From this month’s Good Thinking: Korean collabs, the Boom Boom Trend and Christmas Joy.
Our pick of the best-of-the-best trends and culture moments from Good Thinking, a weekly substack produced by our friends at IN GOOD CO, a global consultancy specialising in brand positioning, strategy and consumer experiences.
CRAVING HUMANS -> Feed Me -> As Seen On // We’re craving humanity. Think moms going to raves, people pouring their souls out, stuff like Meet Cutes, Big Talk, and Subway Hands. (The latter of which Instagram smartly tapped for their MTA Holiday campaign). Very Mad Realities ‘show’ Hollywood IQ matches the vibe. As we roll into 2025 and AI-everything, consider the possibility that your brand can choose to deliver the other side of the pendulum swing.
BIG ROLLOUT, SMALL SCREEN -> The Hustle // Season 2 of Squid Games the Barbie treatment. There are full Squid Game experiences in NYC, Sydney, and Madrid. A collab with Knorr for Korean noodles (the ad is weird and fun). A partnership with DuoLingo. There’s a Crocs collab—obviously. A lot for a show that did well in Season 1.
BOOM BOOM // People ready for abundance. And nothing says abundance like 80’s work-hard-play-hard, win-at-all-costs business chic like this aesthetic. Sean Monahan calls it ‘Boom Boom’. But it’s not just an aesthetic trend. It’s tied to a desire for less regulation. Think: the new Texas ‘less regulated’ stock exchange. Bari Weiss’ The Free Press growth. Olympics with steroids. Veganism in decline. ‘Clean beauty’ becoming a dirty word. Steaks and booze (p49+76). Excess is back.
ALL IN ON CHRISTMAS // Brands are all-in on Christmas joy. Cartier is sending butlers to set up Christmas trees. Tower28 is gifting orange trees. Alex Mill had an adorable 12-days of Christmas tune. Tiffany’s made an ‘art advent calendar’. Big Night got Amy Sedaris (flex) to narrate a Christmas story. Flamingo Estate made dog toys. And Marco Zamora who made THE viral tree of 2023, went even bigger this year. I’m here for it all.
