Everlane and Shein: A Branding Cautionary Tale

Back in November, I wrote about Everlane's new logo and what felt like the start of a promising new chapter. A refreshed identity, a commitment to longevity, a Laufey campaign. It all pointed to a brand finding its footing again.

And then Shein bought them.

I have a lot of thoughts.

What Everlane Was Built On

Everlane's whole identity was rooted in what they called "radical transparency." They broke down the cost of every product, named their factories, talked openly about their supply chain. In a fashion industry that runs on smoke and mirrors, that was genuinely radical. People were not just buying a t-shirt. They were buying into a belief system.

That belief system had real value. It turned customers into advocates and gave the brand a lane almost no one else was occupying. That was the deal. That was the whole thing.

And Then

Shein acquired Everlane in a deal valuing the brand at approximately $100 million, a steep discount from what it commanded at the height of the e-commerce boom. Shein is, in case anyone needs the reminder, everything Everlane stood against. Shein is accused of poor labor practices and environmental harm, and has spent years facing scrutiny from lawmakers on multiple continents. This is not a strategic partnership. This is a brand contradiction.

The Customer Reaction Says Everything

When an acquisition makes your most loyal customers rush to stockpile your products before the formula changes, that is not a great sign. People were not upset because a company sold. They were upset because it felt like a betrayal of a promise they had organized their shopping habits around.

And the response from actually sustainable brands has been just as telling. Last weekend on Abbot Kinney, I walked past Circular Library and stopped dead in my tracks. Their sign out front read: "Shein can't buy us. Shop real sustainability with us." Simple, pointed, and honestly kind of perfect. That is brand clarity in real time. While Everlane issues carefully worded statements about maintaining values under new ownership, the brands that actually live those values are not missing a beat.

The Statement Did Not Help

CEO Alfred Chang promised a new era with expanded global reach and greater opportunities, and insisted Everlane would uphold its sustainability commitments. I understand why he said it. But brand trust is not rebuilt with press releases. It is rebuilt with actions over time. And right now the most visible action is Everlane choosing to align with a company whose entire model runs counter to everything they claimed to believe.

The Short of It

This is what happens when business priorities start outrunning brand values. Everlane may survive it. Stranger things have happened. But the version people loved, the one that felt honest and intentional in an industry full of noise, that one is going to be very hard to get back.

And somewhere on Abbot Kinney, a small sustainable brand with a sign in their window is doing just fine without them.

Radical transparency has a way of making radical contradictions impossible to ignore.

How to Make Your Brand Feel Human on Social Media

There is a version of social media that feels like a billboard. Polished. Distant. Technically correct but somehow completely forgettable. And then there is the version that makes you stop scrolling, feel something, and actually want to follow along. The difference almost always comes down to one thing: does this feel like a real person, or does it feel like a brand trying to sound like one?

The good news is that showing up as human on social media is not complicated. It just takes some intention.

Stop Hiding Behind the Product

A lot of brands make the mistake of only talking about what they sell. Every post is a feature, a promotion, a moment for a sale. And while that has its place, it is not what builds connection.

People follow people. They follow stories, opinions, moments, and perspectives. Glossier built an entire brand identity around this. They did not just sell skincare. They talked about real skin, real routines, and real people, and their community grew because followers felt like they were part of something, not just being sold to.

Ask yourself: what does your brand actually believe? What frustrates you? What gets you excited? What have you learned the hard way? That is the stuff worth talking about.

Let the Imperfect In

There is a reason behind-the-scenes content performs so well. It is not polished. It is real. A photo taken on a phone in natural light, an honest caption about a tough week, a lesson learned from a campaign that did not go as planned. These things feel human because they are human.

Outdoor Voices did this well in their early days. Their feed felt like your most active friend's camera roll, not a catalog. Real bodies, real movement, real moments. It made the brand feel approachable in a space that can easily tip into intimidating.

You do not need to overshare or manufacture vulnerability. But dropping the pressure to look perfect is one of the fastest ways to make your audience actually like you.

Have a Point of View

The brands that feel most alive online are the ones that actually stand for something. Not in a political, alienate-half-your-audience way. Just in a "we have a perspective and we are not afraid to say it" way.

Billie is a great example. From the start, they took a clear stance on how women are marketed to in the personal care space and just said it out loud. Their content felt refreshing because it was honest and a little rebellious in the best way. They were not trying to appeal to everyone. They were talking directly to the woman who was tired of being sold a version of herself she did not recognize.

Neutral is safe. But safe does not stick.

Talk to People, Not at Them

Comments, DMs, questions in your captions. These are not afterthoughts. They are the actual conversation. The brands that feel human are the ones responding, engaging, and making their audience feel seen. Not with a generic emoji reply, but with something that shows a real person read what they wrote and actually cared.

Aerie has done this consistently well. Their community does not just feel like followers, it feels like a movement. That kind of loyalty does not come from great photography alone. It comes from years of making real people feel included and heard.

Community is not a metric. It is a relationship. And like any relationship, it needs attention to grow.

Consistency Matters More Than You Think

One of the quickest ways for a brand to feel hollow is to be wildly inconsistent. Funny one week, corporate the next. Posting daily and then disappearing for a month. Over time, people stop trusting that they know who you are.

Humans are consistent. They have a personality that shows up the same way whether it is a Tuesday morning or a Friday afternoon. Your brand should feel the same way. Rhode has done this beautifully. Every post, every color palette, every caption feels unmistakably them. You could remove the logo and still know exactly whose feed you were looking at.

The Short of It

The brands people love are not the ones with the biggest budgets or the most followers. They are the ones that feel like something. They have a voice, a perspective, and a willingness to show up as more than just a logo.

You do not need to reinvent the wheel. You just need to let a little more of yourself in.

Pinterest at Coachella

Most platforms: More time. More content. More consumption.

Pinterest: No thanks…. What if the best thing you find online is a reason to go offline?

At this year’s Coachella, Pinterest didn’t just show up. They showed what it looks like when a digital brand fully commits to its ethos in the real world. Pinterest has always been about intention. You don’t go there to pass time. You go there to imagine something. To plan something. To build something.

The Coachella activation brought that to life in a way that felt oh just so on-brand:

• Translating pinned inspiration into physical experiences

• Giving people a way to step inside their own aesthetic

• Turning passive discovery into active creation

Pinterest has quietly carved out their own lane of possibilities. Planning your next trip, designing your home, mapping your wedding, building your personal style.

It’s not about consumption. It’s about creation. So bringing that mindset into a real-world moment like Coachella makes perfect sense. Because the brand isn’t saying, “Look at this.” It’s saying, “Go do this.”

A Masterclass in Brand Integrity

I'm constantly seeing brands show up at cultural moments and feel disconnected and contrived.

They’re there. But they’re not really doing it.

This activation worked because it was deeply aligned with Pinterest’s core belief: The internet should inspire your life, not replace it. Every touchpoint reinforced that idea. Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt like a gimmick. Just a clear, confident translation of brand purpose into experience.

There’s a bigger takeaway here. The most effective brands today aren’t asking “How do we get people to spend more time with us?” They’re instead asking “What do we help people do in their actual lives?” CHEF’S KISS! Because when your product or platform becomes a tool for real-world action, you’re no longer competing for attention. You’re creating impact.

And on a personal level, I have to give a shoutout to the Pinterest team. Xanthe Wells and Gage Clegg and I’m sure many many more. Having worked together in the past, I’ve seen firsthand the level of thoughtfulness, creativity, and intention they bring to the work. This kind of activation, where brand, culture, and human behavior intersect so seamlessly, doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built by people who truly understand both the audience and the moment.

The Short of it

In our world of more, faster, louder, Pinterest is playing a different game. Slower. More intentional. More human. By showing up at Coachella not just as a platform, but as a catalyst for real-life inspiration, they proved something powerful… The strongest brands don’t just live online. They help you live better offline.

The Devil Wears Prada 2- Culture as Campaign

The marketing around The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a masterclass “owning it”. It’s not loud for the sake of being loud. It’s intentional. Layered. Self-aware. And most importantly, it understands exactly where fashion, media, and nostalgia intersect right now. This isn’t just a movie rollout. It’s a cultural re-entry.

The Power of Legacy

Sequels are tricky. Especially ones tied to something as iconic as The Devil Wears Prada.

The original didn’t just perform. It stuck. It shaped how an entire generation views fashion, work, ambition, and power dynamics. So the challenge isn’t awareness. It’s relevance.

What this campaign gets right is this:
They’re not trying to recreate the past. They’re reframing it for now. There’s a confidence in letting the audience come to you. No over-explaining. No forced virality. Just sharp, culturally fluent placements that say, you already know what this is.

Fashion Is the Media Channel

Instead of relying solely on traditional film marketing, the campaign leans into fashion as its distribution platform. Because that’s where this story lives.

• Editorial placements

• Designer collaborations

• Front-row moments

• Cultural cameos

It’s not promotion. It’s participation.

And that’s the shift brands should be paying attention to. The most effective campaigns don’t interrupt culture. They embed within it.

The Vogue Cover That Broke the Internet

The Vogue cover featuring Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep, shot by Annie Leibovitz, wasn’t just a press hit. It was a statement. It blurred the line between fiction and reality in a way that felt both obvious and completely genius. Because let’s be honest. Miranda Priestly has always been inspired by Anna Wintour. So instead of avoiding the comparison, the campaign leaned all the way in.

What makes this moment so powerful:

It collapses worlds
Fiction meets fashion authority. Character meets real-life counterpart. The audience is in on the reference, and that’s what makes it land.

It elevates the film beyond entertainment
This isn’t just a sequel. It’s a conversation about influence, legacy, and the evolution of power in media and fashion.

It creates instant shareability without trying too hard
No gimmicks. No trends. Just iconic talent, shot beautifully, in the right cultural context.

That’s what people actually want to share.

Nostalgia, But Make It Intelligent

A lot of brands rely on nostalgia as a shortcut. This campaign uses it as a foundation. It respects the original audience while acknowledging how much has changed:

• The fashion industry

• Media power structures

• The way we talk about work, ambition, and identity

It’s not “remember this?” It’s “look how far this has come.” That’s a very different, and much more compelling, story.

The Short of it

Culture beats channels
Stop asking “where should this live?” Start asking “where does this naturally belong?”

Iconic doesn’t mean static
If you have legacy, evolve it. Don’t protect it so tightly that it becomes irrelevant.

The smartest campaigns trust their audience
You don’t need to spell everything out. In fact, you shouldn’t.

The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing
It feels like something you’d talk about anyway.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 campaign works because it understands something simple but often overlooked: Relevance isn’t created. It’s recognized. And when you get that right, you don’t have to chase attention. It comes to you.

When a Tweet Goes Too Far: What the Deleted Ritz Crackers Post Tells Us About Brand Voice

Sometimes a single tweet can say more about the state of marketing than a full campaign ever could. That was the case with Ritz Crackers’ now deleted post that briefly read, “eating my snacks off of a paper towel bc im a young ho”. It was up for only a short time, but long enough to be screenshotted, shared, debated, and dissected.

The reaction was immediate. Some people laughed. Some cringed. Others questioned how that copy made it through approvals at a legacy brand owned by a massive corporation. And then, just as quickly, the tweet was gone.

Why This Tweet Sparked So Much Conversation

Ritz has spent the last few years leaning into a more playful, internet aware tone. Like many legacy brands, they have tried to sound less like a brand and more like a person on the timeline. The challenge is that the internet’s humor often lives right on the edge. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

This tweet clearly aimed for relatability. The paper towel detail feels pulled straight from real life. The phrasing mimics casual, self deprecating Gen Z humor. But when a brand borrows language that is deeply personal, slang driven, or sexualized, the risk increases fast.

What might feel like an inside joke between friends can feel very different coming from a corporate account with millions of followers.

The Line Between “Chronically Online” and Off Brand

There is a growing pressure for brands to be funny, fast, and culturally fluent. Safe is boring. Polished is ignored. The brands that win attention are the ones that sound like they belong in the group chat.

But there is a difference between sounding human and trying too hard to sound young.

When brands adopt slang or phrasing without fully understanding its tone, history, or audience context, it can feel forced or inappropriate. In this case, many people felt the language crossed from playful into uncomfortable, especially given Ritz’s broad, family oriented audience.

Why It Was Probably Deleted

Deleted brand tweets almost always point to one thing. Internal alignment.

Deleting it was likely the right call. Not because brands should avoid humor or risk, but because not every joke needs to be defended to the end. Sometimes listening, adjusting, and moving on is the smartest brand move.

The Bigger Lesson for Marketers

This moment is a reminder that internet culture moves fast, but brand equity is built slowly.

Chasing relatability at all costs can backfire if the voice no longer feels authentic to who the brand actually is. Being funny is powerful. Being self aware is even more powerful. But knowing when not to say something matters just as much as knowing when to jump in.

Ritz did what many brands do right now. They experimented. They crossed a line for some people. They pulled back.

And in doing so, they gave marketers another real time case study in the delicate balance between cultural relevance and brand responsibility.

The Short of it

The Ritz tweet will fade, but the conversation around it will not. As brands continue to live online alongside creators and consumers, moments like this will keep happening.

The question is not whether brands should take risks. They should. The question is whether those risks feel intentional, informed, and aligned with who the brand really is.

Sometimes the most valuable takeaway from a deleted tweet is not the joke that missed, but the reminder that not every trend needs to be chased to prove relevance.

What to Expect from Super Bowl Ads This Year

The Super Bowl is more than a football game. It is a shared cultural moment, a reason to gather with friends, and for many people, the unofficial ad awards show. Every year brands pour millions into thirty-second stories that aim to surprise, delight, or break through amid one of the most watched broadcast events in the world. With Super Bowl LX set for February 8, 2026, advertisers are already finalizing creative that will define the conversation long after kickoff.

And this year, the lineup of advertisers promises a mix of familiar cultural voices and bold new debuts.

Super Bowl commercials are expensive. NBCUniversal reportedly sold all advertising inventory for the game, and early discussions placed a 30-second spot around $7 million or more by the time everything was locked in. That cost isn’t just about a time slot on television. It buys attention from millions of viewers, press coverage, conversations online, and shareable moments that continue long after the final whistle.

Trends We’re Already Seeing

1. Storytelling with Heart and Humor
Super Bowl ads are known for big laughs and bigger emotions. This year, many brands seem prepared to blend both. From community stories to heart-warming callbacks and comedic twists, expect a mix that aims to connect emotionally as well as entertain.

2. Brand Purpose and Social Engagement
Purpose-driven advertising and social issues will surface, but in ways that tie back to authentic brand values rather than feeling preachy. Storytelling that feels grounded rather than forced tends to perform better in a moment where audiences are watching with friends and family.

3. Early Digital Buzz Before Broadcast
Teasers, influencer collaborations, and pre-game reveals are now almost as important as the game-day spot itself. Brands are building anticipation and testing ideas on social before the Super Bowl even airs.

Confirmed Advertisers for Super Bowl LX

Here are some of the brands that have already confirmed big game ads or are widely reported to be part of the 2026 Super Bowl lineup.

Snack and Beverage Brands

• Pringles is returning with a 30-second spot and a new creative direction after eight consecutive years of appearances.

• Lay’s, Pepsi Zero Sugar, and Poppi will also be part of PepsiCo’s Super Bowl roster this year.

• Ritz is back for another year with a refreshed creative direction.

• Nerds will make its third consecutive appearance.

• Hellmann’s is continuing its streak in Super Bowl spots, this time for a sixth straight year.

Food and Delivery Platforms

• Grubhub is making its Super Bowl debut with a first-ever national Big Game spot.

• Instacart has confirmed a return to the Super Bowl, working with BBDO and McCann on its campaign.

Tech and Automotive

• Bosch will return for a second year after its debut last season.

Household and Personal Brands

• Dove will continue its body positivity message with a second Super Bowl ad.

• WeatherTech is returning for its 14th spot in recent years.

Alcohol and Beverages

• Svedka Vodka will debut its first Super Bowl commercial, representing a return of spirits brands after a long absence from the Big Game stage.

What This Lineup Tells Us

This year’s advertiser mix shows a few clear signals:

• Snack and beverage brands still dominate, reminding viewers that Super Bowl parties and food culture go hand in hand.

• New entrants like Grubhub and Svedka show that even categories not traditionally associated with massive broadcast ads see the value in huge visibility.

• Longevity and tradition matter for brands like Pringles, Ritz, and Hellmann’s, which continue to use the Super Bowl as a cornerstone of cultural storytelling.

The buzz around these advertisers suggests that creative risk and cultural resonance will once again be key. People don’t just remember product features. They remember the story, the feeling, and sometimes even the soundtrack of an ad.

The Short of it

Super Bowl ads are reminders that creative storytelling still matters, even in an age of short clips and personalized feeds. When brands commit to this moment, they do more than reach millions. They create talkability, embed themselves into cultural moments, and offer viewers something to look forward to beyond the scoreboard.

As Super Bowl LX nears, keep an eye on these confirmed brands and the teasers that follow. The game may only be a few hours long, but the impact of the ads will last for weeks afterward.

Creativity Is Not a Commodity

The Democratization Myth: Why “Good Enough” Is Risky for Creativity

AI has been hailed as creativity’s great equalizer. A magical tool that promises access, efficiency, and endless possibility. With a single prompt, anyone can produce content that looks polished enough to pass.

But after spending years working inside the world of brand strategy, campaigns, and cultural storytelling, I’ve come to a different conclusion:
AI isn’t democratizing creativity. It’s homogenizing it.

This is the conversation we dove into on the Contrary to Popular Opinion podcast—and one that’s becoming more urgent by the day.

The Illusion of Infinite Creativity

AI can generate ideas instantly. It can produce variations in seconds. But for all that volume, all that speed, there’s a cost no one wants to talk about:

When machines optimize for patterns, everything starts to look—and feel—the same.

Memes, ads, captions, brand identities, scripts… we’re drowning in output, but starving for originality. And “good enough” has quietly become an industry standard.
It’s fast. It’s accessible. It’s fine.

But “fine” is not the future.
“Fine” is how creative industries flatten.

What Machines Still Can’t Steal

Here’s the truth: AI can analyze patterns, but it can’t understand why culture moves the way it does.

It doesn’t feel.
It doesn’t observe the world.
It doesn’t sit in the swirl of the cultural moment.

It can’t tell you why a 110-year-old thermos brand suddenly becomes Gen Z’s latest obsession. It can’t interpret irony, humor, subculture, taste, or timing with the intuition of a human mind that’s been paying attention.

That’s why taste is becoming the most valuable creative currency we have left.

And yes—AI can expedite execution. But it can’t replace the thought behind it.
Not the instinct.
Not the nuance.
Not the emotional intelligence that makes work resonate.

The Junior Talent Time Bomb

The part of this conversation that scares me most?

Entry-level creative work is disappearing.

Traditionally, that’s where people learn:
by doing, failing, iterating, presenting, revising, and experiencing the stakes of real work.

If machines take over the foundational jobs, where do the next creative directors come from?
Who trains them?
Where do they practice judgment?
How do they develop taste if they’re never given the opportunity to make, experiment, stumble, and grow?

We’re building an experience gap, and the industry doesn’t yet understand how damaging that will be.

Are We Prompt Engineers or Artists?

This question haunts a lot of creatives right now.

AI is a tool. A powerful one.
But the mistake is treating it like a replacement for thinking.

Prompting is not creative direction.
Pattern recognition is not insight.
Output is not originality.

The work still needs humans who feel something.
Humans who interpret culture.
Humans who ask why, not just “what else?”

The future belongs to people who use AI strategically—without outsourcing their taste or intuition.

The Short of it

This is the part of the conversation that resonated most deeply with listeners:

In a world drowning in AI-generated content, exceptional human creativity becomes a survival strategy.

Not a luxury.
Not a “nice to have.”
A necessity.

The work that stands out tomorrow will be the work infused with point of view, emotion, humor, cultural literacy, and lived experience—things machines cannot replicate.

The shortcut era doesn’t eliminate craft.
It just magnifies the difference between creators who think, and creators who don’t.

Want the Full Conversation?

These ideas—and many more—came to life in my conversation on Contrary to Popular Opinion.
We covered the myth of democratization, the future of junior talent, the danger of “good enough,” and the creative advantages machines will never touch.

You can listen on:
Spotify and YouTube

And yes—my glasses absolutely took up half the screen.
Consider it their podcast debut.

Everlane’s New Logo: A Fresh Look for a New Chapter

Everlane is stepping into a new era in 2025, and the most visible signal of that evolution is its updated brand identity. Under new leadership, the company has introduced a sleek monogram built from three stacked “E” shapes, along with a shift toward what they are calling “clean luxury.” It feels like a natural next step for a brand known for minimalism and transparency, but also a clear attempt to elevate perception and meet the expectations of a changing consumer base.

Why the New Symbol Matters

The monogram is simple, modern, and instantly recognizable. It gives Everlane a visual asset that can live on tags, packaging, campaigns, and social content. It also helps the brand stand alongside more premium fashion labels without losing its roots. Everlane has always promised timeless design and ethical production. The new mark reinforces those values while giving the brand a more polished edge.

This shift comes with deeper changes. Everlane is investing in longevity messaging, including an in-store denim repair program designed to keep clothing in circulation longer. Pairing a refined identity with a sustainability-focused initiative strengthens the brand story and helps Everlane stay relevant as the conversation around fashion waste grows louder.

A Strategic Move Toward Culture and Storytelling

Everlane is also leaning more into cultural relevance. Its recent campaign with Laufey shows a desire to move past strictly utilitarian basics and explore richer storytelling and aesthetic cues. This aligns neatly with the new brand mark, which feels more expressive than anything Everlane has used before.

What Works

• The monogram is clean, flexible, and easy to recognize.

• The updated branding pairs well with Everlane’s sustainability initiatives.

• The changes feel modern without erasing the brand’s original identity.

The Short of it

Everlane’s new brand mark is not just a design update. It is a sign of growth and a way to reconnect with both longtime fans and new audiences. The refreshed identity supports a broader strategy that blends style, sustainability, and culture. It is a quiet but confident move that shows how a brand can evolve without losing its foundation.