By Association

We’re back with all popular culture references, topics and opinions this week.  Everyone’s been talking about the Robbie documentary so we guessed we’d do the same. It’s a hit - but not for the reasons we might have thought when pressing play on Netflix. There’s so much more to this celebrity being interviewed in his huge LA home wearing his pants and we’re enjoying it.  We couldn’t continue recording without a mention to The Crown final season, with 8 more episodes to come this month. Fantastic acting and cinematography, but what’s missing for us both?  3D faux product placement ads, heralded by Jacuquemus, lends to conversation over copycat brands creating digital content that exploits the hard work of traditional Gorrila marketing. We see the good and bad in this one, especially as marketers ourselves, need more unique ideas and activations.

Victoria’s Secret hasn’t been a winner for Emma, at least for the last 8 years when she woke-up to their dangerous showcase and lack of diversity. This brand isn’t impressing with it’s new look and tactics and luckily for us all, Gen-Z hates it too. The lingerie company’s rebrand simply isn’t hitting the mark in any sense, we discuss how and if they ever could, either.  However, there are positive movements in the world of lingerie to report on this week. Who is doing it right? SKIMS. Kim Kardashian continues to work wonders at her shapewear brand - everything from the product itself to the marketing masterpiece it’s become. Emma is invested, quite literally. But the real question is, will Mo buy a pair of SKIMS underwear considering their NBA partnership? We talk on key differences in marketing to men VS women in this sector and how the right marketing channel makes all of the difference when it comes to building the right audience.  Lastly, we talk subscriptions VS memberships and how brands and consumers often meld or confuse these two terms. There are so many opportunities to leverage on consumer habits and needs, as well as work in sneaky extras - and that’s where the real magic is, Mo says.

A week where Business of Fashion CEO Imran Amed says Uniqlo has more luxury when it comes to store stock experience than Chanel - well, at least when it comes to time and treatment. We look at how other brands from many tiers of luxury and non-luxury treat their consumers in-store when something isn’t readily available.  We’ve been loving the Beckham three-part documentary on Netflix. Appreciation from both of us goes out to their honesty and dedication to the truth throughout.  Adobe has launched a digital dress, we’re less than impressed and think they’re missing a trick that could have been a great collaboration.  We end this episode with a discussion around media outlets leaving “X” and how and why this seems to be happening not only with large news outlets globally, but global brands too.

In this episode Emma interviews Barth Rougier, the 26- year-old entrepreneur who is redefining success and making waves in multiple industries, but with a key focus on hospitality. He’s the mastermind behind DNA, a cutting-edge 360 Marketing & Talent Management agency representing over 75 influential talents globally, working closely with luxury brands to create impactful campaigns and elevate their reach.  We talk to Barth about what motivates him, where his joy comes from and what it takes to achieve such success at such a young age too.

Autumn is here, and so is Paris Fashion Week. Sarah Burton steps down after a wonderful showcase of designs that lean more to Alexander McQueen’s more confronting style design and performance-wise. We wonder who will join as Creative Director herein after her wonderful 26 years in the position - someone young, female and maybe from a different creative industry altogether? We hope so.  A second creative subject in focus, closer to home (for us at least) at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A collaborative exhibition designed to encourage a younger audience debuted last week Pokemon X Van Gogh. But souvenirs and merchandise from the exhibition quickly sold out and quickly started exploiting its audience with high resale prices. Great initiative but not so much of a smart output plan. What could and should they have done differently? Furthermore, what do we think their marketing team should do now?  Our final subject is on Megan Markle’s adoption of the anti-anxiety patches becoming more and more popular, created by a company called NuCalm. We talk about placebo effects, alongside positive mental health awareness, but also how wellness leaders Goop have tried and failed to do this before.  Mo interviewed Sharan Bal, she’s the founder of Van Sha - a distilled dark spirit inspired by her Indian roots, and the best thing of all? You won’t have a hangover. 

This week we kick-off with a look at terms in the workplace when it comes to learning, growing and altering work - “feedback” is out, and “feedforward” is in. Well, at least when it comes to teams within Microsoft. A lot of brands and businesses are now following-suit to allow a more positive, receptive way of working. Do we think this a little OTT? What really is at play here? Discussion takes us to our own experiences with feedback as well as why we think this is becoming a thing.  Next up, we talk on how Russell Brand has been accused of sexual assault and yet pledges a conspiracy against mass media. We look to journalistic professionalism at The Times, The Sunday Times & Channel4 Dispatches who have all spearheaded this story, having worked behind the scenes on it for four years now. Russell challenged the allegations with his own social media platforms, and so we both discuss the value of mass media in a modern world of freedom of speech online.  Finally, Erwin Olaf passed away last week. Maurice is a fan of his art in photography (mostly) and Emma isn’t - there’s one key reason why.  At the end of this episode we cut away to an interview between Maurice and Frances Shoemack who founded Abel Fragrances: a brand disrupting the perfume industry with a focus on clean, sustainable ingredients.

The worlds of technology, sports, and luxury collide in this week's episode of By Association. First on the agenda, we delve into Tesla's newly-approved Supercharger in West Hollywood—a nostalgic throwback complete with a '50s style diner and a drive-in movie theater. Is Elon Musk onto the next big thing or is this just another chapter in the Elon ego saga? As summer football sizzles, Lionel Messi has set the MLS on fire, scoring 11 goals in just 9 games for Inter Miami. We explore how his presence is sending shockwaves through the league, attracting royalty and Hollywood elites to the stadium. In a parallel universe, the Women's World Cup has achieved unprecedented success, but not without its share of controversies. We discuss the achievements and the overshadowing negatives, from new records in viewership to the unfortunate incident involving Spain's now-suspended football federation president Luis Rubiales. Luxury brands are also entering the sports arena in a big way. We examine the impact of luxury players like Louis Vuitton and Gucci on the game of tennis, and discuss whether luxury brands should stick to their traditional lanes or venture into new territories. Emma shares her insights on the class dynamics at play in tennis, especially as luxury brands make their way into the sport. Meanwhile, as summer comes to a close, we take a look at how luxury brands have staked their claim on beach clubs around the world, setting new trends for the seasons to come.

This week we kick-off with the designs and potential of the rollable iPhone, soon to be released by Apple. Do we enjoy this new hardware update and what consumer would really need what this new mechanism provides? We couldn't run this episode without talking about Carlos Alcaraz's win at Wimbledon. As the youngest man to ever win, he's also knocked the consistent three king tennis hitters out of their helm. We look to his sponsorship deals and which brands have aligned themselves with his success. AppleGPT is in the works, used only internally at Apple right now. Could this be the push Siri needs to evolve and offer a more dynamic and intelligent user experience? We imagine a world where AppleGPT is integrated into our smartphones, Airpods & Apple watch everyday lifestyle. Cowboy have launched ‘Bikey’ - an app showing their commitment to uncertain users of their competitor VanMoof who are closing business. The app assures and allows consumers to be able to unlock their bike should the servers close down following bankruptcy. We're impressed with this cheeky move but Emma wishes Cowboy would focus more on their current customers.

In this special episode, Maurice has a conversation with globally recognized business executive, Ryan Patel, about diversity, personal branding, communication, digital platforms, and the potential of healthcare for disruption. Ryan begins by emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in fostering innovation. He then highlights the transformative power of technology on businesses and nations, while addressing cybersecurity threats. As the discussion turns to leadership, Ryan underscores the significance of team empowerment and trust for superior execution. He then speaks about personal branding, defining it as a tool for intentionally shaping one's impact and legacy. We later explore LinkedIn, where Ryan appreciates the platform's evolution and shares his vision for its future enhancements. He particularly focuses on the site's potential for fostering meaningful connections and conversations. Finally, Ryan dives into healthcare's potential as an industry ripe for disruption. He discusses the urgency for innovation and the worldwide impact it can have, especially in mental health and wellness. Join us for this enlightening conversation with Ryan Patel as he shares insights on key areas from diversity to healthcare innovation.

In a week where Maurice has powered through a double daughter birthday bonanza, Emma started a new job at Nike and recovered from her festival fantasy land at Glastonbury - a few other things happened outside of our own worlds too. You don’t have to ask us twice to “please, discuss”. Points below:  Three US Supreme Court rulings: Rejection of the affirmative action, Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is blocked & ruling in favour of a web designer refusing to work on a same-sex marriage supporting website. In brand marketing news, there’s been an impressive plethora of brand exposure - some pretty pink, some of killer MCD milkshakes.  “Kris Jenner works hard, but Barbie's marketing team works harder” seems to be a running quote we’ve noticed alongside a round of applause for the Barbie marketing efforts ahead of the new film launch this month. There’s a physical Air BNB Malibu dream house open for business, pop-up cafes and roller skate rinks in Chicago and even an interesting political Barbie flag spotting at Glastonbury. We’re pretty impressed and look forward to the film release where we might just share an exclusive deep review episode.  A microscopic handbag was sold for $63,750 - it’s the size of a speck of dust. But what is really interesting is how this was sold at Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director’s own auction house, Jupiter. Has Pharrell Williams missed an obvious opportunity for brand partnership and some luxury much-loved satire? And further to this point, who actually bought the bag?  McDonalds have added a purple milkshake to their menu in celebration of their brand character Grimace’s birthday. In response, Gen-Z have taken to TikTok in a natural community project #grimaceshake gone viral (1.3billion views) that we’re in love with.