Hitmakers, Season 2

Everyone knows what the Magic Kingdom is. And yet almost no brand in history has been able to replicate anything like it.Because world-building sounds simple. It isn’t.There are product worlds born from the thing itself. Merchandise worlds built through collections. Aesthetic worlds defined by a visual language. Fan worlds powered by community.And each one behaves differently.The mistake is treating world-building as a single strategy.Where you begin—product, fandom, or aesthetics—determines the physics of the world you can build: its growth logic, its commercial engine, and the operating model required to sustain it.Today, we map those worlds—and the companies that build them well.Welcome to Season 2 of Hitmakers—the show that tracks how culture moves margins, multiples, and market cap. Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Why does Louis Vuitton cycle through creative directors like fashion seasons—is that a weakness or a strategy?And how can Hermès go 42 years without launching a single new product yet be worth more than the entire LVMH group?Because one behaves like a trendmaker.The other behaves like a tastemaker.Is one better? That depends on what you believe creates value.In this episode, we’re exploring that tension. Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Why do brands collaborate with each other?What differentiates a good collaboration from a bad one?Have we reached collaboration fatigue?And, what is next for collaborations?Today, we reveal how to elevate collaborations from tactics to strategies. We put collaborations in context of IP, world-building, fandoms, and a brand’s cultural expansion and market growth.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Why are AI brands opening cafés?Why does MiuMiu have a book club?Why does A24, a movie studio, have a membership club, a publishing arm, and now its own theater and bar?It’s not random.It’s a new operating model.And the best CMOs already know it.They’re not running marketing departments.They’re running production studios — orchestrating content, products, experiences, and collaborators like a showrunner builds a world.Today, we unpack why every business is now show business, why the modern CMO isn’t a marketer, but a showrunner, and what are the hidden formulas behind these operations.Welcome to the Season 2 of Hitmakers — the show that tracks how culture moves margins, multiples, and market cap.Find Hitmakers on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple podcasts. Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

In the first episode of the Season 2 of Hitmakers, my co-host Lee Maschmeyer, co-founder of a transformation consultancy Collins, and I look at moments where cultural capital turns into financial capital. We break down why Labubu is still printing money — long after most thought its hype had peaked; why Hailey Bieber’s Rhode became a $600 million brand almost overnight; and why bootleg Gucci is hotter business than Gucci itself. Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to The Sociology of Business at andjelicaaa.substack.com/subscribe