Hello!

Welcome to OUT OF SCOPE, the C-Suite cheat sheet for the week ahead.

Hope you caught music’s biggest night last night, with a big Grammy win for Beyoncé (her first Album of the Year win ever) and a few other big moments (one of which we wrote about below). We’re also a week-ish out from the Super Bowl and all the commercials, festivities, and insanity that come with it. Thank God we’re out of January.

**THE CHEAT SHEET

three things to bring up in your meetings this week:

1. GLP-1s Take Center Stage at the Super Bowl GLP-1s like Ozepmic and Wegovy are widely regarded as miracle drugs. So why are they so controversial to market? Hims & Hers released a Super Bowl ad ahead of the big game to promote their GLP-1s offerings. The 60-second spot looks like a political campaign ad, backed with Childish Gambino’s “This is America” as the soundtrack behind clips and voice-over criticizing the United States’ healthcare and food system. It seems designed to stir up some controversy, which is a curious choice for a powerful drug with lifesaving benefits that, one would think, would like to maintain broad appeal. But the ad is pretty compelling— looks like leaning into controversy might work out for them.

2. ‘Shock and Awe’ It’s difficult to stay on top of all moves being made by the Trump administration only in their first few weeks. Some have posited that what the Trump administration is doing is the political equivalent of the military strategy, “shock and awe,” whereby an army overwhelms their enemy with speed and force, rendering them confused, paralyzed, or (in this case) passive to the influx of new affronts. While it may or may not consciously be the current administration’s intention to make you passive to headlines about their latest passed bill/order by enacting them at break-neck speed, there’s no question it’s taking place. For both the political and business-minded, it’s extremely important to stay laser-focused on your cause amidst the rapid stream of news coming from Washington D.C., and beyond.

3. The Zynternet is Here to Stay As MAGA morphs from movement to aesthetic and Zyn from nicotine product to cultural marker, we’re witnessing a radical transformation of politics, identity, and consumption online. As the internet embraces a brave new world of shitposting, “canceled” media personalities, and niche subcultures, authority is no longer concentrated by winning consumers over with values or ideology — but by owning the right symbols that shape our shared culture.

**OUT OF OFFICE

one weekend news story in-depth: HEALTH INSURANCE IS HOT TO GO!

Chappell Roan used her big moment at the Grammys last night to plea to the music industry. The rising pop star accepted an award last night for Best New Artist, following her meteoric rise to fame over the last year and change. The “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!” singer spoke about her own experience as a struggling young artist and urged the industry to do better by early-career performers.

“Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” Roan shared her story as an artist signed by a record label at an early age, which resulted in her eventually being dropped and leaving her unemployed, without work experience and health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reading from a journal, she used her stage time to call on the recording industry to do better in supporting young artists, tangibly urging them to offer better benefits and protections to the talent that brings them their revenue.

Big statements at award shows are inevitable.  Sharing controversial or bold takes on stage at an awards show is a time-honored tradition. Artists often take to these stages to discuss the statements their art is making or to use their moment in the spotlight to address larger social issues. But it’s rare to see someone call out their own industry so directly, and it probably hasn’t happened this unabashedly since Fiona Apple’s iconic 1997 VMA’s acceptance speech. You know, the one where she called the music world “bulls**t.”

Will it matter? While Roan’s words have received a warm reception online, and her speech was met with a standing ovation from other artists in the room, it’s unclear if there’s any organized movement or effort within the recording industry to improve the material conditions for these artists. That being said, it is Awards Season, so expect more political statements in the coming weeks— now more than ever.

**POWER LUNCH

five quick consumption recs for the time between meetings:

1. Decoding ‘Algospeak’ How fluent are you in the new language TikTokers are using to spread information across the platform?

2. “Turkey Ate With That Hair” Vox’s “Today, Explained” shares everything you need to know about the cultural norms and procedures (hair transplants) fueling Turkey’s medical tourism industry.

3. FKA twigs’s Charli Moment? “EUSEXUA” is the latest “cool” album catching eyes around fashion week. Could twigs have her own “brat” summer marketing moment?

4. Doechii’s victory lap.  Best Rap Album winner and current industry it-girl dropped a surprise single last night after taking home her first-ever Grammy.

5. Call Her Daddy Meets The Bachelor. Alex Cooper plays armchair psychologist as former Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell gets emotional about her public breakup.

We'll see you online and on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!

HL