Boxwood Co

09/30/2026

In research about ingredients for a client, I came up with this same story about aloe vera and Cleopatra, Nefertiti and the Egyptians time and again … and naturally I took it as truth … because it’s on every blog and website referencing the plant. Even a story about Egyptians hanging aloe over their front doorways for good luck - BTW Google Gemini spun this same story.

But I found a post in Reddit from an egyptologist refuting this claim, and I dug a little further … more to come.

09/25/2026

Create a PR list for your holiday pitching Read it here >> https://www.boxwoodco.com/articles/holiday-pr-media-list-gift-guide-pitching

09/25/2026

New on the Boxwood blog > How to Build a Holiday PR List for Gift Guide Pitching in 2026 - A practical guide to finding the right editors, freelancers, gift guides, newsletters and media contacts, plus when to pitch them. Read it here >> https://www.boxwoodco.com/articles/holiday-pr-media-list-gift-guide-pitching

09/02/2026

September’s Small-Brand Marketing Outlook:

🎄 if you haven’t started already, Holiday PR starts now, hobbies are replacing passive scrolling, product data matters more than ever, and September shoppers are still spending.

🍂 September is one of those months when small brands can very easily get distracted.

👉 Labor Day sales - First-day-of-fall posts - Pumpkin and leaf content.- Holiday planning - Gift guides - Back-to-school - New collections.

🗓️ This month, I would focus on five priorities:

🧡 Build your fall story.
🧡 Choose your holiday hero products.
🧡 Get holiday PR moving - or double your efforts.
🧡 Improve the product information that feeds search and AI.
🧡 Start collecting the audience you want to sell to in November.

09/01/2026

Target is copying the indie beauty playbook. Don’t make the mistake of copying theirs. Read my breakdown of what indie brands and retailers should do >> https://www.boxwoodco.com/articles/target-beauty-studio-independent-beauty-retailers

Target Beauty Studio is bringing 90 brands and specialty beauty service to 600+ stores. Here’s what indie beauty brands and retailers can learn.

08/27/2026

I’ve been talking about the decline of “pumpkin spice” for Autumn 2026 and this week’s Google Searches are proving me right.

Interest in Pumpkin Spice Lattes have declined year over year according to Google data.

Matcha lattes are currently gaining interest - pushing out chai and pumpkin spice flavors.

Of course it would be silly to think that warming autumn drinks are going anywhere, but it might surprise you to find what’s taking PSL’s place this year.

C***r is gaining traction this Fall - and according to Google the top trending drink is “tequila apple cider” … didn’t I tell you that gourmand themes are growing up?

08/27/2026

I’ve been talking about the decline of “pumpkin spice” for Autumn 2026 for a few months now, and this week’s Google Searches are proving me right.

Interest in Pumpkin Spice Lattes have declined year over year according to Google data.

Matcha lattes are currently gaining interest - pushing out chai and pumpkin spice flavors.

Of course it would be silly to think that warming autumn drinks are going anywhere, but it might surprise you to find what’s taking PSL’s place this year.

C***r is gaining traction this Fall - and according to Google the top trending drink is “tequila apple cider” … didn’t I tell you that gourmand themes are growing up?

08/25/2026

Fragrance sales are up and with it so are "little luxuries" - Read the delicious story here >> https://boxwoodco.substack.com/p/the-fragrance-trend-thats-been-dominating

08/17/2026

Have you heard that someone paid nearly $200,000 for Sophia Petrillo's Thrift Store handbag? Here's what brands can take away from the story >> https://www.boxwoodco.com/articles/sophia-petrillo-golden-girls-purse-192000

08/12/2026

50 Years Ago, a Tiny PR Event Transformed an Entire Industry. Here’s What Brands Can Learn From It. A promotional w**e tasting in Paris accidentally toppled centuries of conventional wisdom. Fifty years later, the Judgment of Paris is still one of the best PR lessons a small brand could study.
https://www.boxwoodco.com/articles/judgment-of-paris-pr-lessons-small-brands