Defy Drift: The Signals I’m Watching in 2026

Emotional capitalism everywhere. AI outpacing governance. Motherhood as a battleground. Communications in a fragmenting media landscape...

Dec 29, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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Red Note Signals #3: Taiwan’s Red Note Ban and the Politics of Safer Targets

Taiwan’s recent decision to block Red Note turned into a textbook case of the forbidden fruit effect, where what is restricted instantly becomes more…

Dec 17, 2025 • Ivy Yang and Peiyue Wu

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From Crisis to WSJ Puff Piece: Arc’Teryx’s Luckiest Quarter Yet

Analysis of what’s missing from the WSJ story that resets the record in Arc’teryx’s favor

Dec 10, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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Red Note Signals #2 How an “Acquired” Italian Luxury Brand Stays Milanese in China

GIADA, a Chinese-Italian brand’s emotional-capitalism marketing playbook

Dec 8, 2025 • Ivy Yang and Peiyue Wu

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November 2025

XPENG Turns Crisis PR Into Influencer Content

A breakdown of how the Chinese EV brand XPENG turned customer complaint into content—and what real crisis and safety comms would look like

Nov 29, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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Red Note Signals #1: China’s New Way of Coping with Anxiety: Self-Diagnosed ADHD

Inaugural piece focuses on mental health and the wave of people informally “diagnosing” themselves with ADHD on Red Note

Nov 25, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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The Real “Peril”: When the Gatekeeper Shows His True Colors

On the latest Larry Summers story in the Harvard Crimson

Nov 18, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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October 2025

TikTok, Pop Mart and the Conditional Logic of Success

Emotional capitalism is the business model for both TikTok and Pop Mart

Oct 10, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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September 2025

Arc’teryx × Cai Guo-Qiang: One Crisis, Two PR Strategies

Yet another example of dual-narrative gone wrong

Sep 23, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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China's Apple Watches for Kids

Brilliant dopamine-fueled marketing, and the darker long term implications of Little Genius Watches

Sep 15, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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July 2025

Labubu and the Rise of Emotional Capitalism in Downturn-Era China

Reader, I became a Pop Mart convert to write this piece

Jul 7, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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May 2025

How NOT to Press Release

A case study courtesy of Temu

May 23, 2025 • Ivy Yang

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