We used to have a country

Here's what you missed on Glee—I mean, in the DTC industry—last week:

adage.com/article/market… Ad Age

I wrote about the story behind Studs for Ad Age this week—from how the founders got the idea to how they work marketing magic five years later 👂💎:

adage.com/article/market…

Here's how Bumble's viral teaser campaign came together—and what exactly it was teasing:

adage.com/article/digita… Ad Age

Here’s what Bumble was teasing with its cryptic Instagram posts of antique paintings and snoozing ladies:

adage.com/article/digita…

When large companies acquire DTC brands, the “disruptive efforts that put these brands on the map” tend to be replaced by “more distribution” and “retail basically becomes the new marketing tool,” Michael Duda told Ad Age.

Read the full story here.

adage.com/article/market…

It was...a big week in DTC land! I recapped the biggest news of the past few days for Ad Age below:

adage.com/article/market…

With Foxtrot's closure, a page of the DTC-to-retail playbook has been ripped out. “This closure will definitely impact buzzy DTC brands’ ability to scale into stores,” one exec said.

What Foxtrot's closure means for DTC brands is my latest for Ad Age 🦊
adage.com/article/market…

Glossier and Rare Beauty are both exploring sales—here's what could happen to their marketing if they get acquired:

My latest for Ad Age below:
adage.com/article/market… Glossier Rare Beauty

There's more money in the creator economy than ever before—so why are influencer marketing agencies struggling?

Find out in my latest for Ad Age with Gillian below:
adage.com/article/digita…

Taylor Swift’s new album—how Sephora, sweetgreen and other brands are reacting to 'The Tortured Poets Department'

My latest for Ad Age is below:

adage.com/article/market…

I wrote about the brands tapping into the #TSTTPD hype while singing the new lyrics 'YOU'RE NOT DYLAN THOMAS, I'M NOT PATTI SMITH, THIS AIN'T THE CHELSEA HOTEL' and getting especially excited about the libraries who made Taylor Swift posts today.

adage.com/article/market…

Most shocking part of #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT is that Taylor Swift knows the band The Starting Line #emokid

my qualifications? well, my tweet was once featured as “tweet of the week” by Ad Age….

The Carlyle Group is selling DTC clean beauty brand Beautycounter back to its founder Gregg Renfrew, a Carlyle spokesperson confirmed to Ad Age. adage.com/article/market…

Breaking: DTC clean beauty brand Beautycounter is being sold back to its founder amid industry headwinds.

The news comes soon after Ulta's CEO warned of a beauty industry slowdown.

More in my latest for Ad Age: adage.com/article/market… Beautycounter Ulta Beauty

From BCFM to DTC 1.0, Ad Age clears up the murky waters of DTC industry jargon by compiling answers in the form of a DTC glossary. adage.com/article/market…

Pregnancy + baby brand fridamom cast some unexpected stars in its latest campaign: Adult film stars, to be exact.

Find out why in my latest for Ad Age below:

adage.com/creativity/wor…