In this BOARD BRIEFING, April Uchitel announces a new partnership between THE BOARD and cultural intelligence platform Winnin. Learn how THE BLACK BOOK identifies high-ROI tech and why Winnin is poised to lead the next wave of culturally driven brand growth.

You don’t need a million people to like your product. You need the right people to love it.

In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, beauty execs Leslie Holmes and Jennifer Ritter explain why resonance—not reach—is the future of brand growth. Drawing from decades of experience and the latest Piping Hot session, they show how clarity builds connection, and connection drives conversion.

If you’re building a brand (or rebuilding one), this one’s for you.

Most M&A announcements speak to investors. Very few speak to the people who actually make the business run.

In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Faye McCray breaks down the five communication gaps that derail even the strongest strategies—from the trust gap to the continuity gap—and makes a clear case that these aren’t messaging problems. They’re leadership ones.

The labor market we once knew is gone. In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Stephanie Dobbs Brown unpacks what’s replacing it—and why companies that cling to the old model will get left behind. From AI-native roles to the $9.2B rise of fractional work and the evolution of the office, she makes it clear: this isn’t just a hiring trend, it’s a work transformation.

“About 97% of clothes sold in the U.S. are imported—and that’s not changing anytime soon.”

In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Sydney Badger goes deep on the reality behind all the “Made in America” talk. From tariffs to labor to logistics, she explains why fashion’s return to domestic manufacturing isn’t just unlikely—it’s uneconomic. But there is opportunity in recommerce, reverse logistics, and new manufacturing tech. If you’ve been wondering where production is headed, this one’s a must-read.

“People leverage is a form of capital allocation.”

In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Faheem Siddiqi flips the script on HR—showing how the smartest founders treat talent like balance sheet assets. A-players aren’t just nice to have—they’re margin-expanding, risk-reducing force multipliers. If your org chart isn’t driving your P&L, you’re leaving money on the table.

“Absence of controversy is not the same as alignment.”

In this BOARD BRIEFING, Melissa Roth Mendez shows how treating brand, risk, and governance as separate domains creates confusion, fragmentation, and slow reputational erosion. This one’s for any leader who wants to move fast and stand for something.

“The industry didn’t fall—it calcified. The audience didn’t vanish—they migrated.”

In this BOARD BRIEFING, Adam Nelson cuts through the noise to expose the failures of legacy PR—and why fractional comms isn’t just a pivot, it’s a power move. If your coverage isn’t shifting reputation, revenue, or recognition, it’s camouflage, not strategy. Read now.

“The first model often fails to launch. The second often launches something forgettable.”

In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Rachel Roberts Mattox maps out the white space between startup chaos and incubator bloat—and introduces THE LAUNCH STUDIO: a flexible, founder-focused approach built to meet the moment. Forget end-to-end. This is edge-to-edge.

“Cultural relevance isn't just checking boxes on a trend report—it’s the magnetic pull between what you create and what people actually give a damn about.”

In this Special Edition to the BOARD BRIEFING, Rebecca Bartlett distills the magic behind brands that actually matter—from resisting performative noise to zooming in on community truth and zooming out on culture.

“Exercise doesn’t make me feel amazing. It just makes me feel less bad.” In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Lilly Minkove breaks down the real wellness trends shaping 2025—from stress relief and hormone shifts to community-driven motivation. If your brand is still chasing aesthetics and biohacks, you might be missing the point. Read the full insights, and subscribe to ABOVE BOARD for more human-first strategy.

“If your brand system feels like a script, it’s too rigid. But if it feels like improv with no rules, it’s useless.” In this week’s BOARD BRIEFING, Stevie Wilson makes a powerful case for why language systems—voice guidelines, messaging frameworks, feedback rituals—aren’t just creative niceties, but essential business tools. This one’s for leaders tired of word salad and ready to scale clarity. Read now and subscribe to ABOVE BOARD for more weekly insights.

“Looking bigger” is not the flex you think it is. Acting like a holding company might feel like a step up—but all those extra approval layers, 12-person pitch teams, and bespoke decks for every prospect? They're not signs of growth. They're symptoms of insecurity. “These habits don’t show growth. They show insecurity.”

Chantal Sagnes unpacks why indie agencies need to stop copying the big shop playbook and start building smarter, faster, and more intentionally. If you’ve been stuck in overthinking mode, this one’s for you.

The effort and skill required to create a new brand from scratch has plummeted.  Many companies, celebrities, influencers, civilians, and (yes) agents are going to do it.  They’re going to shoot their shots.  There’s no upper limit. The only constraints are supply chains, ad real estate, and capital—and the pressure on all three is about to skyrocket. COGS, CPMs, and valuations will shift accordingly.

By removing moral imperatives from the conversation around circularity, Karuna Scheinfeld was able to engage executives on their terms—through the lens of profit, innovation, and competitive advantage. This strategic camouflage, which she calls “Covert Circularity,” enables real change to happen under the radar of traditional business resistance.

I hope you’ll join us over there. And I hope it will lead you to more Substacks and voices you love. Because the “new economic engine for culture?” It’s just starting to rev. 

Kevin Hamilton champions a collaborative AI approach—treating it like a junior teammate—to streamline research, outline creation, media sourcing, and publishing, freeing human editors to focus on creativity and brand voice. By integrating human oversight at each step, this “Human + AI” workflow not only preserves authenticity but also amplifies content quality and productivity across every facet of your business.

Arif Isikgun explains how and why product education is the overlooked key to conversion, customer loyalty, and lasting brand growth.

Amidst unprecedented saturation in the Beauty industry, a new messaging trend emerged: an absolute obsession with claims. Amanda Aldinger argues, this is the time to revive aspiration in Beauty messaging.

Alta Sparling explores the scent revolution that is upon us, and the habits, values, and brands that are shaping the way Gen Z and Gen Alpha shops.