Bluesky soars, John Lewis stumbles, and Donald Trump Jr joins a VC Firm
Issue #33
Weekly Exhale
If you’re lucky, when your child turns ten, they’ll get the chance to go away for a few days on a school trip. You drop them off, excitement buzzing as they climb onto the bus. When they come back, it’s like they’ve grown three inches. They sound older. The cuddle you’re hoping for gets replaced with stories of adventure and independence.
This week, the UK scrapped “NCS,” a bold national programme giving 16-17-year-olds six transformative weeks away. They camped. They worked in their communities. They pitched business ideas. They made lifelong friendships. They began to change themselves and those around them.
At its inception, I was invited to help create the brand, joining a team personally appointed by the PM. The task? Embed it in youth culture. We named it “NCS” instead of “National Citizen Service” and used the hashtag as an icon—a then-nascent symbol of connection. But over the years, the brand went through multiple reworks. The spark never caught fire.
Could the brand have saved it? Maybe not. But the announcement should have felt like the government was cancelling Nike. Instead, it barely registered. I can’t help but wonder if I could have done more. Back then, my son wasn’t even born, and I was caught up in the ego of founding a new agency. A decade flashes by. Over a million young lives transformed. But the brand, and perhaps the programme’s long-term protection, didn’t keep pace.
When you get the chance to do meaningful work, don’t let yourself get caught up in things that don't matter. And don't let others say no to answers you know are right. Build from the soul, not the ego. The rest is clear: Invest in young people. Invest in real life.
Let’s rise together with every issue. ♡
Market Movements
UK economic growth stalls in third quarter| The Guardian
How quickly are prices rising in the UK? | BBC
UK plans to mobilise £80bn from pension funds for investment | Sifted
Brand Beat
Bluesky is the new X, one million new users in seven days | The New York Times
Marketers meet Christmas blues head-on in seasonal ads | Digiday
The Top 5 brand TikToks you need to know about right now | AdAge
Disgusting, isn't it? John Lewis's Christmas ad is actually about shopping | The Guardian
Burburry's turnaround chief plans £40m cuts and 'scarf bar' rollout | Vogue Business
Homebase enters administration with 2,000 jobs at risk | BBC
How AI is helping brands identify consumer trends faster | CNBC
Why people are losing interest in sustainability | Forbes
As Nice Rice exposes rice industry's environmental impact | Marketing Beat
See McDonald's new holiday cups, designed by Pharrell's doodles | Fast Company
Gen Z fuels fast-growing second-hand watch market | Financial Times
OOH spend lifts across drinks and snacks—without harming take-home sales | Kantar
People are fleeing Elon Musk's X for Threads and Bluesky | Fortune
Sainsbury's BFG makes System 1's best-tested ad of the week | System 1
Memo: Going beyond splashy DTV brands—Welcome to Gray Commerce | 2pm
Disney earnings offer hope that streaming can successfully supplant linear TV | CNBC
Taco Bell and KFC say AI-driven marketing is boosting purchases | Wall Street Journal
Curry's hilarious air fryer ad nails it | Good Housekeeping
Trending: Sol is a wearable, immersive experience eReader | Thingtesting
Starting Up
UK's first egg health brand, OVA, launches to future-proof your fertility | Retail Times
Klarna's Seb Siemiatkowski—from burger flipping to billionaire club | Financial Times
Here's what Silicon Valley's moguls are doing to beat death | Wired
Sam Altman and Arianna Huffington demo their AI health assistant | TechCrunch
Tech Tidbits
Meta lobbyist turned regulator says Europe's big tech rules have gone too far | Wired
Europe's flying taxi dreams falter | BBC
Polymarket founder awakes to find Feds raiding his New York home | Fortune
Are AI clones the future of dating? I tried them for myself | The New York Times
The huge disadvantage women behind femtech face | The Guardian
Venture Vibes
The undercover hedge funds financing activist short sellers | Financial Times
Altos Ventures, an early backer of Roblox, raises $500m fund | TechCrunch
"It's liquidity stupid: VCs say investing rough amid 'nuts' AI hype | CNBC
Donald Trump Jr. will join a VC firm instead of the White House | Forbes
Design Driven
Unironic Doge memes are the perfect branding for Elon Musk's DOGE mess | Fast Company
The Two Pages sketchbooks will restore your faith in creativity | It's Nice That
More colour, design, modernity: Mini has upped its design game | Wallpaper
Hello, Happiness
Are your moral choices driven by logic or emotion? | Big Think
2025's hottest trend? Living longer | Vogue Business
How tech created a recipe for loneliness | New York Times
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