Table of Contents

1. The Big Picture
2. Fashion & Retail
3. Best of Campaigns
4. U.S. Open Marketing
5. College Football Marketing
6. Denim & Fashion
7. Food & Beverage
8. Agency & People News
9. What I'm Watching Next

The Big Picture

This week's signal amidst the noise is one of bifurcation. On one end, you have legacy brands and retailers struggling with outdated models, facing bankruptcies (SSENSE, Claire's) and costly restructuring. On the other, you see hyper-focused challenger brands (Vacation Inc.) and savvy incumbents (Gap, Nike) winning by creating tangible experiences and mastering niche audiences.

The throughline is a flight to quality—not just in product, but in customer relationships. Brands that are simply renting attention from social platforms are fragile. Those building a direct, defensible connection with their audience are the ones with pricing power and resilience. The busy founders and builders who grasp this distinction are the ones who will own the next decade.

Fashion & Retail

The "What": Online luxury retailer SSENSE has filed for bankruptcy protection, citing pressure from tariffs. K-pop group KATSEYE's campaign for Gap continues to gain traction with a pop-up soundstage activation. Pop Mart's new mini labubu doll sold out instantly in China. In acquisitions and consolidations, Keurig Dr Pepper is set to buy Peet's Coffee owner for $18 billion and then split into two entities, while Coca-Cola is considering a £2bn sale of Costa Coffee. In a branding reversal, Cracker Barrel's shares rose after it abandoned a controversial new logo. Jewelry chain Claire's is closing 290 locations amid bankruptcy. Finally, Nike announced it will cut less than 1% of its corporate staff in a restructuring move.

My Take: This is a clear illustration of the market punishing undifferentiated middlemen while rewarding brands that create unique cultural moments. SSENSE's bankruptcy is a warning shot for any business whose primary value proposition is aggregation. Without a unique product or a deeply-owned audience, you are a commodity at the mercy of economic headwinds like tariffs.

Contrast that with Gap's execution. They aren't just running ads for KATSEYE; they're building a physical destination—a "pop-up soundstage." This is smart. It turns passive viewers into active participants and generates second-order effects through user-generated content. For an SMB owner, the lesson isn't to hire a K-pop group; it's to think about how you can create a physical, memorable touchpoint for your brand. That's how you build a real, reachable audience that isn't dependent on an algorithm. Join other founders and builders getting insights like these delivered to their inbox.

Best of Campaigns

The "What": A wide range of campaigns launched this week. Activision and 72andSunny created a multi-platform stunt for 'The Guild.' American Eagle collaborated with Travis Kelce's Tru Kolors. Stone Island's new campaign involved swimming with sharks. Fanta embraced "Summerween" by featuring Chucky and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ on new sodas. Tinder launched a “Crush Feelings” campaign, Spotify celebrated fan rituals, and Halo Top used ambiguous AI-or-not visuals. Serena Williams went public with her GLP-1 use in a campaign for Ro to normalize weight-loss drugs. Under Armour's new gritty ad urges athletes to 'be the problem,' while Disney's princess campaign focused on family connections.

My Take: The most effective campaigns here share a common trait: they are built on a sharp, pre-existing cultural insight. Ro leveraging Serena Williams to tackle the GLP-1 conversation isn't just a celebrity endorsement; it's a strategic move to destigmatize a product category by anchoring it to a personality known for strength and discipline. It's a chess move designed to pre-emptively shape the public narrative.

For founders, the takeaway is to stop thinking about campaigns as a way to create a conversation and start thinking of them as a way to plug into an existing one. Under Armour's "be the problem" understands the mindset of the hyper-competitive athlete. Fanta's "Summerween" hijacks an emerging, fan-driven trend. Your budget is finite. Don't waste it trying to start a fire; find the embers that are already glowing and pour your fuel there.

U.S. Open Marketing

The "What": The U.S. Open has become a major platform for brand activations. Lacoste celebrated Novak Djokovic by changing its crocodile logo to a goat. Ralph Lauren hosted an exclusive hospitality suite. Athletes sported custom kits, including Naomi Osaka (Nike), Venus Williams (Khaite), and Coco Gauff (New Balance). Other brands activating at the event include Grey Goose (with Frances Tiafoe), Aperol, Vuori (partnering with Jack Draper), and Lexus, which created a "signature shot machine." The event's food offerings also made news with a "$100 caviar chicken nugget."

My Take: The U.S. Open is a microcosm of modern marketing strategy: it's not one audience, but a collection of distinct, high-value niches. You have the luxury segment targeted by Ralph Lauren and Khaite, where the goal is reinforcing brand status. You have performance-wear brands like Nike and Vuori using athletes as proof-points for product credibility. And you have lifestyle brands like Aperol and Grey Goose selling the experience of the event itself.

The strategist's question is always: "What job is this marketing activation being hired to do?" For Lexus, the "shot machine" generates social buzz and associates the brand with precision engineering. For Lacoste, the "goat" logo is a clever, insider nod to the tennis community that builds cultural capital. They aren't just "sponsoring the U.S. Open." They are executing precise strategies aimed at specific sub-groups within the event's ecosystem. That's a playbook any business can learn from.

College Football Marketing

The "What": Brands are ramping up for the college football season. Bud Light launched a campaign featuring comedian Shane Gillis. Celsius is building on its existing brand work by targeting the college football audience. Dr Pepper’s ‘Fansville’ campaign is crossing over with Nissan’s ‘Heisman House.’ Other notable activations include SONIC's campaign with Terry Crews, Little Caesars' NFL marketing push, and DoorDash’s gamified rewards program. Stanley 1913 partnered with Caitlin Clark, and the NFL announced Abercrombie & Fitch as an official fashion partner.

My Take: The key shift in sports marketing, especially around college football, is the move from passive brand awareness to active community integration. The partnership between the NFL and Abercrombie & Fitch is a perfect example. This isn't just about slapping a logo on a T-shirt; it's a strategic play to capture a specific demographic—the younger, style-conscious fan—and make the league a part of their identity outside of game day.

Similarly, Dr Pepper and Nissan merging their campaign universes is a savvy move to increase the cognitive availability of both brands. For the SMB owner, the lesson is about partnerships. Who else is talking to your audience? How can you create a 1+1=3 scenario where you combine your reach and relevance? You don't need a massive TV budget, but you do need the strategic foresight to identify complementary partners who can help you own a bigger piece of your customer's mind. Join other founders and builders getting insights like these delivered to their inbox.

Denim & Fashion

The "What": Celebrity collaborations and high-fashion campaigns were prominent. Levi's launched a post-Beyoncé campaign with Shaboozey and Matty Matheson. Addison Rae collaborated with Lucky Brand on a low-rise jean. Paris Hilton is the face of a new Karl Lagerfeld campaign. Tilda Swinton is featured in campaigns for both Gentle Monster and Tom Ford. Other notable news includes Post Malone's campaign for Skims, Maison Margiela tapping Miley Cyrus for its first-ever celebrity campaign, and Louis Vuitton launching a $160 lipstick.

My Take: There are two distinct plays happening here. First is the "cultural validation" play, where an established brand like Levi's uses artists like Shaboozey to signal its continued relevance. This is about maintaining market position. The second, more interesting play is the "niche arbitrage" seen with Addison Rae and Lucky Brand. They are betting on the resurgence of a very specific Y2K trend (low-rise jeans) with a creator who has a direct line to the audience that drives that trend.

For a builder, the Addison Rae model is more instructive. It's not about the celebrity; it's about the precision. They identified a specific product for a specific audience delivered by a specific messenger. That level of focus de-risks a product launch significantly. Louis Vuitton's $160 lipstick is a bet on the other end of the spectrum—that their brand equity is so strong they can command extreme pricing power. Most businesses aren't Louis Vuitton. Be Addison Rae. Be specific, be focused, and own your niche.

Food & Beverage

The "What": The food and beverage sector saw a flurry of activity. BrewDog Co-Founder Martin Dickie stepped down. PepsiCo increased its stake in Celsius. Liquid Death partnered with the Toxic Avenger for a faux PSA, while Liquid I.V. launched its own sugar-free energy drink and a billboard campaign. Danone is suing Chobani over a cold brew coffee slogan. In fast food, Pizza Hut announced a major global product launch, McDonald's is cutting combo prices, and Blue Apron is scrapping its meal-kit subscription model. Starbucks brought back its Pumpkin Spice Latte, signaling the unofficial start of fall.

My Take: The dynamics in this sector are all about distribution channels and brand permission. Blue Apron's failure with its subscription model is a classic case of a high-friction business model in a low-margin category. The logistics are a nightmare, and customer lifetime value is notoriously difficult to maintain. They are wisely pivoting away from a model that was bleeding cash.

Meanwhile, PepsiCo doubling down on Celsius shows the power of having a dominant distribution network. They can take a trending product and plug it into their global machine, achieving scale almost overnight. For the small brand, the chess move is not to compete on scale, but on differentiation. Liquid Death isn't just selling water; it's selling an identity. They built a powerful, owned media presence first, which then gave them permission to extend into new categories. They built the reachable audience, then sold them the product. That is the new playbook.

Agency & People News

The "What": There was significant movement in the agency world. Steve Hayden, the adman behind Apple's iconic '1984' commercial, passed away at 78. WPP's COO Andrew Scott is set to depart, and new UK & Ireland CEO Cindy Rose acknowledged the challenges ahead. On the M&A front, Accenture Song acquired social agency Superdigital, Connelly Partners acquired MMB, and Gravity Global acquired Marketing Doctor. DM9 is facing a lawsuit from a US senator over an AI-manipulated Cannes entry, deepening the controversy.

My Take: The agency landscape is in a state of flux, caught between consolidation and specialization. The big holding companies like WPP are navigating leadership changes and acknowledging structural challenges, while firms like Accenture Song continue to acquire specialized capabilities to build their end-to-end offerings. This is the macro trend: the slow, painful integration of creative, data, and technology.

The lawsuit against Omnicom/DM9 is a critical signal for the entire industry. The use of AI in creative work is moving from a theoretical discussion to a legal and ethical minefield. For any business owner or marketing leader, this means your diligence on agency partners has to increase tenfold. You're not just buying creative anymore; you're buying their process, their ethics, and their legal risk profile. The conversation about AI has to move from the creative department to the general counsel's office, immediately.

What I'm Watching Next

Two major signals are emerging that will define the next 18 months.

First, the bifurcation between brands building owned, reachable audiences and those still renting attention is becoming a chasm. I'm watching to see which "DTC 2.0" brands successfully blend content, community, and commerce into a defensible moat. The moves by Gap and even small brands like Vacation Inc. show that physical activations are becoming a key way to build that direct relationship, pulling customers out of the feed and into a world you control.

Second, the agency world is facing a talent and identity crisis. As clients like T-Mobile take more work in-house and holding companies consolidate, the mid-sized, undifferentiated agency is getting squeezed. I'm watching for the rise of the "strike team" model—small, elite, tech-savvy agencies that integrate directly with a client's team to solve a specific problem, rather than being a full-service vendor. The pressure is on, and the models that emerge from this period of instability will dictate where marketing talent flows for the rest of the decade. Join other founders and builders getting insights like these delivered to their inbox.