The Best One Yet - 🧃 “Four Loko 2.0” — Prime Energy drink’s trouble. Amazon’s tiny treats. Threads’ greatest weakness.

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI launched an energy drink that’s now the target of Congress — because minor customers can lead to major problems. Amazon Prime Day starts today, but it’s not just Amazon — all of retail is celebrating the made-up holiday because we’re all craving tiny treats. And Zuck just announced that Threads is the fastest-ever app to hit 100M downloads — but Threads’ greatest weakness is Twitter’s greatest strength.$META $AMZN $WMT $PEPWant merch, a shoutout, or got TheBestFactYet? Go to: www.tboypod.com Follow The Best One Yet on Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok: @tboypodAnd now watch us on YoutubeLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Tuesday, T-Boy, Tuesday, July 11th. And today's pod, this 7-Eleven pod, is the best one yet. Get yourself and slurpy and make that thing supersized. Talk to me, Jack. We got to jumb-o this thing or what, my friend? I'm going to grab a couple of bags of ice before I leave.

Thanks. Extra pump of butter. What are we got on this show? First story, what's on, Jack? Prime Energy is an energy drink launched by two YouTube stars, and it's become the number one drink of teens. But Prime Energy may face the same. fate as for Locke.

For our second story, Amazon Prime Day starts today, and it's expected to be the biggest one yet. Because of the treat yourself lifestyle. And our third and final story is Threads. Facebook's Twitter copycat hit 100 million downloads faster than any app ever. But here's the thing, Yetis. Thread's biggest weakness is actually Twitter's biggest strength. Bingo. Jumbo size that, Jack.

But Yeties, before we hit that one, wonderful mix. Just a fantastic mix of stories for T-Boy Tuesday. To all the math fans out there, happy prime number day. Pythagoras, you're going to get a big kiss today. It is prime number day. Yeti's today's date. It is literally a prime number. July 11th, 7-11, both prime numbers. Jack, let's not forget the year. What about the year, man? Yeah, 23? That's a prime number two. Seven and 11 and 23. All the dates are a prime number today. And just in case your algebra is rustier than our calculus, here's the definition of prime number. Uh-uh.

Yeti's, a prime number is any number that is only divisible by one and itself. Three is a prime number. 59 is a prime number. 3,461 is a prime number. Because it can only be divided by one and 3,461. Nick, the luckiest number on earth is prime. It's the number seven. The unluckiest number on earth is also prime.

The number 13. Even the most popular store in America's a prime number. 7-11, 7 and 11, both of those are prime numbers. We know what you're thinking. Infinity? Not a prime number. And yet there aren't infinite number of prime numbers. That's right.

Ask your math major, buddy. They'll show you a proof on a chalkboard somewhere. Jack, George Costanza's favorite number. What is George Costans's favorite number? Seven. Yeah, he's naming his son a prime number. Unless someone else takes it first. Get this yeties.

Today's podcast. It also happens to be our prime number episode. We're covering three stories that are all prime stories. First, prime energy drink. Second, Amazon Prime Day. And third, Threads is in its prime. We kind of rounded up on that. Anytime, Jack and I, we should get going on our prime number episode.

No calculators on this pot. Jack, let's hit our three stories. Show your work. Which is also a prime number. Carry the one. Fifteen years before this song, two. Boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea that caused a cultural storm.

It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm. That's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50% that's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show.

For our first story, Prime, the influencer launched energy drink, is about to get four locoed. It's about to get the Forloco. effect. Because when your customers are minor, the problems can be major. Jack, shall we jump into YouTube and sprinkle a little context to this story? Logan Paul, he's the YouTuber, podcaster, and boxer turned wrestler who never seems to be wearing a shirt. This guy's got 26 million followers on Instagram and 26 million biceps. This man is a literal walking brand. Each of his abs is actually sponsored content. Like each one is a billboard. Here's the story yet he's. Logan Paul and his

former boxing rival, who's a fellow YouTuber named KSI, they launched a company together. Yes, they did. That company was called Prime Hydration. And basically, the idea was to take on Gatorade, a legacy beverage. That's a big target. It is. So how did they kick things off, Jack? With a big weapon. They had a Super Bowl commercial to launch their product, Prime Hydration Drink. And it worked. Sales of that hydration drink absolutely took off. Jack, can we talk about the numbers here? A quarter billion sales. in the first year of business. They sold $250 million of this hydration drink,

and they started sponsoring the Los Angeles Dodgers. Legit. F.C. Barcelona. More legit. Arsenal. More legit. Things were looking good for prime hydration. But it's not the hydration drink that's making headlines today.

It's Prime's energy drink. The Prime Energy drink. It's a can that has 200 milligrams of caffeine inside of it. That's a lot of caffeine. It's a lot of caffeine. That's six Coca-Cola cans worth of caffeine in one 12-ounce energy drink. Yeah, does you drink this thing? It gets you from zero to 60 and 12 ounces.

This thing also has electrolytes to help replace the sweat that you lost going nuts after pounding a can of prime. Because when you grab one of these cans, you don't drink the can. You consume the can. If Nick ever took a prime, he would explode. I'm not physically allowed to, according to my doctor, check. And this summer, Nick, the number one status symbol of kids in America, it's not the most popular toy or a pair of sneakers. No, what is it, Jack? It's a can of prime energy drink. Yeah, prime energy is literally the must-have thing for kids this summer. Now, that's actually what

New York senior Senator Chuck Schumer said yesterday, because he is party pooping big time on prime. Because Senator Schumer just asked the FDA to investigate this YouTube energy drink. Chuck Schumer is concerned for the health risk to America's kids a prime energy drink. Specifically, he's concerned about the huge amount of caffeine that kids consume when they drink Prime Energy drink. And Jack, we should sprinkle on more context here. Yeah. When a kid drinks a can of Prime Energy, he gets the same amount of caffeine as two Red Bulls. Yes.

Or three coffees. Yeah. Or six Coca-Cola. And here's the thing. When you buy Prime, you're probably buying a six-pack of it. Now, in Prime's defense, they put right there on the can, this drink is for people 18 and older. The lawyer signed off on this. They should be safe.

They're suggesting you only buy this if you're over the age of 18. But yeties, come on. Putting 18 or over doesn't keep kids away. It makes kids want it more. It's one of the fundamental rules of marketing. If you make yourself ungetable, you only want it to be get. Now, unfortunately for Logan Paul, the timing of this potential federal investigation could not be worse. This is rough timing because where was Logan Paul when the news of this potential federal investigation began, Jack?

He was celebrating getting engaged. He proposed to his girlfriend the day before news of this investigation. He got down on one knee and he's getting a federal investigation. Congratulations. Sorry about the bad news. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies over at Prime Energy Drink? Minor customers can bring major concerns. So yeties, Jack and I were looking back on our business history.

And we noticed this isn't the first time we've seen an insane concoction in a can go viral with underage kids, with the same effect. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I'm thinking what you're thinking, Jack. Four Loco. Yeah, talk to me. What's going on with Four Local? For Loco was insane.

This was a 24-ounce can you could buy at a gas station that included the alcohol of six Bud Lightsworth. It included the caffeine of one and a half Red Bulls. In the same can, which was only like three bucks to buy. For Loco didn't get brought to a party. Forloco was the party. And the party might have ended badly because there was too much for Locke. Yeah, there was enough.

stuff in Forloco to kill a red bull. That's why Forloco was forced to remove either the caffeine or the alcohol. They decided to remove the caffeine. And Forloco, they're not the only one with this exact situation. Jewel. Remember Jewel? Their vapes were a good idea as an alternative for adult smokers. But just like Forloco, they had the same problem with the marketing. The flashy packaging, the fruity flavors, and the party messaging went after kids, not adults. So we've noticed a trend here. If your adult product goes viral with miners, you could face some major problems. First, four loco, then jewel, now prime energy. Same packaging. Same problems.

For our second story, Amazon Prime Day. It starts today. But it's not the only one. Because we're all living in the little treat lifestyle. Jack, we talk about Prime. Let's jump back into the history books over here, man. Amazon Prime Day. It was invented in 2015 to juice sales during the summer sale slowdown. They had a very strategic plan, and here's what it was. Amazon noticed that midsummer, it's hot, you're relaxing,

you're not splurging on Christmas gifts right now. So, Amazon created a fake holiday to get you to spend, to unlock that money that's in the bank. Because if you're not spending on other holidays, you kind of need a new holiday to be spending on right now. Nothing more exciting than a made-up holiday. A festivist for the rest of us. Here's the news.

This year's Prime Day starts today and last through tomorrow, It's expected to be the biggest sales yet for Prime Day. $8 billion in sales. Jack, did you know that 78% of American workers are actually doing Prime Day instead of working right now on their computers? Oh, they're scrolling. Yeah. Actually, I made that up, but it's probably pretty close to that. Thank you for disclosing.

Jack, can we sprinkle on a little context to this $8 billion number? Amazon is going to sell more product in these two days than Tripotle does all year. We repeat, you can add as much extra guac as you would like. is going to make less money this year than Amazon brings in today and tomorrow. Now, I'm no grand master. But in chess, when you're facing a stronger opponent and that opponent makes a first move, all you try to do is match their move. Yiddies, if you're playing chess and you're playing someone better than you,

you just got to do what they do. You just got to try to keep up. And that's what retail is doing in response to Amazon right now. Because guess what, Yetis, we're not only in the middle of Amazon Prime Day, are we, Jack? It's also Walmart Plus week right now. It's also Target Circle Week right now. Right now is the middle of Best Buy's confusingly named Black Friday in July sales event. Discount Paloosa in the middle of July.

Macy's Northstrom, Wayfair, Sir LaTobla, all of them, they got 50% off deals too. Prime Day is like Kleenex. It used to be specific to one company, Amazon, but now it's an industry-wide retail thing. Jack, what do I got to do to get you into this two-for-one air friday? deal. Checkmate. I love what you did there. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Amazon. We're all living the little treat lifestyle right now. The little treat lifestyle. That's not just a TikTok trend yeties. That's becoming an economic principle. You can't afford big things because of inflation and that is frustrating. So you buy little treats for yourself that you can afford.

That brings you some happiness. So there's a financial element here because you can actually afford these things. But there's a mental health idea here too, because spending can be like self-care. Exactly, Jack. You can't afford a new car, so maybe I'll treat myself to a double-digit latte instead. That's the little treat lifestyle. And this year, Amazon's Prime Day is expected to set another record. Because in this economy, everyone is craving a little treat. For our third and final story, Instagram Threads has become the fastest app ever to pass 100 million downloads. Instagram Threads is in its prime. Yes, it is.

But Threads' biggest weakness is Twitter's biggest strength. To kick off the story, Yetis, Jack and I, we whipped out the whiteboard. We got a little trivia for you. How long did it take the most popular apps of this world to reach the milestone of 100 million downloads? 100 million downloads. Here are the numbers. Here they are. Uber took five years to hit 100 million downloads.

Instagram took only two and a half years. TikTok. Took only nine months. But Nick, what was the record that was set earlier this year that crushed those other records? The fastest company ever to have 100 million downloads is Chat GPT. It reached it in just two months after launching in November. But get this news. Threads shattered ChatGPT's record.

Because threads hit 100 million users in just five days. Yeah, so Uber took five years to reach 100 million. Threads took five days. But Jack, can we sprinkle on a little context to these epic numbers, man? Yeah, Threads got to 100 million users in five days. Twitter took 17 years to get where they are today, and they have 260 million users. These two apps are in the same ballpark in terms of the number of users. One took five days.

One took 17 years. Now, the next question you should be asking yourself is where are those users coming from? Right. Because the question we want to know is threats bringing new people into text-based social media or is thread stealing existing users from Twitter? Well, so far, it looks like they're stealing users from Twitter. Yeah, because as threads has been growing, Twitter has been dropping. Elon has been pretty mad the past week and he hasn't shared numbers about Twitter yet. But we did notice that the website tracking company Cloudflare did share numbers on Twitter's usage lately. And those numbers

suggest Twitter traffic is tanking since last week when threads launched. Tanking is the literal word that the head of Cloudflare used to describe Twitter's usage right now. And Elon is so mad about it, he didn't just threaten a lawsuit against Meta for allegedly taking Twitter employees. Although he did threaten the lawsuit for this stage five, Zuck. He's also ratcheting up the insults to Zuck on Twitter with profane tweets, and he challenged Zuck to another juvenile machissimo contest. Funny thing, Eddie, Jack and I have a chart in our recording studios, and we noticed that the angrier Elon gets, the younger he sounds in his tweets. I think we're at adolescence at this point. So so far, the data suggests it's a zero-sum game

in text-based social media. It's a zero-zug game. Tweeters are turning into threaders. But there's one key difference about threads nobody's talking about so far. That one key difference could save Twitter. And it's our takeaway. So Jack, what's the The takeaway for our buddies over at Twitter. Threads' biggest weakness is Twitter's biggest strength. Yeties, let's talk about Adam Mosseri. He's Zuck's deputy, who is responsible for launching threads. And he just admitted that he doesn't want threads to be a place where news breaks or where politics is discussed. The way meta sees it, news is just too divisive. It brings too much scrutiny. And it could result in Zuck getting trucked off to Congress again. So unlike

previous meta apps, threads will not welcome posts about news. Wow, the way Jack and I see it, that's actually a key advantage for Twitter. Because breaking news in real time is what Twitter does best. Starting to Twitter, 83% of tweeters use Twitter mainly because of news. So for most Twitter users, Threads isn't really going to work for them because there's no news. So add it all up and Threads is stealing Twitter's users, but it won't do what Twitter does best. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for our Prime Number podcast? Prime Energy Drink has achieved viral sales among teens, so it could get four locoed.

When you got minor customers, the problems can be major. For our second story, Amazon Prime Day is now a retail-wide, made-up spending holiday, just like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And it's expected to set a new record because we're all living for the little treat lifestyle. And our third and final story is threads. It's already in its prime. After five days, it's hit $100 million. downloads. Thread's biggest weakness is actually Twitter's biggest strength. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack and me because we went deep on the

prime number stuff. The most famous prime numbers are 7 and 11. 7 and 11. 711 for the convenience store, 711. But why did 711 call itself 711? Where did 711 get the number 7 and the number 11 from in their name? It's not because the founders were primophiles. Although Jack and I have now since become primophiles while researching this story. They named it 7-Eleven as a marketing strategy. They used the number 7-Eleven, the name 7-Eleven, to communicate when they were actually open. Seven days a week, 11 months a year.

No, that's not true. There was a little room for confusion. 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 7. 7.000. 7. 7.1. Yeties, if you have the best fact yet, it could be a prime number, it could be a normal, regular number two. We'd love to get it on the podcast. And how do you do that, Jack? Go to t-boypod.com.

We got a tab that says shoutouts. Yeties, fill out a form on t-boypod.com. Send us your voice. We'll get your voicemail on the pod. Nick and I, we'll see you tomorrow. Can't wait. And before we go, congratulations to Yeties, Natalia and Bruce, who are having a baby in Kissing Me, Florida. and they don't know the gender.

It's a surprise gender baby. But this baby does kick every time our pod jingle comes out. Well, everyone knows if it's a boy or a girl that, yeah. And a cupenda micke Wangu, which means I love you, my wife, in Swahili, to Christa Penza, who's just returning from her honeymoon. Congratulations to Lainey Pelfini, who just got a new job at a winery up in nap.

And a happy birthday to Susan B., who's been riding the Peloton and owning Peloton stock for 243 straight days. Happy birthday to Ken Schaeiner, the King of Healthcare in Mechanicsville, Virginia. And happy birthday to Kristen Shanks, down in lovely San Antonio. And happy birthday to Rebecca

the Gonzaga Bulldog Reed who's celebrating down in San Jose. And a happy birthday to Isabella Avalos turning two in Palmdale, California. And to anyone else who's celebrating something today, make it a tee boy. Celebrate the wins.

This is Jack. I own stock of Amazon and Nick and I both own stock of Chipotle and Peloton. What's doing? Nick. You're doing, man. Can you say Nick? Hey, Nick, you hear that, Nick?

He stuck the landing. Can you say it again? Nick? Nick. Give me a, this is Nick, this is Jack. This is water. Can you say Podfather? Toddfather.

Oh, that was good. It was good. That's good, son.