"Why You’re Buying Products From Companies You’ve Never Heard Of" (RB in the Wall Street Journal)

"One thing economist John Maynard Keynes failed to predict was that in a mature economy, everyone is employed either at a mattress startup or as a podcaster advertising them. I’m kidding, of course, but there are more than a dozen different online mattress brands vying for your attention across every medium you can think of.

Mattresses are just the tip of the iceberg. Everywhere you look, and especially on Instagram and Facebook, an explosion of different “microbrands” for gadgets, apparel, cosmetics, furniture and food are now targeting us with uncanny precision. Some, like Casper Mattresses and Kylie Cosmetics, have become overnight successes. But have you ever heard of Homesick Candles? Or Rowing Blazers?"

Read the full article by Christopher Mims on wsj.com.