Hirsch Leatherwood
Hello!
Welcome to OUT OF SCOPE, the C-Suite cheat sheet for the week ahead.
We are coming to you in a post-Eagles-victory world. With the Chiefs’ dynasty banished until next season, and a Taylor Swift engagement supposedly derailed, you can’t help but feel like the timeline just shifted a bit. Good thing everything is still weird in this one. Including:
**THE CHEAT SHEET
three things to bring up in your meetings this week:
“First Take to First Term” Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has emerged as a possible 2028 Democratic nominee. In a recent poll that made noise, the broadcaster pulled a sizable 2%, trailing just a point behind Democratic establishment figures like Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro. And he might be down for it. Known for his pithy and inappropriate soundbites, Smith has been circulating clips of his own views on controversial political topics like trans rights and the conflict in the Middle East. To quote the potential nominee, desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Apex (Substack) Predator The finance and business food chain has remained relatively untouched by the new media mix—until now. Last week, Emily Sundberg’s Substack, Feed Me, got the NYT profile treatment for achieving what reporters dream of but few accomplish: becoming required reading among the very power players they cover. Blending sharp business analysis with cultural commentary, Feed Me’s success proves that the right voice can compete with even the most established media brands.
Is DeepSeek changing China? Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has jolted the world, provoking many to wonder how China will leverage its education system to grow and retain tech talent going forward. As China pushes for technological dominance, its homegrown companies must contend with heavy government oversight, raising questions about whether DeepSeek is an anomaly or a sign of greater things to come for bright, young Chinese innovators.
**OUT OF OFFICE
one weekend news story in-depth: POPPI GOES INFLUENCER
Poppi’s Super Bowl ad featured predominantly content creators this year. The prebiotic soda, known for its colorful cans and appearances in articles in The Information, returned to the Super Bowl this year with a 60-second spot featuring Internet personalities Alix Earle, Jake Shane, and Rob Rausch.
Elsewhere, celebrity cameos in commercials were business as usual. Household names, including Matthew McConaughey, Sydney Sweeney, Harrison Ford, Miss Piggy, and Matthew McConaughey a few more times, all showed up in ads to sell everything from travel websites to Jeeps, to a relatively lackluster response.
It’s lowkey shocking it took this long for this to happen. Given the sheer mass of influence these content creators wield, it seems like a no-brainer for brands to turn to them as spokespeople for this medium. These creators are no strangers to brand sponsorships themselves, and this is the biggest weekend of the year for these kinds of partnerships. Poppi wasn’t alone— Carl’s Jr. also returned to the game this year with an Alix Earle ad of its own.
Does this put Dan Levy out of a job? Celebrities pitching products is hardly news. But seeing Gen-Z creators get in on it, especially on a day known for its investment in beloved legacy celebrities, calls into question just how long actors and musicians will be the first-choice brand spokespeople. This might signal a shift for these sorts of partnerships— and we might see more influencers cross over from the small screen to our airwaves in the coming year.
**POWER LUNCH
five quick consumption recs for the time between meetings:
SNL 50 is almost here. Tune in this weekend to catch a screening of the first episode of Saturday Night Live, a concert of past musical hosts, and of course, the 50th anniversary special.
Yes, you saw Serena Williams. If you had a chance to crip walk while your ex’s enemy sang a diss track about him on a national stage, would you take it?
An American Woman in Pakistan. The internet’s tradition of laughing at the expense of a woman’s misfortune continues.
Faithful or Traitor? Boston Rob’s roundtable performances during Season 3 of Peacock's The Traitors are a masterclass in learning the art of persuasion.
How the tiger really got his stripes. Animal patterns—such as stripes and spots— are formed through a process called reaction-diffusion, first theorized by Alan Turing in 1952.
We'll see you online and on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading!
HL