Lightning Round: Romance Novels, Soap Wars & French Fry Pizza
In this week's Fast Five Podcast, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Simbe, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and ClearDemand, our rapid-fire lightning round covers the week's quirkiest retail stories: Ollipop's 5-cent VIP boxes, Jimmy John's steamy romance novel promotion, Unilever acquiring Dr. Squatch, and Tombstone's wild French fry crust pizza experiment.
Timestamps:
32:19 - Ollipop Amazon partnership
32:53 - Jimmy John romance audiobook
34:54 - Dr Squatch acquisition
35:34 - Tombstone French fry pizza
Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/3lsaTBvBuMs
#RetailNews #FoodInnovation #BrandMarketing #ConsumerTrends #LightningRound
All right, well, let's go to the lightning round.
Speaker AQuestion number one.
Speaker AChris Olipop partnered with Amazon Ads to drop 5,000 exclusive VIP boxes for 5 cents each on Amazon starting June 30th.
Speaker AEach box includes seasonal Olipop flavors and branded merchandise, which Olipop is hoping that they can give people in exchange for social posts from their regular everyday consumers instead of influencers.
Speaker AAnd if you were to influence for free for one brand, if they sent you a box of their greatest products, what brand would you choose?
Speaker BOh, man, I'm not aiming very high on this one, but I think I'd pick Twix because it's only candy with the cookie crunch.
Speaker BLike, I just love the cookie crunch of a Twix bar.
Speaker ASo you would give content for like a $twix bar?
Speaker BYeah, for sure.
Speaker BNo, not a dollar, but like a GROSS ANNUAL CASELOAD 100%.
Speaker AOkay, so you're.
Speaker AThis is not, you're not doing the 5 cent box full of Twix on Amazon.
Speaker AYou're just.
Speaker BI probably still would do it ad.
Speaker BI mean, I'm a cheap date, you know.
Speaker BAll right, the next one.
Speaker BThis one comes courtesy of Omnitox superfan John Sedevy.
Speaker BAnd this summer, Jimmy John is turning up the heat and serving up the ultimate beachside pairing.
Speaker BA satisfying sandwich in one hand and a steamy story in the other.
Speaker BWith any sandwich or wrap purchase.
Speaker BWith the use of promo code, Beachhead fans can unlock access to the Blade and the ryan, a custom 2 part Romantasy audiobook narrated by none other than White Lotus Star and Heartthrob.
Speaker BI guess he's a heartthrob now.
Speaker BWalton Goggins.
Speaker BIt will make you toss your paperback aside and order faster than you can say meet cute.
Speaker BAll right, and what is the steamiest romance novel you've ever read?
Speaker AI mean, wait for a second.
Speaker ALike I'm supposed to order a mayonnaise filled sandwich in one hand and then be thinking of reading a steamy romance novel.
Speaker AThat sounds disgusting to me.
Speaker AI can't get past it.
Speaker BEver seen Nine and a Half Weeks?
Speaker ANo, no, no, no.
Speaker AI.
Speaker AI'm not really one for the steamy genres, so I know there's a lot of really good ones out there, but the last.
Speaker BHave you ever read one?
Speaker AYeah, I used to read them when I worked at the corn stand because that was all that we had were like old Danielle Steele novels, but.
Speaker ABut the last one I probably read was like the Twilight series and that was probably as racy as I get.
Speaker AI'd Rather I get more turned on by books about business startup about.
Speaker BYeah, that's not even steamy.
Speaker BThat's like a.
Speaker BThat's not even like a boil.
Speaker BThat's like a simmering pot of water.
Speaker BThe Twilight series.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AAll right.
Speaker AChris Unilever just acquired Dr.
Speaker ASquatch, the bar soap and male grooming products company that's very popular with Gen Z.
Speaker AAre you more of a bar soap or a body wash guy?
Speaker BOh, interesting question.
Speaker BYou know, I used to for years be 100% the bar soap guy, but.
Speaker AI think like three soap on a rope inside something or just straight up?
Speaker BNo, straight up bar soap.
Speaker BYeah, you know, like Dove, Ivory, Irish Spring.
Speaker BYou know, they've all gone through the turntable here, the shower turntable over the course of years.
Speaker BBut now I think three or four years ago, I made the permanent switch to body wash.
Speaker AOkay, what's your body wash brand of choice?
Speaker BI use like the dove sensitive skin and because you know, I got really sensitive skin that I have to protect.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker BYou know, it's very important to me.
Speaker BNo, I don't have a loofah.
Speaker ASo you're just squirting the body wash in your hand and you're not lathering or anything?
Speaker BOh yeah, no, I gotta get some lather.
Speaker BLike you gotta lather it up.
Speaker BYou know, you gotta get a good lather going.
Speaker ASo you're going through body wash like crazy.
Speaker BYeah, yeah, probably.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI mean I probably shower two or three times a day.
Speaker AJust no loofah.
Speaker AYou don't want.
Speaker BNo, no, no, no loofah.
Speaker BNo loofah.
Speaker BNo, that's too.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BThat reminds me of Caddyshack with the loofah scene.
Speaker BBut anyway, Tombstone is launching a french fry style crust pizza with a crispy potato based crust.
Speaker BIt's available in two varieties and loaded bacon, cheddar and chili cheese.
Speaker BYou to end the show.
Speaker BWhy has no one ever thought of french fry pizza before?
Speaker BAnd which of the two varieties are you most likely to try first?
Speaker AIs this like a gluten free play or something?
Speaker ALike they're trying to come up with an alternative gluten free crust.
Speaker BIt may be.
Speaker BI don't know.
Speaker BYeah, that's a good question.
Speaker AYeah, I'm surprised.
Speaker AI mean there's been tachos, Tater tot nachos.
Speaker AI mean you've got baked potato pizza, like I don't know why Cauliflower pizza, right?
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker APut it in the base.
Speaker AI would probably say the, the bacon and cheddar.
Speaker AOne chili cheese.
Speaker AJust never I.
Speaker AUnless it's a homemade chili.
Speaker AI don't ever want chili cheese anything.
Speaker AI think that scares me.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BDo you like pizza and French fries as a combo?
Speaker AI don't know.
Speaker AI don't ever.
Speaker BI love it.
Speaker BI love it.
Speaker BIt's like one of my favorite.
Speaker ALike, you put the full on carbs.
Speaker BNo, just like eating them side by side.
Speaker BSo I feel like you're now mashing it up and it tastes.
Speaker AIt has a lot of potential I'm aware of.
Speaker BYeah.
Speaker BI mean, it's full of carbs.
Speaker BAnd then if you get beer, it's like, good night.
Speaker BGood.
Speaker BGame over.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AThat's going to be a heavy, heavy load in your.
Speaker AIn your stomach for sure.
Speaker BHeavy load in your stomach.
Speaker BQuarter the show there.