What the World Needs Now: Another Podcast

Brian: 00:00:07

Welcome to Snap Decisions.

2

: 00:00:09

I'm Brian Marks.

3

: 00:00:10

John: And I'm John Young.

4

: 00:00:12

Brian: Thanks for joining us on

this new adventure, our inaugural

5

: 00:00:17

John: First one.

6

: 00:00:18

Here we go.

7

: 00:00:19

Out of the gate strong.

8

: 00:00:20

Brian: Let's do it.

9

: 00:00:22

All right.

10

: 00:00:23

So, what are, what are we doing here?

11

: 00:00:25

Uh, is what, many of you might be asking.

12

: 00:00:28

John: for both of you.

13

: 00:00:30

Brian: You know, myself, I'm, I'm

personally fascinated by, people's

14

: 00:00:33

individual journeys and, you know, how

they got here, what choices and pivots did

15

: 00:00:38

they control and make on their own, which

ones kind of were a forestand for them.

16

: 00:00:43

What are those snap decisions

and timely decisions that people

17

: 00:00:46

had to make along the way?

18

: 00:00:47

And, and so, uh, John, I think that,

you know, I'm looking forward to having

19

: 00:00:53

some great conversations with people.

20

: 00:00:55

John: Same.

21

: 00:00:55

And I, I love that you want to,,

talk to those people and get those,

22

: 00:00:58

get those interesting stories.

23

: 00:01:00

For me, I've always been fascinated

with the way, , positioning

24

: 00:01:04

happens, you know, whether it's

a brand or a product or a person.

25

: 00:01:07

And when you came to me with this

podcast, uh, after we both had

26

: 00:01:10

the conversation of, does the

world really need another podcast?

27

: 00:01:14

You know, I, I got excited with the

idea of,, hearing and exposing some of

28

: 00:01:18

the behind the scenes stories about.

29

: 00:01:21

Just how things get

positioned in the world.

30

: 00:01:24

And I think we can line up some really

interesting guests to talk about

31

: 00:01:27

what they've done and the decisions

they've made in the moment that kind

32

: 00:01:30

of changed the course of, you know,

how a brand shows up in the world.

33

: 00:01:33

Or how a person shows up in the world.

34

: 00:01:34

Or how they've shown up in the world.

35

: 00:01:38

Brian: Yeah, it's, uh, it should be fun.

36

: 00:01:40

And, uh, we toyed with the idea

of calling it, uh, what the world

37

: 00:01:44

needs now is one more podcast,

but, uh, we chose snap decisions,

38

: 00:01:48

John: Wouldn't fit on the cover art.

39

: 00:01:51

Brian: so let's get into snap decisions.

40

: 00:01:53

So, uh, you know, we will be having a

guest and on most episodes, and there's

41

: 00:01:59

some episodes where, uh, it'll just be

John and I, uh, going back and forth

42

: 00:02:03

on some different topics and making

our own snap decisions in the moment.

43

: 00:02:07

Uh, so, so let's get right into it.

44

: 00:02:10

What do you think?

45

: 00:02:10

John: Do it.

46

: 00:02:12

Brian: All right.

47

: 00:02:12

So, one of the interesting things that

I saw, recently, which was creating

48

: 00:02:17

a little bit of an online stir, for

marketers is a brand update that,

49

: 00:02:20

Johnson and Johnson is making.

50

: 00:02:23

And so, it's kind of a

two headed monster here.

51

: 00:02:27

Number one, they've created a house

of brands for their consumer side.

52

: 00:02:32

Um, and instead of calling their consumer

products, Johnson and Johnson,, they

53

: 00:02:38

launched a new brand called Kenview, um,

which I, I don't know what that means.

54

: 00:02:43

John: Rolls, rolls off the tongue.

55

: 00:02:44

Brian: rolls right out of the tongue.

56

: 00:02:46

And, uh, and then the, the second thing

that they did is they updated their Their

57

: 00:02:52

logo, they remove the cursive, one of the

things that they were saying was that,

58

: 00:02:57

uh, the cursive, uh, doesn't resonate

with the younger audiences any longer, um,

59

: 00:03:03

which, you know, I, I would say like, hey,

uh, Superbowl, let's, uh, let's remove

60

: 00:03:09

the Roman numerals because kids don't

know, don't know Roman numerals anymore.

61

: 00:03:14

Uh, so.

62

: 00:03:16

Yeah,

63

: 00:03:17

John: might do that.

64

: 00:03:18

Brian: yeah, exactly.

65

: 00:03:20

John: I mean, they're talking about

moving it to London someday in the

66

: 00:03:23

future, which would be a terrible,

terrible idea, but go ahead.

67

: 00:03:26

Brian: well, well, let's talk about that

for a second because they would bring the

68

: 00:03:29

Super Bowl up on a Sunday, three hours.

69

: 00:03:32

So instead of starting at six,

they would start at three.

70

: 00:03:34

John: Yeah.

71

: 00:03:36

Brian: You're not, you're

not on board with that.

72

: 00:03:38

John: No,

73

: 00:03:39

Brian: What about the Saturday Super Bowl?

74

: 00:03:41

You know, which a lot of

people are clamoring for.

75

: 00:03:43

Would you be on board with that?

76

: 00:03:44

John: I could get my head

around a Saturday Super Bowl.

77

: 00:03:46

Sure.

78

: 00:03:47

Brian: Okay.

79

: 00:03:48

All right.

80

: 00:03:49

Back to Johnson and Johnson.

81

: 00:03:50

John: Johnson and Johnson

in there and there.

82

: 00:03:52

No one can read our cursive logo anymore.

83

: 00:03:55

Brian: yeah, and so one of the

things that they're trying to do

84

: 00:03:58

is they're trying to go all in on

the, um, the healthcare market.

85

: 00:04:02

Uh, I think on the, on the

B2B side, uh, of things.

86

: 00:04:05

And, um, you know, I, I think that

really just giving up their brand equity

87

: 00:04:11

on the consumer side is, uh, it really

makes me scratch my head a little bit.

88

: 00:04:15

I mean, a lot of us resonate with, um,

their consumer products, like, Uh, the

89

: 00:04:21

Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, which,

you know, we all, um, bathed our kids

90

: 00:04:27

in growing up and there's a connection

there and, um, there's kind of giving

91

: 00:04:31

that away and throwing in this shadow.

92

: 00:04:33

Can view brand, I think is a

little, um, a little bit of a

93

: 00:04:38

head scratcher for me and and then

94

: 00:04:41

John: I, I haven't read a lot about

this, but they're gonna do, uh, Ken

95

: 00:04:44

View still has Johnson Johnson on

it with the idea that they'll phase

96

: 00:04:48

out the Johnson and Johnson brand.

97

: 00:04:49

Correct.

98

: 00:04:50

Brian: that's correct.

99

: 00:04:51

Yeah.

100

: 00:04:52

As can view builds equity with

audiences, we'll wait 150 years for that.

101

: 00:04:56

John: Yeah,

102

: 00:04:57

. Brian: So it's really interesting to

see a brand, uh, take some, some left

103

: 00:05:02

turns like this, uh, I'm all for,

for brands branching out and extending

104

: 00:05:08

their, their reach a little bit.

105

: 00:05:09

My question for you, John, to put you

on the spot, do you think that brand

106

: 00:05:13

marketers get caught up talking to

themselves, when they walk away from the

107

: 00:05:16

equity that's been built up over decades

and decades and centuries in some cases?

108

: 00:05:21

John: Uh, yes, that happens often,

but let me put it back to you.

109

: 00:05:25

In this particular Johnson

Johnson case, what do you think?

110

: 00:05:29

Good idea?

111

: 00:05:29

Bad idea?

112

: 00:05:31

Brian: It's a big risk and, you know,

to trust that people will be able to,

113

: 00:05:36

to recognize your brand more when you

change it after everybody knows what

114

: 00:05:41

you are is, uh, That's where I'm really

scratching my head because in today's

115

: 00:05:47

crowded space and environment, uh, you

really, you really need to think hard

116

: 00:05:52

about, um, taking that for granted.

117

: 00:05:56

John: Yeah.

118

: 00:05:57

Um, and you touched on something

earlier, I think it was...

119

: 00:05:59

That's critical.

120

: 00:06:00

Like 150 years of brand equity,

that's a long time to build something.

121

: 00:06:04

And then to pivot, to have that

be the thing that's facing, if

122

: 00:06:08

I have this correct, that's the

thing they're going to have facing

123

: 00:06:11

the business to business audience.

124

: 00:06:12

And they're going to create a whole new

brand called Kenview just for consumers.

125

: 00:06:18

Yes, I think they, we

sometimes brand marketers talk

126

: 00:06:23

themselves into doing things.

127

: 00:06:26

differently for the sake

of doing it differently.

128

: 00:06:28

Um, I can't imagine why

they didn't flip this.

129

: 00:06:33

So there are, what, 320 million

Americans who you might want to expose

130

: 00:06:37

to, you know, their brands, whether

it's baby powder or baby shampoo

131

: 00:06:41

or whatever else they sell, right?

132

: 00:06:44

Easier to get those consumers, 330 million

of them, to understand a new brand.

133

: 00:06:50

Called Ken View, or I don't know what

the size of the medical professional B

134

: 00:06:55

two B market is that they're going after?

135

: 00:06:57

I have no idea, but I'm gonna guess

it's less than 320 million that are just

136

: 00:07:03

gonna keep going with Johnson Johnson.

137

: 00:07:04

So I, I, I don't understand

why they did it that way.

138

: 00:07:07

Why didn't they keep Johnson Johnson for

the consumer side and create a brand

139

: 00:07:11

for Ken View to a much smaller audience?

140

: 00:07:13

'cause the sheer investment it takes.

141

: 00:07:17

is astronomical.

142

: 00:07:19

Brian: Yeah.

143

: 00:07:20

John: That's what I don't understand here.

144

: 00:07:22

Brian: Yeah, I mean, maybe they,

they thought that, um, they got

145

: 00:07:26

a little bit of equity out of the

Johnson and Johnson name, um, on the

146

: 00:07:30

healthcare side with the COVID stuff.

147

: 00:07:33

Um, and wanted to kind of run with it.

148

: 00:07:36

Um, you know, I saw some threads on

social media, uh, where people are

149

: 00:07:40

commenting on the logo change and

some people were saying, uh, some

150

: 00:07:44

people were saying the, uh, only

marketers care about logo changes.

151

: 00:07:48

Uh, but

152

: 00:07:49

I,

153

: 00:07:49

John: some truth to that man.

154

: 00:07:51

You can overwork a logo real easy.

155

: 00:07:53

Brian: yeah, well, I

mean, it was kind of like.

156

: 00:07:56

You know, nobody cares that they've

changed, but, you know, being

157

: 00:07:59

recognized is a, that's a huge

thing, and, um, I, I don't know why

158

: 00:08:06

you'd want to play with that, so.

159

: 00:08:07

John: I did see a post from, I don't

remember his name, but a fairly

160

: 00:08:13

prominent, um, graphic designer

from actually, you know, someone

161

: 00:08:16

who's expert in brand identity, uh,

referred to this as the ongoing trend

162

: 00:08:22

towards shitification of brand design,

which I think is a technical term.

163

: 00:08:29

Brian: That's, it's in a book somewhere.

164

: 00:08:32

Yeah.

165

: 00:08:33

All right.

166

: 00:08:34

Well, well, John, what do you got for me?

167

: 00:08:35

John: Alright, so I would like to talk

about, , something called skimpflation.

168

: 00:08:41

Are you familiar with the

term skimpflation, Brian?

169

: 00:08:44

Brian: I have heard of it.

170

: 00:08:45

Yes.

171

: 00:08:46

Tell me more.

172

: 00:08:47

John: Well, um, I've always thought

of it as when companies reduce the,

173

: 00:08:50

the, quantity, uh, or quality of a

product, um, and, and, you know, it, in

174

: 00:08:56

the end, the consumer gets less for the

same amount or, um, pays more for less.

175

: 00:09:02

Uh, apparently there is a distinction,

uh, between skimflation, uh, which is

176

: 00:09:07

reducing the quality of the product.

177

: 00:09:10

And there's shrinkflation, which is

reducing the quantity of a product.

178

: 00:09:15

I kind of blend it together.

179

: 00:09:16

I always thought it was kind of

the same thing, but whatever.

180

: 00:09:19

That's not what I want to share.

181

: 00:09:20

What I want to share is, um,

a few months ago, uh, I have a

182

: 00:09:24

favorite brand of granola, right?

183

: 00:09:25

I love this stuff.

184

: 00:09:26

My son loves it.

185

: 00:09:27

Uh, I always get it.

186

: 00:09:29

I won't name the brand.

187

: 00:09:31

Um, and granola in general

is already kind of pricey.

188

: 00:09:34

Um, so now the one I loved was, it

wasn't like a designer artisanal granola.

189

: 00:09:40

It was kind of more middle of

the road, I'll call it, I'll

190

: 00:09:42

call it mass organic, okay?

191

: 00:09:44

Brian: Yeah.

192

: 00:09:45

John: Uh, and a few months

ago, they changed the packaging

193

: 00:09:49

and the quantity went from, I

think I wrote this down to 13.

194

: 00:09:53

2 ounces to 11 ounces.

195

: 00:09:56

Uh, yeah, yeah.

196

: 00:09:58

So they changed the, they

changed the size of the package.

197

: 00:10:01

They changed the package from a

cardboard box, the traditional cereal

198

: 00:10:04

box to now, I guess all the granola

is in pouches now, plastic pouches.

199

: 00:10:09

So, um, and the price at

the same time went up.

200

: 00:10:15

This is anecdotal, but I've

been seeing probably 50 cents

201

: 00:10:18

to a buck more for a bag.

202

: 00:10:21

By the way, it's an organic brand, but

they've clearly introduced more pa, more

203

: 00:10:25

plastic into the mixer 'cause it's a

thicker, you know, pack plastic package.

204

: 00:10:29

So, um, you know, it kind of pissed me off

and, obviously there've been some drivers,

205

: 00:10:37

some real drivers of this stuff, right?

206

: 00:10:39

You've got there, you know, in

the Covid era there's supply

207

: 00:10:42

chain issues, logistics issues.

208

: 00:10:45

Um, we all experienced that, uh, and I

think we kind of got used to all right,

209

: 00:10:49

and stuff might not be as good as it used

to be or whatever, I recently had to,

210

: 00:10:53

uh, get an air conditioner, repaired.

211

: 00:10:56

And the guy said it was a COVID part

that went, like a tiny little, you

212

: 00:11:00

know, 3 transistor or something.

213

: 00:11:03

And he referred to it as a

COVID part, as if that was a

214

: 00:11:05

thing, and I think it might be.

215

: 00:11:07

Um, alright, so there's that, and

then there's inflation, right?

216

: 00:11:10

We've all been hearing about inflation.

217

: 00:11:12

I believe that a lot of these consumer

packaged goods companies are using both

218

: 00:11:18

of those things and you have three years

of experience with those things to give

219

: 00:11:22

us less product or fit your product.

220

: 00:11:25

I'll call that BSflation.

221

: 00:11:27

And I'd love to have an

expert to verify this.

222

: 00:11:31

I'd love to do a whole

podcast on this topic.

223

: 00:11:33

But my take is it's rampant and

happening with pretty much every

224

: 00:11:38

single everyday consumer packaged

good product line out there.

225

: 00:11:41

So, Brian, is this grumpy old

man syndrome that I've got or are

226

: 00:11:48

CPG companies taking advantage of

us on a kind of wide scale now?

227

: 00:11:53

Brian: Well, let's be honest.

228

: 00:11:54

Uh, you, you are a

grumpy old man, but, um,

229

: 00:11:58

John: Guilty as

230

: 00:11:59

Brian: however, however, in this case,

I think you're 100 percent right.

231

: 00:12:03

I mean, um, I think people are

definitely taking advantage of.

232

: 00:12:08

The fact that they can get away with

that right now, uh, in the Covid era.

233

: 00:12:12

John: Yeah,

234

: 00:12:13

Brian: It's, it's happening more and more.

235

: 00:12:15

And, I, I think that when you find brands

that, that, that stay true to who they

236

: 00:12:22

are and, and don't take advantage of

their customers, I mean, I think those

237

: 00:12:25

people will be rewarded more and more.

238

: 00:12:27

But I, I, I think everywhere you're

looking right now that that kind

239

: 00:12:30

of thing is happening and, um, uh,

240

: 00:12:33

John: any, any examples that

you've seen like anything in

241

: 00:12:35

your, your daily life that you're

like, Oh, what the hell is that?

242

: 00:12:38

Brian: You know, the only relatable

thing that pops in my mind at first is,

243

: 00:12:43

um, and, you know, I don't know that

this hasn't made the product worse,

244

: 00:12:49

but, uh, in the alcohol industry,

they're selling four packs of these,

245

: 00:12:54

um, cocktail drinks, you know, and

246

: 00:12:57

John: Four packs of beer that now are more

expensive than the six pack used to be.

247

: 00:13:01

Also.

248

: 00:13:01

Brian: yeah, and so, like, that's

just, I feel like they're trying to

249

: 00:13:06

get every cent out of this and, um,

and yes, I need more than one four

250

: 00:13:11

pack, and, uh, it's driving me nuts,

251

: 00:13:15

John: I saw a four pack.

252

: 00:13:17

I saw a four pack of really good beer.

253

: 00:13:19

It's a really good beer

from a local brewery.

254

: 00:13:21

12 ounce cans, four pack for 18 bucks.

255

: 00:13:27

And I'm like, I can go to a bar

and spend that much on a beer.

256

: 00:13:31

What's going on?

257

: 00:13:31

Brian: Well, that's I've

been doing that equation too.

258

: 00:13:34

And so it's really interesting when you're

starting to pay as much as the liquor

259

: 00:13:38

store as you could to go down the street.

260

: 00:13:40

Um, and, um, yeah, so I think that they

are finding ways to take advantage.

261

: 00:13:45

Um, and, you know, with the summer drinks,

the summer cocktail drinks, um, they

262

: 00:13:51

just keep getting pricier and pricier.

263

: 00:13:53

And I feel like the going rate on some of

these are just getting higher and higher.

264

: 00:13:57

So I don't know where that

ends, but I'm seeing it there.

265

: 00:14:00

The other the

266

: 00:14:00

other

267

: 00:14:01

John: I think, and I think it's not

just inflation, and I think it's

268

: 00:14:04

not just kind of like COVID stuff, I

think it's now, it's opportunistic.

269

: 00:14:09

Brian: Yeah, and so there's a,

there's like, I think people feel

270

: 00:14:12

like there's a license to be able

to go and do it right now, and, uh,

271

: 00:14:15

until people like us call them on it.

272

: 00:14:18

John: And, well, so, right, so how do

we, how do we prove this, how do we call

273

: 00:14:21

them on it, and what are we gonna do?

274

: 00:14:24

Brian: Well, it's like the cost

of a, sporting event ticket.

275

: 00:14:26

I mean, the only way, or the, the

cost of a drink at a, at a stadium,

276

: 00:14:31

I mean, the only way this stops is

if you stop buying the thing, and

277

: 00:14:36

consumers have shown that they will not.

278

: 00:14:38

John: yeah, yeah,

279

: 00:14:39

Brian: you go into a

different granola brand.

280

: 00:14:41

John: Uh, oh, instantly.

281

: 00:14:43

Brian: You did.

282

: 00:14:44

John: Oh, a hundred percent.

283

: 00:14:45

So I, I

284

: 00:14:46

Brian: More power to you.

285

: 00:14:47

John: Like I'll go back once in a

while if, if they do have a little

286

: 00:14:50

bit of a discount, which by the way,

I think the sales on that brand are

287

: 00:14:53

happening less and less often too.

288

: 00:14:54

When I see it, I'll do it.

289

: 00:14:55

I still like it, but they, they lost me as

the, you know, the weekly shopper, right?

290

: 00:15:01

I would get, I'll get a couple of

boxes of stuff a week, probably.

291

: 00:15:04

And that's not happening anymore.

292

: 00:15:07

Brian: The thing that gets me about

this one is the paying more for less,

293

: 00:15:11

John: cereal is rampant for this.

294

: 00:15:15

Like if you look at, and, and I love my,

my local grocery store has an app that

295

: 00:15:20

lets you, you know, if you look for a

specific, I'm gonna say cereal, right?

296

: 00:15:24

Pick a brand, it'll give

you like 15 different sizes.

297

: 00:15:30

And unlike in the store where it's

kind of harder, it's very clear

298

: 00:15:34

to see the price per ounce, same

cereal, different package sizes, the

299

: 00:15:38

price per ounce is all over the map.

300

: 00:15:41

So they're clearly like doing some family

size, super size, fun size, idiot size,

301

: 00:15:46

whatever, changing the packaging on a

regular basis to kind of keep us on

302

: 00:15:52

our heels and occasionally buying the

one that's way higher on a unit price.

303

: 00:15:56

Good Lord.

304

: 00:15:57

All right.

305

: 00:15:57

I'm done now.

306

: 00:15:59

Rant, rant over.

307

: 00:16:00

Brian: Well, the streaming services

are doing this to, you know, uh,

308

: 00:16:05

Netflix, I swear every, every quarter

that I keep raising their price

309

: 00:16:09

and, you know, they're not making

as much content as they used to.

310

: 00:16:13

And so, I know that they've built

such an audience now that that people

311

: 00:16:18

feel like they can't get rid of it.

312

: 00:16:20

But, um, they're, they're close

to pricing themselves out.

313

: 00:16:24

And, um, so,

314

: 00:16:26

John: Remember when the argument for the

streamers was, oh man, this cable company

315

: 00:16:30

keeps, they keep raising your rates.

316

: 00:16:33

Brian: yeah,

317

: 00:16:34

John: uh, yeah, we're, we're, we're

living it now in the streamers for sure.

318

: 00:16:37

Brian: yeah.

319

: 00:16:38

And so.

320

: 00:16:40

It'll be interesting to see where,

where that goes because, um, you know,

321

: 00:16:45

they, they just keep jacking it up and

now they're looking, you know, they

322

: 00:16:48

have lower tiers now with ads and, uh,

you know, they're kind of taking some

323

: 00:16:52

of the value out that they brought

in and so we'll see what happens, but

324

: 00:16:57

it's happening everywhere, which is,

um, uh, it's a little disappointing.

325

: 00:17:03

John: All right.

326

: 00:17:03

Well, I would like to find an expert

who could help us figure out how to, how

327

: 00:17:08

to measure it, how to evaluate it, how

to stay away from it, and maybe how to,

328

: 00:17:11

you know, start a movement to combat it.

329

: 00:17:14

Brian: Yeah, let's keep talking about it.

330

: 00:17:16

John: let's make that happen.

331

: 00:17:17

Brian: All right, well, um, are, uh, we

want to introduce a new segment called.

332

: 00:17:24

John: Everything's a new

segment for us right now.

333

: 00:17:25

This is our first episode.

334

: 00:17:26

Brian: it's all a new segment.

335

: 00:17:30

Uh, and, and so in the hopes of bringing

on great guests as we move forward,

336

: 00:17:36

we are, uh, calling this segment,

Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

337

: 00:17:42

And, uh, this

338

: 00:17:45

John: clear, to be clear, we do

have some good guests lined up.

339

: 00:17:48

Brian: Yes.

340

: 00:17:49

Yes.

341

: 00:17:49

These are moonshots, though.

342

: 00:17:52

You know, this, uh, this could

be, uh, a letter to Oprah,

343

: 00:17:56

John: Oh god, you took mine!

344

: 00:17:58

Brian: Oh, yeah

345

: 00:17:59

John: No, I'm kidding.

346

: 00:18:00

Well, maybe not.

347

: 00:18:01

But go ahead, who are you after?

348

: 00:18:03

Brian: So, um my my first uh Dear

hopelessly unattainable guest

349

: 00:18:08

is Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple.

350

: 00:18:11

You might've heard of

him, you know, he is,

351

: 00:18:13

John: yeah, yeah, that name rings a bell.

352

: 00:18:15

Brian: I feel like, I feel like

he would fit in great on, on

353

: 00:18:18

an episode of snap decisions

354

: 00:18:20

John: He's made, he's made a lot of

snap decisions since taking over.

355

: 00:18:23

Brian: a little bit.

356

: 00:18:24

John: Yeah.

357

: 00:18:25

Brian: Yeah.

358

: 00:18:25

So why not bring him

in for a fireside chat?

359

: 00:18:27

John: Dear Tim Cook.

360

: 00:18:29

All right.

361

: 00:18:29

Brian: Cook.

362

: 00:18:30

All

363

: 00:18:30

John: it, Brian.

364

: 00:18:31

What's your, what's

your, what's your pitch?

365

: 00:18:33

Brian: So, uh, so let's get into that.

366

: 00:18:35

So, uh, this is my letter to Tim Cook

to, to join us on a future episode.

367

: 00:18:41

Dear Tim Cook, congratulations on the

launch and success of the iPhone 15.

368

: 00:18:46

As usual, Apple finds a way to move

the mobile industry forward with

369

: 00:18:50

innovative technology, including the

new titanium frame, the removal of

370

: 00:18:54

the mute button and USB C charging.

371

: 00:18:58

Kudos.

372

: 00:18:59

You are the type of leader

that demonstrates how to

373

: 00:19:01

navigate change user behaviors.

374

: 00:19:04

And how to take the right risks as

such my podcast partner, John Young

375

: 00:19:09

and myself cordially invite you

to our new series, snap decisions.

376

: 00:19:14

A melting pot of marketing

conversation that talks about the

377

: 00:19:17

choices that you have made that have

created your path to get to today.

378

: 00:19:21

We'd be delighted to

have you as our guest.

379

: 00:19:23

You can expect to reach dozens

and further help you get the word

380

: 00:19:27

out about your amazing products.

381

: 00:19:29

It would be an honor to hear about

your background at IBM and Compaq.

382

: 00:19:33

And also hear about the great Steve

Jobs and how he got you to Apple.

383

: 00:19:40

How have you made your own mark and

gotten out of your comfort zone to

384

: 00:19:43

lead the biggest company in the world?

385

: 00:19:45

What are your biggest

marketing challenges?

386

: 00:19:48

How does a brand like Apple stay

ahead of consumers and continue

387

: 00:19:50

to find ways to provide tools

and technology they so desire?

388

: 00:19:54

What is your favorite color?

389

: 00:19:56

All this and more.

390

: 00:19:57

We're fascinated by your

story and want to talk.

391

: 00:19:59

Please join us, Tim.

392

: 00:20:00

You won't regret it.

393

: 00:20:02

Sincerely, the Snap Decisions team.

394

: 00:20:05

What do you think?

395

: 00:20:06

You think he's gonna come on?

396

: 00:20:08

John: Here, Brian Marks.

397

: 00:20:09

Thank you so much for reaching

out to speak to our CEO, Tim Cook.

398

: 00:20:15

Brian: Can't reply.

399

: 00:20:17

John: Dot, dot, dot.

400

: 00:20:18

Uh, no, I love it.

401

: 00:20:20

Uh, I, I think, you know, long, I'm not

sure how that's going to fit into a tweet

402

: 00:20:24

that might capture his attention or get

some, uh, get some, get some pickup.

403

: 00:20:28

But hey, uh, I love the long form letter.

404

: 00:20:30

I'm a big fan of long

form copy when done well.

405

: 00:20:33

So, um, yeah, let's send that off.

406

: 00:20:36

Brian: Yeah, I think, uh, I think

Tim would be, just to be able to

407

: 00:20:39

show that we care about him and, uh,

provide some better context there.

408

: 00:20:44

And so just, you know, tweeting at him.

409

: 00:20:47

Um, so we'll see.

410

: 00:20:48

Maybe, maybe he'll be

on, uh, on in the future.

411

: 00:20:51

John: Okay, cool.

412

: 00:20:52

Um, is this a good time for me to,

uh, tee up and, and promote our, our

413

: 00:20:57

actual first guest at our next podcast?

414

: 00:21:00

Brian: Sure.

415

: 00:21:00

Go for

416

: 00:21:01

John: Cool.

417

: 00:21:02

Um, I'm not gonna say a whole

lot, but I will just tease that.

418

: 00:21:07

Um, we are going to be interviewing

the man I consider to be the

419

: 00:21:12

biological father of Ted Lasso.

420

: 00:21:15

Brian: it.

421

: 00:21:15

Hmm.

422

: 00:21:16

That sounds interesting.

423

: 00:21:17

John: Yeah, I'm gonna leave it at that.

424

: 00:21:18

That's a tease.

425

: 00:21:20

Brian: Okay.

426

: 00:21:21

John: So, but we've, we've

got that person joining us.

427

: 00:21:24

Brian: Can't wait to talk to him.

428

: 00:21:26

John: We have, have to ask

him about some snap decisions.

429

: 00:21:29

Brian: That will be interesting.

430

: 00:21:31

All

431

: 00:21:32

John: All right.

432

: 00:21:32

Well, that was your mission, right?

433

: 00:21:33

To have interesting people and

ask them to tell us about their

434

: 00:21:37

stories and the pivots they've made.

435

: 00:21:39

So we'll, uh, we'll fire that up

with Ted Lasso's biological father.

436

: 00:21:44

Brian: Believe,

437

: 00:21:47

John: Believe.

438

: 00:21:48

Brian: believe it.

439

: 00:21:49

All right.

440

: 00:21:49

Well, uh, thanks for joining us on

the first episode of snap decisions,

441

: 00:21:53

and we hope to see you next time.

442

: 00:21:54

John: Yeah.

443

: 00:21:54

Thank you.

444

: 00:21:55

And Brian, thank you for getting us going.

445

: 00:21:56

You're the man.

446

: 00:21:57

Brian: Thanks for joining me.

447

: 00:21:59

John: Bye.

448

: 00:21:59

Brian: Bye.