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- The Zeitgeist: February 21, 2025
The Zeitgeist: February 21, 2025
Today's Edition: Party City, Lore and Dawn
Good morning. This earnings season, the term “tariffs” was mentioned a record 191 times during S&P 500 company earnings calls, surpassing previous highs from 2018 and 2019. No surprise - it’s a hot topic. But beyond boardrooms, tariffs are rippling through consumer behavior.
Take “doom spending” - the impulse to buy excessively in response to future uncertainty. A new CreditCards.com survey shows Americans are leaning into this trend. Meanwhile, Digiday reports that tariffs are forcing creators to rethink their side hustles.
It’s too soon to pin down exactly how tariffs are shaping consumer spending, but one thing’s clear: buying habits are shifting.
Campaigns
Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments
Also, Taco Bell x Milk Bar’s birthday cake churros, Krispy Kreme x Hulu’s movie snacks doughnuts, Nathan’s Famous’s New York tap water, and Peeps x Promised Land Dairy’s sweet marshmallow milk for Easter.
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Media Moves:
Brian Heater, formerly hardware editor at TechCrunch, is leaving the outlet and has yet to announce his new role.
Marina Galperina, formerly managing editor at Popular Science, is now senior technology editor at The Verge.
Anna Hensel, formerly managing editor at Modern Retail, has been promoted to executive editor. She will be co-hosting its podcasts and regularly doing calls with more Amazon sellers and DTC execs as she works to refine its coverage.
Anthony Pompliano, entrepreneur and investor, is launching “From the Desk of Anthony Pompliano,” a daily business news show that aims to redefine how people consume financial and business insights on Twitter/X.
Tom McKay, senior reporter at Morning Brew’s IT Brew, is leaving the newsletter and has yet to announce his new role.
Kat Tenbarge, formerly tech and culture reporter at NBC News, has left the news organization to start her own newsletter, Spitfire News.
Kyle O’Brien, formerly agencies reporter at Adweek, has left the outlet and has yet to announce his new role.
Samantha Simon, formerly freelance writer at Forbes Vetted and Editorialist, is now senior features editor at L’OFFICIEL USA.
Kyley Warren, formerly assistant commerce editor at PS, is leaving the outlet and has yet to announce her new role.
Christine Burroni, formerly senior news editor at Travel + Leisure, has left the outlet to pursue freelance opportunities.
Gordon Smith, formerly group editor and editor at large at Commercial Aviation, is now airlines editor at Skift.
Also... take a look inside the UC Davis Coffee Center, the country’s only academic center focused on coffee.
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