I'm Going to Run the 31 Mile Perimeter of Manhattan 🏃
And I want you to join me as I train...
I am going to run the perimeter on Manhattan in 8 weeks, and I want you to join me as I train.
Okay so I am an avid runner. I run in Central Park, from the Upper East Side downtown, and all over Manhattan.
But at the end of this Summer I am moving to Brooklyn, and I want to commemorate my love for this island by challenging myself and running around the entire 31 mile perimeter of Manhattan.
The only problem? The farthest I’ve ever ran is 15 miles. I’ve only been in one half marathon.
But I am delusional, and I honestly believe anyone can do anything they set their mind to. No pain no gain, right?
So for the next 8 weeks I am going to start getting ready for the biggest run of my life, getting advice from New York’s most elite runners, trying as many products and recovery programs as I can, and documenting it all on this Substack and on my TikTok.
And I want you to come run with me as I train. So I’m starting the Who Do You Know? run club to bring together to incredibly cool, smart, and ambitious people who read this newsletter. I’d love for you to join me, feel free to bring a friend, and let’s sweat together.
We’ll do 5 miles at an 8:00/mi pace, so this will be great even if you’re a casual runner. And we’ll switch up the routes each week and end each club by getting smoothies or bagels.
I’m calling this The Manhattan Project. It kicks off this Saturday June 15th at 8am. Sign up on Strava and I’ll update you all with the meetup spot later this week. Come run, meet other Who Do You Know? readers and even some of the founders and tastemakers I consistently interview on this newsletter, and follow along as I either successfully run 31 miles or pass out and die on the West Side Highway.
If you own a brand and want to sponsor this… send me an email…
Okay onto the news—
NEWS
Apple’s WWDC conference is slated to bring tons of AI features to the iPhone. The iPhone’s software has felt a bit stagnant the last few years. I literally just updated my phone to the latest software and I can’t really tell what is new, and now everything is buggy and slow. But this may be changing as Apple’s annual worldwide developers conference plans on bringing a new AI infused operating system to the iPhone. Over the last two years, we’ve seen how AI (or the promise of market value powered by AI) has led to companies like Nvidia and Microsoft surging in value, overtaking Apple as the most valuable companies in the world. But Apple is planning a show of force, reportedly partnering with OpenAI on a chatbot, integrating AI into Siri, and finding novel ways to make the user experience more intuitive. AI on the iPhone could be the biggest catalyst for the general population fully adopting the new tech. Or it could be gimmicky and offer a slew of features no one is going to use. In my opinion, I don’t want to use AI to create images or designs, I want AI to sort my emails for me, and complete menial tasks so I don’t have to. We’ll see if Apple’s AI (reportedly branded as Apple Intelligence) lives up to that, or if it is just a tactic to build investor buzz and surge the stock. I’ll follow up tomorrow…
Viral moments are not enough to sustain luxury fashion brands. While brands like Marc Jacobs, Loewe, and Jacquemus have mastered how to create viral, buzz-worthy social content, is it enough to generate real revenue? Business of Fashion wrote a great article basically saying no. Marc Jacobs in particular is so savvy at jumping on the hottest social media trends, partnering with viral creators and getting them in Marc Jacobs as soon as humanly possible.
But likes and reshares on TikTok don’t necessarily correlate with growing sales and cultivating long-term customers. And BoF notes that Gucci and Balenciaga rode virality to massive sales in the late 2010s. But today, we are seeing those brands pare back their thirstiness and focus more on communicating their heritage value proposition to consumers as luxury sales slump. Timeless brands like Hermes, Cartier, Chanel, and Prada do not place major time or resources on riding hot social media trends, and yet they have been able to endure an industry downturn, as consumers become more frugal, and focus on lasting value as opposed to quick, trendy items. If you’re a brand thinking about your social media marketing strategy, think about how you can drive buzz that leads to conversion over just engagement.
Adam Faze is the king of content. After his content studio, Gymnasium, launched the highly successful Boy Room show, they’ve created another viral hit: Bodega Run. In this show, contestants have 60 seconds to grab three random items from an NYC bodega, while wearing a fisheye camera helmet. They are just 3 videos in and two of the video have nearly 1M views. The secret behind both shows success is ultimately their repeatable format. Once viewers get hooked on the simple format, its so easy to binge the rest of the videos. If you’re creating content, don’t try and reinvent the wheel every time. Make a concept that hits, and once you get content market fit, repeat, repeat, repeat. Gymnasium and Faze are genius and I’m sure will be crushing content all year long.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserBandit Running’s new West Village store looks so nice. One of the most aesthetically pleasing active wear brands has opened an equally aesthetic storefront at 328 Bleecker Street. The black exterior, togo, massive speakers, and all the other design details fit so well with the brands products and social media presence. I am going to have to stop this week. Bandit has emerged as the latest buzzy activewear brand, but can their popularity be sustained? We’ve seen brands like Outdoor Voices come and go with the trend cycle. Lauren Sherman wrote a great Puck article exploring the yet another ownership group trying to salvage them.
Charli xcx dropped a deluxe version of brat, titled ‘brat and its the same but theres’s three more songs so its not’. I’ve been bumping brat nonstop since Friday morning. I agree with everyone that is an amazing body of music, and filled with so many bangers but also more contemplative, personal moments like on ‘i think about it all the time’ Drop you five favorite brat songs in the comments below.
Okay gotta go. see you tomorrow!
Jake Bell is a content marketing, creative strategist, and designer based in NYC. He specializes in brand building, content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
Want to chat? Email me: jake@jb.studio
Love this! As for brat, current faves are 365, Girl So Confusing, So I, I Think About It All the Time, Club Classics, and SPRING BREAKERS <3