The Best One Yet - BONUS 🎂 “The Food Pod” — Our Best Food stories yet from 2023

Episode Date: December 18, 2023

A bonus episode featuring 3 of our top pop-biz news stories on the food industry from 2023. Grab a napkin and pull up a chair, let’s jump into the 3 stories spork-first (or is it fpoon?) 🤤…1) The Grimace Milkshake, from July 5th: How McDonald’s made a drink go viral — The Grimace Shake makes the marketing case for chaos.2) Goldfish Crackers, from April 24th: How Goldfish became a billion-dollar brand — Because even crackers need a wingman.3) South Korea’s Gastrodiplomacy, from May 30th: How a country used food to boost trade — South Korea used “Calorie Capitalism”.Subscribe to our newsletter: tboypod.com/newsletterWant merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.comFollow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypodAnd now watch us on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. And today's food pod is the best one yet. It tastes delicious. Tea Boy is the top three pop business news stories you need to know today. But this year-end bonus episode is our top three food stories of 2023. So, if you got a buddy who works in the food and beverage industry, you got to send them this episode.

From fast food to organic drinks, if they are double-checking the cookie-to-cream ratio and a double-stuffed Oreo, they're going to love this pot. If they're working in a restaurant, if they work at a snack bar, If they just eat food, send them this episode. And what's going to happen if you send them this episode, Jack? Here's the deal. During bonus week, if you show us your share, you'll be entered to win a free kit of T-boy merch

and two tickets to our next live show. In the meantime, Jack, I've got your favorite pineapple smoothie ready to go. Jack, first story for our food pod, what do we got? For our first story, it's the Grimmest Milkshake from July Finn, how McDonald's made a drink go viral. The Grimmis Shake makes the marketing case for chaos. Or our second story, it's Goldfish Crackers from April 24th, how goldfish became a billion-dollar brand. Because even crackers need a wing name.

And our third and final story, South Korea's gastro diplomacy from May 30th, how a country used food to boost trade. South Korea used what Jack and I call calorie capitalism. But Yeties, before we hit that fantastic mix of stories. We have never done this and I love what we're doing, Jack. What a mix of stories. Yeah, these, pull up a napkin and grab a chair for yourself. Sprinkle on some paprika like it's context. Because we covered enough food industry stories this year to milk a mule. We covered enough food stories last year to make you want to lick this podcast.

Nick. I said it. I said it. I'm sorry. I said it. It came out. I can't control it, Jack. It doesn't work. In 2020, drive-thrus took home the majority of fast food sales. And McDonald's stock hit in all-time high. In-2020, we had In-N-Out Burger expand for the first time Eastward. California burger joints coming east of the Mississippi. And in 2023, we covered the Trader Joe's Hall of Fame.

Oh, the inaugural class was led by Mandarin orange chicken. Yes, it was. And Nick, remember the Kit Kat story? That wild growth hack they pulled off in Japan? How could I forget Jack? A unique Kit Kat flavor was made for Japan's 300 largest cities. We covered the canned tuna trend. And we ate the canned tuna trend.

We covered the rise of the air friday. And the fall of the Instapopon. We found the history of the mission. and star restaurant guide. And we told you how Red Lobster lost 11 million bucks on an all you can eat shrimp pastrophie. So, Yetis, go fill up that Stanley Tumblr.

We'll give you a minute. Vesties, go snag a $1.50 cent Costco hot dot combo. You're going to need a spork for this food-focused bonus pod. Or is it a spoon? A spoon? A fork spoon? It's a pineapple smoothie. That's what it is,

Jack. Yadis, let's hit our top three food stories of 2020. I'm sorry, it's definitely a food. 15 years before this song Two boys from the Northeast met in the dawn 50% That's a fat tip Tea Boy City on your at list

If you know you know Cause we're ready to go We can't wait no more So just start the show Start the show For our first story, it's the grimace milkshake This was originally published July 5th The newest company to go viral

Isn't actually a new company The company is McDonald's McDonald's. It's the grimace purple milkshake and it shows the case for chaos. But Jack, before we jump into this T-Boy style, I just got to whip up some names for you over here. You're ready for this man? Go ahead. Okay, okay. Ronald McDonald's, the hamburger. Officer Big Matt. Don't forget about Mayor McCheese. Oh, Mary McCheese. He gets me every time, man. Yet he's back in the 1970s. McDonald's basically tried to Disneyify itself. McDonald's was like, hey, we don't want to

just be fast food. Let's turn into a theme park at every location. And that's why we had the play place with the ball pit and the happy meals with the toys and that whole cast of characters who jack and i just mentioned including grimace grimace jack everyone's seen grimace even if you don't recognize grimace you have felt grimace this is the purple blob basket he was actually originally an evil character who stole milkshakes from children people say that he is shaped like a taste bud that happens to be a dark color purple allegedly yes allegedly but grimace transformed over the years into a soft, good guy, actually Ronald's best friend. In fact, Grimmis has now become like a gay icon.

Like, apparently he was at a lot of pride prades. Yeah, it launched him Pride Month. He was the color purple. Grimmis, he's everywhere you want to be. Now, until last month, you probably hadn't seen Grimmis in years. Grimmis, he's like a vestige, like something from an Indiana Jones movie getting dug up. And is it just me? Or have I not seen a McDonald's play place in about 15 years?

It's not just you, Jack. McDonald's has been pivoting away from kids and folks. focusing more on adults. But on June 12th, McDonald's brought Grimmis back and it has been wild. Get this, Yeties. McDonald's has turned Grimmis into the most viral marketing campaign of 2023 by accident. On June 12th, Grimmis took over McDonald's social media accounts to celebrate his birthday. And they celebrated his birthday with a brand new product called the Grimmis milkshake, or for short, the Grimmish Shake. We don't know what flavor the Grimmis Shake. We don't know what flavor the grimish shake was, and neither do any McDonald's customers.

That's the brilliant part behind this strategy. They never actually describe what the product is. All we know is, it's purple. Some people say it tastes like cake, some people like strawberry. There's like hints of cough syrup in there. No one knows the flavor. But that's when things spun out of control. Right, because McDonald's didn't intend for this next part to actually happen.

On social media, people are buying these purple milkshakes and then pretending to die and posting it online. are not making this up. There are videos of people orchestrating like these complicated horror crime scenes because of drinking this milkshake, right, Jack? Here's a video you'll see

and honestly brace yourself because it's kind of horrifying. Jack, let's throw it up on the screen so like the Yetis can see this. Yetis, you can watch this right now. We'll throw it up on the screen. It's on the screen if you're watching on Spotify or YouTube.

People are buying one of these purple shakes sipping the shakes saying happy birthday, grimace. They're excited. They're having fun. And then you cut to another scene and they're dying a horrible death. allegedly because of the milkshake.

Jack, can we talk about what kind of numbers these Grimmis McDonald's TikTok videos are getting? It's racked up nearly 2 billion views of the hashtag Grimmishake, and that's just on TikTok. Again, Yetis, what's so shocking about this is that none of it was actually McDonald's specific intention. They brought back Grimmis for a nostalgic marketing campaign to target Gen X, who remembers them from childhood. They were supposed to be targeting older people with this nostalgic marketing campaign. Instead of Gen X, Grimmis has been embraced by Gen Z in a shocking manner on TikTok. It's being grabbed by the youngest of the generations. And this has brought more attention to McDonald's from young people than any other marketing campaign has.

And that's why we're chalking this up as a win. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in the marketing industry? There is a case for chaos. The case for chaos. Yeties, Jack and I got curious. about the marketing company behind this campaign. And that company is Wyden and Kennedy. Wyden and Kennedy are known for provocative and sometimes confusing ad campaigns. And this is what we found fascinating about this story. They've got a philosophy at Wyden and Kennedy,

and it's called the case for chaos. Here's the story. Companies want control and predictability. But good marketing requires creativity, which is the opposite of predictability. A giant purple blob, fake murdering McDonald's customers? That is not what McDonald's predicted, isn't Jack? That's the opposite of predictability. But McDonald's, they found comfort in the discomfort. And you know what? It's working. And that is the case for chaos.

For our second story, it's Goldfish Crackers. Let's go back to April 24th. Goldfish Crackers. They are about to become the latest billion-dollar brand. Not too shabby. Because Goldfish figured out the wingman strategy for picking up customers. All right, Edies. If we're going to talk goldfish, we got to talk Campbell's Soup.

Campbell's Soup, the $16 billion soup company. When you think Campbell Soup, you think of chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup. Hit me with a bisque, baby. What else you got, Jack? Tomato Bisque. Okay, we'll roll with that too. Also, what's cream of celery? Can I ask?

I didn't think celery had cream. Let me just tell you, Jack, you do not want to look at the label on that thing. Yeties, Campbell's Soup, here's the funny thing. they're not really a soup company anymore, are they? They're a snack company. Nearly 50% of the sales and growing is coming from snacks. And soup is not a snack. You can stick a straw in a soup, but I'm sorry, it is still not a snack.

It is still not a snack. Today, if the product makes your fingers salty, Campbell Soup owns it. Because Campbell's Soup, they've acquired Cape Cod chips. They've acquired kettle chips. They've even acquired Snyder's pretzels. But the fastest growing snack in their portfolio is the oldest snack in their portfolio. Goldfish. Goldfish's sales searched 21% in the last year. In fact, Goldfish has passed $900 million in annual sales. They're about to become a billion dollar snack brand. Yes, they are. Jack and I

jumped in T-boy style. We noticed the word goldfish was mentioned eight times on the Campbell's earnings call. That's more times than Campbell's Soup was mentioned. And then Campbell's Soup said that goldfish were the largest driver of their own growth. Now, let's back up here, Goldfish was invented by a Swiss biscuit company 65 years ago. Ironic because there's no goldfish native to Switzerland. Also ironic because goldfish are essentially baby boomers is what we're saying. That's why they're mostly in Florida these days. In fact, Julia Child, the famous chef, loved goldfish so much,

she served goldfish at Thanksgiving along with the turkey. I serve goldfish all the time because they're great for toddlers, but it turns out they're just as popular in homes without kids as they are in homes with kids. Now, yet he's that last part. that got Jack and me curious. We were wondering like all weekend long, what is driving sales of boring old goldfish? The answer? Crazy new goldfish. Because get this. Campbell's Soup now launches limited edition goldfish every two months. It's like cracker clockwork. And the flavors are crazy like Frank's Red Hot goldfish or Old Bay goldfish or cookies and cream goldfish. They even launched a Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin spice special edition goldfish, didn't they, Jack?

Dahlene lost her hazelnat when she saw that. Two pumps of, oh my God! And the marketer is a Campbell's soup. They're not just messing with Dahlin's hazelnut. No, they're not. Get these numbers. Yetis, this is what actually fascinated Jack and me about this story. Campbell's discovered that you are twice as likely to purchase regular goldfish

if you first see this special edition goldfish next to them. Yeah, like for example, let's say you're strolling down aisle 6 and you notice, ooh, there's a new princess unicorn flavored goldfish that catches your eye. You pause and remember, oh, I love goldfish. I used to eat these when I was a kid. Exactly. Or another example here, let's say you find those new goldfish that they did with like Jinko jeans.

This is like a new thing. A real thing, like Jinko jeans. Another real thing. They fit in the back pocket of a pair of jeans. We're talking like jeans goldfish from 1996. You see that flavor. You're twice as likely to grab a regular flavor that's sitting next to it. We were shocked by that.

So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Goldfish? Everyone needs a wingman. even a crack. Yeties, when you're nervous, when you're flying solo out there, you need a wingman or a wingwoman for support. You need a buddy to boost you up on that double date, but not a buddy who's going to steal your thunder. Well, the way Jack and I see it,

the same strategy applies to products. Like Goldfish, their sales were stagnating for years. They needed a confidence boost. So they got a wingman, a fun, surprising product that supported the OG product. And here's the key. Those fun wingman limited time products, they didn't steal all the attention from the regular goldfish.

The pizza-flavored goldfish did not cannibalize sales of regular goldfish. In fact, those wingman products enhanced the sales of regular goldfish. They pumped them up, in fact. Like a great wingman or a great wing woman. Yeties, every person could use a wingman for support. So could any product. For our third and final story, it's South Korea's gastro diplomacy. This one's from May 30th.

South Korea wanted to boost trade and relations with the United States, and they decided to do it through an interesting strategy. Through food. They're doing it through food. It's called gastro diplomacy. Yes, it is. And it's one, the hearts and minds of Americans. Okay, Yetis, first of all, one rule you should have in your life,

at least one night every year should end with karaoke in Korea town. Yeah. Just the thing. Even though the Roy children hate karaoke. That was like an awkward one, wasn't it? I love karaoke. It was a great karaoke. Leave on it.

Elton John. my go-to. I don't know why, but that's my go-to. Yeah, you're just gossling being gosling over there. Yeties, here's what Jack and I wanted to chat with you about. Have you noticed there are more Korean tastes and smells around you lately? Have you noticed more of those hot stone bowl bibbibbabs recently? Have you noticed craving those bim-bop bowls lately? Hold that thought for a second. Who won the Oscar for Best Picture three years ago? Well, Jack, that best picture was the Korean film, Parasite. What's the number one most recognized pop group in the world right now? Well, Jack, that would be K-pop's BTS boy band.

And what is the top country getting investments from Netflix outside of the United States? Yetis, this is wild. Netflix's biggest investment outside the United States is $2.5 billion in Korean schmovey. Little old South Korea. It's actually a top 10 economic power in the world. It's actually ahead of Russia in terms of GDP. It's got Kia. It's got Hyundai.

It's got Samsung. It's got LG. Jack, what was our favorite dish over at Momofuku? The Bosom pork. The Bosan pork. It was huge and it was spectacular. It was real. It was fantastic.

Yeties, last week, Jack and I talked to you about the year of Japan. Japan is having a moment. Their stock market was at a 33-year high. They had the G7. They had a lot of things going on. But honestly, Korea is having a moment as well. But Korea's been having a moment for a few years and it's for a very particular reason. The reason for South Korea's economic moment is all thanks to a government plan set up 14 years

ago focused on food. Here was the problem, Yetis. Let's go back to 2009. South Korea was ranked number 33 on the list of top travel countries, and the government wasn't happy about that. So the president of South Korea set a goal to hit the top 15

most traveled to countries for tourists. And they decided to do it through food. Interesting strategy, Cotton. Let's see if that works out for it. Well, that same year, South Korea's government created the Korean Food Globalization task force. That sounds intimidating, Jack. Let me say that again. The Korean Food Globalization Task Force.

Here's what the thesis was. If people in America or other countries enjoy Korean food, then they're more likely to travel to Korea or buy Korean products. Interesting thesis. So they gave the task force $40 million. $40 million. To encourage Koreans living abroad to open up Korean restaurants abroad. Okay, now this is wild. They didn't just give them money with this $40 million. They provided business plans and templates and even recipes for how to make the perfect Korean barbecue. They wanted to make it as easy as possible for a Korean American, for example, in L.A. to open a Korean restaurant.

And then they got strategic with this. They invested in like top tier white glove fancy restaurants so that those restaurants would get like press attention for Korean food. But they also helped quadruple the number of regular old neighborhood Korean restaurants. And then this is what Jack and I love about this. They went even further. They created the World Kimchi Institute. We repeat the World Kimchi Institute.

To make sure that kimchi is being made properly, so it's delicious and the reputation goes up. You got to standardize that cabbage, Jack, before you ferment it. Which is why season four of White Lotus is going to be in Korea. It is definitely going to be in Korea. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in South Korea? What Korea has pulled off is known as gastro diplomacy. Gastro diplomacy. Yet he's that's a concept coined by the economist, gastro diplomacy.

Or Jack and I like to call it, calorie capitalism. It's when you use food to build a cultural connection abroad and then parlay that into good trade and good diplomacy. Well, Jack and I jumped in T-boy style. Turns out Thailand institutionalized gastro-diplomacy before South Korea did. Thailand created an administration for Thai restaurants abroad

way back in 2002. Same concept here. Simply said, food connects people. And relationships built on food can grow. But a relationship built on turbines or other economic things, that's less likely to grow. Gastro diplomacy. It's when countries use food

to win friends and win trade. And Korea has pulled it off with the United States. And before we go, time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Tomas Bajio from the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

Now this one's about pineapples. And yet, you may know that Nick is spreading a conspiracy that I love pineapple smoothies. I mean, I see you drink them. I share that fact. It's an observation. It's based in reality.

Well, one thing I do know, about pineapples is when I eat a lot of them, is it just me or does my tongue start burning? Well, you do eat a lot of those smoothies, Jack, and your tongue does start to burn, but there is a scientific reason for this, isn't it, my friend? Pineapples contain something called bromulane, which is a mixture of two protein digesting enzymes. Translation, Jack. Pineapples can break down the flesh, the taste buds on your tongue. Translation, Jack.

Pineapples are the only food I'm aware of that eats you. Pine apples, you're not just eating pineapples. They're chopping down in your tongue as well. Now, we should point out, the Pineapple Growers Association of America points this out. Your body quickly regenerates any damage cells, so there's no permanent loss for meeting pineapple. You don't get sued by the Pineapple Growers Association of America, do we, Jack? They are delicious in moderation. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies eat in pineapple?

What doesn't kill you makes you hungrier. Pineapple, the only fruit that eats you. Yates, you looked fantastic for our first ever food pod on the best one yet. This is the perfect episode to share with your buddy who works in food or beverage. Or if you have a buddy who eats foods and drinks beverages, you may want to send this episode to them as well. And if you do, show us your share. You'll be entered to win a free kit of T-boy merch and two tickets to a live show of your choice this year. In the meantime, Jack and I got something cooking in the air friar, and we got to make another bonus podcast for tomorrow.

Nick and I, we'll see you there. Can't wait. Well, Jack, it's burning. It's burning, man. I told you to set the bake timer.