United Airlines sunsets its in-flight magazine

Hello there! Cale Guthrie Weissman here, editor-in-chief of Modern Retail. This week, we have some great stories about how companies are growing — or not growing.?

We lead off with a scoop about United Airlines making big changes to its media program. But really this is a commerce story because the airline is doing this to focus more on selling targeted ads. Then, we have new data about the eye-popping amount of money Poppi is spending on advertising. Last, we dive into Supreme and why it’s no longer the streetwear leader it once was.

Thanks for reading!

United Airlines is sunsetting the print component of its magazine Hemispheres

In-flight magazines are on the outs. The latest example is United Airlines , which is getting rid of the print version of its decades-old magazine Hemispheres. Instead, United will likely be focused on its new advertising network that focuses on its entertainment screens and apps.

In many ways, it’s a sign of the times. Branded magazines were once a very hot commodity. But they’re also expensive – and, in United’s case, heavy. While brands used to love to advertise on magazines, now they want more targeted opportunities.

But it will mean a whole new experience for passengers. No longer can they idly do a half-filled-out crossword. Instead, they’ll watch movies and be presented with targeted ads.?

You can find this story here.

Poppi outspent Gatorade & Dr. Pepper on advertising

The soda wars have arrived. And poppi is spending a lot of money to win them.?

According to new data from MediaRadar, soda startup Poppi spent more than $43 million on advertising from January to April, nearly six times the $7.3 million it spent for all of 2023. That’s also more than both what Dr. Pepper and Gatorade spent in that same period.?

In short, the new players are trying to become more ubiquitous to compete with the legacy players. And that costs a lot of money.

You can read the report here.

‘Scarcity and growth are oppositional’: How streetwear legend Supreme lost its luster

Supreme used to reign, well, supreme. Now, things have changed.

The streetwear company recently sold to EssilorLuxxotica for $1.5 billion. That’s far less than the $2 billion its previous owner, VF Corporation , paid for the brand in 2020. What happened?

Well, for one, to grow a brand you can’t be scarce. And Supreme got to where it was because of its long lines and drop model. Those strategies help grow a brand and give it a certain type of clout, but it becomes harder to keep that allure while opening more and more store locations.?

Here’s why Supreme has lost its sheen.

That’s all for today, have a great weekend!

?— Cale