The Best One Yet - 🌭 “Sausage Fest” — Meat economics in the debate. Hindus’ 1st religion app. Ford’s in-car commercials.

Episode Date: September 11, 2024

The 1 piece of data that should’ve been debated last night?... Sausage Meat Economics.The fastest-growing religious app right now is Hindu… because Sri Mandir digitized a diaspora.Ford just filed the freakiest patent yet… Prepare for commercials in your cars run by Ford.$F $META $SPY—-----------------------------------------------------GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts FOR MORE NICK & JACK: Newsletter: https://tboypod.com/newsletter Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/ Connect with Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/ SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Wednesday, September 11th. And today's pod is the best one yet. This is a T-boy. The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. Jack, fantastic show for today. How about we jump right into this T-boy?

For our first story, last night was the first presidential debate. Kind of. And there's one economic topic we want to talk about. Ah, the Sausage Fest. We need to talk about the Sausage Fest Index and why sausages are important. For our second story. we're looking at Ford. Ford Motor Company just filed the freakest patent yet. In-Car commercials. Best is your next Ford Fusion may come with ads on the interior. And our third and final story is the fastest growing religious app. It's Hindu. It's Hindu. Because Srimandir, the Hindu app, has digitized a diaspora. It's digitized the diaspora. It just kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it, Jack? But Yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

fantastic mix of stories. Jack, I love this mix of stories today. September 11th. Yes. We can't say that date without thinking about it. When you hear 9-11, like, I cannot hear those words without feeling weird and sad about it. When someone proposes an event or an appointment on September 11th, it's still strange. It sounds wrong. Well, Yeti's today is the 23rd anniversary of the Terra Tax on the World Trade Center, on the Pentagon, and on Flight 93. We know, where we were. I was in middle school in Vermont. Nick was in Manhattan. Yeah, in eighth grade jack. I remember I could see the smoke all the way up coming up the Bronx. I mentioned this on the pod before, and we couldn't get back into Manhattan. We could smell the smoke. You could smell the towers,

and we couldn't get back to our family until late in the evening. It was an awful day. And 8.46 a.m. Eastern Time is when the first plane crashed. So at 8.46 Eastern Time is when Americans are asked to honor the victims and their families with a moment of silence. And so will we. Yetie. Never forget. Besties, we prepared a fantastic show for you. Jack, should we hit these three stories? Let's make this one the best one yet. Let's do, Jack.

Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dawn. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm. Jack Nick, 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. Just start the show. Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor. Our first story. America's Central Bank thinks that our economy is becoming a sausage fest. The sausage fest index.

That's what we call it. And we think it deserves your attention. At least maybe some relish. Now, yet is America's Central Bank, our Federal Reserve, the old Fed. Jack, how many of the feds do we actually have? It's not one Fed. There's 12 feds. Yeah, yeah, yeties. There are actually 12 regional banks that comprise our Federal Reserve

system, and they cover economic trends in the economy. For example, the Dallas Federal Reserve covers cattle country down south. And funny thing, the Dallas Federal Reserve just published a survey last month indicating... A sausage vest. A sausage fest, yeah. Basically, America is eating more sausage than ever. Yeah, yeah. And that's not a good thing. Yeah, it's not good for your arteries, but it's actually even worse for our money. system. Nobody likes a sausage fest, especially an economist. Now, Jack, what is the economic

reason why nobody likes a sausage fest? Because sausage is the bottom tier, bottom shelf meat. Okay, Jack, there may be some sausages listening, so you don't want to offend anyone here, right? The truth is, if you're buying more sausage, it's probably because you're trying to save money. Sausage is a substitute food. So if you're going for the Broughtwurst, if you're going for the weeners out there, that means you're not upgrading to the rib-eyes, are you? More sausage sales is probably a signal that consumers are feeling pinched in the grocery aisle. Now, yet is Jack and I find the Sausage Fest Index, as we call it, to be fascinating? But it's actually one of many non-traditional economic indicators that we've mentioned on the pot. For example, the Big Mac Index.

That's a famous alternative economic indicator taught at universities across the world. The Big Mac Index. I think the Economist magazine invented this, Jack. And can you whip it up fast food style for us? The price of a Big Mac. in the local currency of that country is a sign of that country's purchasing power. Okay, so that's for like comparing different economies. But Jack, what about the lipstick index here in America's economy? Lipstick is a cheap form of makeup. It's considered an affordable splurge.

So more lipstick sales could actually be a sign of economic weakness. That's coming from a guy with a 42-step skincare routine. If you bought a $3 elf beauty lipstick, then that might be because you didn't buy a $30 cute top at Abercrombie. Let's turn to the Dinner and a Movie Index, which is a signal of consumer confidence. Because Yetis, if you're going out on a date as a couple of dinks and spending on entertainment,

you must be feeling good about your earnings. So box office numbers can be a sign of a strengthening economy. Now, Yeties, Jack and I happen to have saved the best for last, because our favorite economic indicator happens to be the jockey's index. How much underwear are men buying?

That's the jockey index. Men, in fact, in case you don't know, can continue to wear underwear long after their useful life has expired. Jerry Seinfeld had a great stand-up bit about this. Men will keep wearing underwear until they open the window and they just blow out the window as dust. If men are wearing haines with six holes in them, then that's a bad sign for the economy. The more underwear men are buying, the better they must be feeling about the economy. If your dude's got a clean pair of J-Crew boxers, stocks, we're probably at an all-time high.

There's also one more index, Jack and I call the succulent index, but, That's a story for another pod. In the meantime, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies in the sausage vest? When it comes to the economy, the data is losing. Emotions are winning. Yeties, at last night's presidential debate, Kamala Harris talked a lot about economic data, while Donald Trump talked a lot about economic emotions.

The data is what the Fed has historically focused on. But maybe that needs to change. Maybe it needs to change because U.S. data looks really. good right now, especially when you compare us to our peer countries. The United States has the best economic growth, the lowest inflation, and the best employment rate of all the major developed economies. Okay, but here's the problem. That's not what people are feeling. What people are feeling is a vibe session. So if it's the Fed's job to measure the economy and the data is not connecting with people's reality, then what are new points of data that can square this

economic circle. Like maybe these non-traditional indicators should get more attention. Maybe we need vibe data. Like sausage, lipstick, and boxer briefs. Exactly. Because when it comes to the economy, right now the data is losing and emotions are winning. For our second story, Ford had just filed a patent to put commercials in your cars. Sounds awful, doesn't it? But it might actually be the best advertising plan we've ever heard of. Ever heard literally. Now, yeties, Jack and I should share a little secret with you. You know, Jack and I, we actually, we know how to predict the future, don't we, Jack? We can tell what the company is going to do next. So what is Jack's and my crystal ball for predicting the business future? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where every company submits their design

for their next big thing. And Jack, what is the Ford Motor Company's new? And Jack, what is the Ford Motor Company's newest patent application? An in-vehicle advertising system. We repeat Yeti's patent application number 0289-8441A. Commercials in cars. Ford Motor Company is going to use your speed, your GPS location, and audio signals within the vehicle. Like whether you're talking to someone else or you're driving silently alone. In order to target you with a advertisement.

Now, one sec, Jack, we should pump the brakes here. we should issue a disclaimer. Because just because Ford filed a patent doesn't mean Ford is actually going to do this. Just because they can doesn't mean they will. And to quote Jurassic Park, just because you could doesn't mean you should. Right. Jeff Goldbeau.

If you know, you know. But some people at Ford are at least thinking about merging their car business model with a media business model. And he's 20 bucks a month discount on your lease if you accept ads inside your car. Can't borrow mom's password for that one. One sec, Jack.

Yeah. My Ford Fusion's trying to sell me a Pepsi. I don't know what to do. But yet,ies, we've warned you about this before. You could have seen this coming because where there are eyeballs, there will eventually be ads. That's what Jack and I've said as a takeaway before. And Ford sells 4 million new cars every single year. That's a lot of eyeballs and a lot of ears in those cars.

That is a revenue opportunity. But besties, sit down, stand up, and buckle up. Because if you're freaking out now, you're really going to freak out in about 15 seconds. Because according to this patent, Ford will listen to you in the car so that they can offer you an ad that's super specifically relevant to you. All right, Jack, we got to whip up an example for the besties out there. Let's say you and your co-pilot in the front seat are not sure where to get dinner at the mall. You've been talking about it the whole drive over. Well, then your Ford car may prompt you with the sound of, you've arrived at the mall.

Chili's has happy hour until 5 p.m. half-priced margaritas. How did they know we wanted margaritos? Hey, honey, I'm freaking out right now. Yet is this car, just like your TV or your iPhone or another hardware platform, it has data on your life. Yes, it does. And they could use that data like Zuck does to offer you uncomfortably accurately targeted ads. Like, your destination is two hours away. Consider gassing up at ExxonMobil, which is offering 10 cents off gas right now.

Or make a ride on Broadway next to the delicious Trader Joe's look. Or you've arrived at your home. Looks like your home needs a new Benjamin Moore paint coating. You know, when the ads start judging you, Jack, I think that's where we got to draw the line. You know what I mean? GPS's not working. You should walk there instead. I'll exercise when I want to, Ford F-150.

My tires are literally losing air. It's Ford Fiesta just got a lot less fun. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Ford? Ford could teach the entire advertising industry how to read the room. Now, yeties, the last thing Ford wants is for you to hate Ford because of these ads. The extra revenue wouldn't be worth the hit to their brand. So if Ford launches in-car ads, it would actually read the room to annoy you as little as possible. According to the details of the patent application, Ford would notice signs of your irritation, like you yelling obscenities every time an ad begins.

And then it would try a new way to deliver you an ad that is less annoying. And interestingly, Ford would notice positive indicators. Like if you tapped a button to learn more on the screen about an ad, then it would show you more ads like that ad. It's like, oh, they must not mind visual ads on the screen there. So in a way we've never seen before, this Ford advertising system would be considerate. Like, if you're in a conversation, apparently it won't interrupt you. It'll wait for the conversation to end before playing the audio ad in the car.

So Ford's technology plans to balance revenue with irritation. They're going to adapt the ads to annoy you as little as possible. And Jack and I think that the advertising industry could take a lesson on ads from Ford Motor Company. Ford might be the first media company that reads the room. Or at least read the chassis. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story. The fastest growing app for Hindus just raised venture capital money.

It's called Sri Mandeer, and it shows the demand of the diaspora. Now, yeties, the next time you're at the end of yoga class lying in Shavasana, meditate on this. You are practicing something that began as a Hindu philosophy. Hinduism, one of the oldest religions in the world, actually 4,000 years old. It is a multi-deity religion, which means there's a whole gaggle of gods and goddesses that you can worship. Karma? Yeah, that's a Hindu philosophy right there. Basically the law of cause and effect. Your actions affect your fate. That's something we can all subscribe to. Well, Jack and I were fascinated because it's not often that a predominantly Indian religion is on the first slide of a pitch deck. But it was

with Srimandir, an app used by 30 million Hindus and it's growing 30% in size each month. That's some serious growth yeties. And it's not just the growth because Srimandir just raised 20 million dollars in venture capital money. So we jumped in religiously, T-boy style, to the Srimandir business. Now, Jack, as we jumped in, we should point out, what does this Hindu religious app actually do? What does any religious app actually do? They offer believers custom videos and prayers from 50 different Hindu temples. You can complete a last-minute Hindu prayer to Ganesh before a big life event, like taking the SAT. And the app will guide you through that prayer. But the biggest surprise about this Hindu app was actually its financials. Because this app has so much money going through it. It's

basically a payments app. Turns out a big part of Srimandir's business is actually giving Indians outside of India a digital place to worship. And those Indians outside of India spend on average $100 a month on this app. That is big money. Yetis, that is $1,200 a year spent on this one single app. And those users donate too. The average Hindu priest, that's on this app makes 30% more in digital donations than those not on this app. Now, interestingly, 95% of the users of the Srimandir app reside within India. But the majority of their revenues come from that tiny 5% of the user base that's outside of India.

That was the surprise. And again, they spent $1,200 a year on the app. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our Hindu buddies over at Srimandir? This Hindu app shows the power of diaspora dynamics. It is every company who wants to build a community. Engage a community. Reach a community. Well, there's one type of person that craves community most, and that's members of a diaspora.

A diaspora. People who have been dispersed across the world away from their homeland. That is a diaspora. Like Hindu Indians living in America, of which there are many. Well, multiple studies from the IMF, McKinsey, the World Bank, They show that diaspras do more than just send money home to their old communities. They're also willing to pay big bucks for products that make them feel like they're at home. They're willing to pay more and they're more enthusiastic.

Honestly, just look at your local sports bar. University of Michigan alumni in New York City, they'll take three subway lines to reach that one Michigan bar to watch the game. Those University of Michigan alums, they're a diaspora too, aren't they, Jack? Yeah, they are. There's Michigan alums everywhere. that New York City, Michigan Bar of Diaspora Michigan Alums, it's the most enthusiastic bar in the city on any Saturday afternoon. And it's the same with Srimandir, which gets way higher spending from Hindus outside of India than Hindus inside of India. This Hindu app just showed us the power of diaspora dynamics. Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us over there? The sausage fest

index is a non-traditional data that shows that consumers are feeling pinched. When it comes to the economy, the data is losing and emotions are winning. So we may need vibe data. For our second story, Ford Motor Company just filed a patent to present audio and video ads inside the car. On top of the ads you already hear on the radio, yet his Ford's plan could teach the ad industry a little something, how to read the room. And our third and final story is Sri Mandir. It's an app that gives Hindus a digital place of worship. And it shows the power of diaspora dynamics. Yetis, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, just as Apple was launching their iPhone 16, Huawei launched their first ever tri phone over in China. Triphone, first of its name.

You know, this triphone is actually a normal-sized phone, or it can be opened into a mini tablet, or it can be opened again into a full-sized tablet. It's a trifone. There's three ways to use this thing with three different kinds of screens. Tri-Fi phone actually hits store as September 20th the same day as the Apple iPhone 16. Again, it's not an iPhone. It's a tri-phone. And second, Bank of America is increasing their minimum wage to 24 bucks an hour, which includes for bank tellers and call center workers. That means that the starting salary at Bank of America is nearly 50 grand. Bank of America thinks of this not as a cost, but as an investment. That's nearly, what, three times the minimum wage nationwide, Jack? They think that the high salary will increase retention, lower turnover costs, and increase the quality of the banking experience. And finally, SpaceX just launched its biggest human space event ever, the Polaris mission.

This five-day mission took off successfully yesterday, and it includes the first ever commercial space block. And now here's the key. These are non-NASA astronauts who are getting out of the space shuttle and then moving around in space in their spacesuits. They're not professional astronauts. And it's just going to be them in their spacesuits, leashed to the spacecraft, I think. One of the astronauts is a billionaire who's funding the whole mission, and all of them want to one day go to Mars. Which will cost trillions, not billions. And again, sounds really dry. What, Mars?

Yeah, I mean, I feel like there's a lot here on Earth. You're worried about Mars' dryness? More of the humidity guy, Jack. Now, time for the best fact yet, which is actually correction sent in from our buddy, Justin Johnson, in Belvedere, Illinois. Yesterday we mentioned that Michael Jordan still hasn't sold his mansion that's just outside of Chicago. When we said the price was just cut from nearly $30 million to $15 million. Here's the correction. It wasn't recently cut the price.

The price was actually cut nine years ago and Michael just won't budge. He's in no hurry to sell. Apparently he's not dropping the price. He's like interest rates. He dropped it once. He's not dropping it again. Also, interesting little side fact here. Yesterday on the pod, we mentioned Michael Jordan and Gatorade in separate.

stories. Well, Michael Jordan actually left Coca-Cola to be Gatorade's first athlete endorsement in 1991. And that Jordan Gatorade relationship lasted for 23 years. Remember the ads where he was all sweaty, but it was like lemon lime sweat? Jack, when wasn't Michael Jordan sweaty? And I don't think he ever did an old spice ad. No, get this guy a towel, not a Gatorade. Sweating because his house won't sell. Yeties, you look fantastic today. Now, Jack, can I just share with you actually one memory I have from September 12th and onwards, actually, from that year. Okay, on my way to school after the September 11th attacks, people started taking American flags out.

And I remember I started counting how many flags there were on my way to school on the school bus every morning or on the subway. And every day, I counted over 100 flags for the entire school year. Really? Every day saw those flags. And I think it was the most united, the most proud, and kind of maybe one of the coolest moments I'd ever experienced was that response. Yeah.

I remember when my dad put an American flag sticker on our dodged orango back in the day. It did feel like a special moment. It was special for the entire country to come together in that way. And that's one positive feeling. On that fantastic final note, Yeti's Nick and I'll see tomorrow. And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti Robert Dockstader from Centennial Park, Arizona, dry here. And happy birthday to Maximilian Atienza in Chesapeake, Virginia. And Sasty Singh is celebrating a birthday over in Queens.

Happy 35 to Brian Wisniewski in Detroit, Michigan. And Mary Kramer in Syracuse, New York isn't just feeling orange. She's feeling fantastic. Mary is a bestie to a longtime Yeti who happens to also be her husband. Celebrating a birthday. And to everyone out there who wants a shout out on the pod, you can submit a birthday, a workversary, uh, You just got a puppy. We will get it on the pod. We've got a form in today's episode description.

Hit us up. See you on the show. And to anyone else celebrating something today, making a tea boy. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. I own stock of Abercrombie and Fitch and Ford, and Nick and I both own stock of Apple.