Good morning. If you found yourself oddly emotional this week over a Japanese macaque named Punch clutching a stuffed orangutan at the Ichikawa City Zoo, welcome to the club. The internet did what it does best: turned a lonely monkey with a comfort plushie into a main character.

Clips of Punch - once an outcast, now making friends - went viral, launched the hashtag #HangInTherePunch and caught the attention of IKEA Japan. The brand’s chief sustainability officer pledged backup “DJUNGELSKOG” orangutans ($20 at retail), and IKEA quickly leaned in on social, dubbing it “Punch’s comfort orangutan.”

From zoo to group chat to brand moment in under a week. Don’t be surprised if Punch’s next habitat is a partnership deck.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

Realism over romance: Why some brands weren’t lovey-dovey for Valentine’s Day

From DoorDash to Reformation, brands leaned into the gap between romantic expectations and reality.

By Kristina Monllos | Marketing Brew

How Blockbuster Films and Bingeworthy Streaming Hits Slipped Into Our Showers

Hygiene products are popping up in Hollywood, letting fans live inside their favorite shows between seasons.

By Natasha Khan | The Wall Street Journal

Also, Dunkin’s iced coffee mittens, Home Depot’s spring countdown DIY advent calendar, Goldfish x Campbell’s Goldfish Games, Knorr’s Serving Singles dating events, Manscaped x Stavros Halkais’ hairball charity auction and Zillow x World of Warcraft’s player housing.

Culture

Snackable bites of consumer culture

An Investor’s Guide to Gen Alpha

A deeper look at Gen Alpha - 2 billion strong - and the values, from gaming as communication to wellness, companies need to understand to earn their spending power.

By Josyana Joshua, Dina Katgara | Bloomberg

This publisher enlists ‘bookfluencers’ to choose its titles. Is it working?

Bindery Books taps book influencers as editors to champion underrepresented authors and build engaged communities.

By Malia Mendez | The Los Angeles Times

The ‘America’s Next Top Model’ docuseries proves anti-nostalgia is the new nostalgia

While 2000s pop culture is celebrated and embraced, its cultural artifacts are facing renewed criticism.

By Jude Cramer | Fast Company

Corporate

News impacting business & the workplace

Why ‘Burnout’ Feminism Is Replacing the Girlboss, Lean In Era

More women are turning away from the relentless grind and questioning whether traditional hustle-driven culture actually serves them.

By Alice Robb | Bloomberg

‘Woke’ AI Feud Escalates Between Pentagon and Anthropic

The Pentagon is threatening to cut ties with AI firm Anthropic and potentially label it a national security “supply-chain risk.”

By Keach Hagey, Amrith Ramkumar, Deborah Acosta, Vera Bergengruen | The Wall Street Journal

Whether it’s a mini-sabbatical or an adult gap year, more people are taking extended work breaks

More US workers are embracing career breaks to reset mentally, despite cultural and financial hurdles.

By Colleen Newvine | The Associated Press

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

The Break Is Over. Companies Are Jacking Up Prices Again.

After months of steady pricing, companies are rolling out high single-digit price hikes.

By Ruth Simon | The Wall Street Journal

Gen Z is taking over restaurant loyalty programs - and forcing brands to adapt

Gen Z is driving a loyalty boom in restaurants, pushing brands to deliver faster, frictionless digital rewards.

By Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Business Insider

Why brands need to optimize their mobile apps and websites for AI

As consumer behavior shifts, brands must rethink digital strategies built around Google search.

By Michael Brady | Retail Dive

Kids Want Cheap Stuff, and Lots of It. Five Below Delivers

In the TikTok era of fast trends and dupe culture, Five Below gives teens an affordable, real-world treasure hunt.

By Rachel Sugar | Bloomberg

Connections

Feed intelligence & AI tips

Analog-obsessed Gen Zers are buying $40 app blockers to limit social media use

Gen Z is using devices like Bloom and Brick to make social media harder to access and curb phone addiction.

By Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez | Fortune

Reddit’s human content wins amid the AI flood

More people are turning to Reddit for human advice in an AI-saturated internet, despite credibility concerns.

By Suzanne Bearne | BBC

Apple Podcasts Is Launching New Video Features, Looking to Keep Pace With YouTube and Spotify

It’s adding enhanced video features and new ad tools to better compete.

By Todd Spangler | Variety

Evie Magazine, a ‘Conservative Cosmo,’ Takes On the Cultural Moment

The magazine aims to reach a new kind of conservative: the churchgoing, city-dwelling, working young mother.

By Olivia Empson | The Wall Street Journal

Media Moves & Intel:

Nicoletta Richardson, formerly trending editor at TODAY Digital, is now editor at CNBC Select.
Abby Kass, formerly commerce editor at BuzzFeed and commerce content editor at McClatchy, is now freelance.
Jenn Harris, formerly food columnist at The Los Angeles Times, is now restaurant critic at the newspaper.
Alisa Tang, formerly local assignment editor at The Washington Post, started a newsletter, Alisa’s Daily Dose, about things to do and see around the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area on Beehiiv.
Late Checkout, the Substack that billed itself as a “cheat sheet for jet-setters and go-getters with a penchant for all things food, drink and travel,” is shutting down.

Also... check out MTV Rewind, a website where you can watch music videos and specials spanning 6 decades.

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The Zeitgeist: February 20, 2026