The Zeitgeist: September 26, 2025

Today's Edition: Brewtiques, Kidulting and ChatGPT Pulse

Good morning. Reddit went from internet rabbit hole to AI’s favorite cheat sheet - powering 21% of Google’s AI Overview citations. Translation: when machines need to sound human, they crib from the one place where humans still argue about everything. As Christophe Jammet noted in MediaPost this week, brands that treat Reddit like an ad channel will flop; the winners are the ones dropping real research, sharp insights and useful expertise. Authenticity isn’t optional - it’s survival.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel broke his own YouTube record this week with 18M views in 22 hours after returning from suspension with a free-speech-defense monologue. To put that in context: his talk show averaged just 1.6M viewers all last season.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

Also, National Coffee Day stunts from Dunkin’ x Hatch and Maxwell House, butter stunts from Land O’Lakes x Clove Shoes and Bose, Cava’s Bowlmates series and the return of Chili’s’ viral “Mozz-Mates” Halloween costume.

Culture 

Snackable bites of consumer culture

Corporate

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

Connections

Feed intelligence & AI tips

Media Moves & Intel:

  • Allison Prang, formerly freelance and sustainability reporter at Politico, is now senior reporter at Bloomberg Law covering state policy and litigation related to energy and environment issues.

  • Jeremy Barr, formerly media reporter at The Washington Post, is now media reporter at The Guardian - its first dedicated media reporter in the U.S.

  • Opheli Garcia Lawler, formerly freelance and senior staff writer at Thrillist, is now part time editor at The Daily Beast.

  • Scott Dance, formerly global weather reporter at The Washington Post, is now climate adaptation correspondent at The New York Times.

  • Anthony Robledo, formerly trending reporter at USA Today, is now entertainment reporter at the same publication.

  • The Verge is launching Version History, a video-focused podcast to examine the legacy of the biggest moments in tech. Hosted by editor-at-large David Pierce, the show will look each week at the historical implications of gadgets, apps, websites, or products from consumer technology’s past.

  • Katie Couric’s Wake Up Call at Work newsletter, which is published on LinkedIn every other Thursday on her personal LinkedIn account, recently pivoted to focus on interviews with CEOs and founders.

Also... read about Monchhichis, a plushie recently accessorized by BLACKPINK’s Lisa that may soon become the new Labubu.

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