Here's what Gary Vee told us
+ the ALDification of everything and what to do when Under Armour rips you off.
Quick housekeeping
If you signed up for the Hyper newsletter last week from Clayton’s video about home goods, you can access that trend report we put together (with our friends over at Vaan) here.
Our interview with Gary Vee
Yeah… we interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk. Something we weren’t expecting to happen. this summer, but we are super grateful for the relationships we have with people in this industry (shoutout to Nick and Tyler from the Vayner team, especially).
It’s opened all kinds of doors for us, and we love paying that forward where we can.
Specifically, though, we were hyped to chat with Gary about social content, how brands actually operate, the “AI” scare, why you should eat your own dog food, and much more.
We’ve reached new levels of yuppie
The latest iteration of the commercialization of downtown Manhattan is the opening of a *checks notes* Backgammon café.
It’s less about the game itself and more about what it represents, which is simply a ripple effect of what we’d call the ALDification of the internet. Backgammon, a board game rooted in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern culture, was never exactly a mainstream American pastime.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be claimed by yuppies! Like many niche aesthetics lately, backgammon has been plucked from its origins and recast as a vibe.
It wouldn’t be surprising to say that people play the board game more because of where it sits in the cultural zeitgeist than the fact that they love it.
Watch this space, marketers.
Why we all want to attend this Birkenstock dinner
Birkenstock recently hosted a small event in LA: a sunset sound bath and meditation, followed by an intimate dinner with a tight group of people.
One of the most challenging parts of brand marketing is figuring out how to present oneself organically outside of campaigns, product shots, or seasonal lookbooks.
This type of moment checks all the boxes, mostly because it feels human. It’s the sort of activation that builds emotional context around the product. And it gives people a reason to care that extends beyond what the shoes look like.
More brands need creative playgrounds
This is a petition for more brands to use physical spaces as creative hubs for their products to customers. The Arc’teryx Tokyo Creation Center, designed by TORAFU Architects, is the perfect manifestation of that.
It doubles as a studio and collaborative space for designers, athletes, and artisans. They intentionally created an experience where you can get lost, from indigo-dyed noren and washi paper artwork symbolizing mountains to native Japanese plants integrated into the landscape.
It’s all custom everything, and Arc’teryx specifically teamed up with local artisans that match the brand’s appreciation for nature and design.
Hyper Reports
Check out our market reports. We spend many hours researching markets, categories, and brands & products within the consumer space so you don’t have to.
Thanks so much for your content -- its super useful and always valuable.