Tuesday's Big Briefing:
Must Read: A great new report from a longtime Lean Luxer, Sara Bernát, echoing our longstanding view on the modern luxury mindset.
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Pared down, quiet, internally-oriented: Goop's the perfect example here | Goop
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The Short Shrift.
Reading between the lines: This is something we’ve been reporting on since 2016, and Bernát's observations are spot on: "The contemporary luxury landscape is rooted in the economic crisis in 2008, and marked by the idea of internalized opulence. Prior to the crisis, it was an era of blingy denim, plush tracksuits, and white belts (read: very loud). But conspicuous luxury soon lost its luster. What was worn on the outside previously, relocated to the inside in the name of modesty. The thirst for luxury remained, but rather than turning to designer bags, to satisfy the allure of luxurious distinction, consumers sought out goods and services that came with quiet powers. Meditation retreats, superfood-packed juices, and uber-intrinsic features such as silence embodied this new wave."
👉Get smarter: Read the report here...
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Internal
Lean Luxe: Quarterly Partners
New opportunities for Q2 2020
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**Heads up: We're now taking sponsors for Q2 2020 🙌🙌
Under our new schedule, which started in Q1, sponsorships will now be open across two tiers: Gold Tier (9 total placements per quarter) and Silver Tier (6 total placements per quarter). We're limiting this to (4) partners for each tier. Potential partners go to: Lean Luxe: Quarterly Partnerships.
Fun fact: The document is also something of a "state of the publication" report––so even if you're not a potential sponsor, you might enjoy the progress report so far. Sponsors are free to get in touch with me directly. –– Paul
–– Email for sponsorship inquiries (please specify your package!)
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In Association with: White Ops
A Word from our Sponsor
Q2 | April 2020
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White Ops: Keep Your Data Human with White Ops.
April Series | Edition No. 1 / 1.
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Is your data under the influence of bots?
Sophisticated bots can click on ads, fill out forms, and move around your website––all while looking like a real human. Before you know it, you’ve spent valuable resources trying to get a bot to convert. Bots don’t make ideal customers.
White Ops can detect and prevent even the most human-like sophisticated bots. Contact us today for a free pilot and learn how we can protect your marketing spend. Stop chasing bots and start finding your forever fans.
–– Learn more here 👉
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Many thanks to White Ops today. Their support makes Lean Luxe a better product. Learn more at:
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Insights Corner
Tuesday: Taking Stock
Lucid observations
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Grab Bag: Ella Fitzgerald explains what jazz is.
You can stream the new Star Wars on May 4th. Stanley Tucci’s Negroni. How to start a whiskey collection. ESPN’s plan for baseball. The Jordan VHS collection. Bird’s workplace drama gets exposed. Meryl Streep is beating your WFH look. Cooking in the time of coronavirus. Europe’s slowly coming back to life. BuzzFeed does livestream dating with Bumble. Your personal mini fireplace. How will pop confront the pandemic? If Spotify teamed up with Braun. Stratechery on the Anti-Amazon Alliance. A Manhattan Project for the virus. And Ella Fitzgerald explains what jazz is.
The secret to the perfect (modern) brand name?
Ever wonder how brands are coming up with their names these days? Well, The Economist, in focusing its wise lens on the mattress startup scene for this one, offers some insight. To wit: “Startups want short names like Slack that stand out, yet are somehow familiar (psychologists call this sweet spot in human preference ‘optimal distinctiveness’). Many companies try to achieve this by using first names of the sort we might give our children. Casper, an online mattress seller, was named for an old college friend of the founders. ‘We realised that having something that makes it feel like it could be a person actually kind of lets your guard down a little bit and lets you have that deeper connection,’ explained Neil Parikh, one of its founders.” More details inside.
The new future of the city should be very Jane Jacobs-approved.
If you look back on history, and observe how cities change after major events––war, plagues, depressions––you’ll know that things are about to look very different for the world’s urban areas after this. That’s particularly true for US cities. But what does that mean, exactly? Well, expect both good and bad, but this prediction is prescient, positive, and very much Jane Jacobs in feel: “The near death of the American city will also be its rebirth. When rents fall, mom-and-pop stores will rise again––America will need them. Immigrants will return in full force. . . . Cheaper empty spaces will be incubators for stores that serve up ancient pleasures, like coffee and books, and novel combinations of health tech, fitness, and apparel. Eccentric chefs will return, and Americans will remember…the sacred joys of a private plate in a place that buzzes with strangers. From the ashes, something new will grow, and something better, too, if we build it right.”
What Kondo’s got coming next.
Marie Kondo continues to surge forward, and rightly so. If there’s ever been a more perfect time for her to play offense, it’s now while we’re all stuck at home, thinking about how to better organize (among other things). The venerable Liz Segran has a great report with Kondo at Fast Company, detailing what Kondo’s doing next: “This expansion into the workplace means KonMari Media can ramp up content and products related to work life. Now, in addition to $119 aromatherapy diffusers, the KonMari store sells a $75 cube for storing paper clips and a $175 leather-wrapped phone-charging station. And KonMari is poised to expand into the lucrative field of professional coaching.” Roger that.
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👋Paul Munford, CEO / Editor
mpm@leanluxe.com
@leanluxe
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The Community
Lean Luxe: Connect
Our invite-only Slack channel
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🔥🔥Join the conversation –– get your invite here!
Yes, the Lean Luxe Slack channel is popping right now. Connections are being made, city meetups organized, debates had, investors found, perks offered. This is strictly for our most active subscribers, so if you'd like to be considered, check the eligibility requirements below, and shoot us an email. There's a waitlist, but we do add people in batches every few weeks. For more insight on the channel read this, as well as Hunter Walk's thoughts on our Slack strategy.
–– Ping us here for your invitation (it's already filled out, just hit send)
*Requirements: 1) You must be a subscriber for at least one month. 2) You must have at least a 60% newsletter open rate based on your profile (ask us for yours).
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The Ticker
Fresh, hot links
Lighter fare
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Brands texting folks has become even more of a thing
We’re still not for the green text bubble, though. WSJ
MSCHF’s latest drop: 'Severed Spots'
Has been declared “genius” by several Lean Luxers. MSCHF
The media diet of Brightland’s Aishwarya Iyer
Some good picks here. Why Is This Interesting
Jennifer Bett Communications launches a podcast
And it’s about damn time. The Partner Ship Podcast
'How I Built This' chats with Fitbit’s James Park
The latest drop from Mr. Guy Raz. HIBT
How will brands fare after this?
Guess we’ll just have to see. Forbes
** News or tips for The Ticker?
Send tips on news, quotes, coverage, mentions in the media to info@leanluxe.com.
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Comments, questions, tips?
Send a letter to the editor –– Paul Munford
mpm@leanluxe.com / @leanluxe
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