All aboard for some harrowing tales from the early days of Covid. Gordon Ho, a marketing whiz and crisis communication pro, shares stories of critical decisions made during a time of utter crisis. When the Diamond Princess cruise ship was stuck in Yokohoma Japan during one of the earliest outbreaks of COVID 19, thousands of passengers and crew were quarantined and information changed hourly. We start the voyage with some air travel, covering Boeing recent door-busting crisis. But don’t worry, John and Brian keep things light, covering Gordon’s career highlights, like scouting out a chocolate program and getting a generation of kids hooked on disappearing Disney classics. Brian seeks an oracle for a future Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

00:27: Reviewing Boeing’s current crisis

03:12: Snap Decision: Did Boeing handle it OK…and how soon is too soon?

06:32: Lightning Round: which corporate PR crisis was a better nightmare scenario?

09:06: Meet Gordon Ho

16:44: Terror at sea: early Covid strikes the Diamond Princess cruise ship

39:42: Before Covid…the greatest job in the world

47:28: Growing a market through scarcity at Disney

51:49: Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest

Background content

What's going on with Boeing planes? - Mashable

Chronology of COVID-19 Cases on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship and Ethical Considerations: A Report From Japan - National Library of Medicine

27 Days in Tokyo Bay - Wired

Jan Swartz: Steering Princess Cruises Through the COVID-19 Crisis - Harvard Business Review (for purchase)

www.xpertainment.com - Gordon Ho's website

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Welcome to the show, Jay Baer! The CX expert drops in on the show to talk about his latest book, The Time to Win. He also gives his riffs on AI, his process for building a book and collecting all those great stories and examples. That and more from a leading speaker on the marketing circuit and also one of the country’s top tequila influencers. Brian gets John’s reaction to the recent Wendy’s dynamic pricing news. John’s shoots for Mars with his Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

01:04: Oh, Wendy’s

09:11: Jay Baer joins the show

20:05: Responding quickly…but not too quickly

27:16: Being fast doesn’t always mean being free

37:36: How AI will impact customer experiences

44:24: Chasing tequila

51:45: Hopefully Unattainable Rocket ships

Background content

Surge Pricing is Coming to More Menus Near You - Wall Street Journal

Wendy’s planning Uber-style ‘surge pricing’ where burger prices fluctuate based on demand - NY Post

No, Wendy’s Says It Isn’t Planning to Introduce Surge Pricing - NPR

Verizon’s new CX leader wants to quash customer pain points - Fierce Wireless

JayBaer.com

The Time to Win

The Time to Win - Amazon

Talk Triggers - Amazon

Tequila Jay Baer

Tequila Jay Baer - Instagram

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Fresh off her agency’s four Super Bowl commercials, Goodby Silverstein & Partners Chief Creative Officer Margaret Johnson joins the show and discusses the craziness of putting together a Big Game ad and her experience building creative for the biggest audiences. She also talks about integrating digital at a leading agency and provides her perspective on the impact of AI on her work. Also, John gives his snap decision on whether there’s a backlash against technology. Brian takes a swing at another Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:37) - SNAP DECISION: Waymo car fire a sign of tech backlash?

(04:52) - Welcome, Margaret!

(23:26) - Navigating an ad agency through digital transformation

(32:23) - Daughters of the Evolution

(44:25) - Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest

Background content

How Waymo became a symbol of everything people hate about AI - Fast Company

Tesla worker killed in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ fatality - Washington Post

Goodby Silverstein & Partners

See Margaret speak at SXSW

Most liked Super Bowl ads 2024 - Ad Age

USA Today Ad Meter - USA Today

Lessons in Herstory - Daughters of the Evolution

Fire & Ice Super Bowl ad (2018) - moviemaniacsDE/YouTube

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

It’s the day after the Super Bowl, so there’s no better time for Monday morning quarterbacking. Brian and John share some fun facts surrounding America’s biggest viewing party and, of course, make their own snap decisions about winners and losers of the ad game. Hear about some of the surprising financial implications of Super Bowls throughout the years. Plus, Brian and John hand out awards and admonishments with their take on this year’s commercials.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:42) Big money, in and around the game

(03:37) Super Bowl ad costs, now and then

(06:26) Beyond the air time: what brands spend to create their ads

(10:12) Releasing ads before the game…a love/hate story

(11:55) Our first ever Super Bowl advertising awards

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Ellen Stone, EVP of Consumer Engagement & Brand for Bravo, Oxygen, USA, SYFY, E!, and Universal Kids, joins the guys to talk about marketing programming across today’s fractured TV viewing experiences. Ellen talks about the collective effort at NBCU to build quality content and connect it to audiences where and how they engage. Hear about Bravocon, Andy Cohen, Peacock and so much more. Also, don’t miss John jumping out of the suite shirtless with his Hopelessly Unattainable plea.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:32) Lightening Round

(03:42) TV spend behaviors

(06:59) The TV eco-system is really complicated

(09:17) Welcome Ellen Stone!

(10:46) Understanding your audience

(15:37) Leveraging social conversation and engagement

(23:58) Building and structuring a team

(26:10) Expanding the brand in real life: BravoCon

(28:13) An advocate in Andy Cohen

(31:21) Secret sauce: Getting awareness across NBCU channels

(34:47) Buying awareness outside NBCU channels

(37:45) Reinvigorating older shows on new platforms

(43:53) A bold, smart decision: Rebranding Oxygen Network to True Crime

(49:00) Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest

Background content

TiVo Video Trends Report - TiVo.com

40% of consumers confused about where to find content they want to watch - StreamTVInsider.com

Lee Hunt’s CMO Intelligence

Bravocon - Bravotv.com

The Most Shocking Revelations About ‘Scandoval’ From the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 Finale - Time

NBCUniversal’s ‘secret sauce:’ How its Symphony campaigns boost ‘This Is Us’ and other projects - The Los Angeles Times

Oxygen Officially Rebranding as Crime-Focused Network - Hollywood Reporter

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Digital and analog worlds collide! Again! Hear more great behind-the-scences stories from Cue Card Wally in Part 2, including commercials with Ryan Reynolds, writing jokes for Norm MacDonald and great interactions from the likes of Tom Cruise and Jon Hamm. Also learn more about how Wally built a multi-faceted cue card empire, for companies and direct to consumers. Don’t miss how Brian goes BIG for his Hopelessly Unattainable Guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:21) Making guests comfortable

(02:13) Commercial with Ryan Reynolds

(05:05) A cue card empire

(07:14) Wally’s side hustle

(11:49) Being on camera

(16:53) Unpleasant guests

(17:57) Wally’s favorite SNL cast era

(19:03) Starting as a writer/Wally’s shot at sketch writing

(25:26) Life is like a box of Hopelessly Unattainable Guests

Background content

Cue Cards by Wally

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Digital and analog worlds collide! John and Brian discuss a new product from Humane called the AI Pin and consider the next generation of personal devices. Then Cue Card Wally, from Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Seth Meyers, shares how he uses the ultimate low-def tech to power late night TV…and how he's worked with the SNL cast and hosts, including Alec Baldwin, Norm MacDonald Emma Stone, Adam Driver and others.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:15) Amazing juxtaposition

(01:02) The AI Humane Pin

(06:46) The end of phones and screens?

(09:49) John and Brian get on their marketing high horses

(12:21) Live from New York…it's Cue Card Wally!

(16:05) SNL: The Live Factor

(22:39) Last minute changes

(25:55) Mistake-free for 33 years. Almost.

(29:29) “You wanna work for late night tv????”

(32:03) Helping the hosts: Adam Driver, Emma Stone and others

Background content

“This is the Humane Ai Pin” - Humane, YouTube

"And this is why the Humane Ai Pin sucks" - The Friday Checkout, YouTube

“Screens are good, actually” - The Verge

“Humane’s Ai Pin is a $700 Smartphone Alternative You Wear All Day” - Wired

“Just because you can design an AI wearable doesn’t mean you should” - Fast Company

Cue Cards by Wally

"Creating Saturday Night Live: Cue Cards" - SNL, YouTube

“Will Forte told Charles Barkley to Hit Cue Card Wally” - Late Night with Seth Meyers, YouTube

“Backstage at 'Saturday Night Live' w/ Cindy Crawford (1994) | You Had To Be There” - MTV Vault, YouTube

"A career with ‘Saturday Night Live’ was in the cue cards" - LA Times

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/

Friend of the show, Tom Carusona, CMO of Insomnia Cookies, drops by for a full episode with the guys. The trio offer snap decisions on the state of influencer marketing. Tom talks about the key ingredients of making Insomnia a cult brand and shares stories about brand essence, pajama parties and other tasty marketing programs. John’s asks an unattainable Jerk to be a guest.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:00) Too many marketers/Intro

(01:30) Influencer marketing — more than just Kardashians

(07:44) Stuck in the 70s, wishing for watercooler conversations

(12:17) Cultivating a cult brand

(21:54) Owning the night

(26:12) Covid and The Cookie Lab

(29:54) Positioning products for brand authenticity

(33:15) Do cookies translate in Canada and the UK?

(37:06) Warm cookies and cold pucks

(39:54) Aramark: a bigger brand with bigger implications

(43:40) Getting into marketing

(47:14) Dear Hopelessly Unattainable Guest

Background Content

"The State of Influencer Marketing 2023" - Influencer Marketing Hub

"The Case for and against Micro-influencers" - Digiday

"Hubspot State of Marketing 2023" - Hubspot

"Insomnia Cookies teams with Justin Jefferson for special launch" -Bake Magazine

"The secret ingredient to Mets '19 turnaround" - MLB.com

Connect with Brian and John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmarks13/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-l-young/