From her American Eagle ad that polarized audiences to her new lingerie brand, Syrn (as in “siren”), Sydney Sweeney has become something of a case study for a long-standing marketing question: Is all publicity ultimately good publicity?

For Syrn, the launch strategy leaned straight into attention. A fiery campaign rollout and a Hollywood Sign stunt once again split the internet. According to one marketing professor, whether that’s good or bad for business is…complicated.

“She’s such a presence right now, even starting from the American Eagle ad, she's already kind of this flashpoint figure,” Wendy Zajack, adjunct faculty at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, told Retail Brew. “So you could be like, ‘I hate her because of the American Eagle,’ or you love her because of the American Eagle, but no matter what, you’re talking about her. For a brand launch, that’s always a good thing. Controversy and craziness and all that kind of stuff is good for initial curiosity.”

Once the initial curiosity fades, however, even a celebrity-led brand needs to have a good product and an audience that buys into its messaging.

Keep reading here.—JS

As consumers’ financial stress rises, they’re increasingly turning to mass retailers like Walmart for their groceries, according to a new report by customer data science and analytics company Dunnhumby.

The company’s quarterly Consumer Trends Tracker—which interviews 8,500 consumers from the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile—found that mass retailers (big-box stores like Walmart and Target) and traditional supermarkets (like Kroger, Albertsons, and regional banners) have hit the same grocery penetration, 79%, for the first time since the tracker began nearly four years ago.

Mass retailers’ grocery penetration has risen 5 percentage points over that time, marking millions of consumers’ behavior shifts. Walmart’s grocery penetration jumped 6 percentage points YoY, reaching a record 72%. The dollar channel, hitting 42% penetration, has surpassed club stores for the first time in over two years, with Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar all seeing their penetration jump 4–6 percentage points YoY. Discounter Aldi’s penetration also increased 2 percentage points YoY.

Keep reading here.—EC

After a surprising pop in its stock prices despite lackluster Q4 earnings, some analysts believe Kering may finally be entering the early stages of a turnaround.

The French group has had a bruising few years, with sales sliding and its crown jewel Gucci consistently underperforming. But under new CEO Luca de Meo, who officially came on board in September, and Demna taking over as creative director of Gucci in July, experts are hoping for a better year.

Keep reading here.—JS

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s weekly news quiz has been compared to getting a company-wide shout-out from your boss. It’s that satisfying.