Osaka's new Four Seasons

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An endorphin hit of info curated by Jon Kallus

🔼 Raising Cane’s. The privately owned American chicken-finger chain has enjoyed surging popularity in recent years —and the company’s founder is thought to be worth some US$10b »»

🔽 VC in Miami. a16z has stopped using their office there, after just 2 years »»

💬 “The power of your approach Jon, is that you're enabling people to generate better, more creative ideas through that focused one-on-one attention, and insightful questions.“ fv/’s LinkedIn ghostwriting clients are getting great ideas during their monthly 45 minute chats with me. Book a free brainstorm and see how it works for yourself »»

🛫 Tour the new Four Seasons Osaka, where time stands still »»

👗 The trending bag styles that will dominate AW24 »»

🤖 A new app called Videco promises to let sales and marketing teams create personalized, interactive videos »»

Think running an agency is hard? Try being a brand right now

Here are 5 major shifts brands are dealing with these days (PLOT TWIST: AI/LLMs don’t feature at all)

1️⃣💰 Skyrocketing CAC: Customer acquisition costs are soaring amid intense competition AND fragmented consumer attention

2️⃣🧐 Changing consumer behavior: People are spending less due to inflation, shifting away from branded Shopify sites and towards online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart, or increasingly just shopping directly on TikTok

3️⃣💰💰💰The high cost of differentiation (vital in a sea of dupes). Building a strong brand and unique product experience is difficult, time consuming and very expensive

At the exact same time…

4️⃣ 💸 Cheap money is GONE. All businesses have to prioritize profit margins and efficient operations over growth and mere revenue

Finally, can’t forget:

5️⃣😵‍💫 Good, old fashioned algorithm anxiety: Social media, and —actually— all ad platforms, are CONSTANTLY changing. That means brands have to constantly adapt their strategies. It’s hard to win when the ground is always shifting beneath you.

Bottom line: what worked for brands yesterday may not be working today.

If you’re an agency or production person or a freelance creative or strategist, and you want to know why things seem so in flux and/or why there’s so much downwards pressure on things like day rates and marketing budgets these days, it might *not* be AI.

The incredibly rugged landscape that brands have to navigate today is probably why.

DJI’s US$199 Neo selfie drone is going to be everywhere »»

On demand software is here »»

10 years later, Apple Pay is amazing — and about to change »»

And: What to expect from Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ iPhone 16 event »»

Also: AI gadgets have been a bust so far. Apple’s aiming to change that »»

Depreciation is hitting EVs hard »»

Bruno Mars gifted custom Royal Oaks to his band and manager. Now they’re flipping them »»

Here’s an $US80m Airbus private plane »»

Can a robot give a decent massage? »»

The Air Jordan 1 Low ‘85 “White/Black” drops next month »»

As remote work keeps rolling, Oyster raised a US$59m Series D at a US$1.2b valuation »»

Are the super-rich running out of road? »»

Meta still needs China »»

You probably don’t need the “Remarkable Paper Pro” »»

Lloyd's of London had its best year since 2007 »»

Finally: The 17 most luxurious hotel bathrooms in the world »»

fv/’s LinkedIn ghostwriting service does more than just write your posts

We enable people to come up with better ideas, and more free ideas thorough one to one attention —and by asking lots of questions. 

And we do it in a light lift, low cost way. Book a complimentary brainstorm today »»

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