The Zeitgeist: April 18, 2025

Today's Edition: Costco, Recession Blonde and Le Poisson Steve

April 18, 2025

Good morning. In unsurprising news, Fyre Festival 2 has been postponed. Organizers are now searching for a new location after two local governments in Mexico said they had no record of the event being planned in their regions. With both the date and venue up in the air, the festival’s future is once again uncertain.

Also catching our eye this week: Le Creuset’s Factory to Table sale in San Jose, CA and the fan-organized “Le Creuchella” trading event that’s sprung up outside it. The events are a masterclass in cult brand loyalty and community-driven fandom. It’s proof that for some, colorful cookware is more than just a kitchen essential - it’s a lifestyle.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

Case Study: Oscar Mayer makes ‘Wienie Bowl’ reality after AI image goes viral

After an AI-generated image of 12 hot dogs stuffed into a Mets helmet took off on social, Oscar Mayer brought the dish to life in Queens ahead of a Mets game.

By Eric Berger | Campaign US

Chili’s pop-up finances fast food meals in latest dig at rising prices

Chili’s took aim at McDonald’s by introducing the Big QP burger in “Fast Food Financing,” a campaign with a 30-second ad spot and experiential pop up in NYC.

By Peter Adams | Marketing Dive

Also, White Castle’s bounce house, Nike x Kool-Aid’s TikTok-inspired sneaker drop, Mountain Dew’s Baja Blast Shampoo and Auntie Anne x Oreo’s Oreo-topped pretzel nuggets.

Culture 

Snackable bites of consumer culture

‘Recession blonde’ and other ways women are signaling an economic downturn

Young women are skipping salon appointments or opting for lower maintenance or at-home treatments amid national economic uncertainty.

By Matty Merritt | Morning Brew

Would You Go on a Payment Plan for Coachella?

A new report from Billboard shows that more than half of Coachella general-admissions attendees used buy-now, pay-later services. Per The Cut, “Recession indicator, evidence of a mass financial-literacy problem, or both?”

By Cat Zhang | The Cut

Meet the New Candidate for the Absolute Worst Restaurant Chair

“How to use a leaning bar chair” is trending on TikTok, with people in the comments explaining that it’s a chair designed to be leaned against, not sat upon.

By Francky Knapp | Eater

AI-generated action figures were all over social media. Then, artists took over with hand-drawn versions.

Artists are sharing their own takes to encourage brands to commission real people for their work.

By Angela Yang | NBC News

Corporate

A Young Generation Goes to Work for Mom and Dad Inc.

A growing number of young adults are joining the family business due to a cooling labor market and a sense of urgency among older business owners to make succession plans.

By Rachel Wolfe | The Wall Street Journal

‘No lettuce, no Big Mac’: why Beth Hart is steering McDonald’s towards regenerative agriculture

McDonald’s’ U.S. Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer discusses the brand’s commitment to regenerative and responsible agriculture for ingredient sourcing.

By Oliver Balch | Reuters

The USDA cut $500 million in funding to food banks. Here’s how they’re coping

The USDA cut two programs that fund the purchase of local farm-fresh foods for school cafeterias and many of the products available in food banks for 2025, putting food banks under pressure.

By Rachel Askinasi | TODAY.com

How the Science of Color Boosts Productivity at Work

As more companies call employees back to the office, they are also rethinking workplace design to boost productivity and motivation. New uses of color will play a part in that.

By Brett Berk | The Wall Street Journal

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

Come for the hot dogs, stay for the gold bars: How Costco hooks shoppers

Costco has mastered the impulse buy - shoppers pop in for eggs or rotisserie chicken, only to wheel out baskets piled higher than a tractor trailer.

By Jessica Guynn, Bailey Schulz | USA TODAY

Shopping for Tweens Is a Nightmare. These Brands Want to Fix That.

Clothing lines founded by moms and daughters are addressing a critical gap in the market: fashion for girls between 8 and 12.

By Tara Weiss | The Wall Street Journal

DoorDash is expanding into sidewalk robot delivery in the US

DoorDash is teaming up with Coco to roll out delivery bots in LA and Chicago, but it’s not their first bot deal - DoorDash introduced drone delivery with Wing in some U.S. markets late last year.

By Umar Shakir | The Verge

How Trump Might Unwittingly Cut Emissions From Online Shopping

Fast fashion retailers rely heavily on shipping by air. The president’s tariffs could change that.

By Claire Brown | The New York Times

Connections

Feed intelligence

An Orange Fish With Arms and Legs, and a Song You Can’t Escape

An interview with the creators of Steve, a French cartoon with a catchy theme song who recently became a TikTok star.

By Madison Malone Kircher | The New York Times

Meet Neptune, a TikTok alternative where creators can hide likes and follower counts

The app, currently in beta, has attracted attention from hundreds of thousands of users, with 970 testers participating and 400,000 people on the waitlist.

By Lauren Forristal | TechCrunch

TikTok takes on Google Maps by surfacing reviews in the comments tab

The platform is testing a “Reviews” tab in the comments section of location-tagged videos, allowing users to view star ratings, written reviews, and photos.

By Aisha Malik | TechCrunch

Media Moves:

  • Colin Campbell, formerly senior editor at Industry Dive, is now supply chain deals reporter at Axios Pro Deals covering M&A, private equity and venture capital news in the freight industry.

  • Alexandra Scaggs, formerly staff writer at the Financial Times, has left the newspaper to start a Substack newsletter, The Hedge, covering grocery bills and utilities.

  • Henry Blodget, founder at Business Insider, is starting a Substack newsletter, Regenerator, analyzing “the most important questions in innovation - tech, business, markets, policy, science, culture, and ideas.”

  • Paris Martineau, reporter at The Information, was part of recent layoffs affecting the news outlet’s features team.

  • Joel Rubin, formerly deputy business editor at the Los Angeles Times, is now the first-ever California senior policy editor at Politico.

  • Sam Kim, formerly economy and government reporter at Bloomberg News in Seoul, is now editor on the breaking news team in New York.

  • Reyhan Harmanci, formerly special projects writer at Bloomberg News, is now features director at WIRED.

  • Blair Donovan, formerly senior style editor at Apartment Therapy, is now digital director at House Beautiful.

  • Olivia Tarantino, formerly managing editor at Eat This, Not That!, has left the outlet to pursue freelance opportunities.

Also... read about Morris Mania, a new exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in London that explores how his signature style became so ubiquitous, in Smithsonian Magazine.

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