🥪 Who’s Really Paying for Trump’s Tariffs?

Hey Innovators,

Simon from Sandwich Break here 👋Your go-to lunch break pick-me-up with bite-sized news, actionable takeaways, and a little inspiration to chew on.

It’s Wednesday, February 18th. On the menu today: who’s actually footing the bill for Trump’s tariffs, how Everist is changing the future of shampoo, and news on the global AI summit.

Tariffs shot from 2.6% to 13% in 2025, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says US companies are picking up almost all the tab. For DTC brands, higher costs mean smarter sourcing and pricing strategies aren’t optional: they’re survival tools.

OpenClaw is moving into OpenAI’s ecosystem, making AI-powered helpers smarter and easier to use. Brands that automate strategically and deliver a seamless experience stand out from competitors still stuck in manual processes.

Everist is changing the future of shampoo by stripping back excess and giving customers exactly what they want, creating new category standards.

The takeaway? Don't wait for your competitors to change the game. Brands that anticipate what customers will value next and innovate now can position themselves as leaders rather than followers.

Here’s how you can steal a dollop of Everist’s formula:

Shift marketing from slogans to performance-first storytelling: Show results first, then layer in your mission. Customers tune out vague claims in favor of products that actually solve a problem or offer a clear benefit.

Build the future through innovation that enables choice, not forces compromise: Customers want better performance without trade-offs. To lead category change, preserve the rituals your audience values while elevating the underlying product experience.

Redefine the unit of measurement: If you compete on the industry’s default metric, you stay trapped in it. Consider asking: what is our default unit of measurement, and can we introduce a new comparison standard that favors us?

India’s hosting the heaviest hitters in AI this week, from OpenAI to Google and Amazon. Discussions at the summit are pushing for faster content moderation and tighter compliance requirements from global platforms, meaning brands should expect increasing regulatory pressure on AI use.

According to the Bank of America Institute's latest “Consumer Checkpoint” report, January card spending per household rose 2.6% YoY, the strongest pace in two years, despite weather-related disruptions.

AI prompt of the week: “Audit these 5 pieces of brand messaging.

“[INSERT 5 EXAMPLES OF BRAND MESSAGING]

Where are we overcomplicating or chasing buzz instead of clarity? Suggest ways to reposition our product as ‘smart, adaptable, and human-centered’ rather than ‘flashy, generic, or bloated.’”

Until next time,

Simon
from Sandwich Break

Sandwich Break is created in collaboration with Flowium. Edited by Irina Lipan.

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