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As the summer winds down, the tempo shifts. September brings back structure – school runs, board meetings, investor updates – and with it a reminder that growth isn’t won in weeks, but in seasons and cycles. This week’s dispatch explores the ideas and strategies that are built to last, even as the pace of change quickens.

Enjoy!

Family-owned businesses prove the value of going long

Family-owned brands have dominated the IPA Effectiveness Awards recently, with Specsavers, McCain and Yorkshire Tea all recognised for campaigns built patiently over years, not quarters. Their edge, says IPA Director of Effectiveness Laurence Green, is cultural as much as financial: frugality in the good times, caution before committing spend and loyalty to creative ideas once they work. In a market hooked on short-term results, these firms show how resilience and consistency can compound into superior returns. Incidentally, I came across this insight via Rory Sutherland’s excellent keynote at this year’s Nudgestock, where he references Green’s findings. You can watch Rory’s speech here and read the IPA analysis here.

Perplexity and the economics of the post-search web

Perplexity’s new $5 subscription, Comet Plus, is pitched as more than a premium content bundle. It’s a shot at rewriting the economics of the internet. For two decades, a handful of platforms have captured most of the traffic and ad spend while publishers chased clicks. AI answer engines like Perplexity flip that model: users expect direct outcomes, not 10 blue links, and the value of the underlying content suddenly becomes clearer. Comet Plus pledges 80% of its revenue – backed by a $42.5mn fund – to participating publishers, an unusual move in a sector better known for scraping than sharing. If it works, it could mark the start of a fairer distribution of value between AI platforms and the creators who fuel them. Read the full announcement here.

What people cut back on — and what they won’t

Two new studies show how consumer priorities are shifting in the US. Gallup reports alcohol consumption has fallen to its lowest level in decades, with health concerns the main driver. Deloitte, meanwhile, finds parents are willing to pay more for school lunches if they’re healthier, even as food costs rise. Read together, the findings point to the same conclusion: households are becoming choosier about where their money goes, trimming back on products that feel like risks while leaning in to purchases tied to wellbeing. For brands, it’s a reminder that growth increasingly depends not just on price or convenience, but on aligning with deeper health and lifestyle values. Read Gallup here and Deloitte here.

The hidden cost of “cute” credit

Buy-now-pay-later services such as Klarna and Afterpay are reshaping consumer debt – and women are the primary target. Clothing accounts for more than half of BNPL transactions, and the marketing reflects it: Paris Hilton pop-ups, candy-coloured murals, and influencer-led “girl math” memes that frame small instalments as empowerment rather than risk. The danger, says The Atlantic, is what starts as splitting a dress into four payments can spiral into financing groceries, with late fees and new credit-score reporting compounding the fallout. For retailers, BNPL is sold as a conversion tool – a way to push carts over the line – but for consumers it’s debt by another name. Read the full story here (and use archive if you don’t have a subscription).

When founders outlast their exits

There’s a crisis unfolding among older entrepreneurs: many who built their business as a retirement plan now find themselves trapped inside it. Economic headwinds mean buyers are scarce, valuations are weak and succession plans often don’t exist. Researchers describe it as “benign entrapment” – a kind of limbo where owners are too old to push on but unable to step away. For younger founders, it’s a cautionary tale: growth is only half the journey. Thinking early about succession, stewardship and exit options is what ensures you leave on your own terms. Read the analysis here.

WhatsApp opens the door to ads

WhatsApp will soon display ads in its Updates tab, marking a major turn for a platform long prized for being ad-free. Meta says personal chats remain private and encrypted, with ads targeted only by location, language or channel follows. For Meta, the move unlocks monetisation of more than a billion daily users; for founders, it shows how even the most product-led companies eventually revisit revenue models once scale is secure. The challenge, as ever, is striking the balance between user trust and business growth. Read the BBC story here.

When a WhatsApp “yes” costs £248k

If WhatsApp’s shift to ads shows how platforms monetise scale, a recent High Court ruling shows how costly their informality can be. In Jaevee Homes v Fincham, a string of casual WhatsApp messages – “Can you start on Monday?” / “Yes” – was deemed to constitute a binding £248,000 contract. The hard lesson here is that in English law, substance beats form. A quick “yes” in a chat app can carry the same weight as a signed agreement. Catherine Hyde, founder of Launch Legal, has a great LinkedIn post on what this means for business leaders and the policies they need in place. Read her post here.

AI prompt of the week: the shortlist filter

Hiring isn’t just about finding talent — it’s about quickly spotting the best fit. Instead of scanning CVs one by one, use this prompt to test a batch against a role description and surface the strongest matches:

Here’s the role description: [paste].
Here are several CVs: [paste].
Rank the candidates from strongest to weakest match. For each, highlight key strengths, clear gaps and anything that might not be obvious at first glance. End with questions I should ask in interview to test each candidate’s fit further.

This turns what can be hours of manual CV sifting into a structured shortlist — and gives you better interview prompts.

Episodic content is back in fashion

Zaria Parvez, Duolingo’s former head of social, argues that audiences are tiring of brand banter and trendjacking, and are craving something more ritualistic: mini-series with characters, sets and storylines that build anticipation rather than clutter feeds. From Mohawk Chevrolet’s workplace parody to Lohause eyewear’s crafted vignettes, brands are experimenting with episodic formats that feel more like shows than ads. Adweek finds the same shift playing out at scale, with Argos, State Farm and InStyle seeing stronger engagement from multi-part mockumentaries and reality-style series than from single-shot posts. The appeal is simple: in an algorithmic environment where attention is chaotic, episodic content creates predictability, identity and loyalty. Read more from Zaria here and Adweek here.

Why rivalry gives brand stories more bite

While Zaria Parvez may claim ‘brand banter’ is on the wane, Harvard Business Review highlights new research showing that referencing a rival in marketing – such as calling them out amusingly on social – can significantly boost engagement and even purchasing intent. The effect works because consumers see rivalries as ongoing stories – Pepsi versus Coke, Samsung versus Apple, Burger King versus McDonald’s – with characters and plots they already recognise. The data suggests that playful negativity resonates most with loyal customers, reinforcing their sense of identity, while neutral or positive references can work for broader audiences. The trick is not to pick fights indiscriminately, or to punch down, but to recognise when a genuine rivalry exists and use it sparingly to inject narrative power into brand storytelling. Read the full article here.

The hidden habits that burn out teams

Here are the most common leadership mistakes that quietly drain morale – from unclear priorities and poor delegation to favouritism and avoiding hard conversations. The fix is simple but not easy: clarity, consistency and support matter as much as outcomes.

Drop me a line

That’s it for this week – back next Sunday with more to chew on. In the meantime, feel free to send any interesting info nuggets my way – the quirkier and more fascinating the better.

Cheers!
Adam

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