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THINC Tank

Ask anyone who knows me: at the drop of a hat, I can talk for hours about what caught my attention last week. Not just the notable marketing campaigns and popular trends—but also the disturbing connections between who’s doing what and why. Where some trends are headed. Why the biggest stories aren’t really what they seem.

From captivating insights to cautionary tales, the THINC tank rounds it up and keeps the conversation going. Whether you like the topics or not.

Five Predictions from FADS Marketing (the book) — and What Really Happened

Eight years after publishing FADS Marketing, let’s revisit the predictions to see what landed, what broke, and what mutated into something bigger.

Diet Season Is Dead (or just mutated): Marketing in the GLP-1 Economy

Diet marketing didn’t disappear, it redistributed. How GLP-1s are reshaping consumer behavior, brand language, and CPG strategy in the Ozempic era.

From Persuasion to Predictive Normalcy

Predictive normalcy is shaping behavior quietly through defaults, convenience, and anticipation, making the future feel smoother, smaller, and harder to notice.

Marketing the Comedown

Black Friday spikes urgency. December sells relief. A look at how marketing engineers the comedown and trains us to expect comfort instead of pause.

Black Friday: How Marketers Turned a Regular Friday Into a National Emergency

A FADS-style deep dive into how Black Friday evolved from the day after Thanksgiving into a high-pressure shopping ritual engineered by marketers to trigger our insecurities.

a hand holds a cell phone with Chat GPT loaded on the screen
The New AI: Authentic Individual

AI isn’t the enemy or the answer. From synthetic artists to deepfake influencers, a middle path to the Authentic Individual shows how we can use technology without losing our humanity and why the future will belong to those who still sound real.

A bud bottle lays halfway in the mud
Why Booze Is Losing Its Buzz

Alcohol is out, nostalgia is in. Gen Z is saying no to shots and yes to self-care, while the rest of us are busy buying vintage beer tees for the vibe.

The New Sex Economy

In 2025, AI and fashion are rewriting intimacy. From verified erotica to faux-hair thongs, the new sex economy sells fantasy as authenticity.

Blue Light Glasses & the Business of Fake Science

Blue light glasses promise to save your eyes and your productivity. The science says otherwise. Here is how marketers sold us a fake fix for a fake problem.

Ozempic Nation: How Weight-Loss Drugs Are Rewriting Food, Beauty, and Belonging

As Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs reshape food, beauty, and belonging. From snack sales to body ideals, marketers are rebranding around the “Ozempic Nation.”

Why Brands Are Selling You Friendship in the Belonging Economy

Discover how brands like Panera, Peloton, and Ben & Jerry's are turning loneliness into loyalty by selling community, identity, and the illusion of connection.

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