Part 2: 2026 Predictions 🔮 across every category

Welcome to the 2026 Predictions, guest edition!

In case it’s not abundantly clear, this Substack is based on my love of reading a borderline insane amount of just about everything. And nothing gives me more pleasure than reading those with perspectives as strong as my own. I asked some of those I admire and read most to share their thoughts on the year ahead. I’m genuinely humbled by the caliber of people who agreed.

And finally, a quick reminder that we put all this goodness into a fun stand-alone site for you to share, devour, and explore. Check it out here (use your Substack email for the email section, and it won’t duplicate you.)

As always, the lens of this letter & pod is a best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What I’m dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands.

Enjoy!

Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy!

05:00 — CULTURE

ANU LINGALA

ANU : Connecting dots and building a world-class trends library.

ASPIRATIONAL HUMANITY // We’ll see the continued acceleration of Aspirational Humanity — as artificial intelligence hyper-flattens mass culture, anything denoting evidence of humanity becomes exceptionally desirable. And as a consequence, we’ll begin to see the emergence of a Hierarchy of Humanness.

* Human-created cultural products positioned as most valuable, and priced accordingly

* Elevated synthetic content that is “humanwashed” to recreate a semblance of humanness — the new “premium mediocre.”

* Synthetic slop for the masses, akin to ultra-processed food and fast fashion

I’m hopeful that 2026 will see the rise of Subversive Sincerity, or a version of progressivism that is less ‘cringe’ and channels a more rebellious energy. This would manifest primarily in subcultural spaces that intentionally evade the algorithm. But some of mainstream cultural indicators would include the resurgence of rock music and a revival/remix of punk, goth, and grunge aesthetics in fashion.

MATT KLEIN

ZINE : You know him. You love him. Culture interpreter extraordinaire.

NUANCE BECOMES THE ANTIDOTE // In 2026, our planetary crises and personal conflicts will increasingly stem from a culture that has abandoned complex, ambiguous, grey-area thinking. Strengthening this atrophied capacity for nuance is mission critical.

MICHELLE BLASER

The Pollinatr : An expert observer, tracking things coast to coast.

SOUTH > COASTS // The coasts are out and the South is in. Visa’s data shows the South is now growing faster in population and GDP than any other region, and it’s expected to keep outspending the rest of the country through 2026. The old “undereducated redneck” stereotype is dead. Southerners have real buying power, and they want brands that speak to their culture, not around it. YETI, Dr. Pepper, and Tecovas get it. The rest of the industry needs to catch up.

VICTORIA MONTGOMERY

Women in Brand : A woman putting words to culture. And connecting women in brand worldwide.

NOSTALGIA FOR HUMAN KIND // Well, the world’s a bit rubbish, isn’t it? In 2026, brands will compete for ‘culture shaper’. With the 2025 AI avalanche making us so co-dependent we ask Chat to remind us of our own name, brands will tap into smaller communities to build trust, champion human connection, and find extraordinary in the ordinary (with a conversion KPI). Think Claude pop-ups and AmEx live, but the onus on unique experiences that spread joy.

We’ll see human-crafted content win - though the jury’s still out on whether that’s perfection in imperfection (the ultimate UGC), or polishing the slop with quality craftsmanship and big budgets (more Apple mnemonic).

OCHUKO AKPOVBOVBO

as seen on : Wise, always on point, and giving it to us from the Gen Z perspective.

NEW LOOK // There’s going to be a shift away from the “glossier-fication” of everything towards a design language that is sexier and more mature, particularly in beauty and wellness.

MARIE DOLLÉ

Marie Dollé : A modern-day philosopher bringing the best perspectives to your inbox.

NONSENSE COMMUNITIES // Dictionary.com named “6-7” as word of the year. What does it mean? Nothing, really. It’s just a meme that lots of people repeat whenever they get the chance. Some teens shout “six-seveeeeen” because they think it’s funny. And others do it because they think it’s cool to say. While it may seem trivial, I think, in fact, that it illustrates a broader sociotechnical trend in which meaning is deliberately erased to create tighter human bonds. Think about it: AI can repeat “6-7,” map its spread, or generate infinite variants, but it cannot belong, because it has no playground, no fear of exclusion, no thrill of a joke whispered behind the teacher’s back.

This logic appears elsewhere, from children banned from social media who end up building an entire social network inside a shared Google Doc, to the rise of algospeak in 2022, when users on TikTok and YouTube invented coded language to evade automated moderation, turning nonsense, euphemisms, and emojis into a shared dialect. Across these cases, humans exploit ambiguity and absurdity as a feature. How so? By creating communication systems that are illegible to machines and outsiders. The point is to produce a sense of community rooted in the deep pleasure of co-created secrecy and belonging.

What brands could leverage: Instead of chasing clarity or viral simplicity, brands can create cultural magnetism by designing spaces where audiences shape the meaning with micro-languages, evolving symbols, playful rituals, or ambiguous signals that reward participation over passive consumption. It’s a great way to cultivate singularity, insider affinity, generate culturally resilient engagement, and occupy a space algorithms, and competitors, cannot easily imitate or infiltrate.

23:33 — F&B

FRED HART

@fredwhart : LinkedIn’s and my favorite expert on all things F&B

EMBRACE THE ANALOG // As AI flattens culture into frictionless sameness, drowning out the authentic voice and dulling our senses with visual slop, more value shifts to the unmistakably human and the art of craft, taste and principles. While Coke catches flak for its second AI-generated Christmas ad, Apple has skipped CGI and used hand-cut glass in its latest ad. Lay’s global redesign uses real potato-stamping patterns, Polaroid is rejecting screens, and Radford Beauty used nothing more than the founders’ handwriting and sketches to create a category-shaking brand identity. In a world obsessed with automation, human inefficiencies are becoming the competitive moat. All hail the analog.

26:27 — SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS

EINAT ISRAELI

@einatisraeli : A lover and champion of all things Silvers and longevity.

MIDLIFE SPOTLIGHT // Midlife is about to steal the cultural spotlight. We’ve spent years idolizing youth as the engine of culture, but the real disruption is coming from people 45–65 - the ones rebuilding careers, bodies, identity, and relationships, and for women, navigating menopause with a new kind of confidence. In 2026, midlife emerges stronger as a cultural force, influencing wellness, work, style, and the way we imagine the 100-year life.

BEN VARQUEZ

@benvarquez : A man on the ground with Gen Zs on campus.

REAL COMMUNITY // When it comes to Gen-Z/Gen-Alpha, influencers will take a back seat to community. There’s been a lot of recent backlash for over-consumerism and being out of touch with the general state of the economy (see: Jaclyn Hill), so we’d love to see more brands do PR trips with regular consumers they gather through public UGC instead of paid creators.

33:00 — FASHION & RETAIL

MICHAEL ABATA

@michaelabata : A retail expert with killer observations and a heart of gold.

AUTOMATED AND POP-UP RETAIL KEEP GROWING // Staffing challenges + the mall declines + “I just want it now” = more automated and pop-up retail. From airports to college campuses, more brands and retailers will explore automated and pop-up retail moments in high traffic areas. In 2025 we saw Amazon, Chick-fil-a, Bath & Body Works, Lululemon, Auntie Anne’s, Funko and Pokemon expand into these retail quick solutions. Who will be next? Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 Link 6

MORE LUXURY GOES HOSPITALITY // From Coach to Ralph Lauren, luxury brands will continue to lean into hospitality to expand their brand presence and create deeper emotional connections with consumers. I suspect we’ll see unexpected brands jump into hospitality in 2026. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Alo, Beis, Tiffany & Co or Rivian jump in. Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5

QSRS JUMP INTO THE BEVERAGE CATEGORY // McDonald’s tried it with CosMc’s. Now Chick-fil-a and Taco Bell are in on the hot hot hot coffee and beverage growth as consumers are spending money on little luxuries and Starbucks loses significant share. New competitors like 7Brew and Dutch Bros have lit a fire under traditional QSRs. Who will be next in 2026? My bet is on Chipotle or Cava taking an agua fresca approach. Or perhaps we’ll see another unexpected player like Shake Shack spin something up? Link 1 Link 2 Link 3

38:17 — TECH

DANIELLE GREENBERG

@danielle-greenberg : No one knows more about where AI is headed than this woman. And she’ll teach you everything.

PERSONAL TOOLBOX // AI use will shift from choosing one assistant to assembling a personal toolkit. I already use ChatGPT for personal tasks, Gemini for analytical or visual work, and Claude for creative thinking. This kind of deliberate, purpose-driven use will define mainstream behavior next year. Example here.

BRANDS, PLURAL // Brands have already started moving away from mass appeal, and 2026 is the year this becomes the norm. They will design for people as they truly are: contradictory, plural, and complex. The brands that respect that complexity will outperform the ones still chasing a single story.

MICRO MADE // Micro-apps will become the default way people interact with technology. Instead of adopting long-term tools, people will build momentary apps for precise needs, use them once, and move on. Software becomes transient and strictly purpose driven, where utility wins over attachment.

44:32 — SPORT

VICTORIA BUCHANAN

Non-Sweat : Looking at the fringes of sports and culture and making it make sense for now.

OBSESSION BECOMES CULTURAL CAPITAL // A pivot away from viral performance toward high-fidelity skills, real knowledge, and uncompressible mastery. People are choosing things that fight back; books you have to wrestle with, music that demands presence and pursuits you can’t shortcut with AI. The new flex is simple: prove you care enough to go deep.

47:26 — WELLNESS & BEAUTY

JAMIE ROSEN

Office of the Surface : The person you turn to for all the best hidden wellness spots.

COLLABS SHALL DIE // Because everyone is in their own little content bubbles, it’s harder than ever to create impactful cultural moments. Up until now, collaborations have been a smart way to speak to two audiences you didn’t know could intersect. But there is a very real fatigue for them in the market. The consumer has become so very savvy, and they are getting inundated with content and partnerships on repeat. Instead, the brands who use their own cultural lens as both gut-check and filter can continue to stay interesting while generating fresh storytelling and constant world-building.

JENNY EVANS

Lit From Within : My go-to for the future of health, skin, and inner wisdom.

LONGEVITY OVERDRIVE // In 2026, longevity is about to become the new “microbiome”—the buzzword every wellness and skincare brand will be screaming from the rooftops. But this time, the hype is backed by real mitochondrial science. Brands like Timeless are already leading with research-driven supplements and activities that boost cellular energy and spark true regeneration. And you know I’m not a filler girl—I’ll take injecting peptides any day—but I am surprisingly obsessed with Sunekos, the only bio-stimulating injectable I can stand behind. And of course, my favorite beauty biohack of all time? Red light + methylene blue. It’s mitochondria magic, and trust me—2026 is the year everyone else finally catches up.

52:06 — TRAVEL

TORI SIMOKOV

Window Seat : Who knows all the best hotels and how to get there in business class.

AIRPORT TOURISM IS COMING // Terminals like LGA’s TC, Changi’s T3, and Hamad’s indoor garden are turning airports into micro-cities of sensory delight. We’re approaching a world where people book flights to or from these airports just to spend time in them.

DEVI RHODES

Well Done: Wisely advising hospitality brands on how to get it right.

ANTI-RECOMMENDATION RISES // Anti-recommendation becomes the new hospitality currency. Hotels and restaurants stop pretending to be for everyone and start getting specific about who they’re actually for. “Perfect if you want to eat dinner at 5:30pm” or “Not for you if you need a gym.”In a landscape of infinite sameness, specificity becomes the only honest filter that works. Saying “we’re for people who hate brunch” doesn’t shrink your audience...it just finds the right one in multitudes. Turns out the middle-aged guy who wants a martini at 4pm and the 19-year-old who thinks bottle service is depressing have been waiting for the same brutally honest menu all along. “Not for everyone” takes the cake.

FUN FOR THE WEEK

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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 +16K 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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