John Lewis hails turnaround, 'performance branding' is dead and Taylor Swift's Trump-inspired T-shirts

Weekly Exhale | Issue #23

Our brains are built to hardwire patterns—to run algorithms. Once a pattern is encoded, we can execute it up to 100 times faster, as if it were second nature. Things that seem difficult at first become effortless, almost zen-like. Boom. We become superhumans, right?

But, if you’re a musician, you’ll know about "practising mistakes". In 1987, I was a young, promising pianist and collapsed in tears at a performance in front of two hundred people. Worse, it was in front of my Dad—one of the original drummers for Van Morrisson. It was devastating.

The key to breaking out of failing patterns is to hit reset. Don't practice mistakes. Many of the patterns we run limit us, and unlike me, sat at that black upright piano, we're often blissfully unaware.

Good news: And Rising’s experimental and successful Retreat & Rise Up announced its 2025 dates this week.?If you're feeling the tingles of change, skip to the bottom and consider giving yourself a reset.

Let’s rise together with every issue. ??

Market Movements

Hard decisions warning ahead of next month's Budget | BBC

US inflation softens to lowest level as Fed prepares to cut rates | The Guardian

House prices rising for first time in two years | The Independent

Brand Beat

John Lewis hails turnaround as losses narrow | Financial Times

Greenpeace puts pressure on as Unilever admits work is 'far from over' | MarketingWeek

Ad spotlight: Killing Eve writers turn talents to new EE spot | The Drum

There's no such thing as 'performance branding' | Mark Ritson

It's time for marketers to speak the language of finance | MarketingWeek

Why are brands apologising so much right now? | Creative Review

How do fashion brands grow? | Jenny Romaniuk

How a DTC brand made sustainability part of their growth | Daphne Tideman

The new formula for deodorant sales: Move beyond the armpit | Wall Street Journal

How Bugaboo plans to corner the market | Fast Company

Net-a-Porter shifts beauty to affiliate model | Business of Fashion

UK TV production sector income falls by ￡400m | The Guardian

Three things I wish I'd known in my startup marketing career | Sifted

'A better approach to business' B Corps brands believe their time has come | The Times

Trending: Poppi World used a NYC pop-up as viral soda brand | AdWeek

And here's why we're living in a "Poppi' brand pop-ups world | Zoya

Startup

Depop founder Simon Beckerman's food marketplace raises $6m | Sifted

Gen Z entrepreneurs—behind the desire for self-employment | AdAge

Form launches prenatal program as it grows to $21m and 60k subscribers | Forbes

Wackiest employee benefits from around the world | Startups

Tech Tidbits

OpenAI announces a new AI model, code-named Strawberry | Wired

There's a war for the top 1%: Inside French tech's battle for AI talent | Sifted

Could a copy of you exist in the multiverse? | Big Think

TikTok takes on Google's new AI search | NoGood

Venture Vibes

L'Oreal heiress and Chanel buy a stake in Olsens' fashion brand | Fortune

TikTok phenomenon Nicole Wischoff announces $50 million fund III | YouTube

After Shark Tank, Mark Cuban wants to break the prescription drug industry | Wired

How do VCs make decisions? | The VC Corner

Design Driven

iPhone 16's new button is about so much more than the camera | Fast Company

Taylor Swift angers Trump by stealing his T-Shirt design | Fast Company

The Met Office partners with Giphy to bring out weather characters | It's Nice That

Hello, Happiness

Be present with your future self | Per H?kansson

Deepak Chopra's AI twin advises on everything 'from sex to spirituality' | Fortune

Retreat & Rise Up 2025 dates are open: Be human in nature | Retreat & Rise Up

Share me. ?? Subscribe me. ?????? Stay gold. ????