The hottest Brand Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Creating value in the AI age

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
💼 Business Brand
  1. Judgment — With information and execution becoming cheap, the scarce value is knowing what truly matters and making better decisions.
  2. Curation — As content and options multiply, people pay for clear filters that surface the useful signal from the noise.
  3. Direction — Speed alone creates faster confusion, so helping others choose the right path and save time is where durable value lives.

Culture Remix

In Bed With Social • 534 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture Brand
  1. Culture today involves remixing and transformation of existing ideas, not just creating new ones.
  2. Collaboration and co-creation between brands and consumers is becoming more prevalent in the era of brand remix.
  3. Remix culture reflects the complexity of society and offers potential for innovation and expression.

Raising Heel

HIDDEN.RSRCH • 569 implied HN points • 12 Oct 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. Birkenstock has filed for an IPO after being a long-standing orthopedic shoe company.
  2. The company's value is high due to consistently making quality products.
  3. The journey to success for Birkenstock has been traditional and focused on quality.

Dinners are the new trade shows. Here’s how to run them well

MKT1 Newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
💼 Business Brand
  1. Dinners and small hosted events are a high-leverage B2B channel because they let you control the guest list, create real human connection, and focus on active pipeline accounts instead of spraying money at trade shows.
  2. To make a dinner worth it, be strategic: pick target accounts, treat each dinner like a campaign with pre/during/post touchpoints, and nail the three Ps—people, place, and programming—so conversations actually move deals and surface insights.
  3. Make dinners repeatable and measurable by building systems: track campaign influence in your CRM, standardize invites and personalized 24–48 hour follow-up, and document a playbook so you can scale and prove ROI.
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The Retail Piggybacking Edition

Why is this interesting? • 723 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Brand
  1. Sir Paul Smith discovered Aesop deodorant during his travels and appreciates the brand's growth near his stores, showing a positive outlook on retail piggybacking.
  2. Collaboration between stores serving the same customer base can create a positive synergy benefiting all, contrary to a strategy of spiteful competition.
  3. Over-association with another brand can potentially impact the image and story of an independent brand negatively, as seen in Aesop's evolution and potential risks for Sir Paul Smith's brand.

Patagonia, Paul Newman and another kind of purpose

Thoughts on Writing • 519 implied HN points • 23 Sep 22
💼 Business Brand
  1. Yvon Chouinard challenges the concept of business and brand purpose, emphasizing the importance of human purpose over corporate ideals.
  2. Paul Newman's approach to philanthropy through Newman's Own showcases a unique blend of humor, humility, and a genuine focus on product quality over profit.
  3. Maintaining a separation between business and charitable activities, like Newman's Own, can lead to successful ventures that have a positive impact, while keeping a light-hearted approach.

Welcome to Full Moon

New World Same Humans • 15 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
🪑 Design Brand
  1. Full Moon is a new space for deep thinking at the intersection of humans, technology, and business, aimed at designers, marketers, strategists, founders and other creative knowledge workers.
  2. It will publish a monthly deep-dive essay on each full moon and offers paid benefits like a monthly podcast, video Q&As, shorter Ideas, and early access to in-person events.
  3. The launch focuses on the future of design in an AI age, arguing that feeling, relevance, and human consequence matter, and members can gift a free year to someone aged 28 or under to bring younger voices into the conversation.

Are Creatives an Endangered Species?

The Intersection • 79 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Brand
  1. The evolution of creatives has moved from storytellers to hackers, designers & engineers, to business owners, highlighting the need to adapt and build on previous characteristics.
  2. In the evolving landscape, brands need a clear stance on issues and can learn from examples like Patagonia's impactful message that highlights the importance of having a distinct point of view.
  3. Creativity is no longer exclusive to traditional creatives as AI and digital tools democratize the ability to create, urging creatives to find new ways to utilize their skills in the changing industry.

Demand Generation Demystified

42 Slash • 78 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. Demand Generation is not just about creating content and hoping for leads, it's broader and includes customer acquisition and infrastructure.
  2. Marketing in a B2B company should be structured around three main pillars: Demand Generation, Brand, and Product Marketing.
  3. Product Marketing is foundational to a company as it connects various functions like Sales, Product, Marketing, and Customer Service.

Marketing to moments.

Nate is Learning • 19 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. Marketing around moments is a key strategy in marketing.
  2. College campuses offer numerous opportunities for brands to engage with students.
  3. Aligning marketing efforts with campus events and cultural attention can boost brand awareness.

Defensible NFT Bazaars: How NFT Marketplaces Capture Value

Unsyndicated by Mason Nystrom • 19 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Brand
  1. NFT marketplaces need to find ways to have unique liquidity to attract and retain users.
  2. Marketplaces can build defensibility through proprietary liquidity, enhanced NFT discovery experiences, and establishing strong branding.
  3. Creating unique NFT experiences, offering loyalty programs, and emphasizing trust and safety are key strategies for marketplace success.

Nike’s Marketing Blindspot

SatPost by Trung Phan • 74 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. Nike lost top athletes Messi and Curry due to corporate incompetence.
  2. Nike prioritizes marketing superhuman aesthetics over regular person looks.
  3. Lesson: Extraordinary skills and unshakeable wills matter more than fitting a brand's archetype.

RIP Twitter

GOOD INTERNET • 27 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Brand
  1. Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to 'X'
  2. Twitter was a platform for collective consciousness but warped by algorithms
  3. The addictive nature of Twitter led to 'Twitter poisoning'

The Age of the Marketer

sidkasbekar • 2 HN points • 10 May 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. Society is becoming less trusting due to a proliferation of content and products, leading trust to concentrate around a few entities.
  2. As AI tools make it easier to build products, the role of marketers in building strong brands and trust with customers becomes increasingly important.
  3. In a world with countless products and competitors, marketers have the upper hand in creating enduring businesses through building trust and strong brands.

Living Evil: How North Americas Greatest Esports Brand Became A Nightmare

Richard Lewis • 1 HN point • 25 Apr 23
🎾 Sports Brand
  1. Evil Geniuses faced financial struggles under new ownership, leading to a decline in performance and brand reputation.
  2. The takeover by Peak6 brought in new management, leading to a shift in company culture and a focus on rebranding.
  3. Former and current employees reported negative experiences, citing a lack of care for staff well-being and a culture of intimidation.

Brand & Data

Fish Food for Thought • 2 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
💼 Business Brand
  1. In Web 2.0, companies can differentiate through brand and data.
  2. Data allows for personalized experiences and enhances user satisfaction.
  3. Combining a strong brand with rich data can set a company apart in a crowded market.

Drew (Kunai): Bootleg Adidas

Do Not Research • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Brand
  1. Speculative design can provide a way of seeing the present, not just imagining the future.
  2. Art that blurs the line between independent creation and corporate merchandise challenges audience perceptions and sparks thought.
  3. Using corporate motifs can transform artisanal objects into mass-market goods and facilitates worldbuilding in reality.

Perverse Incentives and Bad Outcomes

IntelEdge360 with Bidemi Ologunde • 0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 24
💼 Business Brand
  1. A brand marketing agency in Orlando saw growth by quickly adopting AI technology for creativity and productivity.
  2. The agency's revenue increased, and they expanded their client base within the tourism, health, fitness, and entertainment industries.
  3. There were talks of the agency acquiring a smaller ad agency in Tampa, hinting at further growth and success.