Hello Friends,
Here are this week’s headlines:
What you can learn from how Club Med lost its way and gave away what made it truly special.
From underwater charging to life‑extending mushrooms and perfect‑chill science, we’re reshaping pleasure, longevity, and sensory experiences.
Whether it’s microscopes, motion design, or music rigs strapped to a backpack, artists are using tech to reimagine what’s possible.
From cheeky ad hacks and even cheekier graffiti, here’s the marketing mischief you’ll wish you’d thought of first.
Sometimes we watch something so beautiful that we can’t take our eyes off it. We just didn’t think it was going to be a man falling off the stairs.
Enjoy the read.
Angelique
A Cautionary Tale from Club Med
Think of your favourite brand. Now imagine it suddenly drops everything that made it special just to chase the latest trend—not so appealing anymore? That’s what happens when you forget your pleasure DNA; that deep, emotional spark that makes your brand feel like something. When everyone’s jumping on the next shiny thing, it’s easy to panic. Should we be on that platform? Launch a pickle flavour? Drop a Labubu collab? Maybe. But not if it means losing yourself.
You might be about escapism, or comfort, or pure hedonistic joy, but whatever your pleasure promise, own it. You can evolve your outfit to stay stylish, but don’t change your soul. Because once you lose that, you’re just another voice in the trend tornado. And no one remembers the ones who blended in.
The Original Magic
Take Club Med. Once upon a time, it was the master of feel-good freedom. Born as a nonprofit retreat for Holocaust survivors, it wasn’t just a holiday, it was a release. Guests swapped beads for drinks, ate elbow-to-elbow with staff (the legendary Gentils Organisateurs), and danced barefoot under the stars. It was raw, raucous, and radically joyful. A rebellion against the rules of ‘civilized’ life.
The Fall
Then came the competition. Slicker, fancier, shinier. Club Med blinked. In came room service, VIP tiers, digital check-ins, and phones in rooms, the very things they once joyfully ignored. In trying to keep up, they forgot what made them unforgettable. They were the moment. But they lost the plot.
The Lesson
Club Med’s story? A gentle smack on the wrist for any brand tempted to jump on every bandwagon. Your pleasure DNA, like your favourite dive bar or grandma’s lasagna, isn’t something you swap out when trends change. Nurture it. Evolve it. But never erase it. Because staying relevant means nothing if you lose what makes people feel. And in a world full of noise, true pleasure never goes out of style.
Know Your Pleasure DNA and Protect it Fiercely
Your brand’s emotional core, whether rooted in escapism, comfort, euphoria or social connection, is your most valuable asset. Trends come and go, but the feeling your brand gives people should remain unmistakable. If you don’t define and defend your pleasure DNA, you’ll end up chasing relevance at the cost of resonance.
Evolve the Expression, Not the Essence
Staying culturally current doesn’t mean shapeshifting into something you’re not. You can update your wardrobe without losing your identity. Longevity comes from knowing how to refresh your look, language, or platform without betraying the emotional truth at your core.Beware the “Better” Trap
Trying to outdo competitors by mimicking their polish or perks can backfire, especially if it pulls you away from what made you stand out in the first place. Don’t upgrade yourself into blandness. More premium doesn’t mean more powerful, if it erodes your soul.
Curious about how to define your brand’s Pleasure DNA? We’d love to help. Simply reply to this email and we’ll set up some time to talk you through our Pleasure Codes framework.
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Wait, What?!: Sci-fi Tech Hitting the Real World
This breakthrough means future gadgets, from underwater drones to medical implants, could stay powered up without ever needing a plug. To do this, the research team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Korea University has developed new ultrasonic technology that can wirelessly transmit power through liquids.
Psilocybin Extends Life
Beyond the benefits to your mind, psilocybin may be the key to longevity. A new study has shown that treating human cells with the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms can show a drastic extension of lifespan of up to 50%. That really does sound like magic!Why Cold Feels Good: The Chill Pathway
We always knew we enjoyed a bit of old-fashioned brain freeze, but never knew why! Scientists have mapped our skin’s “cool circuit” to the brain, opening the door to therapies, and food & beverage experiences that dial up the perfect chill for maximum refreshment, recovery, and sensory pleasure.
The Cata-Lyst:
3 Mind-Expanding Finds We’re Tuning Into
Artists today are pushing boundaries with every tool they can get their hands on. Let’s explore microscopes, motion design, and modern one-man bands.
Source: Cosmodernism
Chemical Creativity
Step inside Cosmodernism’s captivating world of microchemical retrofuturism, where microscopes, self-built film sets, and wild chemical reactions collide to reveal mind-bending, mesmerising visuals.
Source: It’s Nice That / Shane Fu
Mind-bending Reality
Shane Fu speaks to It’s Nice That about how he blends sketched concepts, human-led design, and AI to craft fantastical fungi and foliage worlds, using technology to elevate creativity, not replace it, and proving imagination still leads the way.
Source: ARIatHOME / TikTok
Beats on the Streets
Step into ARIatHOME’s roaming sound lab, where spontaneous street jams fuse with cutting‑edge music tech to create every genre in real time, all streamed to his 1.4 million followers. Showing that creativity thrives when tech meets human connection.
4 Great Marketing Moves
The standout brand plays this week are all about breaking convention, flipping expectations and twisting the rules.
Press Play on Nostalgia
Source: Lego / Nintendo / Famous Campaigns
Lego dials up nostalgia by recreating the Game Boy entirely in bricks. It’s a playful twist on retro tech, blurring the line between toy and cultural icon for grown‑up fans.
From Rude to Remarkable
Source: Škoda / FCB London / Celine Dormeau / Erin Aniker
Škoda flipped vandalism into virtue, transforming offensive graffiti on the roads of the Tour de France into PR as they deployed a team of female artists to bring more attention to the women’s race.
Advertising without Permission
Source: TD Bank / Best Ads on TV
TD Bank found a legal workaround to feature the world’s biggest brands in its ads without paying for rights. Rooted in their product offering of “own a piece of it” related to purchasing fractional shares, it’s a rule‑bending masterclass in attention‑grabbing marketing.
Beauty on the Move
Source: Sephora / Lyft / Cosmetics Design
Sephora and Lyft fused online and offline by turning rides into beauty pop‑ups. This is a twist on retail that blurs shopping, sampling, and travel into one seamless experience.
The Joy of Getting Back Up
This classic viral piece isn’t just beautiful, it’s a metaphor for resilience. Yoann Bourgeois climbs, jumps, falls, and climbs again. Over and over. And we can’t stop watching.
Why? Because it feels familiar. It’s the daily grind, the creative hustle, the emotional rollercoaster, but with style. It reminds us that resilience isn’t just about grit; it’s about joy. The joy of trying again. The quiet triumph of not giving up. That’s the fight worth showing up for.
Yoann brings his new piece, Passage, to Dancing City (part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival) on 6 September. Full article in The Guardian last week.
See you next week 🔮 👽 🎩 🪄