By Association

We’re back with all popular culture references, topics and opinions this week. 

Everyone’s been talking about the Robbie documentary so we guessed we’d do the same. It’s a hit - but not for the reasons we might have thought when pressing play on Netflix. There’s so much more to this celebrity being interviewed in his huge LA home wearing his pants and we’re enjoying it. 

We couldn’t continue recording without a mention to The Crown final season, with 8 more episodes to come this month. Fantastic acting and cinematography, but what’s missing for us both? 

3D faux product placement ads, heralded by Jacuquemus, lends to conversation over copycat brands creating digital content that exploits the hard work of traditional Gorrila marketing. We see the good and bad in this one, especially as marketers ourselves, need more unique ideas and activations.

Victoria’s Secret hasn’t been a winner for Emma, at least for the last 8 years when she woke-up to their dangerous showcase and lack of diversity. This brand isn’t impressing with it’s new look and tactics and luckily for us all, Gen-Z hates it too. The lingerie company’s rebrand simply isn’t hitting the mark in any sense, we discuss how and if they ever could, either. 

However, there are positive movements in the world of lingerie to report on this week. Who is doing it right? SKIMS. Kim Kardashian continues to work wonders at her shapewear brand - everything from the product itself to the marketing masterpiece it’s become. Emma is invested, quite literally. But the real question is, will Mo buy a pair of SKIMS underwear considering their NBA partnership? We talk on key differences in marketing to men VS women in this sector and how the right marketing channel makes all of the difference when it comes to building the right audience. 

Lastly, we talk subscriptions VS memberships and how brands and consumers often meld or confuse these two terms. There are so many opportunities to leverage on consumer habits and needs, as well as work in sneaky extras - and that’s where the real magic is, Mo says.

A week where Business of Fashion CEO Imran Amed says Uniqlo has more luxury when it comes to store stock experience than Chanel - well, at least when it comes to time and treatment. We look at how other brands from many tiers of luxury and non-luxury treat their consumers in-store when something isn’t readily available. 

We’ve been loving the Beckham three-part documentary on Netflix. Appreciation from both of us goes out to their honesty and dedication to the truth throughout. 

Adobe has launched a digital dress, we’re less than impressed and think they’re missing a trick that could have been a great collaboration. 

We end this episode with a discussion around media outlets leaving “X” and how and why this seems to be happening not only with large news outlets globally, but global brands too.

Autumn is here, and so is Paris Fashion Week. Sarah Burton steps down after a wonderful showcase of designs that lean more to Alexander McQueen’s more confronting style design and performance-wise. We wonder who will join as Creative Director herein after her wonderful 26 years in the position - someone young, female and maybe from a different creative industry altogether? We hope so. 

A second creative subject in focus, closer to home (for us at least) at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A collaborative exhibition designed to encourage a younger audience debuted last week Pokemon X Van Gogh. But souvenirs and merchandise from the exhibition quickly sold out and quickly started exploiting its audience with high resale prices. Great initiative but not so much of a smart output plan. What could and should they have done differently? Furthermore, what do we think their marketing team should do now? 

Our final subject is on Megan Markle’s adoption of the anti-anxiety patches becoming more and more popular, created by a company called NuCalm. We talk about placebo effects, alongside positive mental health awareness, but also how wellness leaders Goop have tried and failed to do this before. 

Mo interviewed Sharan Bal, she’s the founder of Van Sha - a distilled dark spirit inspired by her Indian roots, and the best thing of all? You won’t have a hangover. 

The worlds of technology, sports, and luxury collide in this week's episode of By Association. First on the agenda, we delve into Tesla's newly-approved Supercharger in West Hollywood—a nostalgic throwback complete with a '50s style diner and a drive-in movie theater. Is Elon Musk onto the next big thing or is this just another chapter in the Elon ego saga?

As summer football sizzles, Lionel Messi has set the MLS on fire, scoring 11 goals in just 9 games for Inter Miami. We explore how his presence is sending shockwaves through the league, attracting royalty and Hollywood elites to the stadium.

In a parallel universe, the Women's World Cup has achieved unprecedented success, but not without its share of controversies. We discuss the achievements and the overshadowing negatives, from new records in viewership to the unfortunate incident involving Spain's now-suspended football federation president Luis Rubiales.

Luxury brands are also entering the sports arena in a big way. We examine the impact of luxury players like Louis Vuitton and Gucci on the game of tennis, and discuss whether luxury brands should stick to their traditional lanes or venture into new territories.

Emma shares her insights on the class dynamics at play in tennis, especially as luxury brands make their way into the sport. Meanwhile, as summer comes to a close, we take a look at how luxury brands have staked their claim on beach clubs around the world, setting new trends for the seasons to come.

This week we kick-off with the designs and potential of the rollable iPhone, soon to be released by Apple. Do we enjoy this new hardware update and what consumer would really need what this new mechanism provides?

We couldn't run this episode without talking about Carlos Alcaraz's win at Wimbledon. As the youngest man to ever win, he's also knocked the consistent three king tennis hitters out of their helm. We look to his sponsorship deals and which brands have aligned themselves with his success.

AppleGPT is in the works, used only internally at Apple right now. Could this be the push Siri needs to evolve and offer a more dynamic and intelligent user experience? We imagine a world where AppleGPT is integrated into our smartphones, Airpods & Apple watch everyday lifestyle.

Cowboy have launched ‘Bikey’ - an app showing their commitment to uncertain users of their competitor VanMoof who are closing business. The app assures and allows consumers to be able to unlock their bike should the servers close down following bankruptcy. We're impressed with this cheeky move but Emma wishes Cowboy would focus more on their current customers.

In a week where Maurice has powered through a double daughter birthday bonanza, Emma started a new job at Nike and recovered from her festival fantasy land at Glastonbury - a few other things happened outside of our own worlds too. You don’t have to ask us twice to “please, discuss”. Points below: 

Three US Supreme Court rulings: Rejection of the affirmative action, Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is blocked & ruling in favour of a web designer refusing to work on a same-sex marriage supporting website.

In brand marketing news, there’s been an impressive plethora of brand exposure - some pretty pink, some of killer MCD milkshakes. 

“Kris Jenner works hard, but Barbie's marketing team works harder” seems to be a running quote we’ve noticed alongside a round of applause for the Barbie marketing efforts ahead of the new film launch this month. There’s a physical Air BNB Malibu dream house open for business, pop-up cafes and roller skate rinks in Chicago and even an interesting political Barbie flag spotting at Glastonbury. We’re pretty impressed and look forward to the film release where we might just share an exclusive deep review episode. 

A microscopic handbag was sold for $63,750 - it’s the size of a speck of dust. But what is really interesting is how this was sold at Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director’s own auction house, Jupiter. Has Pharrell Williams missed an obvious opportunity for brand partnership and some luxury much-loved satire? And further to this point, who actually bought the bag? 

McDonalds have added a purple milkshake to their menu in celebration of their brand character Grimace’s birthday. In response, Gen-Z have taken to TikTok in a natural community project #grimaceshake gone viral (1.3billion views) that we’re in love with. 

Netflix is opening its first-ever restaurant featuring food from ‘Chef’s Table’ and ‘Iron Chef’ stars in LA, but won’t be allowing a meet-and-greet with the chefs. We’re sure this great digital to physical move is still missing a trick by making it more about the food and less about the people. We consider why this restrictive choice has been made when the event itself is set out to build and showcase benefits of the physical VS digital entertainment experience. 

Lionel Messi has turned down $1.9 billion to play in Saudi Arabia and instead moved to Inter Miami for far less. We think this might be the most genius business and personal brand move he’s made so far. But is he following in the footsteps of a British player who also said no to short-term money gain in aid of longer-term success in Miami, too? 

Maurice wrote a Linkedin post with key takeaways from Jacquemus’s brand exposure and awareness tactics. This luxury fashion brand is everywhere right now and in all of the best ways. We’re impressed by Simon Port Jacquemus’s ability to use his own personality, personal life and exposure in building a well-known, extremely impressive luxury brand as quickly as he has. In particular, we look to their Le Bambino bag sailing across Lake Como as a tease to their latest pop-up opening. 

And finally, Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School Professor specialising in the business of entertainment, media, and sports - told Maurice, this week, how Harvard is being sued for discrimination against Asian-Americans. We discuss her summer program for minorities who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to be involved in such an institution as something made possible because of the ‘Affirmative Action’ which is a sets of policies and practices within a government or organisation seeking to include particular groups based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality in areas in which such groups are underrepresented - of course, education and employment are big on this movement. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, promoting diversity, and redressing apparent past wrongs, harms, or hindrances. We can’t believe it’s being challenged and consider the onslaught and affect to the world thereon. 

In the week where Apple have launched the Apple Vision Pro to bring the Metaverse (and beyond) to life, this naturally takes our focus first and foremost.

For the cost of $3,500 this headset allows users to interact with Apple apps and experiences many of us know and love in a way that is far more immersive and advanced. However, there’s a disconnect between the eye-watering price of Apple’s new ‘spatial computing’ gadget and the promise of it – but it has some genuinely novel features we're loving much more than its Meta 'equivalent' that recently relaunched named Quest 2.

In other news, Maurice has become quite the word-wizard (Emma writes the copy here, this isn't him bragging) as he's sharing more of his thoughts on Linkedin than ever before. Brand experiences, marketing and tech advances have become even more of a critical focus for him. We discuss some recent shares he's made and relay his thoughts on The Hoxton's hotel opening in Brussels he attended last weekend.

We end this episode with a personal and professional interview with Maurice, hosted and crafted by Emma.

Sexual wellness brand Roam from London have launched a range of condoms in four different skin tone colours. Is this an incentive for men to buy and use condoms more? We love the branding but what is the real message behind this creation and why is it important?

Fifa have revealed their new logo. To us, it feels lazy and a missed-opportunity to highlight themselves as a global brand with a need to represent diversity, sport and many communities especially following their recent Russia & Qatar high-profile corruption cases.

Emma has an audition for voice acting at Quinn, an audio porn subscription service with the female gaze in-mind, replacing the traditional male-focussed visual porn. We're forever hopeful the voice and therefore this podcast gets more exposure too. Aside from that, this business started 3 years ago and we're curious to see this community and business continue to grow.

Getting to know Emma better, Maurice takes to Chat GPT to select 12 quick-fire questions with both personal and professional focus.

This week we look to a mix of subjects, all based around branding and marketing masterpieces or fails.

First up, Bud Light’s VP of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, has taken a leave of absence after the brand was criticised and boycotted by right-wing transphobic influential personalities following a partnership with transgender TikTok star, Dylan Mulvaney. Conversation naturally leans to how other large mass market brands have dealt with similar situations - only far better. Forgotten by Emma (all for good reason) but conveniently remembered by Maurice.

Rapper Latto denies photoshopping people into her Coachella crowd to appear more popular. Though a quick pinch at the screen shows she has, we ask was there anything else she could have said? Did she make the right decision in doing this in the first place - is she in fact any different to anyone else on social media?

Starving artists aren’t willing to give up on luxurious, health-foods from Erewhon. The Cut shared an interesting feature article this week on an increasing LA phenomenon they call “Erewhon addicts”. We discuss how the consumer mix is quickly becoming blurred and how this can and does interpret itself into our own lives, too.

LVMH HQ in Paris was stormed by protestors after the legal retirement age was extended by 2 years. Demonstrations have been going on for weeks in reaction to the new pension reform - but have now turned to the luxury conglomerate as the company disclosed record high share prices. Of course LVMH aren't to blame for government decisions such as pension age, but we suggest rage against the luxury industry taking the cream from the crop (so to speak) will always be something berated in times of social struggle.

For the first time ever, we're recording in person. In a studio. Here's how it went down.

Amsterdam have launched a 'Stay Away' campaign. As a Brit, is Emma upset by this? No. Does Maurice agree it's a valuable, simple mass marketing move? Definitely not. We talk of how this campaign came about, why it's important and how it maybe could have been done better.

Meanwhile, Prada have launched a brand-led luxurious lifestyle cafe in Harrods. This makes sense for the target customer but does it really hit it with profound marketing movements we've seen more recently in luxury branding?

The Woolly Mammoth meatball. It's something one of us would love to try and the other couldn't bare the thought. Either way, Bas Korsten of Wunderman Thompson is making movements when it comes to meat and marketing masterpieces.

When it comes to ChatCPT daily advances, Jackson Greathouse Fall inputted "you have $100, and your goal is to turn that into as much money as possible in the shortest time possible, without doing anything illegal". The directions seem obvious. The result? $500 of success. But is this really a success or more of a social media frenzy?

There's no doubt we both love Rimowa for providing a great product, service, marketing mixes in great collaborations or partnerships. They're a leader in the suitcase travel industry and an inspiring example of branding at it's best. Their most recent initiative to increase footfall in stores by offering complimentary passport photos is another example of greatness. Tried and tested, it worked on Emma while she walked by in London and now she's hooked. Though Maurice is in love with his Away suitcase set he shares his take on this idea from an outside perspective. 

Managers and leaders are two different things, it's true. But, where do the real differences lie? Successful CEO and mentor, Clifford Bailey says leaders “influence, inspire and empower” and never micromanage. He claims that managers deal with the present while leaders deal with the future. We look to our own experiences to share how and where we believe this to be true as well as how a good leader reveals deeper positive output in a team and ultimately results in great work and happy people. 

A cereal company named Surreal have used quotes from celebrity-named (but everyday) people who enjoyed their cereal in their latest OOH advertising campaign. “Michael Jordan loves our cereal” and “Official cereal of Ronaldo” are just two of the proud emblazoned claims to take stage on bus-stops, tube signs and billboards around London. Of course, each of these quotes is legally followed with a small print reality check such as “he’s just a normal bloke who lives in St Alban’s but he really does like it”. What do we think - genius or madness? 

Finally we talk of how Creative Director Eric Groza has crafted a viral collaboration between Ikea and Patagonia using generative AI. We're consistently impressed with how AI develops into something valuable in the world of branding and this advance continues to delight. 

Has Meta CEO, Mark Zukerberg quietly buried the Metaverse? We think so. As he shifts his attention to a shiny new AI toy, it seems the rest of the world is too. But can these advances replace our jobs in the creative, brand marketing industry? For those who are willing to embrace it - we think it could actually be a huge benefit to their career, skill and use of time. 

The Financial Times have reported on a study that suggests that a four-day working week benefits both staff and employers. On this point, we considering different industries with varied input and output needs, as well as if this makes sense for the future of any workplace. What truly defines a work-life balance nowadays? We look back to pre pandemic and how our perception of this term has altered. 

Several British stars have turned down the offer to play at King Charles’ coronation concert on May 7th, including: Elton John, Robbie Williams, The Spice Girls & Harry Styles. Is this a snub at the new King, or do the stars really have other engagements they have to tend to? Conversation also turns to the non-disclosure around Harry & Meghan's attendance, despite being invited.

And finally, Cocaine Bear is a new film to hit the big screen, and people too. The backstory is based on a real-life story where a drug smuggling plan went wrong in the 1980’s, resulting in a bear hoovering up a duffel bag of abandoned cocaine and dying shortly after. This film is basically - for those who look into it enough - the bear having its own back on humanity but what do we think about that? Snakes On A Plane and Jaws come up in conversation. 

Burberry has revealed a new logo and campaign under the creative direction of Daniel Lee. Re-introducing thin lettering and an illustrative take on the horse emblem. We're huge fans of this new look for the brand, listen to find out why. 

Pharrell Williams has been appointed as Menswear Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, replacing Virgil Abloh after he passed and held the position last year. What does this mean for an industry that seems to be suddenly taken over by the famous (seemingly) outside of it? 

Elon Musk is obsessed with the amount of engagement his posts are receiving. He fired two engineers after they told him his tweets are lower in the algorithm due to a lower interest in him generally, the problem is 'fixed' by other workers at Twitter and he's bumped back into high reach on the platform. Is this ethically right? Of course not. But we look into how this really is all around us and in fact a much wider issue entirely. 

2023 is fully underway and this week we discuss the following topics: 

Now that we've both watched The Menu, conversation leads to the power struggle between the hospitality worker and the hosted when it comes to fine dining. Both having enjoyed the theatre, thrill and premise of the film, we left watching with many questions to answer on the story itself but also what was being truly shown to the viewer themselves.  

Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology start-up that promises to resurrect woolly mammoths, is now the first “de-extinction unicorn,” with a valuation said to be over a $1 billion before bringing back a single lost species. We get our head around if this is something truly ethical and if it really makes sense. 

Our final topic is how M&M'S have announced a pause on the use of its "spokes-candies," replacing them with actress Maya Ruldoph. The change comes after a year of outrage from conservative pundits over tweaks to the iconic characters. We talk representation in a brand that has such a mass, wide audience to serve in it's branding and advertising. Looking forward to the first new showcase to see how this shift turns out at The Superbowl later this month. 

This week, Netflix have released a new 6 part docuseries together with Harry & Meghan covering the inside story with content led by the couple themselves on their courtship, journey and exit from royal life. We share thoughts on their complex journey (from episodes we've seen so far) and why it matters most for them, given both of their pasts and potential futures to do so in their own words and with full control. 

Dyson have released The Dyson Zone; noise cancelling headphones that also purify the air you breathe when wearing them. A step too far in the wrong direction or a display of how this innovative brand can aid health services? At $949 and releasing soon in the US, we discuss if we would buy ourselves and where in the world we see this selling best. 

Balenciaga's Creative Director, Demna Gvasalia publicly apologised for his involvement in what he called a 'wrong artistic choice of concept' over their latest controversial campaign. Are we impressed? Do we accept his apology? 

As Christmas adverts kick-in we discuss the relationship between authentic, valuable advertising and how it links to commercial business needs this time of year. Led from a interest in the repetitive strategy Dutch supermarkets continue to take, we suggest this is an even deeper copy-culture than we initially thought.  

Twitter is fully under Elon's wrath of change. The movements include cutting employees as well as those who 'parody' him using the channel itself. With 3700 employees cut last week at Twitter, a desperate measure for the social media platform reportedly losing $4M a day. 

The Metaverse is turning into a pretty bad bet. With less excitement around it's advances and opportunity, shares have dropped 73% in the past year. With Meta's market value now down to $600BN are investors the only ones worried about Meta's future? In line with conversation around the recession, one of our listeners asked “Do media words of fear of recession actually help create said recession?” for key discussion. 

Wellness retail company Goop have launched their "Ridiculous but Awesome Gift Guide" just in time for the holiday-retail season kick-off. Items are famously over-priced and wellness wonder-workers, only this year the collection includes a $75 blend of free-range goat, horse, chicken, and cow manure, “lovingly tended by” the gardeners at Flamingo Estate in LA. Conversation turns to celebrity founded/promoted brands as we ask if Gwyneth Paltrow and the team at Goop are laughing at consumers or simply feeding their needs to the nth degree. 

Cher (78) has a new boyfriend, 36 year old music executive, Alexander Edwards. Are we all for this new eloping, is there anything wrong in this at all? 

A $30 million lottery jackpot winner collected his winnings in a disguise fancy-dress outfit to keep the news from his wife and child, claiming he was worried the winnings would make them lazy. What would we do if we were to win and how do we feel about secrecy around money and wealth? 

The drama around Ye's brand partnership downfall and Elon's new take on Twitter continues, and so do we. Ye is ousted by Sketchers before a partnership even started & Elon had fun with a sink on his first day in the new workplace. We couldn't resist commenting.

Other than that, we took on two Q&A responses we had from people within the same industry: 

Our friend and colleague at citizenM, Sikko Baltus was interested to know our take on Taylor Swift's backlash following her new music video portrayal of "Fat" when stepping onto a bathroom scale. There was divided opinion on this from her fanbase, we took a swift look into her main audience and how this will have impacted them - the divide in support and backlash and ask maybe how this could have been done differently to still raise awareness and tell her personal story, but with less potential damage overall. 

Secondly, Paddy Smith from a social media agency we work together with at citizenM, Born Social asked "Is high fashion (Balenciaga in particular focus) a social experiment? From this suggestion, we share our own perceptions of high fashion, trends & societal shifts in "what is luxury" overall. Balenciaga at main focus, mentions of Vetements in a similar vein and if we are part of the loyal following these brands have gathered. 

Adidas, Balenciaga & Gap have all severed ties with “Ye” (Kanye West) following his antisemitic remarks and showcases online and in live interviews. We discuss why it took Adidas so long to make the cut and how Ye's actions have cost him his billionaire status. Not to mention how much further this may lead in the fashion industry and develop in public perception overall. 

Twitter are freezing their employee’s stock accounts ahead of the $44bn deal with Elon Musk. We're looking out for October 28th when the deal is set to be secured and eager to finally discover where Elon will take the social media platform. We have our own guesses, let's just hope we're right. 

Rishi Sunak is the new UK Prime Minister. After Liz Truss left the position and Boris Johnson backed-out from re-running, does the UK have a better future in sight?

45% of Gen-Z creators surveyed by Adobe said they aspire to own a business and make money from content shared online. As this generation ditches the corporate ladder for the Instagram grid, we ask is it really that easy? 

Instagram has found its next social media platform victim: BeReal. "IG Candid" is set to become a new feature on Instagram sending users a notification at random times prompting them to take a photo that simultaneously clicks from both selfie and rear-facing cameras to expose what users are actually doing. The irony of "BeReal" Instagram copy culture advance follows suit of multiple other alternative social network takeover features: from Snapchat to Stories, adding reflective filters and trending sounds of TikTok, but to name a few. Is Instagram building a platform where other platforms are simply not needed? Is any of this fair-game in the world of ever-evolving social media. 

President Biden announced his long-awaited plan for student debt forgiveness taking us back to our own stories around student debt in The Netherlands & UK. A great move, but with some Americans still losing out. 

A report by the Law Society has looked into how future lawyers could have microchips implanted into their brains to enhance their work and productivity. Though it sounds like a Black Mirror episode, it isn't. Can this work IRL and where and how best? 

A leaked private party video of the Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin sparked rumours around her drug use. In response, an influx of women are showing their support using #solidaritywithsanna. Should Sanna partake in these events given her position? We talk responsibilities and opportunities of a very-human Prime Minister and in reflection ask if this would be addressed the same way if she were male. 

WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann’s latest big idea? To become America’s largest landlord with his latest start-up named “Flow”. Will he build and burn as before or is this an opportunity for the world’s housing crisis after all, just as its been pitched. 

Mark Zuckerberg has updated his avatar to look more human. Is this the standard of Metaverse we were expecting? 

Anthony Joshua was defeated by Oleksander Usyk in the heavyweight world championships last weekend. The aftermath brought tears of a good-spot and yet a shift in social media support.

Nike pays homage to the real women of football with a powerful partnership Nike Shox re-launch with designer Martine Rose, just in time for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Societal statements in marketing are forever our forte and love - and this campaign is pretty pivotal. 

TikTok have announced employee layoffs, in the same way other major tech companies like Google, Apple & Tesla have in-line with global economic struggles in the US & Europe. Audience reach begins to rival business cash flow in priority, but what really wins? We ask where this will likely turn next. 

BMW are now offering heated seats as a monthly subscription. Is the world going subscription mad? Do we love it? Our conversation turns to what other brands could do to increase their takings as well as giving to their customers. 

Working From Van or just travelling aimlessly? Van-life start-up, Kift promises “shared values, healthy lifestyles and a life of exploration to work, celebrate, create, share stories and laugh and cry together.” (take a breath) with their new offering. This all sounds a little too deja-WeCrashed, but could it be just what we need?

Maurice’s mystical predictions are correct again - that’s right - Elon has turned back on his purchase of Twitter, encouraging a lawsuit to ensue between the richest man in the world and a major social media network and business. We discuss the true victims surrounding this game of power-play. 

As Dutch law is set to enforce working from home as a legal right to employees in The Netherlands, we consider the pros and cons to this polarising subject and how other countries compare and could progress. 

In the week where Boris Johnson steps down as Conservative leader and UK Prime Minister, we look back to what brought him to this powerful position in the first place. 

Dutch Formula1 fans disappoint after accusations of abuse, sexual cat-calling and racism came from the crowd while supporting Max Verstappen’s Grand Prix win in Austria last weekend. What do other drivers and key stakeholders think and most importantly, how should F1 react to set a precedent?

R.Kelly has finally been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual abuse to women, girls and boys. We ask how this impacts the #MeToo movement and where control and power now truly lies. 

Self-proclaimed ‘Crypto Queen’ AKA the fraudulent founder of ‘OneCoin’ who scammed millions of users out of approximately $4bn is on the run, and - on the FBI’s most wanted list. Where could she be? We delve into this real life/real time story, a true block-buster movie waiting to happen. 

Serena took a hit at Wimbledon, losing in her first round of the tournament this week. Leading us into discussion of her childhood story and the interesting lessons in sports in parenting from experience. 

The oil & gas giant, Shell is hiring a TikTok “green focussed” Manager. Tough job or interesting opportunity?

As the US Supreme Court ends constitutional rights to abortion, we look to how companies and states are upholding women’s & human rights. Is fashion art? Or a great example of experiential branding? We delve into the theatrical choices of high fashion brands showcasing new collections in Paris Mens SS23’.  

Key gaming technology organisations have formed a standards group for ‘metaverse tech’. When it comes to current and future adopters, who does this make the most sense for? 

Earlier this month, Apple announced many new products in the works at their Worldwide Developers Conference, updating some classics (iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV) as well as launching a fresh HomePod & their first mixed-reality headset. But what do we really want?

Bill Gates bid farewell to Internet Explorer after 27 years with a public COVID-19 conspiracy jibe on Twitter. We discuss his thoughts on NFT’s & crypto being “100% based on greater fool theory”. Meanwhile, SpaceX fired 5 employees who circulated a letter criticising Elon Musk, but are we surprised? Fickle trading and the economy dip causes Robinhood shares to plummet. 

Fake news alert Zendaya ‘announcing her pregnancy’ goes viral with her fighting back. But is this now a part of the job as a celebrity? How should social media platforms solicit the content shared and consumed before it’s too late for the truth in it all.

Introducing my new co-host Emma Hooper, we discuss the ongoing drama around Elon and his acquisition going on hold. We touch upon the struggles of Netflix and their moves to increase revenue with Ad-supported plans, password fees, and their live-streaming. We talk about our shared admiration for Lewis Hamilton and our thoughts on the MET, past & present. We then end on Emma's obsession for Princess Diana and why she is the Queen of her heart.

*We are sorry for the poor audio quality.