The Zeitgeist: August 15, 2025

Today's Edition: GPT-5, Office Friends and Sleep-Away Camp

Good morning. E.l.f. Cosmetics - the media darling of the cosmetics aisle - stirred up more drama than a Real Housewives reunion. Its latest campaign has some customers raising eyebrows, wondering if the brand is dabbling in “outrage marketing” (ruffling feathers to rack up clicks). Whether planned or just a happy accident, outrage seems to be the hot new growth hack. E.l.f. has since posted an Instagram apology that critics say flopped harder than a bad contour. We’ll keep our popcorn handy.

Also this week, America’s collective bar tab is shrinking. A new Gallup poll found only 54% of U.S. adults say they drink - the lowest in the survey’s 90-year history. After decades of thinking “a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away,” more folks are deciding it might just keep the doctor busy. The trend poses fresh challenges for alcohol brands as they adapt to changing consumer habits.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

Also, Billie x Chia Pet’s body hair advocacy collab, Cinnabons $1.25 rolls for its 40th anniversary, Poppi x Cool Sips’ dirty sodas, Cavas blind-box pita plushies and Google Maps x Benson Boone’s tour stop avatar.

Culture 

Snackable bites of consumer culture

Corporate

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

Connections

Feed intelligence

Media Moves:

  • Michelle Del Rey, formerly U.S. news reporter at The Independent, is now trending news reporter at USA Today.

  • Sonali Basak, formerly journalist at Bloomberg News, is now chief investment strategist at iCapital.

  • Katie Roof, formerly reporter at Bloomberg News on its VC and tech team in CA, is now deputy bureau chief of VC coverage at The Information.

  • Layoffs were announced this week at Eater.

Also... learn how to pickle food.

Thanks for reading.

If you need help accessing the full text of any of these stories, drop your team a line and we'll send it right over.

—The Editors

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe to the Confidant Zeitgeist here.