The Best One Yet - 💫 “Viva La Profits” — Coldplay’s record-breaking tour. Coke’s Mexican Coke. Cetaphil’s AI skin hack.

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Coldplay is now the #2 highest-grossing concert tour ever… their concerts manufacture virality.Coca-Cola is launching coke w/ cane sugar instead of corn syrup… it could be “Luxury Coke”Cetaphil has given their website a makeover… because chatbots read websites, not people.As Shark Week goes full hammerhead, sharks are at all time highs…$KO $SPOT $SPYWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… Pokemon 🐲Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.TBOY Live Show Tickets to Chicago on sale NOW: https://www.axs.com/events/949346/the-best-one-yet-podcast-ticketsAbout Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, TBOY Lite is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts NEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ Our 2nd show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Wednesday, July 23rd. 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. Yeties, Jack and I just finished the walkthrough of our Chicago live show. We're recording, we're backstage right now. We are backstage. Look at this, Jack. We're at the Vic Theater in Chicago, built in 1912, Nick. Classic. This place is historic. Older than regularly. We got the live show tonight, so we wanted to get used to it for this preview.

And now last second, Sally's tickets are still available, so you can snag them right now. We've got a link in the episode description. We'll see you on stage in Chicago tonight. But Jack, before we do, I got one surprise for you. What? Do you know what we're going to be wearing on stage? Get this. You ready?

I don't know what this is. I know, I know. Oh. Look at the back. Oh! Chicago Cubs jersey. I like the Yankees, pinstripes more, but this looks good. With the best one yet.

on the back. Wow. Jack, guess what I'm going to be wearing? Oh, Chicago White Sox jersey. I'm so glad you got me the Cubs. I thought you'd want Cubs. I do want the Cubs. White Sox's a little more fashionable.

The Pope's a white socks fan. But Jack, we've got three fantastic stories for today's pod. What do we got in the T-Boy? For our first story, President Trump asked Coca-Cola to change the recipe to cane sugar. So they did. But Coke's new soda made us discover the wild business story of Mexican Coke. For our second story, Coldplay's viral kiss cam affair made the headlines. But can we talk about Coldplay?

Can we please talk about Coldplay, Jack? Because Coldplay's tour is now the most lucrative rock concert in history. And we'll tell you how. Yes, we will. And our third and final story. The skincare brand Cetafil is doing a complete makeover. Is it Cetafil? Not of its face of its websites.

Why A.I. That's why. Because websites aren't read by people anymore. They're read by. chatbots. But yeties, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Fantastic mix of stories. The funny thing, Jack, really big year for sharks. Yeah. Bitcoin's at an all-time high. Stocks just hitting all-time high. And sharks have too. The Great White, the basking, the hammerhead. Is it just me? My Instagram feed is full of like real-life shark videos being too close to the beach.

Not just you, Jack. 2025 has been the biggest year for sharks since the mega-ladon. Now, of course, it is Shark Week this week. Which should be a national. holiday for all those who celebrate. Which we do. And nothing boosts GDP quite like a shark-nato viewing party. But seriously, the 2025 shark surge is creating an economic boom. First, we had the 50th anniversary of the movie Jaws. They relaunch the film in theaters, Martha's Vineyard, the hotels were sold out. Then, as per my Instagram feed, we're seeing record numbers of shark sightings. Including the biggest great white ever tagged, spotted 50 miles off of Nantucket. Even the San Jose Sharks hockey team are setting records.

Yeah, San Jose's longest losing streak in hockey history. But Nick, Shark Week, the TV series, it's also setting records too. Talk to me, Jack. Last year, Shark Week had 25 million viewers, which is a record high. And there's actually a strategy

under the water for the Discovery Channel. Because, get this, Shark Week is strategically placed during the slowest season of the TV calendar. And did you hear the newest programming in Shark Week? Oh, this is too good.

You got to share it. Dancing with the Sharks. How did they come over this? Real show. Dancing with the Sharks. Real ratings booster. At this point, sharks should be added to the S&P 500. It's not hot girl summer, Jack.

It's hot, Finn, summer. Wait a minute. Have you been hearing this? Oh, my God. Be careful. Where are you? Oh, my, uh-oh. Oh, God. Everybody get out of the water. Out of the arena.

Everybody! Out of the theater! No seals were hurt in the filming of this show. Let's enter our three stories. Fifteen 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 a 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, so just start the show. Start the show.

First, a quick word from our sponsor. For our first story, Coca-Cola confirmed it will launch a new Coke made with real cane sugar, just as the president requested. I mean, demand it. I mean, requested. But Nick, this product already exists. It's called Mexican Coke, and it's got a wildly ironic story. Wait till you hear about Mexican Coke. But yet is, a thing Jack and I have learned about product launches from working in the tech industry is they are sacred, they're complex, they take years in the making.

Vanilla Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero. They were planned like royal weddings. But if the most powerful person in the world, who controls nuclear weapons, requests a certain flavor... You do the plan faster. You speed up the plan. And last week, Trump posted that he asked Coke to pursue a Coke made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Yeah, this kind of fits with RFK Jr.'s natural ingredient maha push right now. Now, the state of Iowa was not happy with this idea from the president at all. No, they were not.

Because Coca-Cola uses high fructose corn syrup. Thousands of jobs in Iowa, Illinois, a bunch of other states depend on corn. And Coke was silent about this until one week later. On Tuesday, Coca-Cola confirmed it. Here's the news this fall. Coke will launch a new Coke, Sweden with U.S. grown cane sugar. Now, we should clarify, the old Coke with high-fructose corn syrup, that's still going to be on the shelves. They're just adding a new product that will have cane sugar as an option.

And we also should clarify that both of these options are very unhealthy. Oh, yeah. High-furtose corn syrup, cane sugar, it's the same thing. Glucose and fructose. Yeah, nutritionists say it's basically the same calories gram for grams. So real sugar Coke is not healthy. healthier per se, although it is less processed. But here's what Jack and I found fascinating about this story.

Cain sugar Coke already exists. In fact, it has a bunch of ironic plot twists that you will not believe. Yeah, Coke with cane sugar, that's Mexican Coke. It's Mexican Coke. Some call it Mexico. Yeah, basically, they've been serving Coke the same way south of the border for a century with pure cane sugar. But then in 1984, there was a split between U.S. Coke and Mexican Coke.

Because the United States introduced a corn subsidy, and what did that mean, Jack? It meant that corn was cheaper to produce than sugar. So Coke quietly switched Coke in the United States to high-fructose corn syrup instead of sugar. And here's a plot twist. At the same time, the United States introduced a tariff on Mexican-grown sugar. So for Coke, corn syrup switcheroo was a no-brainer for American Coke products. It was just cheaper to use high-fructose corn syrup in America, but stick with cane-sugar down. of Mexico. So the first ironic twist in the story is that Coke has two versions of

Coke because of a trade war in the 1980s. And what's the second ironic twist in the Mexican Coke story? I mean, Trump is deporting illegal Mexican immigrants right now, but he just asked Coca-Cola to make Mexican Coke for America. He didn't call it Mexican Coke, but he's asking for Mexican Coke babies. And the third ironic twist is that Mexican Coke is popular in the U.S. already. That's right. Coke already imports some of the cane sugar. stuff from its Mexican factories in limited quantities. And the result is that there's a cult following in America for Mexico. We tracked it.

Google searches for Mexican Coke have risen every single year for the last two decades. I've never seen a bottle before. It's kind of like Santa Barbara Searchant. It's like Mexican Coke. It's a thing. Well, it'll become easier this fall once domestic sugar cane Coke hits the shelves. Which leads to our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddy is over at Coca-Cola?

Coke should brand this real sugar Coke? Premium Coke. Yeties, the way Jack and I see it, Mexican Coke is actually Coca-Cola's most premium product, but Coca-Cola never realized it. First of all, it's the preferred flavor. The Washington Post did a survey, and it was the preferred flavor by five out of six tasters. It's more complex and sweeter. Second, it has a premium packaging. Mexican Coke comes in a thicker glass bottle, so it feels higher quality. Those two reasons are why people pay more for Mexican Coke. up to $2 a bottle more, actually. Okay, you want more evidence that Mexican Coke is a premium product? What do we discover, Jack?

The Michelin Star Restaurant chain, Momofuku, serves Mexican Coke on the menu. Like it says on the menu, Mexican Coke, like French champagne. Yeah, it ain't cheap. Now, Coca-Cola has not said whether this new flavor of Coke, the real sugar version, whether it will be pricier than the regular one, they also haven't said what it will be called. But if they wanted to, we think they could launch this as a premium product.

lean into the natural ingredients, the fancier bottle, the nostalgia vibes. We think real sugar coke could be positioned with a little bit of luxury. Our second story. Here's a headline about Coldplay that you haven't heard this week. Their current concert tour is the second highest grossing of all time. Because Coldplay's lead man, Chris Martin, is in the manufacturing industry. He manufactures memes. Full disclosure here.

Apparently this isn't a cool thing to say, but like both Jack and I have been to Coldplay concerts. Fix you actually broke me emotionally. Now, Coldplay's Kiss Cam outing a corporate affair. You saw that this week. It's still in the zeitgeist. Even your aunt offline knows about. It's about shame, Chadenfreude, Eat the Rich, and tech CEOs thinking that the rules they write don't apply to them. But Nick and I aren't going to wrap our arms around that store. No, not. What we're going to do instead is dive into the business of Coldplay.

Because Yeti's Coldplay's Sphers tour has passed every single concert ever in revenue, except the Erez tour. In 2022, Chris Martin and his bandmates began a three-year 225 set tour that wraps up this September. It's the Sphers Tour. And get the numbers. This thing has grossed $1.25 billion so far. Jack, could you sprinkle on some context, please? That's the number one concert tour ever for rock and roll, and it's number two all-time, only behind T. Swift. How about we compare that tour to Taylor Swift's tour?

So Taylor Swift did $2 billion in revenue in the ERIS tour, which is 60% more revenue than Coldplay on 25% fewer shows. So at the end of the day, yeah, Taylor is the bigger profit puppy. Taylor's the goat, but Coldplay hasn't gotten any attention for this epic tour. And we think they should. And you know what? Here are the top five concert tours all time by revenue in case you're interested. All you're interested in.

Taylor Swift is number one, Coldplay is number two, Elton John's number three. Ed Shearons number four. Number five, you too. But besties, if you look closely at Coldplay's concerts, you'll notice that they actually manufacture virality. In fact, Coldplay was founded before social media. They're from way back in 1997. But no band utilizes Instagram for a better ROI than Coldplay does.

And here's how they do it. Last January, at a concert in Singapore, Coldplay turned the fans in the stadium into the co-stars of the show. Chris Martin asked the arena to dim the lights and point the camera onto only two fans' faces. And then, Coldplay's lead man proceeded to serenade them, like a private song until the lovebirds kissed. He got right up against the microphone like this and was like, just singing like this. And when they did kiss, the crowd went nuts. Oh, and then the cam turned to some dude who, according to Chris Martin, looked really effing relaxed.

And here's the key. What he did was make the fans feel like they are part of the show, rather than just a attending the show. The typical concert is the fans looking at the artist. Right. But Coldplay has achieved the opposite, fans looking at other fans for at least part of the show. And Chris Martin is so good at it. Just remember what he said when that CEO was caught on the kiss cam at the concert in Boston. Yeah, he said either they're having an affair or they just really are really shy. Now, not every artist is willing to or capable of being that nimble with 80,000 fans looking at them. But Chris Martin is. And that is how this Gen Xer has been winning Gen Z, and we got

the receipts. So, Jack, lights will guide you to our takeaway. What's the takeaway for our buddies over at Colt Play? You can't manufacture a meme, but you can seed them. Yeties, every brand would kill for the attention Coldplay has gotten from this whole astronomer affair. The attention of the last week has driven five of Coldplay songs onto the Spotify top U.S. charts. But here's the funny thing. Chris Martin also went viral weeks earlier when he sang Sparks with the emotional strain of a man who is in the middle of a relationship breakup. That moment became a meme. It did.

It got 3 million views on TikTok. And then, Sparks broke the top 100 list for the first time in 25 years. So what's the learning here? Well, we think memes can't actually be manufactured. That's actually an oxymor. But they can be seeded by fostering unscripted, potentially awkward moments. When Coldplay's lead singer works, the crowd, 99% of the material does not go viral. But the 1% that does goes big.

He plants a lot of seeds with all those unscripted fan moments we were telling you about. And the 1% that blossoms into a meme ends up lining the band's pockets. So, Bastief, you can't manufacture. a meme, but you can cede them by inviting the unexpected. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, skincare brand Cetafil is a case study in the future of online marketing. Because Cetafil shoppers aren't Googling anymore.

They're chat-chip-teing. So the web is being rewritten for chatbots. Now, Yet is the most lucrative abbreviation in the digital age is three letters, SEO. SEO. Search engine optimization. It's the industry of gaming Google so that your company's result

comes up first in someone's Google search. So, Jack, you have a 43-step skincare routine now. Why do you walk us through an example of Google SEO with skincare? The Google search for Sensitive Skin Cleanser is a royal rumble of skincare brands trying to show up first. If you Google sensitive skin cleanser,

Saravei, Ursa Major, Avino, they're all scratching each other to show up. Number one, using keywords. But Cetafil, the brand for budget-conscious but paraben-hating zelenials, they're trying a different strategy. They're trying to get out of that Royal Rumble. Forget Google search and SEO.

Their customers are using AI chatbots for discovery. According to Ad Age, on Prime Day, referrals from chatbots jumped 3,300% from last year. Basically what we're saying is your buying is based on a bot's recommendations. Which leads to the creation of a brand new industry. AEO. AEO, answer. Engine optimization. AEO is the successor to SEO.

And right now, both are relevant, but AEO is eating SEO as the adoption of artificial intelligence grows. And here's why. Google was always a black box, right? Nobody knew for sure what words Google's algorithm would like and get you to number one in search. Like, if you're a skincare brand, you just mentioned the word Dewey a dozen times on your website, and hopefully Google ranks you number one. But with AI, marketers from CETAFL actually do know what the algorithm likes. And what is that, Jack?

AI rewards authority. Authority. That's right. If chat sheet PT shows you an answer, it's based on the site that they scraped sounding authoritative. So Cetafil executives right now are rewriting all of their product descriptions and their websites to speak with as much authority as possible because that's what impresses the chat pots. Like to get credibility that will be recognized by AI,

they'll refer to clinical journals because that looks like authoritative to the AI. Another thing that chat GPT likes and recognizes and rewards. This is good, this is good. Bullet points. Bullet points. So Cedafil is using bullet points in short paragraphs to help AI summarize on their behalf. Yeah, websites.

They aren't actually for us humans. They're for large language models to tell us humans to go to those websites and buy things. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Cetafil skincare? What's old will become new again. In this case, human expertise. So, Yetis, it's kind of ironic here. As brands beyond Cetafil try to game AI,

our trust in AI's answers could erode. Yeah, a chatbot recommending a product doesn't mean it's the best product. It might just mean it's the product that used bullet points in authoritative language the most. Well, it's the same thing we saw Jack with SEO. As brands gamed Google, we stopped trusting the result

that showed up number one. And the antidote to distrust in AI's recommendations, ironically, it's humans. In fact, ad age reporting shows that Gen Z shoppers are corroborating their AI recommendations on TikTok by seeing if a real-life human unboxed and used the product.

Basically, it's like, okay, chat, GPT, that's what you think. let me make sure this is an actual good product by hearing it from a human's mouth. So, besties, it is encouraging news for those worried about AI taken over. As AI drives more discovery and takes over more to the internet, we're going to rely more on human experts to validate them. Or the way Jack and I see it, what's old will become new again. Human expertise.

Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Saviche Wednesday? Coca-Cola is doing what the president asked, a version with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, aka Mexican Coke. But we think real sugar coke could be branded as premium coke, a luxury product. For our second story, Cold Place Spheres Tour has generated one and a quarter billion in revenues, number two all time for any concert tour, supported by memeable moments. Now, you can't manufacture a meme, but you can seed one.

And our third and final story is Cetophyll. They're pioneering AEO. Oh, answer engine optimization. They're rewriting their website so that chat GPT will be impressed and recommend your skincare. As more companies, game AI, will ironically rely more on humans for validation. But Yeties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, the U.S. House of Representatives has closed a day early for their five-week vacation recess.

Why is Congress leaving early for summer vacation? The Epstein files. Yeah, they actually said that. By leaving early, the Speaker of the House will block a vote that is calling for their release. He's probably hoping the summer break will kill this now politically inconvenient conspiracy. And second, General Motors just revealed the cost of tariffs, a $1.1 billion hit in their quarterly profits. The stock fell 8%, as GM warned that the tariff impact will be even worse next quarter. Here's the number. Basically, most country-specific tariffs are at like 10%, but imported car and car part. tariffs, they get a 25% tax. And instead of raising prices so far, GM has just shrank their profits.

Yeah, that Jeep is eating away at GM. And finally, Ryanair is so sick and tired of people sneaking on luggage that's too large, people like me, that they have a very creative option. They're offering a bounty program to their employees. We repeat a bounty program. For each bag that a gate agent IDs as too big, they'll get a $1.75 bonus. And the passenger gets a $90 fine for trying to sneak something that's definitely bigger than a carry on. Now, time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack and me because we saw it and we wanted to share it with you. This week, 20 years ago, the word podcast was added to the new Oxford American Dictionary.

That's right, exactly. Two decades ago in 2005, podcast officially became a word in Miriam Webster. Nick and I were in high school deciding what we wanted to be when we grew up. And the word that became the answer was just invented. It's like, I can't believe we get to do this for our jobs. Like right now, we are backstage at the live venue where we're going to be doing a show tomorrow. And 10 years ago, we didn't even know we would be doing this, right? It's pretty wild, man.

It's absolutely insane. Speaking of which, Yeties, you look fantastic. And if you are in the Midwest, we would love to see you tonight at our show at the Vic. Two blocks from Wrigley Field. Actually, a few blocks. It's like six blocks from Wrigley Field. But it's close enough. We got some tickets still available.

Grab the link in the episode description. We'll see you tonight. Tell a buddy, H-Y-H-T-B-O-Y. Have you had the best one yet? If you know, you know. And Jack and I, we'll see you there. And before we go, a happy 29th birthday to Yeti Harrison McCarrie from lovely San Diego running his company, New Way Van Conversions. Happy 22nd birthday to Nick Telma, who just moved to Chicago.

And Logistics. And Brian Quinn, also in Chicago, is celebrating a logistical birthday. Happy 51st birthday to Massoud McCar in Plano, Texas, the best dad yet. It's a fact. And Steve Hamilton from Clifton Park, New York is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Yankee Distillers. That stuff tastes fantastic. Congratulations to Dominique Quinn of Cleveland, Ohio, who's expecting a baby boy and is coming to the live show. Oh, can't wait to see you, Dominique.

And Colin and Ashley Becker have got their one-year anniversary over in Chicago. Looking fantastic. Congratulations to Tyrone and Tao. Tateo, California, who got engaged in the Cayman Island. Let's see some ring picks. Congrats, guys. And Thomas Kurtzinger has got the one-year anniversary of his company, Vantage Point, over in Kentucky. Congrats.

And finally, Mariana Fonseca, seven months' anniversary since moving from Miami to Mexico City. Jack, I heard she did it for the Mexican Coke. It's that good. I'm telling you, it's that good. And to anyone else, celebrating something today, make it a T-Boor. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. Nick and I both on Stock.

and Spotify, and we both on ETFs of the S&P 500.