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.

Meta is developing a text-based model called “Avocado” alongside an image and video generator named “Mango.”

Both produce-packed projects are expected in the first half of 2026.

Google has already entered the produce aisle, launching its AI image generator within Gemini as “Nano Banana.”

🥑🥭🍌

Some say these names emerge from informal brainstorming sessions.

Hungry tech team meetings before lunch?

Maybe.

OpenAI is in on it as well, with “Strawberry” as a codename for its o1 model and, more recently, “Garlic” as things get more competitive with Google.

🍓🧄

Analysts suggest these approachable codenames do three things:

1. Foster creativity
2. Minimize technical intimidation, and
3. Inject personality into AI development

By turning powerful systems into fruit-and-veggie-coded projects, tech companies soften the fear factor and make advanced AI feel more approachable.

It’s also a subtle signal that even at the highest level, innovation still leaves room for a little name play.

2. From scroll to sold (in, sometimes, seconds).

Trend alert: Live social shopping is becoming one of the most powerful shifts in e-commerce.

It sits at the intersection of entertainment, real-time interaction, and instant checkout.

Audiences are leaning in (and checking out) 🛍️

Platforms like TikTok Shop, eBay Live, and Fanatics Live are building tools that let sellers demo products, answer questions, and close sales without ever leaving the stream.

Shopping is no longer a side quest.

It’s the main event.

And that momentum hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Gary V. recently called live social shopping “a monster,” urging brands and creators to start learning the format now.

The proof is already there.

Viral clips show one live streamer (allegedly) making $18.7 million in 7 days by spending just 3 seconds on each product:

Big brands are paying attention, too.

SKIMS recently hosted a shoppable TikTok livestream (with Snoop Dogg and a Beverly Hills Housewife in tow), blending a variety show feel with direct purchasing and exclusive deals.

It’s a clear signal that live commerce is shifting from experiment to strategy.

A “decentralized QVC,” as one commenter put it.

And in the spirit of live shopping, you might catch me pouring a candle batch or two live on the Internet next year, too 📹

3. Find the gap worth owning in 2026.

When I’m not watching live streams, my idea of a good time lately looks like this:

Identify a keyword with real intent, draft and publish within a single day, and watch it land on page one in Google search results 🤓

I did it again this week.

The target keyword was “candle product photography,” and my article, 5 Lessons I Learned While Building My Candle Brand, cracked the top 10 within days.

I’m still using my SEO fundamentals, *but* with a twist these days, which I’ll get into below.

(And, if you’re new here, I operate the award-winning sensory candle brand, Spoken Flames.)

That top 10 search result was not luck.

It was pattern recognition and early 2026 strategy.

Here’s what I’ve observed, in my case specifically.

There are countless candle brands and no shortage of photographers sharing general product tips.

What’s missing is the intersection.

Brand thinking, creative direction, and photography guidance built specifically for emerging candle makers.

That gap, for me, is where opportunity lives.

So heading into 2026, I’m leaning into that overlap.

Merging candle manufacturing experience with brand strategy and creative execution.

(And the steady stream of requests in my inbox asking about dropship or private label candles tells me the demand is real.)

The twist to my SEO approach? Writing articles (and an FAQ section) with more natural language.

Optimizing not just for traditional search, but for how people use AI to search.

Anticipating the questions someone might ask ChatGPT.

Answering them before they’re asked.

Welcoming LLMs to cite my article as a source, which fuels brand discovery and topical authority.

My challenge to you is this: find the gap in your category worth owning.

Claim the space.

Own the keywords.

Use natural language.

The real reward is becoming the obvious authority in a niche that didn’t know it was waiting for you.

*And* if you’re itching for sharper content focus in 2026, let’s work.

More brand bytes next Sunday at 5!