Brands of the Week: $100K College Tuition, Amazon Beats Walmart, Caitlin Clark Backlash, Taylor Swift x Toy Story, Victoria's Secret Comeback & More

Donny Deutsch breaks down the biggest brand winners and losers shaping culture right now in this week's Brands of the Week episode of On Brand with Donny Deutsch — the podcast where everything is a brand. This week Donny covers: college tuition hitting $100,000 at Duke, Georgetown, and Wash U — and what it means for the value of a college degree in the age of AI and trade careers. Amazon dethrones Walmart on the Fortune 500 after 13 years, signaling the definitive rise of e-commerce over brick-and-mortar retail. AI kills the cover letter — Wharton research confirms AI-generated applications have made cover letters meaningless for hiring managers. Clint Eastwood retires at 96 — a look back at one of Hollywood's greatest directing and acting legacies. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Papatui cologne launches at Target — is a $40 celebrity fragrance a brand win or a miss? Harry Styles gives away free concert tickets to fans who volunteer through nonprofits on his Love on Tour residency. Acadia National Park tops Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon as America's best national park. Gen Z and pet ownership — why younger generations are spending big on pet care and treating pets as primary emotional relationships. Costco gas stations hit record demand as national gas prices surge past $4 a gallon. Hollywood popcorn buckets become the hottest collectible in pop culture marketing — The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey buckets are selling out and reselling for $250 on eBay. Taylor Swift drops a new song for Toy Story 5 — and breaks Apple Music and Spotify records within 24 hours. Caitlin Clark faces an unfair double standard as media scrutinizes her competitive sideline behavior — the same behavior celebrated in Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Zebra striping — the new drinking trend of alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages driving a 22% surge in NA beverage sales. Victoria's Secret stock surges 44% as CEO Hillary Super leads a brand comeback by leaning back into the brand's identity. And the sleep divorce trend — why 1 in 3 Americans are sleeping in separate beds and what it means for the mattress industry. On Brand with Donny Deutsch drops new interviews every Thursday and Brands of the Week every week. Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices