Good morning. Unless you’ve managed to avoid the internet, the Super Bowl is Sunday - and a few things in the lead-up have us locked in. Anthropic used its Super Bowl debut to roast OpenAI over ads in ChatGPT, escalating the AI arms race and earning a Sam Altman clapback on X. Meanwhile, brands like Squarespace, Volkswagen and Instacart are going retro, shooting spots on film and tube cameras. And in news that surprises exactly no one, nostalgia is once again a dominant theme - proof that when brands want to reach everyone at once, they still look backward to move forward.

Also: we dropped the first edition of Culture Drift this week, our new bimonthly look at how internet moments shape real world culture. Ann-Marie Alcántara unpacked the “merchification of everything” and why consumers are so drawn to buying into it. More from her coming soon.

Campaigns

Earned-friendly campaigns & clever moments

The case for and against pre-game Super Bowl ads

Dropping commercials and teasers early allow brands to build momentum but take away the excitement and joy of the big game.

By Kimeko McCoy | Digiday

Dos Equis Celebrates the Return of the “Most Interesting Man” in the Most Interesting Way

The campaign paired a TV spot with a star-studded “sailgate” event before the CFP National Championship Game.

By Kyle Hodge | Rolling Stone

Also, IKEA’s 20-inch hot dogs, Eos’ Cashmere Body Mist edible cakes, Vacation x Pepsi’s wild cherry-flavored lip sunscreen and Valentine’s Day stunts from Denny’s (“toast-nuptial” agreements) and Dave & Buster’s (diamond rings human crane game).

Culture

Snackable bites of consumer culture

Let Them Eat Goo

Meal-replacement pouches are rising as focus shifts from protein obsession to balanced macronutrients.

By Ella Quittner | The New York Times

TikTok is fueling a SoulCycle comeback

A decade after its peak, SoulCycle is catching Gen Z’s eye again - riding a wider wave of 2016-era nostalgia.

By Eve Upton-Clark | Fast Company

How the supermarket’s cheapest fish became Gen Z’s latest obsession

More than a budget snack, sardines are having a moment for their health - and even beauty - benefits.

By Kyndall Cunningham | Vox

Why chill when you could become a falconer?

Travelers are trading beach trips for “skillcations” and “curiosity leaves” focused on learning, not lounging.

By Juliet Bennett Rylah | The Hustle

Corporate

Trends at work and for good

Did A.I. Take Your Job? Or Was Your Employer ‘A.I.-Washing’?

As companies blame AI for layoffs, skeptics wonder whether that explanation is merely an investor-friendly message for ailing businesses.

By Lora Kelley | The New York Times

Target’s New C.E.O. Faces Hometown Crisis as He Begins Turnaround Effort

Michael Fiddelke takes the top job at Target amid slumping sales, boycotts and civil unrest in its Twin Cities.

By Kim Bhasin | The New York Times

Employees now value work-life balance more than money

For 65% of office workers globally, work-life balance and time autonomy now outrank salary, compensation and location.

By Matthew Fray | Quartz

Commerce

Shopper society snapshot

How Victoria’s Secret got its sexy back

CEO Hillary Super is leaving the body-shaming and box-checking behind, but the wings, glamour and glitter are staying put.

By Emma Hinchliffe | Fortune

Why more consumers prefer AI-enhanced shopping - and still expect the human touch

Consumer decision-making is being reshaped by AI-powered shopping, rising demands for fairness and transparency and the need for human connection.

By Vala Afshar | ZDNET

Walmart becomes first retailer to hit $1tn market value

The milestone reflects the US retail giant’s booming e-commerce business and investors’ embrace of its AI investments.

By Danielle Kaye | BBC

Why Prices at Five Below Are Nudging Above $5

The company is focusing on relative value rather than a fixed price point in order to deliver for their customers in new ways.

By Jennifer Williams | The Wall Street Journal

Connections

Feed intelligence & AI tips

What is Moltbook? The strange new social media site for AI bots

Moltbook is a Reddit-like platform where AI bots socialize and post, sparking curiosity and concerns about safety and misinformation.

By Josh Taylor | The Guardian

‘I lost two hours of my day’ - why workers are frustrated with AI

ManpowerGroup reports a paradox: AI adoption is rising, but employee confidence is falling.

By Erin Carson | ZDNET

Facebook Alum Henry Soong Launches Watch Club, A Microdrama & Social Platform Backed By Google Ventures

Watch Club is releasing microdrama series like Return Offer to engage young viewers and build a social-style entertainment platform.

By Date Hayes | Deadline

Media Moves & Intel:

Joanna Stern, formerly personal tech columnist at The Wall Street Journal, is leaving the newspaper to start her own consumer-tech media company.
Emma Cosgrove, formerly senior reporter at Business Insider, is now editorial director of AI innovation at the same outlet.
Julia Smith, formerly video director and director of community & audience development at Delish, is now director of global social video at Audible.
Hannah Walhout, freelance writer and editor, is also now senior editor at AFAR.
Caper Media, the soon-to-launch food media company, tapped Dana Brown (formerly of Vanity Fair and Air Mail), Emma Orlow (formerly of Eater), Maggie Wong (formerly of Food Network) and Annie Armstrong (formerly of artnet), in addition to Chris Crowley, for its editorial staff.
Brittany Loggins, freelance reporter, launched Mad Media on Substack, covering media news including press events, pitches and press trips.
6AM City is launching a weekly business newsletter publication, the BizBrief, this month, starting in Greensville, SC, Raleigh, NC and Nashville, TN and then rolling out across its other existing markets.
The Triad Business Journal is moving to digital-only starting in June.
Layoffs were announced this week at The Washington Post.

Also... check out Travel Roulette, a destination generator that matches your interests (or lets you roll the dice), with images and key travel stats.

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The Zeitgeist: February 6, 2026