I think the headline this newsletter sent with is better than the archive title
“Context Please!”
Everyone benefits from more context.
Lots of nuggets in this issue, but here’s a quick pull:
Know your persona, know what product you’re selling them, and know what has already worked at the hook level.
If it’s a coffee mug at the
top of funnel, you’re doing something eye-grabbing.
Mid-to-bottom-of-funnel should lean on USPs, functionality, and social proof.
At the bottom of the funnel you’re showing the lid screwing on leak-proof.
Trust + Communication
It works for internal teams.
It works for clients.
It works for customers.
**Leave black boxes to the algorithms. **
UMich’s Survey of Consumers tells a slightly different story, February was basically the same as January.
Wallets are still feeling squeezed:
About 46% of consumers spontaneously mentioned high prices eroding their personal finances; readings have exceeded 40% for seven months in a row.
The K-shaped economy continues to capitalize:
wealthier and higher-income consumers feel better insulated from any possible risks to the economy.
🗺️
Consumer confidence is inching back up (even January’s dip has been revised upward a bit).
People still aren’t feeling great about the present moment, but expectations for the future are getting rosier.
The index is currently sitting at about 2015 levels.
Interestingly:
Consumers’ plans to buy big-ticket items over the next six months rose
The generational split is interesting too (even though generations are garbage)
Fandom is format-agnostic.
Format is the mechanism, not the message.
If they’re fans of the format, they’re not fans of you.
Find your message.
Find the others.
Tariffs are now 15% across the board.
Which is legal for 150 days before Congress has to bless an extension.
🎢
via Reuters
The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 91 Stat. 1626, does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.
The Supreme Court (full opinion pdf).
So at least for now, the tariff rollercoaster is over (probably).
Perplexity has joining Team Anthropic in the AI Trust Wars ads front:
AI search startup Perplexity is distancing itself from ads amid fears users won’t trust chatbots with an agenda to upsell.
This is a departure from the Google playbook Perplexity seemed to be following. Though te door has already been left open for revisiting ads.
Apple built its rep on privacy. AI platforms are now trying to build their reps on trust.
“We are in the accuracy business, and the business is giving the truth, the right answers,”
People transact on trust.
via The Verge