The Best One Yet - 🤯 “They know your SSN…” — Cloaked’s crazy phone number. Apple’s AI iPhone. Electrolytes’ drinks surge.

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

Apple just unveiled the iPhone 16… But it’s really an iCamera.If you call 855.752.5625, they’ll tell you your social security number… that they found on the dark web.The electrolyte drink industry is surging… because Gatorade lost the Innovator’s Dilemma.Plus, South Korea is selling more strollers for dogs than they are for babies.$AAPL $PEP $SPYCloaked freaky phone number: 855.752.5625Our coverage of the June Apple event on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-one-yet/id1386234384?i=1000658551275And on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/28xjWGmi3AC6jq6deCqrJy?si=cf30592624ed4b9e—-----------------------------------------------------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.

I'm going to throw a second, right? Let me know if it works. It's not going to work. Three, two. This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Tuesday, T-Boy. Tuesday is September 10th. 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, what do you think? Should we just say it? Let's just say who our special guest is for our Seattle Hotline show. Let's just say it. The surprise. Tori? It's Tori. Yeah, we got Tori coming. Yet he's Tori does. laugh is our surprise guest for our live hotline show in Seattle. The financial feminist herself. We are joining her in her home city of Seattle. She's got a legendary book, a legendary podcast. It's all called her first 100K. She's in fantastic. We're going to have her on the show. She turned like 50 bucks into a

million bucks. So yeah, she's got some insights to share. It's going to be the best one yet. In the meantime, though, Jack, we got three fantastic stories for today's show. What do we got, man? For our first story, Apple. Apple just held their once a year. year iPhone event where they showed us the iPhone 16. Now we expected to see the first AI iPhone, but what we actually got was something else. For our second story, if you call this particular phone number, something wild will happen. Yeah. They will tell you one of the most protected secrets of your identity. This is the wild story about the phone number that has your social security number. For our third and final story, one beverage segment is surging more than any other right

Now, Electrolites. Electrolites. Barcode, element, and a whole bunch of other brands have figured out how to beat Gatorade on their own turf. But Yeties, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Fantastic mix of stories. No one else is doing this mix today, Jack. Last spring, one of our most popular podcast episodes was about Japan's diaper drama. Japan's diaper drama, because Japan's diaper companies are now selling more adult diapers than they're selling baby diapers. It's a wild twist on the major demographic trends happening in developing economies. More people are aging, fewer people are having babies.

But the latest twist involves babies and puppies. South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world, and yet South Korea has the highest pooch rate in the world. Koreans are having fewer babies, but more puppies than ever. Korea is having fewer coochooos and more shih Tzu's. Well, this economic contrast between big babies. babies and puppies is playing out in a wild way. And that wild way is dog strollers. It's a major trend you'll see on the sidewalks of South Korea. Yeah, like picture a bassinet on wheels for a basset hound. You're not putting baby bit in the stroller. You're putting your baby beagle in one.

South Korea is selling more strollers for puppies than strollers for babies. I've never seen a stroller for a puppy before. You got to spend more time with me in San Francisco, Jack. In fact, Dog stroller sales have now quadrupled in South Korea since 2019. Why are we putting dogs in strollers, though? Dogs love to walk. Why don't we just let them walk on a leash? That's true. You do take your dog for a walk.

You do you think that'd be fun to do. It's not a stroller. It's like a rolling prison for dogs who wish they were walking on the street instead. I mean, Jack, on the other hand, have you ever walked around on four legs for the entire day? That's exhausting, man. I think this is inhumane. Sounds like a spa day to me, Jack. Feels like we got to ask a few of those chit-suits.

Yeah, it is. The population slowdown. It's having a major and unexpected impact on society. Including this one, the puppy stroller. Jack, yeah, let's in our three stories. 15 years before this song, two boys from the Northeast met in the dorm. 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. 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. First, a quick word from our sponsor. Our first story, Apple, just unveiled the 16th iPhone. Or is they saying, Game of Thrones, the iPhone, the 16th of her name. Well, we all expected the AI iPhone, but what we got was the iCamera, eye camera. Now, yet he's back in June, Apple launched AI, as in not artificial intelligence, Apple intelligence. We linked in our episode description, our coverage of that big Apple AI event in June. So three months later, yesterday in September, we all expected

the latest iPhone to be all about AI features. We expected the first AI iPhone. But Apple told this yesterday, the AI is not ready. Yeah, it's not quite ready yet. Instead, Apple showed off how AI would enhance the iPhone, but this was not unlike we all expected, an AI iPhone. Apple.com even says right now that Apple intelligence will not be available until the fall. And even then, it's only available in beta version and only in English. And now, Jack, what's one reason why Apple may not have gone full Apple intelligence on the new iPhone? According to a new marketing study, people aren't into AI marketing yet.

According to the Journal of Hospitality, AI powered in a product description actually lowers the customer's intent to buy that product. Like, apparently we haven't had great experience of the AI lately. We're a little sus. But either way, the focus of this new iPhone wasn't on AI. It was actually on something else. We'll get to that in a second. But first, we should quickly tell you about all of Apple's other products because they got updated too. Yeah, you know, the iPhone is only 50% of Apple sales. So 50% of the big Apple event was on non-Iphone products. And shocker, Apple announced that every one of those products is going to be a little bit bigger, a little bit higher definition, and yet somehow lighter and thinner.

Yeah, at the same time. Every year. Jack, let's jump in T. Boystown. What are some examples here? Apple's AirPods Pro's two can now conduct a hearing test. And if it determines that you don't hear that well, it can act as an OTC hearing aid. So your Apple AirPods pros in your ears could act as a physical hearing aid without going to the doctor. Another health element came with the latest Apple Watch, which is the tenth of its name. Like what you did there. The newest Apple Watch can actually hear you snoring. And then it can detect signs of sleep apnea based on your and you're a and I'll send you an email and be like, hey, you might want to see a medical professional, not just because your spouse hates your snoring. Apple, as we've said, thinks that it's Dr. Apple. I'm sorry, Dr. Cook. And finally, the AirPods max, which are like $550, the over-the-ear headphones ones. Oh, those are big. They come in creamsicle.

What a lovely color. We've been saying for years, we need a softer palette. But yet is, we know what you're thinking. We were wondering it too. If the AI iPhone wasn't really an AI iPhone, what exactly was it, Jack? It was something else. Yeah. And here it is.

It's our takeaway. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies over at Apple? It's not the AI phone yet. What we got yesterday is the eye camera. Now, yeah, it is, Apple themed this product launch event. to be a glow-up. But the iPhone actually got plastic surgery. Because the biggest updates to the iPhone were physical. Yeah, they were physical. There's a big new physical button on the side of the iPhone 16. That's all about the camera. Below the power button is now a physical camera control button. That can be

touched, it can be swiped, and it can be tapped. It now lets you pull out your phone and snap a picture immediately. Yeah. You don't need to unlock your phone or use the touchscreen to use your camera. In fact, you can now point the iPhone camera at a restaurant and it will let you make a reservation at that restaurant because it'll look it up for you. Or you can point that camera at a dog and will tell you which breed of terrier that dog is. Even if that dog is in a stroller. So the way we see it, Apple's positioning the camera as the star because the camera really is the star. Cameras are what sell iPhones these days. Yeah, the average iPhone sold is closing in at a price of like a thousand.

which is $200 more than your standard iPhone. That's proof that Apple is upselling the typical buyer to the pro version. And why would someone want the pro version of the iPhone, Jack? Because the iPhone pro has such a good camera. So yeties, maybe next year, the iPhone 17 will grace us as the AI iPhone first of her name. But right now, it's really the eye camera. For our second story, this one's wild. There is a new startup. that found your social security number on the dark web. The name of the company is cloaked. Yes.

And they have the wildest marketing strategy of the year. Yeties, pause the pod. Put down what you're doing and call this very specific phone number. You're going to need to sit down. It's 855752-5625. Jack, why don't you repeat it one more time for the besties out there? 855-752-5625. All right, we'll let you hit that up, Yeti's.

Here's what's going to happen. Talk to me, Jack. There's going to be a voice on the other end of the line, and they're going to say your full name, they're going to say your home address. And then they're going to say your social security number. What? Yes, sit down, stand up, and freak out again, Jack. They're actually only going to say the first three digits of your social, because it'd be reckless to say the whole thing on the call.

But still, you know, we tried it, and I heard s- and they were right. Jack. Somehow, the people behind this number know your social security number just from your phone number. Now, yet he's, Jack and I jumped in T-boy style. We called the second time, but it only worked once. For security reasons,

they only let you do it once. They actually say on the call, this message will self-destruct after you call it the first time. Which made it even scarier. It sounded more legit, actually. Yeah, but still, add it all up, and a mysterious number knows your most intimate, your most private,

your most personal financial data? Just because they have the phone number you're calling from. I mean, it's like Ron Burgundy and Anchorman. I'm not even mad. I'm just impressed, Jack. And if you want to hear your social security number spoken on a phone, we put the number in the episode description. Send it to your buddies, scare him a bit. Jack, I dropped it in my family text chain. My father-in-law, I think he called a lawyer afterwards. I'm like afraid to call it. I know you are. But Jack, can I tell you how I felt when I called it the first time? You ready? I felt confused. I felt violated. I felt surprised. I felt shocked. And then you shared it with me. I shared it with everyone I know. Yeties this privacy violation has turned into a party trick. And that's the point. Yes. Because this is a business. The company owning that phone number is a startup called cloaked. Yeah, cloaked. They are a personal security company that protects your private information. They're based in Boston. They've raised $25 million in venture capital. And after people, hear that they found your number on the dark web? Yes. And you realize how exposed you are? Yes.

You sign up for their service to protect your personal identity. Yes. Although I should point out their base just outside Boston check. And since launching this mysterious phone number, their business has begun to surge. Because in the first 24 hours of launching this phone number, they got 700 calls and the number of users on cloaked doubled. Then they used that venture capital money to get a billboard in Times Square. They said, call this number and you'll hear your Social Security number. The business surged. Because when they posted the number in Times Square, their user growth grew by 10x. We call it the Alice and Wonderland strategy. Yes, we do. They're using mystery as marketing. Because that phone number, it's like a rabbit hole,

isn't it, Jack? And like Alice, you have to go down it. And when you see it, you start paying $9.99 you are hooked like a rabbit. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our business? And you are hooked like a rabbit. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies with the mysterious social security phone number over at Cloaked? Advertising is really vibrational. It all comes down to a feeling. Now, Yetis, if Cloaked had done a typical ad or billboard saying, your social security number is exposed, let us protect you, you'd probably ignore that ad. Instead, they designed an experienced that forced you to feel a strong emotion. So Besties, Cloaked, they didn't connect.

convert 10 times more users by just pitching a product, they did it by eliciting a feeling. They're a case study that the best marketing, it's about a feeling, not the product. The best advertising is really vibe advertising. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, H2O just isn't enough anymore. We're looking at the boom of a new segment, electrolyte-infused water brands. Salty powders. Gatorades for the taking, but Gatorade let that industry slip through its hands.

Yeah, it is funny thing. The fastest growing beverage in America is not a beverage at all. It's an ion. You first heard about electrolytes that one time you had diarrhea as a kid. And what was that, Jack? Your mom hooked you up with pediolite. Yeah, it is pediolite. It is as dense as the Mediterranean Sea with electrolytes to rebalance your fluids when you were a little baby.

Funny thing, though, pediolite is also used to treat hangovers. but the company was uncomfortable marketing as such. That's right. PedyLite actually had an opportunity to promote and position the product for like college students, but they didn't want to touch that segment, did they, Jack? They did. So they left the door open to someone who would touch that segment. And with all that demand for hydration among drinking college students,

Liquid IV jumped into the market in 2012. Liquid IV put the hydration that you sweat it off on the dance floor directly back into your body. Our body, Timmy, was a power user, and Liquid IV took electrolyte drinks to the next level. But in recent years, the marketing of these electrolyte drinks has shifted. The industry of electrolyte drinks has gone from the dance floor to the daily routine. From hangovers to just something you sip in the morning. To just hang it out, Jack?

Yeah, just hang it out. Sherwood actually found four startups that have all raised major money and received major traction just by selling salty powder drink subscriptions. First is barcode, a new bottled drink that just raised $100 million in venture capital money. Yes, they do. Then there's electrolyte, which is selling $400 million of pretty much the same product already. But Jack, it's not just those two, because Elements saw their sales triple last year to $200 million, and Liquid Ivy is still advertising electrolyte waters on a podcast near you. promo code T-boy. I don't think that's going to work. Yeah, we're not sponsored by them, but like, odds are some podcast has some promo code for some electrolyte water.

Like Logan Paul, who actually has his own functional water brand called Prime. And Leonel Messi, who also has his own water brand called Moss Plus. Now, part of this electrolyte water trend is the container. Yeah, exactly, because these electrolyte startups are piggybacking off of the Tumblr trend. Because you bought that huge Stanley Tumblr mug, you want to fill it each night with electrolyte powder. What Jack and I were saying is that Stanley crawled so that element could run. But the real trend driver is a lifestyle shift among young people to prioritizing their health and wellness. You're not going out as late with coworkers for drinks, are you, Jack?

You're salt cycling with coworkers or doing yoga. And then you're in bed by 8 o'clock. Sipping that huge Stanley tumbler. Hey, boss, we finalized the deal between push-ups at Barry's boot camp while drinking 42 ounces of AG1. hydration. It's a passion of mine. Stick it in the Stanley Tumblr. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at the electrolyte water industry?

Gatorade failed. The Innovators Dilemma. Yeties, let's go back to 1965. The University of Florida realized that gators were losing more than just water when they sweat on the football field. So the UF scientists invented this category. They did.

They also heaped in spoons of sugar to each Gatorade bottle, though. Now, Gatorade could have preached the power of salt and sold a no-sugar electrolyte salt packet direct-to-consumer on podcast like all those other startups we just mentioned. And with Gatorade's marketing might, they easily could have won this category. But that could have impacted sales of their flagship product, the full sugar bottled Gatorade. So Gatorade didn't do it. New entrance jumped in and Gatorade's market share fell. Now, in 2021, Gatorade did launch a Gator Lite, a liquid IV copy cat. And Gatorade does now sell

electrolyte water in a bottle. But Gatorade is now chasing the trend that they were perfectly positioned to lead. They're chasing what they could have led. Because Gatorade was too afraid to disrupt itself. Gatorade failed the innovator's dilemma.

Jack, can you whip up the takeaways for us for T-Boy Tuesday? Apple's iPhone 16 starts at 800 bucks. And beta AI features don't come until a software update in the fall. ain't the AI iPhone quite yet. This is an eye camera. For our second story, cloaked is the cyber security startup that will terrify you because they found your social security number. I know your number. We'll

put it in the description. Yeties, remember, you're not selling a product, you're selling a feeling. The best advertising is really vibevertising. And our third and final story is an eye on. Electrolite drinks are everywhere. Startups, though, are dominating the category. Because Gatorade failed the innovator's dilemma. But Yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. It is debate night in America. The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is tonight.

Nine o'clock in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center. It'll be televised on ABC. The moderators are David Meir and Lindsay Davis. The polls are neck and neck, especially in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. And second, a happy first day of work to the new start. Starbucks CEO Brian Nicol. Brian was previously the CEO of Chipotle. And before that, he was the CEO of Taco Bell.

Yeti's Starbucks stock was down 20% this year as sales slowed and wait times rose. But guess what? The stock has jumped 20% just because this new guy, the turnaround expert, is on board now. And finally, Michael Jordan is tired of no one buying his house. So he just cut the price in half, Jack. He can now jump in. When Michael Jordan played for the Bulls, he had a mansion just outside Chicago. Yes. And he's been trying to sell it for 12 years, but no one's buying. So Michael Jordan just slashed the price from $29 million to $15 million, basically cut it in half.

One issue with the home. Yeah. The number 23 is built into the mansion. Yeah, it's kind of a problem. You have to love 23. Like, 23's on the gate. It's on the garden. It's imprinted on the bathrooms. I heard there's 23 bathrooms. For $15 million, there better be 23 bathrooms. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack and me because the debate is in Philadelphia. So Jack and I were just talking about Philadelphia. Here's the interesting thing about Philadelphia. Philadelphia has the most B-Y-O restaurants in the country. Bring your own wine? Bring your own alcohol to the restaurants.

I know. Isn't that amazing? I wonder why Philadelphia. Well, Philadelphia has over 300 B-Y-O restaurants. And the reason is that Pennsylvania has highly restraints. of liquor licenses. So because they make it really hard to get a liquor license, they make it very easy to let restaurants do B.YO alcohol, bring your own alcohol. It's such a good deal. I mean, it is extremely tasty and it's a lot cheaper when you bring your own reds. But make sure to tip the waiter extra. Yeah. If you bring your own bottle.

Yeties, you look fantastic for T-Boy Tuesday. And remember, if you see a Rottweiler going around in a carriage one of these days, take a pick and send it to us a T-boy pod. We want to see these puppies getting pampered. I've never seen a dog stroller. I still think it's inhumane. All right, well, you walk around on four legs all day and you tell us if you need a stroller, Jack.

Yet is Nick and I. We'll see you tomorrow. H-Y-H-T-B-O-I. Have you heard the best one yet? That's how we grow the show. And Jack and I, we'll see you tomorrow. And before we go, congratulations to legendary Yetis, Nick and Martha Kramer.

Jack, what's the big birthday? My brother and my sister-in-law just had twins. Double that diaper subscription, Jack. These are grandchildren number seven and number eight. Nick, congrats and going nuclear with the family. And happy birthday to Emma Gardner, the legendary Yeti in Louisville, Kentucky, who is definitely popping some champagne. Happy 31st birthday to Kara and Barada in Savannah, Georgia. And Jonathan Campos is turning a lovely 37 in Montclair, California, having dinner chats about T-boy facts as we say.

speak jack happy pizza pool party birthday to elicid newbauer in houston texas and hardik vora in santa clara california has got the best birthday yet happy birthday to jose balindria perez who's turning forty four in in milwaukee and he's getting one step closer to u.s citizenship we can't wait till you get to celebrate it joseph and happy 25th birthday to matt heard in dallas texas who's celebrating with some moscow and an apple vision pro and scott loress down in scotsdale arizona the oj G. Scotia Scots has got two baby bunnies, caramel garlic and bobca. And congratulations to Kyle Haberman in Exton, Pennsylvania for two years of marriage. Congratulations, guys. Celebrate that win.

And to anyone else, celebrating something today, make it a tea boy. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack, Nick and I both on stock of Chipotle and Apple.