Founder and Editor in Chief, @newconsumer Founding editor, @businessinsider Former EIC, @Recode Consumer trends, tech, food, travel
Paris ⇄ Los Angeles
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Dan Frommer retweeted
Why is the Filet-O-Fish bun soft like a pillow? It has its own dedicated equipment, possibly the only piece used for just one item, it’s that important. It’s the only product we steam. We toast and caramelize all other buns. Filtered water hits a 400° plate for 12 seconds - instant facial.
BTW - there are two versions of this steamer, this is the one I prefer but not the most common. I have both.
History of the Filet-O-Fish
1962: 2.25 oz
1996: 3.4 oz (higher breading %)
1998: 3.0 oz (higher breading %)
2003: 2.55 (same breading as 1962)
In 2024 McD changed all of our buns. They took out HFCS and replaced it with sugar. For a better meat-to-bun ratio, they also changed the baking molds: instead of flatter, wider buns, they used the same amount of dough to make taller, narrower buns. This set off the internet: “shrinkflation.” Truth be told, no portion changed at all. No size reduction, calories didn’t decrease, cooking times weren’t altered, just the bun was taller and less round, same amount of dough.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a pic of the old vs new bun with the fish but we do use the regular bun for it, it’s just steamed instead of toasted.
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Dan Frommer retweeted
liquid death is so good at marketing that they have started making ads for *other* companies. fun little scoop from @semafor’s podcast.
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Dan Frommer retweeted
Thorne’s packaging design is nearly perfect and deserves extra credit (en route to its pending $3.8b acquisition by @ProcterGamble).
Surgically clean yet stylish, @ThorneHealth looks both like a medical-grade brand that would be at home in a hospital, and like a @newconsumer product that you’d find at @WholeFoods.
It signals trustworthiness and quality, but is clear and approachable — just a great balance.
More → newconsumer.com/2026/09/thor…
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So proud!
“There are people who hate her.”
For @VanityFair’s style issue, I profiled Lauren Sherman, the most feared journalist in fashion
vanityfair.com/story/lauren-…
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Dan Frommer retweeted
NEW ODD LOTS:
How a fish gets from the ocean to the can.
@tracyalloway and I talk to @fishwife CEO Becca Millstein about the Great Moroccan Sardine Shortage of 2026, the reality of building up a new brand category and the the supply chain of finned fish. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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Dan Frommer retweeted
We asked 3,500 Americans to write in — not pick from a list — the brand that “feels like it was made for someone like you.”
Then: The brand they wished they “could buy more of, but feels like it’s meant for someone with more money.”
The 25 brands consumers most identify with — and the 25 they aspire to: newconsumer.com/2026/07/the-…
Nike is who they are. Gucci is who they want to be.
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Dan Frommer retweeted
When I was a child I spoke like a child (“why are dads obsessed with long boring WWII history books and random old sports videos”) but when I become a 40yo man I spoke like a man (“this shit is awesome”)
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Dan Frommer retweeted
Supplement brand Grüns is taking on @tbpn with a new livestream show.
readfeedme.com/p/who-wants-t…
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Dan Frommer retweeted
Fascinating data set on consumer identity and desire from New Consumer:
- Nike and Apple somehow manage to be top of the list for ‘the thing made for someone like me’ and ‘the thing I covet’ *at the same time*. Most brands are forced to choose:
luxury = aspirational but distant
mass = relatable but common
This is rarified air for a global brand
- Amazon has become an identity
- The most valuable brands don’t merely segment by income. They create multiple entry points (Toyota is Toyota and Lexus, also on the list)
We asked 3,500 Americans to write in — not pick from a list — the brand that “feels like it was made for someone like you.”
Then: The brand they wished they “could buy more of, but feels like it’s meant for someone with more money.”
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Dan Frommer retweeted
A lot of Nike hate content out there, but they are still top of mind and aspirational. At least according to this survey.
We asked 3,500 Americans to write in — not pick from a list — the brand that “feels like it was made for someone like you.”
Then: The brand they wished they “could buy more of, but feels like it’s meant for someone with more money.”
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We asked 3,500 Americans to write in — not pick from a list — the brand that “feels like it was made for someone like you.”
Then: The brand they wished they “could buy more of, but feels like it’s meant for someone with more money.”
The 25 brands consumers most identify with — and the 25 they aspire to: newconsumer.com/2026/07/the-…
Nike is who they are. Gucci is who they want to be.
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- Great Value, the Walmart private label, was written in by more people as their "for me" brand than any legacy CPG brand.
- Shein was the no. 25-ranking “for me” brand, and a few people even named it their aspirational brand, while TikTok, YouTube, and Netflix basically didn’t register. Quince got zero mentions; same as Claude, Sweetgreen, Poppi, Olipop, and Glossier.
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Dan Frommer retweeted
A third of Americans say they’re in “optimization mode.”
They exercise four days a week. They also drink.
They chase protein, and they’ll wait 30 minutes in line for a bagel.
Meet the Optimizers. →
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