Edition 90. Real shows up more than once. Systems matter. And brand-cred is earned when design, marketing, and operations hold together. Five brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. “Is this AI?” The test isn’t visual. It’s strategic. Bombas This week, my client asked me, “Is this AI?” They were pointing to a product banner on Bombas, the comfort-first sock brand known for its one-for-one giving model. Detective-mode, on 🧐 The banner showed eight athletes mid-motion. Skiing,...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Edition 89. Pushing the envelope with AI, the brand that turned $3 into $10K (on accident), and a new report says almost no brand can control *this*. Five brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. The accidental luxe of a $3 tote. Trader Joe’s $3 canvas tote bags have become an unlikely global status symbol (and reseller’s dream). Trader Joe’s Limited-edition mini versions are up on resale platforms for prices reaching up to $10,000. (I even saw one listing asking for $50K — for...
20 days ago • 3 min read
Edition 88. Happy 2026! 🥳 Here’s why the mean-green-one is still dominating, and how *this* job turns algorithm-hacking into a revenue-generating science. Today’s common thread: virality, seasonality, and systems that scale. Here are 4 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. “I make stuff go viral for a living.” That might be someone’s future cocktail-party intro, if this job post is any indication of how vitality is being hired for in 2026. Mr. Beast The world’s biggest content...
27 days ago • 3 min read
Edition 87. This is the last Bloc of 2025, and I can’t thank you enough for being here each week for the brand bytes, confessions, and insights. Today’s common thread: brand, sports and business teams. And yes, it matters even if you’re a solo operator. Here are 3 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. ’Til game-loss do us part. @kristinjuszczyk / @offseasonbrand The holidays, for me, mean food and football with family. Plates passed, commentary flying, the game always on 🏈 I was...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Edition 86. 2026 belongs to those who fill the gap, sell live, and use produce-coded AI 🥑🥭🍌 (Have you seen this trend?) Here are 3 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. Down the produce AI-sle. Tech giants are grocery shopping for their AI project names. (Have you seen this trend?) Common fruits and vegetables are becoming codenames for major AI initiatives, adding a playful layer to an otherwise highly competitive (and sometimes, intimidating) industry. Pexels Meta is...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Edition 85. From outrage driving clicks, to leaf crunching (yes, it’s a thing) racking up millions of views. Here are 5 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. Word of the year: “rage bait.” Swipe through any social media expert’s viral advice and you’ll hear the same playbook: post against the norm. Make the hook provocative. Get a reaction. Spark outrage. Rage bait. Turns out, they weren’t wrong. Oxford University Press has named “rage bait” its 2025 Word of the Year. A public...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Edition 84. I interrupt our regular five-byte format this week to share a confession. But! Before I get into it... Here’s what inspired the whole thing. It started with a 2am design render in AI. Picture this. I’m one protein shake deep, eyelids taped open, pushing through an all-nighter to meet a client’s fast-moving campaign deadline. I’m using AI to generate quick visuals while also transforming those renders into the pixel-perfect art that will be seen by, you know… the actual public....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Edition 83. From AI being *too* helpful, to a new role redefining how fast content gets made — Here are 3 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week: 1. When AI “knows what it’s doing.” GoDaddy I subscribe to YouTube Premium, so ads rarely cross my screen. Then (in a sauna of all places), I catch GoDaddy’s Aero spot on the venue’s YouTube playlist. Here’s the scene. An actor guesses his way through a spaceship panel, walks through evidence at a crime scene, drives through race car...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Edition 82. Culture leads while brands adjust. That shift is shaping this season — and what it means for you. Four brand bytes to elevate, inform, and inspire you this week: 1. Co-pilots in consumption. Kids. They grow up so fast. And brands are keeping pace. Kith x Nike kid-only holiday collab. Gen Alpha to Gen Z are influencing family shopping carts. Here are 3 recent (and major) youth-focused launches: Kith released a kids-only Nike sneaker collab (“For the feet that shape the future,”...
2 months ago • 3 min read