Let me start with a bit of background. Beli was founded in 2021 by Judy Thelen and Eliot Frost, two friends who were passionate about restaurants and had built a personal system to rank every meal they ate. What began as a quirky, almost obsessive project quickly turned into an app that resonated with thousands,...Continue Reading

Online behavior isn’t random; it’s ritualized. People don’t just scroll, click, or share; they do it because patterns have been ingrained over years of digital exposure. Brands that understand these hidden behaviors can predict, influence, and even change what people do next.Continue Reading

Yesterday, I was invited by a Nepalese/Gorkha family in India to visit their village near Dehradun, Uttarakhand, for Dashain—a festival that holds deep cultural and spiritual meaning. I was overwhelmed when I arrived and saw entire families, from grandparents to the youngest cousins, coming together for a grand reunion.Continue Reading

Most brands operate on the belief that if a product works better, people will automatically buy it. But in reality, utility is rarely the first hook. Utility keeps customers loyal; it retains them. What actually brings people in, sparks conversations, and fuels the first wave of adoption is status. The misconception is that utility wins....Continue Reading

Welcome to the first edition of Signals & Stories. I’ve been around this industry long enough to see platforms rise and fall, creative formats go in and out of fashion, and the definition of “good marketing” change more times than I can count. But some shifts are bigger than cycles; they actually reshape how brands...Continue Reading