sweet american pie

a brief case study: the American Dream is in her comeback era - what does it mean for consumers & brands?

🍒 canon 🍒

The American Dream is in her comeback era. However, much to the chagrin of dad culture, I don’t really feel compelled to discuss through the traditional lens of homeownership, the middle class, or politics (although LFG Harris-Walz). Let’s indulge in some yassification, shall we? I want to talk about how the spin of the American Dream has infiltrated the hearts and pockets of consumers. Later on in this letter, we’ll also discuss who the winners could be in this comeback (consumer) economy. 

Ok slight haha to how I said I didn’t want to discuss politics or the economy, but I think we need some brief priming on the what before we delve into the why or the how. 

The American Dream was popularized by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book, The Epic of America, and has obviously been used as a form of political bartering (or indoctrination, depending on your pov) to mobilize Americans since the Great Depression. Comparatively, I think this all makes for an important socio-historical throughline to unpack patriotism, Kim K “get your ass up and work” economics, and the struggles we’ve collectively faced since 2020 (covid-19 lockdowns, geopolitical crises, climate crises, a global inflation crisis/recession anxiety, widespread layoffs, etc etc etc). Additionally, it’s worth noting that The American Dream and the return of the Middle Class has been the central unifier (with different modes of attack) between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump over this election cycle. Their analysts must agree that it’s the one thing that seems to matter to most Americans, whether fueled by nostalgia or actual economic aspiration.

Jumping into the good stuff, I find it most interesting to think about how The Return of The American Dream correlates with a thriving middle-layer economy (aka “aspirational” to luxury brands/retailers like Net-a-porter & Chanel and “target” to brands/retailers like Gap & J Crew).

Hope you’re enjoying this week’s ™️ :) — if you’re curious about which brands are winning, the tastemakers that are driving this wave of American-core consumption, and why the economics of the American dream correlates with a rising appetite for an aspirational version of American consumption….. subscribe to unlock the full article. Hope to chat more with you below!! xx