And Rising

📢 This week’s newsletter is here, in a week that was big for everyone: Market Movements ➔ Shares surge post-US election ➔ Bank of England cuts interest rates to 4.75% ➔ Sainsbury’s warns of price rises Brand Beat ➔ Did Sephora benefit from election ‘doom spending’? ➔ UK ad spending reaches record levels—yet television misses out ➔ Greggs teams up with Nigella Lawson for its first Christmas advert ➔ Why simplicity is central to LEON’s marketing strategy ➔ Starbucks needs a more direct brand message ➔ Quality Street changes spark consumer backlash Starting Up ➔ The steps to find clients when you’re just starting out ➔ Former Meta AR boss joins UK startup AllFocal ➔ Gillian Anderson’s ‘G Spot’ drink secures Heineken investment Tech Tidbits ➔ Google’s latest ad focus: curation ➔ The $50 million film Here uses AI to de-age Tom Hanks ➔ AI can now authenticate sneakers by their smell Venture Vibes ➔ How celebrities are influencing venture capital ➔ Ada Ventures’ AI pitch review tool, AdaGPT, is here Hello, Happiness ➔ The value of ‘slow productivity’ for happier teams ➔ One city’s happiness secret: burning a 50-foot effigy If you like what you read, don't forget to subscribe. 🙏🏼 https://lnkd.in/e6ahWk6Q

Vending machine berry billboard, anyone? Head to the Driscoll's Delicious Drop for your free fruit: 🍓 1 Quaker St, E1 6SZ 🍓 🫐 today & tomorrow (17th & 18th) from midday 🫐 New work with Driscoll's UK in collaboration with TomorrowBrands, bringing the finest berries to your basket.

This week’s newsletter is packed with top stories in brands and marketing that’ll keep you ahead of the game. Here are the ten highlights you can’t miss: 🍟 The Burger King breastfeeding ad fallout—when fast food meets controversy, and why it’s less about ethics and more about grabbing attention. 🎤 Beyoncé recreates Levi’s 1980s laundromat ad—a fresh take on an iconic campaign, with Beyoncé adding her signature style. 🎥 YouTubers like MrBeast are coming for Hollywood—the line between digital creators and the film industry is disappearing, and it’s changing the game. 🧢 Nike’s shift to brand thinking—rethinking long-term vision in the boardroom, and why patience is making a comeback. 🍗 McDonald’s tests a chicken Big Mac—how a menu shake-up could bring customers back. 📺 Amazon Prime’s ad-supported tier hits 19 million in the UK—what this means for streaming services and digital advertising. 🍩 Mondelez takes a stake in Urban Legend doughnuts—how a non-HFSS (non-high-fat, salt, or sugar) brand is catching the attention of big players. 🎬 Tesla stock dips after missing EV delivery targets—what this could signal for the future of electric vehicle production. 📦 Beauty brands vs Amazon dupes—how beauty companies are taking back control from fake products on the world’s largest marketplace. 💼 Victoria’s Secret’s marketing overhaul—what it means to reimagine a ‘cancelled’ brand in today’s marketplace. Let's rise together with every issue. https://lnkd.in/ejTS4sxG

✨🧘♀️ Stillness is the spark 🧘♀️✨ When founders attend Retreat & Rise Up, it’s not just for a break—it’s to build something new. Past attendees have returned with everything from new partnerships to entire business models. Meet Ruth Fittock, a marketer with an enviable track record. She came to the retreat unsure and left with a concept that led her to launching her next venture: TomorrowBrands—an incredible rapid growing way for purpose-led brands to access the very best in marketing co-founded with Philippa Classey. That’s the power of stepping away and giving yourself space to think. Ready to reset and ignite your next big idea? 🌟 Join us in 2025 – limited spots available.

🔍 Retreat curious? We get it. 🔍 Like many, you might be curious about going on a retreat but hesitant. You’re not into intense rituals or spiritual cleanses, and that’s fine. Retreat & Rise Up isn’t one of those. It’s a space where ideas happen. It’s about business not wellness. Retreat & Rise Up is about professional growth, personal development, and a healthy reset. You’ll be surrounded by founders, marketers, leaders and creators, just like you, and there’s no pressure—just an invitation to take time for yourself. Curious? Come find out what’s waiting for you. 🌿

🌊 Focus & Flow > Busy & Burnt Out 🔥 We live in a world where “busy” is a badge of honour, but most of us are just busy being busy. True breakthroughs happen when you stop spinning your wheels and find real focus. → Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, didn't come up with the billion-dollar idea in the office, buried under emails. She did it while driving. 🚙 → Brian Cheskey turned Airbnb from a failing idea into a global brand by stepping back and gaining a fresh perspective on its users' needs by stealing inspiration from Walt Disney. → Grace Beverley, founder of TALA and Shreddy, didn’t scale two successful brands by grinding 24/7. She found focus by prioritizing deep work and challenging hustle culture. 🧘🏻 There’s medical evidence to back this up. The American Psychological Association found that chronic stress limits your ability to solve problems creatively. In fact, being “always on” shrinks the grey matter in your brain’s prefrontal cortex. Do you know what shrinks with it? Your ability to focus and make decisions. (Harvard Medical School, 2021). At Retreat & Rise Up, We’re about helping you hit pause, step away from the noise, and find the deep focus that leads to game-changing ideas. Be more Blakely, Cheskey and Beverley. 🌿 Dates for Retreat & Rise Up 2025 are live; places are limited.

🧘 Step back to step forward 🧘 The less time you spend grinding, the more time you give your brain to process. Studies show that 72% of people have their best ideas while taking breaks, not during the grind. Creativity thrives in space, not stress. At Retreat & Rise Up, we blend business and wellness. When you’re well-rested and recharged, your best ideas will appear. ———————— 🌿 About Retreat & Rise Up 🌿 Retreat & Rise Up is a unique retreat designed for founders, creators, and business leaders to step away from the daily grind and reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other. Staged in a 4,000-year-old temperate rainforest, this three-day experience blends personal growth, professional development, and relaxation in one unforgettable setting. Since its pilot, Retreat & Rise Up has hosted three transformative retreats and grown a community of 265 incredible members, with more to come. Ready to reset and ignite your next big idea? 🌟 Join us in 2025—limited spots are available. The link is in the comments.

🌿🌲 It’s your time to rise.🌲🌿 This is your calling. The 2025 dates are live, and spaces are filling up fast. Whether you’re looking for a reset, new ideas, or just time to pause and reflect, Retreat & Rise Up is the place to do it. Are you ready to start your next chapter? We can’t wait to see you there. ♡

We’re super proud of the team at Batch LDN and all the amazing work they are doing. As a brand partner if you can hang onto the coat tails of a good thing, rather than get in its way, you can pat yourselves on the back. And fashion needs a very serious rethink. This is it. 👖 Here’s to raising the standard. ☄️

🌍 Nature is the best co-worker. 🌍 Here’s something you probably didn’t know: Research shows that spending time in nature increases creativity by up to 50%. In our daily grind, we often get stuck in rigid thought patterns. Our brains are so focused on solving immediate problems that they don’t have space for new ideas to flourish. That’s where nature comes in. When surrounded by the calm of an ancient forest, your brain can shift gears and get out of fight-or-flight mode into a more relaxed, open state. The gentle rhythm of the trees, the sound of flowing water, the quiet rustle of leaves—it all helps your mind rest and wander. 🌲💡 And it’s not just a nice-to-have; start-ups and corporate brands already recognize nature's role in innovation. At Retreat & Rise Up, nature is the co-pilot to your next big idea. The dates for 2025 are limited, so secure your place soon.