The Art of the Brand
Episode: The New Rules of Branding: From Chanel to TikTok Live
Date: December 12, 2025
Hosts: Camille Moore & Phillip Millar
Episode Overview
This episode explores the evolving landscape of branding, from high fashion’s recalibration with celebrity ambassadors to the disruptive impact of TikTok live shopping, viral marketing campaigns, and mergers at the top of the ad industry. Camille and Phillip blend their expertise with sharp critique and real-world examples—ranging from Chanel’s partnership with A$AP Rocky and Kim Kardashian's foray into live shopping and Masterclass, to viral Diet Coke campaigns and the latest agency shakeups. The conversation is candid, analytical, and sometimes scathing about the perils of playing it safe in branding.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Chanel & A$AP Rocky: A New Face for Legacy Fashion
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Chanel needs A$AP Rocky more than he needs them
- Camille: “I’m kind of surprised to say this, but Chanel needs A$AP Rocky more than A$AP Rocky needs Chanel.” [00:00 / 03:18]
- Importance of A$AP Rocky as a modern fashion icon—after being CFDA’s Most Fashionable Person of the Year and co-chairing the Met Gala.
- Chanel’s aim: shift away from an "older woman" brand and become more culturally relevant and approachable.
- New creative director Matthew Blazy’s relationship with A$AP Rocky and vision to launch a men’s line.
- The recently staged New York subway runway show felt genuinely wearable and character-driven, contrasting previous Chanel elitism.
- Camille: “It was the first time for me that Chanel felt like truly, like, ready to wear ... I could really see myself wearing that.” [08:15]
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Balancing Legacy and Modernity
- Potential risks: Making the brand "too cool" may alienate the traditional base.
- Phillip: “They have to make sure they don’t ruin it by doing something more than 100 years of a brand.” [08:01]
- Both hosts agree Chanel's new approach makes the brand more aspirational, not just exclusive.
2. Kim Kardashian: TikTok Live Shopping & the Masterclass Backlash
a. Live Shopping Event on TikTok
- Skims’ live show blended QVC energy with social media star power.
- Guests: Kris Jenner, Snoop Dogg, Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton.
- “An extremely entertaining 45 minutes and extremely well produced ... they treated it like a TV production, like a QVC show.” – Camille [15:03]
- Removes sales friction; the TikTok shop interface allowed instant purchases.
- Demonstrated that founder-led, bold, and high-production live shopping creates scarcity and urgency.
- “You kind of create a scarcity event … it’s almost like those old variety shows.” – Phillip [17:50]
b. Masterclass Critique
- Camille expresses disappointment: “It was so frustratingly disappointing ... this billionaire mogul needs to have better people around her because the entire script … were like, first pass ChatGPT.” [22:03]
- Scripted, vapid content lacking actionable business advice; overproduced but light on substance.
- “If you guys watch the masterclass, put the captions on, and then you can actually see almost if you’ve done anything with AI.” – Phillip [22:42]
- Expected more on strategic insight, leadership, and balance.
Notable Quotes:
- Camille: “They didn’t even pretend to take out the obvious clues that ChatGPT wrote it. They didn’t even use Claude Premium.” [22:28]
- Phillip: “The person who put together this script … should be fired.” [23:04]
- Camille: “The 10th commandment you wait 75 minutes to get to is ‘do as I say.’ … it doesn’t sum everything up and be like, this woman is a boss.” [25:18]
- Phillip: “That Kardashian masterclass really won’t make anybody any better. It’s like reading a four-page comic book, you know what I mean?” [26:26]
c. Comparison to Founders with Real Value
- Masterclass launch critiqued for lacking real-world value compared to, e.g., Camille's own courses.
- Valuable branding advice needs detail, authenticity, and real, lived strategy.
3. Parasocial Relationships: Word of the Year
- Cambridge Dictionary’s 2025 Word: “Parasocial Relationship”—the growing phenomenon of one-sided psychological connections to media figures and influencers.
- Societal implications: Consumers “living through others,” rising issues with identity and real-world connection.
- Phillip: “Our society ... is moving towards larger collections of broken people who don’t have identities, resilience or ... they're just living through other people.” [00:39 / 37:11]
- Celebrities and influencers must develop boundaries, security, and awareness as fans become more intimately involved.
- Societal implications: Consumers “living through others,” rising issues with identity and real-world connection.
4. Viral Campaigns & The Power of Microscripts
a. Diet Coke’s “Fridge Cigarette”
- “Diet Coke has come out with a new campaign where they’re calling Diet Coke the Fridge cigarette.” – Camille [00:48 / 41:24]
- Taps into nostalgia, ritual, and forbidden pleasure dynamics.
- Phillip: “To me, it’s brilliant. Kudos to whoever came up with that concept. Because sin sells.” [42:02]
- The campaign’s success rooted in “microscript” language: succinct, evocative, ownable brand phrases (e.g., “The Fridge Cigarette,” “It tastes awful. But it works.”)
- “Microscripts are three to five words typically, but they derive a lot of meaning ... they carry the most amount of weight for your brand.” – Camille [42:51]
- Risk-taking and leadership required to get “dangerous” campaigns approved; controversy can fuel sales and earned media.
b. PickYourBaby.com & “Have Your Best Baby. Period.”
- Viral campaign for a genetics selection company—another example of controversy driving awareness.
- “When you are a genetic-based company … the best campaign to go forward with is pick your best baby. … It’s going to speak directly to the people who do.” – Camille [48:53]
- Brands that play it safe with vanilla messaging get lost in the crowd.
5. Hermès vs. LVMH: Boardroom Battles & Family Ownership
- Ongoing legal drama: an heir to Hermès sues LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault over a secret share transfer worth €14B.
- “It’s a real life succession drama that is reviving the bad blood from when LVMH tried a hostile takeover ...” – Camille [53:23]
- Technical legal background (the difference between negligence and fraud) and the broader theme: the few remaining family-owned luxury brands versus massive, profit-churning conglomerates.
- Brand value is inseparable from corporate control and legal defenses.
6. Justin Bieber’s Skylark Brand Launch in Japan
- Strategy: debuted in Tokyo to leverage Japanese “line culture,” create scarcity and drive social media buzz.
- “I think it was smart to go to Asia and Japan to do this. ... By making people stand in line, you create a new story. This line is so big, look how big the lineup is.” – Phillip [62:14]
- Launching away from North America sidesteps celebrity gifting overload and positions the brand as exclusive.
- However, concerns about inauthenticity (“trying too hard”), rapid product proliferation, and lack of a real founder story.
- Camille: “The tie to Justin Bieber feels the most weak, which might make sense why they went to Asia, because that’s where his brand is the strongest.” [64:39]
7. Advertising World Shakeup: Omnicom Acquires IPG
- Largest advertising merger ever; over 4,000 layoffs.
- Industry is shifting: AI is displacing mid-level and junior positions, but boutique agencies and genuine creative outliers will rise in value.
- “If you’re in marketing, you better be building a personal brand, you better be building a community of people who know you ... or else you are going to be retired.” – Phillip [70:02]
- AI is risk-averse and regurgitates safe, old ideas—breakthroughs depend on top talent and leaders unafraid to “break the rules.”
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On Chanel’s Direction:
- “Every creative director that they put in place almost takes the brand into a new song ... brands kind of evolve and change depending on, like, who’s running the house.” – Camille [12:45]
- On Kim Kardashian’s Live Event:
- “You kind of create a scarcity event … so it makes people put it in their calendar and go to do it. … this long form live shopping is essentially a seduction of sales.” – Phillip [17:50]
- On Brand Messaging:
- “If you’re in the business of burning cash, keep doing vanilla messaging. But when you want to win, you have to stand out and piss people off.” – Camille [50:35]
- On AI’s Limits:
- “What AI doesn’t do is something that’s groundbreaking, that kind of breaks norms and moves you. ... All the AI-generated language models do is look at what’s been done in the past.” – Phillip [72:57]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- A$AP Rocky & Chanel: 00:00–14:20
- Kim Kardashian: TikTok Live & Masterclass: 14:20–35:45
- Parasocial Relationships (Word of the Year): 36:19–41:23
- Diet Coke “Fridge Cigarette” & Microscripts: 41:24–47:59
- PickYourBaby.com Campaign: 48:10–53:23
- Hermès vs. LVMH Boardroom Drama: 53:23–60:45
- Justin Bieber’s Skylark Launch: 60:45–69:01
- Omnicom Acquires IPG / Agency & AI Discussion: 70:02–76:15
Tone & Style
- Candid, sharp, frequently humorous and occasionally irreverent.
- Blunt critique of industry laziness (“the person who did the script should be fired”).
- Hosts’ rapport is quick, opinionated, and peppered with inside-baseball references.
- Balances admiration for risk-takers with skepticism about surface-level “brand activations.”
Summary Takeaway
This episode is a masterclass (ironically, something the Kardashian Masterclass was not!) in modern branding. The hosts argue that relevance depends on risk, creativity, and authenticity—whether you’re a 100-year-old fashion house or an upstart skincare brand. Brands that stick to the safe, vanilla middle will be steamrolled by cultural change, while those that dare to provoke, surprise, and embody leadership will earn both viral fame and lasting impact.