In this issue of Sunday Strategy, we look at four stories to think about next week, including: The Mr Beastification of Society, Havas flirts with WPP, Sonder’s Tech Meets Immovable Assets and the Return of Sephora Kids.
In addition, we have ads from: Sony Playstation, YETI, LL Bean, AG1 and Bread and Butter Wines.
// Stories of the Week:
1.) The Mr Beastification of Society.
As Mr. Beast launches a pop-up theme park in Saudi Arabia and The Running Man heads back into theatres, it seems like quick wealth challenges are having a moment. However, a sudden shift may actually be part of a recurring trend, where economic uncertainty (previously giving us depression era Dance contests where contestants passed out on the floor) has combined with social media and a sense of potential wealth to make something new.
2.) Havas Speculation Misses the Point for WPP
WPP’s decline in share price has not only left the company poised to drop out of the FTSE 100 and best signaled the shift of power in the advertising market – it has fuelled takeover and purchase rumors. While speculation of a minority share purchase by Havas have overtaken whispers of a Publicis takeover, both miss the point of where the market is going.
However, behind the rumors a bigger question emerges: what does someone get from WPP? There is still undeniable scale and a client list – but with their legacy brands consolidated beyond recognition and a tech stack that seems nascent vs competitors is this just a new business acquisition exercise from a company at the bottom of a slump?
3.) Sonder And Limits of Tech First.
Eleven year old tech hospitality company Sonder has filed for bankruptcy, leaving guests abruptly told to leave locations and showing the risks tech led, asset heavy companies face. Sonder’s valuation reached $2.2bn in 2022 after going public through a SPAC and despite being capital intensive to operate, a partnership with Marriott in 2025, rebranding it ‘Sonder by Marriott’, looked to provide liquidity and a path to growth.
As Sonder defaulted on its financial obligations in November, Marriott terminated the partnership. The sudden bankruptcy underscores the challenges technology companies face in asset heavy business models, where tech first can only move the weight of an organization so much. Whereas Airbnb has stayed asset light and therefore able to adapt, Sonder looks to have faced the same challenges as WeWork.
4.) Selling to the ‘Sephora Kids’
It seems the outrage around ‘Sephora Tweens’ in 2023 still served as an inspiration for some marketers. While a flurry of press about tweens and younger children showing off Sephora hauls shocked many, brands have come forward to try and sell skincare products to children aged 3 and up.
Brands like POP for Gen Z, Bubble Skin Care, Everden, Pipa and Rini are targeted at children of various ages claiming that young people who are curious about skin care need safer alternatives to adult products. However with the need and effectiveness of these products in question, as well as discussion about the social and psychological risks of stoking appearance anxiety at a young age – any justification seems like thinly veiled predatory marketing. For those that remember Sephora Kids, history is being quickly repeated, this time not as a farce, but a market opportunity. Just because a child can be a shopper, doesn’t mean we should market to them.
// Ads You Might Have Missed:
1.) ‘It Happens on PS5’ – Sony Playstation:
To celebrate 5 years of the PS5 console, Sony has created a campaign which crashes gaming moments into the real world in videos and OOH. “It Happens on PS5” sees skydivers land on OOH ads, a man emerges from a sea monster on a fishing boat’s deck and more.
While the hero assets do little to feature specific games, the ads try to position the console more generally, as a place where surprising moments live. Similar to previous campaigns, which turned the real world into a playground, Sony tries to subvert reality. However, its OOH may have an easier go of it vs. videos – as generative AI has already pushed the envelope on how we reinterpret reality online.
2.) ‘Don’t Get Them a YETI (Unless You Really Love Them)’ – YETI:
Popular cooler and container brand YETI’s cachet is a double edged sword in some ways. The credibility it attempts to leverage as an authentic outdoor and adventure brand simultaneously speaks to people who use it that way and a larger mass of those whose cooler will never leave the backyard. The balance between authentic and aspirational isn’t unique to YETI, brands from LL Bean and Columbia to Land Rover face a similar challenge.
However, YETI’s loosely holiday themed ad takes a subtle approach to drawing a line on who it’s for – claiming that unless you really love someone (and share a love of the outdoors, camping or adventure), a YETI isn’t for them. Seasoned with flecks of anti-consumption (ala REI ‘Opt Outside’) and a healthy dose of outdoor footage and aesthetic, the ad doesn’t alienate as much as demarcate who it wants to focus on.
3.) ‘Good Morning, People Everywhere’ – AG1:
Margaret Wise Brown’s ‘Goodnight Moon’ is having a moment in advertising, as the author’s work was first adapted as a vehicle for a Sheraton ad and now finds itself the basis of AG1’s latest campaign. ‘Good Morning, People Everywhere’ features an ad centred around mornings, something at the heart of the AG1 brand. The brand’s mission centers on a belief that “each morning is an opportunity to live a healthier, more fulfilled life” and the ad, featuring narration by Rick Ruben, captures a mix of early morning athletic potential and stillness.
From Ruben’s narration to athletes including Sloane Stephens, Mick Fanning, Hari Budha-Magar and Christina Lustenberge (all apparently authentic AG1 drinkers), the ad balances celebrity and sport aspiration with the routine the brand focuses on. In a supplement category that often defaults to maxxing the tone of voice, or collabing on nostalgic or outlandish flavours – AG1 takes a brand centric approach that tries to own a new path without succumbing to the risk of ‘Silicon Valley’ mysticism.
4.) ‘Holiday Anthem’ – L.L. Bean:
When a brand feels like it naturally belongs somewhere, you don’t have to work too hard to stay there. Clothing company L.L. Bean’s flannel pajamas have been a staple of holiday moments in real life and films like National Lampoon’s Christmas – so laying claim to the holidays is more of a reinforcement than a new message. Its ‘Holiday Anthem’ simply shows examples of flannel through real and fictional holiday moments, while highlighting that since its inception in 1912, it has always been invited to the holidays. For brands that have already created a place through product and heritage, it’s a reminder that you can let the moment come to you.
*For more holiday ads, check out our list of over a thousand ads from around the world, spanning from 2025 back to the 80s.*
5.) ‘Bread and Butter is Easy’ – Bread and Butter Wines:
The wine category is difficult to disrupt. Many wine drinkers do find it intimidating, leading to the growth of everything from label wines to brands like 19 Crimes and Barefoot – however most wouldn’t admit it. Brands have to provide a way to make themselves accessible, without risking painting the brand as too simplistic. Bread & Butter’s latest ad attacks this tension in an interesting way, saying nothing about the drinker and little overtly about the category. Instead of raging against ‘wine snobbery’, it offers a tension of intimidating vs. clear – with sommeliers chanting ‘wine’ in an emotional nod to how many buyers feel. The wine itself, with clear labelling (avoiding the pretense of a gimmick wine) simply serves as the resolution.
// Sunday Snippets
// Marketing & Advertising //
– Cough Drop brand Ricola launches a line of scarves just in time for winter [Clothing]
– Not to be outdone, Farm Rich has released a limited edition Mozzarella Stick scarf [Clothing]
– Heinz tries to make America fall back in love with ‘Meatloaf’ by renaming it ‘Beefcake’ [Food]
– Oporto supports middle aged Oasis fans who may become ‘hangry’ during long gig lines for the band’s world tour with a 9 minute Gallagher themed ASMR [Food]
– e.l.f. Taps into ASMR to bring the ‘sound of kindness’ to life in social media on World Kindness Day [Culture]
– Jell-O launches a line of ‘No Thanks’ Thanksgiving molds, allowing you to recreate controversial food items with Jell-O [Foods]
– Stranger Things figurines are coming to McDonalds, but they won’t be available in the US or UK [Food]
– Selfridges limited edition Jellycat causes lines around the block in the UK [Brands]
// Technology & Media //
– Another nail in the coffin for ‘likes’ as Meta retires “Like” and “Comment” buttons for 3rd party websites [Social Media]
– Google releases a slew of new AI shopping features – including product search and calling local stores on buyers’ behalf [AI]
– Companies are increasingly relying on internal influencers to drive greater AI adoption [AI]
– BBC’s ‘Introducing’ courts controversy by championing a musician who admits their music was completely AI generated [AI]
– ElevenLabs launches an ‘Iconic Voice Marketplace’, requiring approval from celebrities for AI clone use, with Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine [AI]
– OpenAI offers 12 months of free ChatGPT Plus for service members within 12 months of retirement or separation [AI]
– TikTok launches a ‘bulletin board’ – an in app broadcast channel to share updates, news and content [Social Media]
– Apple and Issey Miyake join forces to release the ‘iPhone Pocket’ [Tech]
– Impulse buys with a side of narrative, how TikTok Shop came to rival eBay [Social Media]
// Life & Culture //
– Inside GenZ’s war on leggings [Fashion]
– Nostalgia for older beauty products is often running into tighter regulations and aged pigments [Fashion]
– Nostalgia and 90s fashion have turned to an unlikely source for inspiration…the 90s LAN Party. Not holding my breath for a re-release of Quake merch [Fashion]
– Is the secret to a good nights sleep a potato bed? [Culture]
– NYC’s Beatbox Karaoke offers autotune features to customers [Culture]
– Labubu Doll Creator Wang Ning sees his fortune shrink as demand cools [Culture]
– Could recent air traffic disruption be a golden opportunity to make more Americans take the train? [Travel]
// Until Next Sunday
As always, let me know what you think by email (dubose@newclassic.agency), website or on LinkedIn.
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