Good morning. Coachella’s first weekend confirmed it: the real action isn’t just inside the gates. It’s across Palm Springs, where brands have upgraded from gifting suites to full-blown content houses. Think less “brand trip,” more engineered storylines, from friend-group villas to creator-led hubs to anything-goes party houses. The best ones gave creators a reason to interact, not just post.

Inside the festival, the bar is higher. The activations that worked weren’t just aesthetic, they had a point of view. Rhode extended its founder’s world, 818 smartly stacked brands into one footprint and Pinterest stood out by taking phones away entirely (more on that below). Different tactics, same takeaway: in a sea of backdrops, the winners gave people something to do. Heading into weekend two, participation beats presence.

In today’s edition: why brands act like reply guys, and why “digital twins” are taking off.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

Millennial summer is coming—5 ways brands can get in on the trend and not be basic

Brands should revive late ’90s and early 2000s products and campaigns, leaning into less tech-heavy tactics like printed catalogs.

By Erika Wheless | Ad Age

Meet the newest ‘Running Point’ character: Jake from State Farm

State Farm is inserting “Jake from State Farm” into Netflix’s Running Point as it doubles down on culture-first marketing.

By Alyssa Meyers | Marketing Brew

Also, Ore-Ida’s “imi-taters", Icelandair’s search for a really bad photographer, Chili’s one-day-only pop-up in NYC and IKEA x Chupa Chups’ Swedish meatball lollipop.

Culture

Snackable bites of consumer culture

This one shift in Gen Alpha’s habits could reshape the entire snack industry

Gen Alpha is reshaping snacking, boosting functional foods while pushing brands on trust, health and value.

By Anna-Louise Jackson | Fast Company

Usually, Young People Embrace New Technology. Gen Z’s Attitude Toward AI Should Worry the Entire Tech Industry

A Gallup survey found 48% of Gen Z think AI’s workplace risks outweigh its benefits, and 80% say using it as a shortcut makes learning harder.

By Sharon Adarlo | Futurism

The High-Alcohol Drink Taking Over Gen Z

On TikTok and beyond, BuzzBallz come off less like a drink and more like a sugary punchline, a party prop everyone’s in on.

By Callie Holtermann | The New York Times

Corporate

News impacting business & the workplace

America’s corporate boards are under siege

America’s corporate boards face growing pressure from activists, regulators and culture wars, making board seats more contested and risky.

By Staff | The Economist

Workplaces are pushing out working mothers—and paying the cost

As flexibility fades and childcare costs rise, working mothers are leaving in droves - creating a costly retention problem for employers.

By Kris Ann Valdez | Fast Company

There’s a Mass Rebellion Against AI in the Workplace

Enterprise workers aren’t sold on AI - many say it adds complexity, erodes trust and creates more work than it saves.

By Joe Wilkins | Futurism

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

Starbucks Is Using ChatGPT to Change How You Buy Coffee

From mood-based suggestions to photo prompts, the coffee giant’s new ChatGPT feature offers a glimpse into the future of the digital menu.

By Amaya Nichole | Inc.

Target ends creator affiliate program—what it means for influencer marketing

Target is overhauling its Creator Program, swapping commissions for a gamified, challenge-based model.

By Gillian Follett | Ad Age

Home Depot to relaunch mobile app later this year

The retailer is using the app to connect its e-commerce business with in-store shopping, doubling down on AI and faster fulfillment.

By Vidhi Choudhary | Retail Brew

Connections

Feed intelligence & AI tips

Mega Influencers Are Replacing Themselves With AI Clones

Creator “digital twins” are scaling fast, but the real test isn’t tech, it’s whether audiences accept the avatar.

By Taylor Lorenz | Vanity Fair

Why brands can’t stop acting like reply guys and jumping into viral comment threads on social media

The new social strategy to skip the post, win the comments is working for Olipop, Dude Wipes and others.

By Gabriela Barkho | Digiday

Influencer dubbed ‘Sam Altman’s worst nightmare’ goes viral for breaking ChatGPT’s brain, over and over again

Husk is an influencer whose videos showing ChatGPT’s frequent mistakes have gone viral.

By Jude Cramer | Fast Company

Quenlin Blackwell Took Pinterest’s Advice and Actually Went Phone-Free at Coachella

Pinterest pushed a phone-free festival experience, and creators logged off and leaned into IRL connection.

By Samuel Maude | ELLE

Media Moves & Intel:

Paolo Confino, formerly business reporter at Fortune, is now business reporter at Dow Jones Newswires.
Annabel Iwegbue, formerly culture editor at Cosmopolitan, is now platforms editor for The Cut at New York Magazine.
Joe Tempesta, formerly line producer for “Power Lunch” at CNBC, is now senior producer at FOX Business Network in New York.
Marie Doyon, formerly digital editorial director at Chronogram Media, is now digital director at Edible Manhattan.
Amy Eley Moran, formerly west coast editorial lead at TODAY.com, is now senior home + kitchen editor at Forbes Vetted.
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei launched Axios C-Suite, a weekly Saturday morning newsletter for a select group of CEOs and C-suite executives, featuring original reporting and analysis on politics, tech and business.
CNET relaunched its news division, CNET News, led by Jon Reed, covering breaking news alongside liveblogs, analysis, commentary and actionable advice.
TIME launched FUTURE PROOF, a flagship climate newsletter led by Justin Worland, focused on the economic, technological and geopolitical forces shaping the energy and climate economy.
Inc. launched a new podcast, “The Business Model Book Club,” featuring conversations with business leaders and authors on books shaping the future of work and business.
Romain Dillet, formerly reporter at TechCrunch, launched Hypertext, a newsletter focused on startups and venture capital in Europe, offering analysis, context and opinion.
Bloomberg TV launched “Leaders with Francine Lacqua,” a podcast featuring interviews with CEOs and global leaders on leadership, management and the future of work.
Andrew Nusca, editorial director, Fortune Brainstorm Tech at Fortune, relaunched “Fortune Tech,” a morning newsletter covering major developments in AI, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Condé Nast will shutter SELF, the 47-year-old magazine focused on women’s health and wellness, and fold such content into Allure and Glamour.

Also... check out the US National Park Finder, a site that helps you decide which park to visit based on the best season, travel time and travel tips.

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The Zeitgeist: Reply Guys and AI Clones