Every Thursday, The Verge’s deputy editor will peel back the curtain on the tech industry’s most influential players for paid subscribers

While self-care has always been a focus, it has become even more top of mind since the onset of the pandemic.  As wellness has captured greater attention, the perception of the category has evolved.  Wellness now extends beyond just physical well-being to include emotional and mental health as well, and it has pivoted to be more closely aligned with proactivity instead of tackling challenges as they arise.  88% agree that wellness is about making a series of consistent, forward-looking choices that leave you feeling your best. As the narrative expands, consumers are increasingly turning to digital publishers for support.  Compared to 2020, Google searches about wellness have increased by nearly +25% as people seek answers to their questions and guidance for the future.  Consumers feel strongly that wellness content must touch on a wider range of topics than before, even those that might be uncomfortable, as well as become more inclusive, serving a diverse population. To dig deeper into consumers’ attitudes toward wellness and perception of digital wellness content, Vox Media partnered with Woo Brand Research on a survey of 1,300 consumers who read and/or watch wellness, health, and fitness content at least monthly.  Successful digital publishers will recognize that wellness today is defined as taking care of a person’s entire well-being and will reflect this in their headlines and content. It is also imperative for publishers to develop effective content distribution strategies to build meaningful connections with consumers across platforms in an authentic way, as guided by our findings below. A NEW WAVE OF WELLNESS ENTHUSIASTS Two in five consumers first took an active role in wellness during the pandemic, driven by the youngest generation. Over 50% of Gen Z-ers have shown a real interest in wellness over the past two years, significantly more than Millennials (40%) and Gen

The modern media company welcomed new brands, launched new products, and engaged audiences through thoughtful journalism and meaningful partnerships.

New green media product (GMP) will leverage data and technology from Scope3 to measure and compensate for carbon emissions

We started the year by explaining instead of predicting (and, as we thought, now ChatGPT might be the robot that actually saves us). Our work ventured into the evolution of social video, the need for IP in the Metaverse, and the ever-changing path of multicultural marketing. We celebrated our differentiating brands and audiences at Thrillist and Vox, and told you as early as September that the defiant consumer will be shopping at all costs in Q4. For fun, we worked with Interbrand to predict the next set of successful brands in the next decade. Explore this roundup of all the research our Insights & Research team shared this year. THE YEAR, EXPLAINED Predictions are nice, but explanations are even better. Read more if any of these pique your interest: Only 38% of those surveyed believe 2022 will be calmer than last year, but don’t fear… 42% believe robots and AI may ultimately save us all. Most would choose an animal to be our avatar in the metaverse, with 5% saying GOAT… mainly because it stands for greatest.of.all.time! More than 60% would consider buying a “creator-branded” product — Mr. Beast Burger anyone? More than half are looking for the unbundling of media to actually re-bundle… with a dose of curation needed. Read our collab with Vox Creative: The Explainer Studio to learn more. THE NEED FOR SCALE & ENGAGEMENT As the media world continues to fragment, it is critical for marketers to understand what qualities make an effective video partner to maximize ROI. With this research, we’ve set out to create a guide for marketers to identify the optimal social video partner — one that can successfully move viewers down the purchase funnel. What’s most important is that marketers choose partners that deliver scale and engagement, with social video, especially from

Series Premieres with Back-to-Back Episodes December 16 at 11:00pm ET/PT

Video Features First Lady Jill Biden, Willow, and the White House Holiday Décor

New campaign spotlights Mailchimp’s marketing tools for small business owners in three fun short-form films that follow rom-com, mystery and action plotlines

The team is also celebrating the relaunch of the Polygon Merch Store with limited edition anniversary clothes, a custom 10th-anniversary logo, a new book, and more.

Chao is now SVP and general manager of audio and digital video, and Kurwa is SVP and executive producer of audio.

The list of 15 restaurants represent the most exciting openings of the year

Available at Walmart this winter and Target next spring, and produced in partnership with Bonkers Toy Co., the collection will feature six original characters inspired by The Dodo’s popular “Little But Fierce” series

Out today, the three-book series is geared toward teaching kids all about becoming a pet parent

The long-running podcast featuring real entrepreneurs pitching real investors joins a robust slate of business shows at Vox Media that includes Pivot, Decoder, Land of the Giants, The Prof G Pod, On with Kara Swisher and more.

This important bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting and supporting quality journalism during a time defined by misinformation.

Over the past three years, our lives have seen a lot of disruption. For many, the pandemic has created new routines, and with that, the freedom to try new things. These sentiments will carry into 2023; according to most consumers, now is the time to take the leap and book those long-delayed travel plans. Though many describe their years living through the pandemic as negative, it’s apparent that they have a positive outlook on the future — seeing opportunity, joy, and reconnection ahead. SEIZING THE DAY BY PLANNING TRAVEL – AND MILLENNIALS ARE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT As our country emerges from the pandemic, travel planning is picking up. Travel plans are highest for in-state travel, followed by domestic overnight trips, and international travel. Generationally, Millennials are most likely to be planning travel, with nearly 1 in 3 planning international travel, and half planning to travel domestically (to another state).  In comparison, Gen Z is least likely to be planning travel in the next 12 months: 1 in 5 intend to travel internationally, and 1 in 3 domestically (to another state). TRAVELERS ARE SEEKING DESTINATIONS NEW AND OLD There will be a fair amount of “repeat” travel this year (to places they know, but likely haven’t gotten to visit in a while).  Consumers are eager to recapture the positive memories associated with their pre-Covid travel. That said, half of those planning trips are exiting the isolation of the Covid years and venturing out someplace new. INCLUSIVE TRAVEL AS A MEANS OF RECONNECTION AND REAWAKENING While budget will always be a main driver, travel consumers are now looking for a number of things while planning a trip. A major factor is inclusion; people want to visit places that feel inclusive and welcoming, which is nearly as important as the amount they

Cover Story: Seed Money premieres today and features the story of a Montana billionaire and the spy who accused him of running a sex trafficking network.

In conversation with Axios’ Media Deals Reporter Kerry Flynn, Pauley shares how the modern media company is differentiating itself

Biden in Conversation With Six Change-Makers on Issues Animating Young People Ahead of the Midterms

The team is also celebrating creating its 200th Explainer video for brands

Every Monday and Thursday, Illing and his guests will dive deep into a wide array of topics and provide a philosophical take on culture, politics, and everything in between.

On average, U.S. adults spend nearly six hours per day watching video, but by 2024, digital video will account for more than 50% of total video viewing for the first time.  Time spent with social video is up +10% year over year (eMarketer, April 2022). But what’s going to make audiences want to press play — and keep coming back for more? Social video does a lot more than just entertain. Video content like Vox Media’s — from Vox’s informative and inspiring Explained series to heartwarming pet stories from The Dodo, and so much more in between — provide quality, scale, and engagement. We offer the same authentic connections as beloved influencers but in a more trusted, brand-safe environment. It’s for these reasons that social video checks all the boxes for both audiences and brands — right now, and as we move into the future. As the media world continues to fragment, it is critical for marketers to understand what qualities make an effective video partner to maximize ROI.  Leveraging social video data from Tubular Labs, we’ve created a guide for marketers to identify the optimal social video partner — one that can successfully move viewers down the purchase funnel. START WITH SCALE:  In the social video world, there are an endless number of properties and creators, but only a select few connect with a sizable audience.  Meaningful reach ensures a robust audience is learning about your brand and can effectively grow brand awareness. TARGET YOUNG, INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCES:  The right digital video partner can draw out hard-to-reach Gen Z audiences who hold and influence large spending power. Gen Z watches significantly less traditional TV compared to older generations, spending the least amount of their day with TV. (eMarketer, April 2022) By the end of 2024, the number of Gen Z

Vox Media Studios is celebrating its latest Hulu premiere, Chefs vs. Wild. Hosted by renowned chef and adventurer Kiran Jethwa, each episode has two different world class chefs who will be dropped into the wilderness where they’ll embark on a grueling and unprecedented mission – survive and forage enough wild ingredients to create a restaurant worthy, five-star meal. Episodes will culminate in the chefs going head-to-head in a “wilderness kitchen,” using their foraged ingredients and ingenuity to create savory dishes and, ultimately, impress the judges. Jethwa will also serve as judge, alongside wild foods expert Valerie Segrest. Chefs vs. Wild is produced by Vox Media Studios, Majordomo Media, Leftfield Pictures. It’s executive produced by Shawn Witt, Gretchen Palek and Jordana Hochman for Leftfield Pictures, Chad Mumm and Mark W. Olsen for Vox Media Studios, and David Chang, Dave O’Connor, Chris Ying and Christopher C. Chen for Majordomo Media. Stephen Rankin serves as showrunner and executive producer. Chefs vs. Wild marks the second culinary premiere this month for Vox Media Studios and Hulu. Best in Dough, a pizza competition series hosted by Wells Adams, premiered Monday, September 19. Both series will premiere new episodes every Monday. About Vox Media Studios  Vox Media Studios is a modern studio producing premium unscripted, documentary, and scripted programming for television, film, OTT, podcasts, and brand partners for today’s global audience. As an Emmy and Academy Award winning full-service production studio, it works both independently and in partnership with Vox Media’s category-leading networks—including New York Magazine, The Verge, Eater, Vox, NowThis, and The Dodo—to extend the company’s storytelling capabilities to the most relevant platforms including HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Discovery+, Disney+, YouTube Originals, and Freeform. Vox Media Studios is also home to the award-winning Vox Media Podcast Network and Epic, the Academy-Award winning powerhouse producing

2022 has marked another unprecedented year of challenges – just as we were getting comfortable with Covid-19, we saw a resurgence of new variants alongside an unstable economy, political unrest, global tensions and concerning social issues.  But even against this complicated backdrop, consumers will not be held back this holiday season. Regardless of Covid concerns, consumers will do everything they can to spend time with loved ones.  Amidst inflation, gift-giving will carry on as people build budgets and find deals to ensure they can find the perfect gifts.  And in addition to choosing the perfect gifts, consumers will be selective about the brands they buy.  While the holidays typically place a spotlight on being selfless, after a rough couple of years, consumers will put their wants and needs first and do whatever they can to maximize their own personal joy this holiday season. To dig deeper into consumers’ outlooks, attitudes, and behaviors this holiday season, Vox Media partnered with Woo Brand Research on a survey of 2,000 general consumers. As excitement builds and plans are made, now is the time for brands to build meaningful relationships with consumers as they prepare for their holiday celebrations and build out their gift wish lists. HUMAN CONNECTION IS PRIORITY #1 Consumers are looking forward to large, in-person holiday gatherings once again.  79% of those surveyed say their main priority is being able to spend quality time with loved ones given everything that has happened.  If they had to choose, half say they would rather spend their money on whatever is needed to ensure they can celebrate in-person with family and friends, emphasizing the importance of being with loved ones. As gatherings will be more pronounced, we anticipate higher spending on food and drink.  Holiday hosts will opt to do all the cooking themselves