JD Sports gave us modern parents for Christmas

Morning,

This week on the pod:

* Holiday campaigns are emotional and human this year—more than usual?

* The messy middle—where many brands are getting stuck and why.

* Botox is now a beauty treatment and the overall reframing of healthcare that’s happening.

* Why Amazon’s BoyRoom sponsorship is so genius—the explainer.

* Eileen Fisher: Great brand, terrible fit for Gen-Z. And what would make more sense.

As always, this pod dives into the biggest trends, shifts, and brands of today.

Enjoy!

-Chris

00:45 // HOLIDAY CAMPAIGNS

2024 Holiday campaigns are all in on emotion. And cinema. It feels like a shift from the last few years. I shared Apple’s tearjerker. But JD Sports’ take is also fascinating. The comment section on JD’s spanned the range from ‘love it, this is so real’ to ‘wow, you’re exploiting a terrible aspect of society. No doubt you know what side I fall on but we chat about what’s happening, what’s working and what’s the theme overall.

Housekeeping. Other campaigns we mentioned: Volvo, Coperni & Ralph windows.

10:04 // MESSY MIDDLE

People aren’t buying middle-of-the-road products. We discuss why premium brands like Goodles and Sol De Janeiro are working. And how private-label is killing it. But everything that’s mid-range in between is suffering. People want value, we get into that.

14:55 // BOTOX AS BEAUTY

Another letter and pod about how healthcare is going through a major facelift—a theme of 2024. Consumer perception has shifted rapidly in this space and it’s something to watch.

17:00 // AMAZON x BOY ROOM

Amazon is making big moves. We chat about the genius behind their Boy Room sponsorship (and give an explainer if you need one). And talk about their content moves like adding a spiritual channel called Ghia and a new show with Aubrey Plaza (of White Lotus).

22:38 // EILEEN’S DREAMS

And finally, you’ll hear us gush over Eileen Fisher. And then hear why we think they have it all wrong. Gen-Z’s apparent love of ‘slow fashion’ doesn’t make it make sense for EF to target them. But my favorite audience, Silvers, does.

If you prefer Apple, Spotify, or YouTube you can listen there too.

ABOUT

Chris 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 +15K 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

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