Attention is scarce, noise is cheap, and shoppers are rewriting the rules. We sit down with brand and growth strategist Erin Campbell to map the new terrain: how to reach people who spend 13 hours a day with media yet crave less clutter and more connection. The core idea that anchors our exchange is simple and hard: tactics are table stakes, meaning is the moat. Erin breaks down how to identify the heart of your audience, connect it to the soul of your brand, and build a brand world that travels across touchpoints with texture instead of repetition.

From there, we dive into the boom in secondhand shopping, and why it’s more than thrift. Resale blends value, sustainability, and identity, empowering buyers to access rare goods and express taste with provenance. We compare platforms like eBay and GOAT, talk authentication and trust, and explore why brands shouldn’t rush to “own” the resale moment so much as craft products and stories worthy of second lives. You’ll hear practical angles on scarcity with purpose, community lore, and making goods that age into artifacts.

We also explore the analog comeback: vinyl, paper books, film cameras, even corded phones for kids. After years of chasing frictionless everything, intentional friction feels like relief. Analog rituals offer presence, delayed gratification, and shared memory, things digital rarely sustains. We spotlight LEGO’s mindful build experiences and why designing for calm can be a competitive edge. Along the way we weigh quick hits, from Toys "R" Us 2.0 and experiential retail to Apple’s pricey phone sock and Doug McMillon’s Walmart legacy, and extract lessons any operator can use.

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