The Zeitgeist: September 12, 2025

Today's Edition: Livestream Shopping, Kernza and Roblox

September 12, 2025

Good morning. Google rolled out its “Preferred Source” feature, letting people hand-pick which outlets they want showing up in news and search. Now the media’s in scramble mode - WIRED, Fast Company, USA Today and others are nudging readers to hit that “add us” button. The takeaway? Visibility isn’t just an SEO game anymore; it’s a loyalty game. For communicators, it signals a shift worth watching: media hits matter, but so does how your brand shows up in the feeds people curate for themselves.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Ramp says tech workers are going full “996” - that’s 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Translation: 72-hour workweeks, imported straight from China’s startup playbook, with burnout risk as the main side dish.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

How brands are embracing book culture to build real-life ties to consumers

With consumers craving offline connection, book clubs and literary activations have become a go-to for marketers to reach people in real life.

By Erika Wheless | Ad Age

Remastered Tootsie Roll advert sparks peak nostalgia

Instead of remaking the nostalgic 2D ad, animation studio Calabash remastered it, sharpening the line art and brightening the colors.

By Joe Foley | Creative Bloq

Also, Raising Cane’s’ chicken finger-inspired NYFW show, Van Leeuwen x Carnival Cruise’s sunscreen-flavored ice cream, Blue Moon’s bluemoongarnish renaming for its 30th anniversary and Sweethearts’ “Ghosted” Halloween candies.

Culture 

Snackable bites of consumer culture

It’s 10 p.m. Do You Know Where on Roblox Your Children Are?

A deep dive into the platform with 111.8M daily users, where many games embrace the viral “brain rot” cultural trend.

By Sam Biddle | New York Magazine

The Day the Cereal Aisle Stopped Being Magical

Once a joyful childhood ritual, cereal shopping is now an adult chore weighed down by health claims, price tags and storage space.

By Darron Cardosa | Food & Wine

Their Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players.

Young people see older tech not just as a nostalgia trip, but as a last resort in response to school smartphone restrictions.

By Callie Holtermann | The New York Times

Corporate

Starbucks wants its cafes to be more welcoming — and accessible. Take a look at a recent renovation

It’s updating 1K cafes by the end of 2026 in a bid to reclaim its status as a “third place” for customers to hang out between home and work.

By Amelia Lucas | CNBC

Loneliness Is Reshaping Your Workplace

Leaders who treat connection as a priority can turn today’s quieter, more transactional workplaces into engines of productivity, innovation and resilience.

By Kristin Gleitsman, Luis Velasquez | Harvard Business Review

Patagonia Changed the Apparel Business. Can It Change Food, Too?

The outdoor apparel company is growing its food business footprint with foods like tinned fish and wheat alternative Kernza.

By David Gelles | New York Times

They were told they could have it all. So why are so many moms leaving their jobs?

The economy is under threat as more women are leaving their jobs, undermining their careers and earning potential.

By Bailey Schulz, Madeline Mitchell, Jessica Guynn | USA Today

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

QVC for Gen Z? Why Women of All Ages Are Embracing Livestream Shopping

Livestream shopping is turning online scrolling into a mix of QVC, eBay and FaceTime, where buying feels like hanging with friends, and bidding wars double as entertainment.

By Esther Achara | The Wall Street Journal

Ralph Lauren’s new AI app is paving the way for a shopping revolution

The new AI-driven stylist marks fashion’s shift from search-based e-commerce to intent-based, curated shopping experiences.

By Elizabeth Segran | Fast Company

Why the shopping search function will be rebuilt because of AI

Typing keywords is out - AI search now feels like texting a shopping buddy who gets your budget, style and vibe.

By Vidhi Choudary | Retail Brew

Connections

Feed intelligence & AI tips

Robinhood takes on Reddit and X with new social media platform

Robinhood Social lets users share verified trades and commentary, positioning itself as a competitor to Reddit’s meme-stock community.

By Madison Mills I Axios

5 tips for getting better answers from AI

Three AI librarians share tips on using AI search tools, including starting with Google’s AI Mode and checking the answer citations.

By Geoffrey A. Fowler | The Washington Post

How Gen Z Is Reshaping Digital Media Through ‘Creative Maximalism’

A new YouTube study shows content trends marked by rapid, layered visuals, co-created narratives, internet in-jokes and global cultural blends.

By Dragomir Stojkov | Net Influencer

Media Moves & Intel:

  • Josh Schafer, formerly markets reporter at Yahoo Finance, is now newsletter editor at Barron’s.

  • Elizabeth Napolitano, formerly data reporter at Decrypt Media covering cryptocurrency, is now markets reporter at CNBC.

  • Audrey Decker, formerly air and space reporter at Defense One, is now reporter at Politico covering the space and emerging technology beat.

  • Trisha Thadani, formerly tech reporter at The Washington Post, is shifting to the health beat, covering alternative medicine and the forces shaping health institutions.

  • Ashton Jackson, success reporter at CNBC, is expanding her coverage to include side-hustle reporting.

  • Sam Escobar, formerly freelance, is now editor, beauty and wellness at The Daily Beast.

  • Emily Gerard, producer at The TODAY Show, is on maternity leave.

  • Marketing Brew is launching a weekly podcast called Marketing Brew Weekly, hosted by Kelsey Sutton, Jennimai Nguyen and Katie Hicks. The podcast will come out on Wednesdays and also run on YouTube.

  • Lukas Ziegler, robotics and AI LinkedIn creator and founder of we are all robots (Substack), let us know he’s open to behind-the-scenes press trips with companies and brands across industries, including food & beverage.

  • Dan Frommer, founder of The New Consumer, let us know he’s most interested in covering the how and why of consumer trends and brand innovations through in-depth, on-site storytelling.

Also... check out Atlas of Space, an interactive visualization to explore planets, moons, asteroids and other objects in the Solar System.

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