The Best One Yet - 📺 “Get a Free TV (with a catch)” — Telly’s giveaway strategy. Lego’s adult sales. Home Depot’s chill zone.

Episode Date: May 17, 2023

One new startup will give you a free big-screen TV… for free — Because they don’t want your money, they want your data. Lego’s newest toy is for people ages 18 and up, because Lego’s new favorite customer is adults. And Home Depot’s stock just dragged down the stock market, but that’s actually a good thing.$HD $MAT $HASWant 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 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 Wednesday, Cevice Wednesday, May 17th, and today's pod is the best one yet. It's a T-Boy, Jack. No comment on the Cevice Wednesday, Nick. Jack, we got to ask the big question. Is our buddy Timmy real? Is our buddy Timmy real or is our buddy Timmy fake?

We're going to reveal it today at T-Boy Pod. Today on Instagram at T-boy Pod. Check it out. Buddy Timmy will be there or not. First story for the show, what do we got, Jack? Helly is a TV startup with a bold new business strategy. Here it is. They don't sell 4K big screen TVs.

They give them away for free. And our second story is Legos. Lego's newest toy is Batman. But it goes for $400 and it's specifically not for kids. Well, see, Lego isn't making toys anymore. Lego is making passions. And our third and final story is the Home Depot. Home Depot just had its worst quarter in 10 years.

But that may be the best news for our... our economy. But Yeties, before we hit that fantastic mix. No one else is doing this mix. I love this mix today, Jack. We all know about Taco Tuesdays. We probably had our first taco on Taco Tuesday. Taco Tuesdays, they're a great excuse for whipping up some tacos. Well, get this. We learned yesterday that the term Taco Tuesday is a trademarked term. Yes, it is. Taco Tuesday. It is actually owned by a human being. We got to add Taco Tuesday to our list of tricky trademarks and crazy copyrights. Yeah, because Taco Tuesday, you're It is trademarked. It turns out a taco joint in Wyoming, of all places, invented the term Taco Tuesday back in 1989. And then that Takaria trademark, that term Taco Tuesday, and now it is a protected term. But here's the wildest part of this Taco Tuesday story. Get this. Taco Bell just fought back against Taco Tuesday.

Just yesterday, on Taco Tuesday, Taco Bell filed a petition with the U.S. trademark office. Because Taco Bell thinks that the Taco Tuesday term should be freely available for all of those who make, sell, and eat and celebrate the taco. That was a quote Nick just made from the petition right there. Because Yeti's Taco Bell, they want Taco Tuesday free for all of us to commercialize. Not just Taco Johns, that one place in the middle of Wyoming. So, Jack, what's the takeaway here? If we put Taco Tuesday on a T-Boy T-shirt right now, we're going to get sued from the state of Wyoming. You can own the words, Taco Tuesday.

But sorry, Taco Johns. you can't own the dream. Yeti's happy Saviche Wednesday. I'm not committed to that happy Saviche Wednesday. You're all free to use that term. For now. Jack, let's in our three stories. 15 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. 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, one new startup is giving away big screen TVs for, get this, get this, for free. Telly is giving away free TVs because your data is more valuable than your money. Jack, you're standing on a corner, a man approaches you and he says, hey, we want to get you a $500. $55 inch TV. We're going to give it to you for free. Leave me alone, sir.

This is obviously a scam. I'm going to have to call a lawyer and law enforcement on this one, man. Apparently, this is no scam. This is the legitimate business model of tele. A startup that's giving away half a million televisions for free. This sounds like a venture-backed Oprah. That's what this company is. You get a TV.

You get a TV. Check under your seats. You're all getting the free TV. But this company is not UNICEF. So there's a catch. Yes, Yeti's guack. It is always extra. And TVs are always going to cost you something.

So the real cost of this 55-inch TV, it's not your money, it's your data and your attention. It's your data and your attention. First, this is going to cost you your data. You have to tell this television who you are, what gender you are, your age, what car you drive, your income, where you live, yada, yada, yada, et cetera, et cetera. Hey, I'm slamming Sam. I got a Subaru and I live in Sarasota. That's who I am. That's my data. The reason you give it all that data, so they can give you valuable, targeted ads. First, you give them the data and then you give them your attention. You're going to see 24, seven ads while you watch this TV based on all that personal data.

Okay, let this sink in yet. He's 24-7 commercials. And we're not talking like the regular commercials you see in the middle of a Bravo show, are we, Jack? There will be that, actually. But there's a second screen on this TV purely dedicated to commercials all the time. Okay, and that's not even the craziest part. Like, Jack, let's say you walk out of the room and you're not watching the TV.

Let's just say you're having dinner. You're not even like in the living room. When you're not using the TV, the ad. ads are still displayed on that second screen. The ads don't stop. This is the energizer bunny of advertisements. This is a permanent digital billboard flashing on your wall. It turns your living room into Times Square.

This is going to be like living on 40 Second Street. But hey, you got a new TV. Now, this sounds insane. It does sound insane. But Telly is actually not the only one doing this kind of thing. No. Yeties, Jack and I jumped in T-Boy style. And have you heard of a new startup called Free Water?

Free water is a water brand that does exactly what its name says it does. It gives away free water. You're not buying their water. You're getting the water for free in a bottle. The price tag is $0.00. And just like Telly, the water is covered in ads instead. They've literally wrapped the can in commercials. The label doesn't say free water.

The label says whatever brand paid it. The label is a billboard. Like, you could pay two bucks for an aquafina. Or... You can get a free bottle of water. Water brought to you by the Draft King Sportsbook, the only betting app that you need. Come for the free water. Stay for the ads.

So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Tully? Data can be more valuable than money. Yeti's, there's a reason that Tully doesn't want your $500 in cash up front for a TV like every other company would want. Here's the reason. A lifetime of targeted ads powered by your personal data is more valuable than a one-time cash payment. Yeah, Yannies, Tully. They can only say you a Tully. TV wants. But Tele can sell ads based on your data forever. By the way, does that business model

sound familiar because it should. That's the exact same business model of so many of the most popular apps out there. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, even Google Maps. All of those apps are free because they show you targeted ads based on your data. Now that we're used to it on our screens, some companies are applying it to the physical world too. Because both online and offline, data can be more valuable than money. For our second story, Home Depot, just had its worst quarter in a decade. But what's bad for the Home Depot may actually be good for the economy. The pandemic, it was the pimp my home era, wasn't it, Jack?

It was great for Home Depot because you were putting a pizza oven on the patio and putting a sauna in the cell. What was your big home splurge other than that book about Brooklyn's Bridge, other than the Brooklyn Bridge book? I'm trying to put a patio in this fall, but we'll see because of this story. But Yeties, the Pimp My Home Era is officially over. And we see it in Home Depot's earnings, which just had their worst quarter in 14 years. Home Depot just got home dumped on. Jack, can you whip up the numbers for us over there? Home Depot had $37 billion in revenues last quarter, which sounds like a lot, but it was down 4% from the previous year.

Okay, and Bessie, that wasn't even like the worst part. Here is why investors were upset. Home Depot predicts that sales for the full year, 2023, will be down. The first sales shrinkage for Home Depot since 2009. In fact, Home Depot's earnings were so bad yesterday that this one stock dragged down the entire stock market. Now, we jumped in T-Boy style and we found two interesting developments in homes across America that were reflected in Home Depot's earnings.

Exactly. There are two trends going on that Home Depot basically encapsulates. First, people aren't buying big things. things anymore. Like big stuff. The kind of things that you got to lift with your legs, not with your back, that kind of stuff, it's not getting bought. For example, a new fridge, forget about it. The new grill? Let's just make do with what we got, honey. My new patio, we'll see. I'm not sure. I'm not even committed anymore. Jack, I'm rooting for you. I'm rooting for the patio nonetheless. Economic anxiety and high interest rates means people are putting off big purchases. Okay, so yet he's not only are you not buying big stuff, you're also doing a new thing called

phasing. If you are renovating or upgrading your home with a patio. You're doing it in phases. Exactly. Like you're going to remodel your bathroom, but you're going to do it in chapters. Like you're writing a novel. You'll update the sink this year and wait for the tiled shower for next year. So yet he's added all up and people aren't buying the big stuff. And if they are buying the big stuff, they're doing it in phases. That's all a sign that we are all chilling out when it comes to home improvement right now. And since home is a huge spending category, the whole market, dragged down by Home Depot. But that word chilling that we just used, that's not necessarily a bad

thing. Jack and I got to jump in here because chilling can actually be a good thing. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at the Home Depot? Bad news for the Home Depot can be good news for the economy. Yet he's the biggest problem for the economy right now. It's inflation. It's still inflation. Inflation is down to 5%, but that's still more than double the 2% inflation that we like to target. The prices they keep on rising because we all keep buying more stuff, too much stuff. So the Fed, our central bank, has raised interest rates so many times to try to discourage us from buying stuff. Well, what did we just tell you about what the Home Depot just told us? The Home Depot's earning show, we are buying less stuff. And that's exactly how inflation is

going to come down. So yet, it's kind of like a delicate balance here. We don't want the economy to slow so much that we go into a recession. But we do want it to slow down. That's why the Home Depot's drop may actually be good news. Bad news for Home Depot can be good news for the economy. For our third and final story, Lego just launched a Batman Batcave Lego set, but here's the catch. This thing is it's only for the adults. Adults aren't passionate about Legos, but Legos found what they are passionate about. Okay, but Jack, before we jump in T-Bois style, we got to whip up a little trivia before the Wednesday.

The biggest Lego set that you can buy? What is the biggest one? It's the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower. How big is this thing, Jack? It has 10,000 pieces. And when you fully erect this thing, when you put on the finishing piece, Le Pes de resistance.

Five feet tall. You're going to feel like Louis the 16th when you're done this thing. But we're not here to talk about the Eiffel Tower Lego set, are we, Jack? No, we're here to talk about the most geological Lego set ever. We're talking about the next. new Lego Batman bat cave. It is fantastic. This is a bat cave. It has stalactites and stalagnates. This thing's got bats. It's got little penguins. It's a little bit of a freaky situation. Well, it has one penguin. It has the penguin. Good point. Good point. Yides, this is not just a

Lego set. This thing, it looks like a relic in a museum. Like it's an art fact. This is a gigantic cave. And it's actually called like a shadow box because you can open it up to see what's inside or you can close it. Keep it spooky. It is large enough. to put on a podium. But yet, you're probably wondering, why are Nick and Jack talking about a Batman

toy on the pie? I'm right there is. It's because Jack and I noticed a few funny things about this toy. This Lego set is not based on the current Batman, the one starred

by the guy in the Twilight series. It's based on the 1992 Tim Burton Batman. It's based on like the Gen X Batman with Tim Burton and Danny DeVito. And this Lego set is

not for children. It is specifically for adults. It says on the box, have to be 18 or older to play. It's like this Lego set is rated R. And this Lego set is not priced like a kid's toy, like Barbie. It goes for $400 this Batman back game. You're going to spend a good portion of that paycheck if you want to play this Lego set.

Tie it all up. Nick and I think this is the embodiment of the kiddalt trend that's been happening lately. The Kidult trend. We're talking toys exclusively for the parents based on the lore of nostalgia. And after a Kidolt dominated Christmas, kiddults are now the biggest driver in toy sales growth. Kidults, kid adults are now driving one out of four toy sales. So the Batman Batcave shows that Legos is not focused on kids anymore.

Legos is focused on adults. And it turns out Lego focused on adults at the perfect time. In April of 2020, brilliant timing for this is when Legos launched their first ever sets for people 18 and older. And then one year later, Lego launched Adults Welcome, their new marketing campaign. It was a marketing campaign to try to normalize adults shopping in the toy aisle. Now, Jack and I should point out, Lego hasn't said what percentage of their sales are to adults. This is a private company. There's no amount of croner you can pay them to get that information. But Lego has confirmed that their sales to adults has quadrupled in the last decade.

And those adults, the kiddults, are powering Lego to new heights. Get this. Overall, sales for Lego have jumped 50% in the past two years to $10 billion. Legos has $10 billion in sales, thanks to adults buying 18 plus Lego. It kind of makes sense because, first of all, there are more adults than kids on planet Earth. Yeah, this is a smart marketing move because adults also have way more money than kids do. Well, John, he's not getting $400 in that allowance, is he, Jack? He's not going to slob around the toy or poop on it by accident or even. But yet, he's Jack and I should point out.

There also is one secret that Lego knows to capturing the adult mind. And that secret is our takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Lego? Adults aren't passionate about Legos, but Legos found what adults are passionate about. Yetis, the key to Lego's kid-alt strategy is what they call passion points. Legos has identified five adult passion points, and here they are. Sports, music, movies, arts, and cars. Then Lego built over 100 Lego sets for adults based on those five passion points.

You can buy a Lego set that is the soccer stadium where Chelsea Football Club plays. You can buy a Lego set. That's the Van Gogh Starry Night painting. You can buy a Lego set that is Batman's Batcave, specifically the 1992 Batman. Besties adults are so passionate about these passion points. They won't just pay, they'll splurge on them. And then they won't just build these Lego sets. They will display them up on the mantle like it was a trophy they won.

And that is why Lego sales are at an all-time high because Lego found its passion points. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us for? Siviche Wednesday. Telly is giving away huge 4K TVs for free because your data can be more valuable than your money. For our second story, Home Depot stock fell 2% yesterday because people are buying less for their homes right now. What's bad news for Home Depot can be good news for the economy. And our third and final story is Lego. Lego sales are up 50% in just the past two years, thanks to adults buying Lego. Adults aren't passionate about Legos, but Legos found their passion points. Like the Tim Burton Batman from 92.

Now time for the best fact yet. This one sent in by Yeti Chris Louis from lovely South San Francisco. Push and play. Here we go. Hi, Yetis. Norman Mineta may best be known for having the San Jose California airport named after him. He broke racial barriers by becoming the first Asian American cabinet secretary. When he was 10 years old, he was sent to a Japanese internment camp, and as a baseball fan

had his baseball bat confiscated by authorities because it could be used as a weapon. Many years later, after Manetta was elected to the U.S. Congress, a man sent Mineta a bat that was once owned by Hank Aaron, which Mineta was forced to return as it violated the congressional ban on high value gifts. And Mineta said, the government's taken my bat again. H-Y-H-Y-H-Y TBOY. This guy Norman Manetta, has got a great sense of humor. Fantastic sense of humor. And he's a legend. Chris, thanks for the AAPI fact.

Yeties, if you got more, send them our way. Besties, you look fantastic today. want to see Buddy Timmy's dance moves, then we may have captured footage of Buddy Timmy's dance moves. Follow us at T-Boy Pod on Instagram to find out more. Jack and I, we'll see you there. And before we go, we got to say Sid and in Mai to all our Norwegian Yetis out there. Happy Constitution Day to all the Norwegians. And congratulations to Bessie's Brian and Jasmine, who just bought their first home together down in New Jersey. Happy eighth birthday to Greta Ransom in St. Paul, Minnesota. And Carmen Shelley, enjoy that.

birthday in the United States Air Force. And happy birthday to Dr. Nunso Ogbana in Sacramento, California. And Paul Fagan, the king of electric cars, enjoy that birthday over in Marlbone, London, Inc. Happy birthday to Vanessa Vasquez, celebrating in a new T-boy hat in Connecticut. Vanessa Slammon Salmon Sampin Vasquez. And to anyone else celebrating something today, make it a T-Bull. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. Nick and I don't own stocks of any of the companies mentioned. You can own the words, Taco Tuesday. But sorry Taco Johns, you can't own the dream.