Last night, I sat outside in 45-degree weather sipping a cocktail at an extremely crowded bar (all the bars are extremely crowded now) as I watched dozens of hopeful renters line up on a Friday evening to view one completely ordinary apartment that is probably no longer available by the time I send this, and probably went for well above market price. Meanwhile, there’s a chance for snow tomorrow even though it’s the end of March.
On that note, I’ll get to it so we can all enjoy our weekend, soaking up the unseasonably cold temperatures while competing for overpriced cocktails and 200-square-foot studio apartments.
Today we’ll get into…
Style: L.L. Bean, Pam Anderson, french manicures
Launches & Rebrands: Whatnot, KFC, Mike’s Hard
TikTok: night luxe, brow mapping, #Scalptok
End Times: enough said
And, as always, other things I read, bought, heard, and loved. Hope you enjoy!
Style
L.L. Bean sales spiked 14% last year, thanks in part to heightened "consumer interest in the outdoor lifestyle," plus its investment in omnichannel, wholesale, 800 new products across all categories, and international expansion. It’s a very good time to be an outdoor brand, especially one with the kind of quality and old-school coolness as Bean.
It’s a tough time to be an experiential marketing company disguised as a museum, but the Museum of Ice Cream — which I had somehow completely forgotten about until seeing this headline — seems to be doing just fine.
It is telling, though, 56% of brands are investing little to nothing in offline marketing this year.
At least one exception: Glossier's first store opening of 2022 is in Miami.