How Locked In Are You?
Insights on marketing, business, branding, products, design, founders, and culture.
GM everyone. Yesterday after work I went to Central Park and read in the sunshine.
When I was the airport yesterday I stopped by McNally Jackson and bought a few books.
Literally everyone there was buying the same book: A Little Life by Hanya Yanaghihara.
Its a sweeping depiction of four friends who move to New York, their careers, their relationships, losses, and the nuances of friendship that play out over time.
I am about halfway done (its 900 pages) so I’ll keep you posted. Oh and I also bought the meme’d out creative director special: Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act. I thought it was just a prop for Instagram but it actually has words inside. I’ll keep you all posted on that one too.
News
Davis Clarke is the most locked in man on the internet. GQ interviewed the 27 year old banking analyst who was attracted millions of views for his inspirational content.
Clarke is most well known for his earnest videos providing motivation to ‘lock in’ to daily tasks. He’s the latest in a new generation of influencers who are going viral for their sheer earnestness. Tony P, another mid 20s consultant, has also risen to prominence for his day in the life videos, Joseph A. Bank outfit videos, and musings on the modern masculinity. In the interview, Clarke talks about how he began posting—
I was never really a big social media person growing up. I maybe had a Facebook that I barely used. But once I went to college, UMass Amherst, which is University of Massachusetts Amherst, I had a marketing class. It was called the You Brand project. And the goal was to start a social media account to show the world the values that you care about.
I think the rise in popularity of Clarke and his peers is the internet’s fascination with people using social media so honestly. Clarke is adding intrigue and excitement to his otherwise normal life, and glamorizing locking in to a normal office job, which many viewers can relate to. There is merit in adding drama to ones life, and the premise of locking in to otherwise mundane tasks is fun. And anyway we all need to be locking in and producing as much value as possible while we are lucky to be alive.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I have been known to reenact some of Clarke’s videos verbatim on my Stories. I just had a friend send me the video of Clarke sh*tting himself while running the Boston Marathon and saying I should reenact it. Video coming this weekend LOL.
Caitlin Clarke won’t be making much money in the WNBA. The face of women’s college basketball, was drafted to the Indiana Fever (while wearing Prada) I was shocked to discover how little money she is being paid to go pro. In her first year she’ll make just $76,000. She’s lucky she’ll be living in flyover zone, that would not go far here in New York.
These New Balance loafers are truly f*cking horrible. New Balance has seen an incredible rise in popularity over the last few years, raking in $6.5B in 2023 (a 23% increase YoY) While the brand has done great work in collaboration with Joe Fresh Goods, Saleh Bembury, and Aime Leon Dore, their latest shoe is a disaster. This is a sneaker, loafer combo. I s2g I do not wanna see any of you fashion mfs loitering downtown with this on.
This new espresso machine is aesthetic goals af. Rimowa is collaborating with La Marzocco on a limited edition espresso machine on display at Milan Design Week. The new machine features La Marzocco’s tech with Rimowa’s design motifs. It looks really f*cking good. Price? TBD but I am sure its expensive.
Next time you grab a bacon egg and cheese, Donald Trump may be at the bodega. The former President is going to be in Manhattan a lot as he attends a criminal trial for the next 6 weeks. Last night, he stopped by a bodega in Harlem, which is already generating some hilarious discourse on X. The premise of Trump being spotted at various New York hotspots is so funny to me. I want to see Trump getting an aperol spritz with the girlies in the West Village while wearing a Siegelman Stable’s hat. I want to see him in Carharrt WIP while waiting to get a latte outside of La Cabra. Do we think Trump could get a table at Frog Club? I can send him the email if he wants.
Who Do You Know? is a daily newsletter covering marketing, business, branding, products, design, founders, and culture.
Its written by Jake Bell, a content marketing and brand strategist in NYC.
To get in touch visit www.jb.studio or email jake@jb.studio
So many reactions reading this 😅🫠😳 thank you for compiling all of this to entertain my afternoon!