turned the restaurant collab into the event itself. Not a logo slapped on a dinner. A gathering where both brands added value.* Nadine @ The Stanza says that the new currency in hospitality is the other guests.Pendulum Swing → Logging off is in. While you could argue that the above is a form of it. There’s still a performance in the above. The gathering is made for capture. But many are opting for untaped and 100% private.4.37:42 — OPERATING SYSTEM // Health is moving beyond “issues”. This is more than just “preventative.” Health is becoming ambient. Where everything is tracked, scanned, logged, and monitored on-going, and the adjustments are more regular.Places it’s showing up:* Neko Health keeps score of your moles for you. And tracks correlations for your “biological age.”* Eight Sleep Pregnancy mode auto adjustment and Barrière lactose patches.* M&S’s Nutrient-Dense line and Chrono-Nutrition products in Japan.Pendulum Swing → Nonnamaxxing and trusting your instincts is returning.5.43:34 — NEW PLAYERS // The appetite for sport isn’t crumbling, but the format is changing. Clips, niches, amateur leagues, women’s sports, new operators. Legacy players aren’t losing because people stopped caring. They’re losing because they keep judging the new behavior instead of building for it.Places it’s showing up:* Golf’s rebrand is accelerating, and now women make up nearly 30% of players and 60% of new golfers. And smaller brands are meeting the moment.* Ultramarathon participation is surging, and brands like Mount to Coast are targeting the niche.* Gymshark is moving into gyms. The line between apparel and operator has blurred before. But this time it makes sense.Pendulum Swing → ESPN has lost 40% of its cable subscribers over the past decade. From 100M households down to 60M. The biggest sports brand in the world is struggling to compete. The appetite for sport isn’t crumbling, but it is changing. And legacy players aren’t evolving quick enough.Letters and episodes referenced:</p...

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The magic of cringe

May 600:41:56Tap to summarize

This week, Kirsten brings the talk she’s been giving to businesses, schools, and anyone who will listen to the pod: embracing cringe. This isn’t a keynote in a pod, it’s a discussion about something we have both lived through. Continue to live through.We talk about why cringe is a “compass pointing you toward the thing that matters”. We get into what cringe actually is (not a confidence problem), the science behind why we move away from discomfort, how to find your climbing partner for cringe mountain, and what brands can learn from all of it.A vulnerable but fun topic.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy01:26 — CRINGE MOUNTAIN // What cringe actually is: not a confidence problem, but the feeling of getting vulnerable, taking the mask off, and doing something anyway.05:00 — WHAT IT UNLOCKS // Tackling shame. And why cringe never fully goes away, it just gets easier.08:24 — THE SCIENCE OF DISCOMFORT // The amygdala, a saber-tooth tiger, and reframing discomfort.11:13 — EVERYBODY STARTS AT THE BOTTOM // Kirsten was mortified by her first LinkedIn post. Chris didn’t want to do the podcast. Nobody starts halfway up cringe mountain.15:00 — BECOMING A SHERPA // How to climb with someone else and why nudging people onto the mountain means you can’t quit (a helpful incentive!)18:34 — BRANDS ON CRINGE MOUNTAIN // The brands doing it best have climbed.23:00 — UP ALL NIGHT EITHER WAY // You’re up all night cringing that you said the thing, or up all night cringing you didn’t.28:31 — A CRINGE BUCKET LIST // Success, MC’ing a conference in London, perimenopause, vulnerable parenting, and the next leg of this journey.35:15 — HATERS + THE SPOTLIGHT EFFECT // The bigger your stage, the more people poo-poo it. Also: nobody’s watching you climb out of the pool. Just begin.That’s all, folx. – ChrisIf you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS. Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.ABOUTChris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Milan Design Week unpacked

Apr 2901:11:03Tap to summarize

This week, we unpack the marathon essay that was this week’s Sunday letter about Salone (Milan Design Week).We hit 15+ experiences across four days: Marimekko, Dior, Gucci, Veuve Clicquot, Hermès, IKEA, H&M x Kelly Wearstler, USM, La Double J, Marni, and more.What worked, what missed, and the formula we’d hand every brand team heading there next year.Enjoy!Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy00:01 — MILAN DESIGN WEEK // What Salone is, why Fuori is where the brand action really happens, and why this is bigger than Cannes.05:03 — CLAUDE SAVES THE DAY // 1,000 photos, a personal crisis, and solving it with Claude Code.09:18 — SPECTACLE FOR SPECTACLE’S SAKE // Corso Como and Gentle Monster. Beautiful for the drone, a little underwhelming in person.14:44 — MARIMEKKO // A 45-minute walk to a hidden garden. Very worth it.22:43 — IKEA // Meatball chupa chups, design collabs, and why the Milan public might completely change your strategy.30:20 — THE PHOTO PROBLEM // Mosca’s pink labyrinth and guaranteeing “the shot.”32:37 — H&M x KELLY WEARSTLER + USM x SNØHETTA // Turning furniture into the art.38:19 — DIOR + GUCCI // One was a memory. One had unexplained soda cans.44:10 — VEUVE x YINKA ILORI // Chasing the Sun: five minutes, one room, both of us near tears.48:53 — HERMÈS, SKODA, NIKE // Understated and refined, formulaic but cool, artistic but not an ‘experience’.54:14 — LA DOUBLE J + MARNI + THE BEST PARTY // A transformative gong, a two-month café takeover, and Honey Dijon confirming that partying is, in fact, not dead.01:02:14 — THE FORMULA // Photo ops, brand ambassadors, spectacle that makes a memory, setting the course for the future and PS. Please put yourself on Google Maps.The full write upABOUTChris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on SubstackPS. Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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Bama Rush, NIL, and student influencers

Apr 2200:44:30Tap to summarize

This week, we have one of our favorite agency partners and favorite humans, Ben Varquez, to talk all things college marketing.We discuss Bama Rush, what NIL actually opened up for brands, Alphas, and what many brands get wrong when they show up on campus.Enjoy!Meet Ben VarquezBen Varquez is the Managing Director of Youth Marketing Connection (YMC), one of the leading youth marketing agencies in the US. He’s spent 15+ years connecting brands to college students, campus ambassadors, and the next generation of consumers. We’ve worked together for over a decade, and I can personally say, you’ll never meet a better team for the job.Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy04:39 — THREE WAVES // Red Bull to now.09:13 — ALL THINGS BAMA RUSH // Bama Rush has exploded. But now it’s saturated. Now, standing out is the actual work.11:02 — NIL CHANGED THE GAME // Student athletes can finally get paid, and that’s opened up integrated campaigns that didn’t exist before. Co-branding versus sponsored posts is where things are going.15:33 — WHAT POPPI IS DOING RIGHT // Always-on ambassadors across hundreds of campuses. Social content layer. Pop-up moments. Brand-to-brand partnerships. And an in-house team that knows campus.17:53 — YOU CAN’T JUST ROLL IN // Campus administrators aren’t professional marketers. Food contracts are no joke. Most brands find that out the hard way.19:55 — THE THREE RULES // Build relationships before you show up. Do the pre-work. Don’t disappear after your pop-up.24:55 — THE COLLEGE CALENDAR // If you want to activate in Fall, start in April. Ben walks the full year: back to school, rush, football, holiday, spring break, and more.29:25 — WHAT KILLED SPRING BREAK // Panama City Beach was the spring break capital of America. 350,000 students. Tens of millions in brand spend. Then one city passed a law. And it all collapsed.34:16 — BUILDING A STUDENT SUB-BRAND // If your brand can’t naturally speak to 18-25 year olds, no campus spend will fix it. Ben’s analogy: don’t build the walls until you have the foundation.37:57 — THE ALPHAS ARE COMING // They’re building content creator careers in high school. Their parents are submitting them to agency rosters. And they’ve decided doom and gloom is out. Hope is back in.41:30 — QUICKFIRE // Three things every brand should do. The trend Ben is most excited about. And the mistake that kills most campus programs.Thank you to Ben for coming on. Reach out to him via YMC at youthmarketing.com or find him on LinkedIn.And if you’d like to sponsor the pod, please reach out to hello@weareingoodco.com.That’s all, folx. – ChrisIf you listened or read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.PS — Find us on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Get full access to GOOD THINKING at ingoodco.substack.com/subscribe

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"The right thing is the right thing" is a strategy

Hot dips and serendipity: A Cannes guide

Experiential is going long-format

Substack wants you to have fun and make money

Being a generalist is finally cool again

Culture is a mirror

Is AI making brands more human?

The magic of cringe

Milan Design Week unpacked

Bama Rush, NIL, and student influencers