We discuss Elon Musk's Tesla Robot announcement; the first aged expression of Jack Daniels whiskey in over a century; and how to be an informed consumer in the face of hugely increased marketing across popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Tesla Robot, Jack Daniel's Tennessee 10-Year, and How to Shop on Social Media (Intelligently).
Episode Navigation:
01:31 – Tesla Robot
18:20 – Jack Daniel's 10-Year Tennessee Whiskey
30:30 – Navigating the World of Shopping on Social Media
Featured and Related:
Nick Caruso:
Hey, everybody. I'm Nick Caruso, and this is the Gear Patrol Podcast for Friday, August 27th, 2021. We're discussing Elon Musk's Tesla robot announcement, the first age expression of Jack Daniel's whiskey in over a century, and how to be an informed consumer in the face of hugely increased marketing that you might be seeing on popular social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok, if you're younger than me and hipper than me. Speaking of, with me is platforms editor, JD DiGiovanni. Hello, JD.
JD DiGiovanni:
Hey.
Nick Caruso:
And Henry Phillips, you are... JD, I didn't say that you are our platforms editor.
JD DiGiovanni:
Sure, you did.
Nick Caruso:
Did I?
JD DiGiovanni:
Oh yeah, didn't you?
Nick Caruso:
Geez, I don't know. [crosstalk 00:01:00] I definitely know, we all know. And Henry Phillips, I know your title and I will say it now: it's deputy photography editor.
Henry Phillips:
It's Mr. Deputy to you.
Nick Caruso:
One of these weeks, I'm going to get through introductions without screwing something up. It's going to be great. I know both of you personally, so it shouldn't be a problem, but it always is. Anyway, it is already the end of August if you can believe it, and we have plenty to discuss, so let's get started. First up, got a fun one. If Elon Musk's announcement late last week is to be believed, by next year, Elon will no longer be the only Tesla robot. It's like a joke, nope? We should add crickets.
Nick Caruso:
At Tesla's AI day, which AI in this case stands for artificial intelligence, Elon Musk unveiled his latest outlandish product, which is a humanoid robot that supposedly runs on the same software that operates Tesla's autonomous driving technology. So, during this increasingly eccentric presentation, he shared renderings of the Tesla robot, and just a few details, like the robot will be five feet, eight inches tall, it'll have an informational display in its face, it'll be built from lightweight materials and weigh no more than 125 pounds. And quote, "Have human level hands," not sure what that means, unquote. He also said that quote, "It's intended to be friendly, and navigate through a world built for humans," end quote, and reassured everyone, this is my favorite part, they reassured everyone watching that they could both outrun and overpower it.
Nick Caruso:
Then this person wearing a Tesla bot costume came out and dance for a long time, it was a very strange way to end. But JD, I know you were tickled by this announcement, and we went back and forth a little bit by it. So I want to know your reaction, but also if we take this as real news, how do you see this kind of product, this sort of service robot, not necessarily from Tesla, integrating into daily life, and how soon?
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah, as far as how soon, I have no clue. And if we were to... Tesla is so famous for just saying, "Next year we'll have fully autonomous driving," or next year we'll have this, that, and the other thing, and it just doesn't really come through. And honestly, for a while, I get pretty annoyed by Tesla press, because it was often these outlandish statements that on the surface seem not to be even close to feasible. But the more I've learned about the company, and the more that this stuff is happening, there's always something, the more I've just come to understand that this is a very cheap way of getting marketing.
JD DiGiovanni:
Tesla pretty famously, doesn't have a PR department, they don't have an ad budget. And their executive team, Elon Musk in particular, just kind of stirs the pot and gets a big reaction from the press, because he's pretty out there with what he's doing. And it just generates a bunch of press, and here we are talking about Tesla being on the forefront of what seems like a very exciting and cutting edge technology, albeit probably not feasible. And it's probably pretty good for their brand, when you think about it, you're putting Tesla up against, next to, or aligning it with something that is on the edge.
JD DiGiovanni:
So I don't know, I guess I'm just at this point getting a little bemused, where it's like, okay, that's funny. I'm not going to take this to be serious at all, and I'd be hard pressed to believe that Elon Musk and the people at Tesla who are fighting quite a big fight with a bunch of other automakers, are in any way serious about taking on something this ambitious.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, it sort of reminds me, I know that they're engineered stunts in a lot of ways, but I also am a hundred percent confident that a big part of it is that these are things that Elon Musk actually wants to do. And because he's the most powerful, richest man in the world or close to it, he gets to talk about them, and then people are like, "Okay, I guess that's pretty good press." But it reminds me of the quote from the movie Young Frankenstein, where he talks about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind. I always think about that when this guy comes up with a new story. Henry, what do you think? You want a robot from Tesla?
Henry Phillips:
I mean, sure. I think I share a similar view of Elon Musk is as perhaps many in the Gear Patrol universe. But my sense is just, I wonder if there's anything misleading or nefarious about it. I think a lot of publications took the angle of this is a sideshow to distract from troubles, to boost share prices and create distracting hype, to maybe avoid people talking about how Teslas that drive themselves tend to crash into stuff, and full self-driving is years away. But yeah, the more I think about it, the more I read about it, the more this happens, you wonder if it's just Elon Musk coming down to the R and D guys, who probably try and keep a locked door, and saying, "Hey, we've got this event coming up in like five months." How long do you think realistically, did the whole Tesla Bot idea take between conception and onstage persona?
Nick Caruso:
It was a PowerPoint presentation with some renderings in it, so how long would it take you to mock that up?
Henry Phillips:
Yeah, you can turn around those renderings in like three weeks. Was the Tesla bought even remotely conceived in May? I really don't know.
Nick Caruso:
No.
Henry Phillips:
And so, my sense is Elon Musk is just doing his thing, and has a hugely valuable company to play around with, and figures why not? At least that's my maybe optimistic take about the whole thing. But of course there's no way you get to whatever it is, three quarters of a billion dollars in market cap with Tesla, by just saying you're going to make a pretty good car. He's building this thing like a tech company, and it's got to just continue to grow and grow and find new avenues of stuff. And if it's... Five eight, 125 is just a weird little sidebar too. I distracted myself.
JD DiGiovanni:
Can we talk about that more actually? So, hold on. We all seem to be in agreement that this isn't really something that's real in the specs. So, I saw this on Twitter, so I can't take credit for this kind of idea here, but it is worth maybe highlighting: if you're just making stuff up, why build such a beta robot? It talked about how it can deadlift 150 pounds, it's like come on, dude. Give me a robot that can deadlift more than me. I want a Chad robot who can deadlift a bunch. Five eight, get out of here. If my robot is going to be on a dating profile, he's going to lie and say he's six foot, so might as well just make him at least six foot two.
JD DiGiovanni:
And yeah, I don't know. Even looking at these specs, not just trying to joke around, but could this even get me groceries in Brooklyn? Could it walk down my four flights of stairs, and then the two and a half blocks to go carry back a bunch of freaking groceries from the store? I don't know, I break out in a sweat when I'm doing that stuff, it's not pleasant. And if my robot can't make that easier for me, then I don't know, man. I'm unimpressed. I want a robot that can kick my ass.
Nick Caruso:
I feel like this is, it would be in typical fashion, you can download upgrades later and have like seek and destroy mode or something, unlocks five times the power and can crush your skull with a snap of its fingers, of its human level hands. But that was my question too, if you take this very seriously that this thing is going to exist with these specs, what can it actually do in my life? I have a small apartment, where does it sleep? Is it just going to be carrying my laundry? I don't lift things in my apartment all that much. So, use case in a city, maybe not that strong. Henry, you need a robot over there?
Henry Phillips:
I'm sure you could find uses for them, I don't know what robotic pronouns are. But yeah, why not? Play half-court basketball, dog-walking, they could, I don't know. Laundry, I love the idea of laundry. It's four flights down, I don't want to do that. Easily would pay 50 to $60,000 for that. No, it's outrageously foolish.
Nick Caruso:
But there are other, we call these service robots or personal robots or whatever, there are some that are in existence already, and there are others on the horizon. There's not even a need to really cite all of them insofar as say that there are those that take care of, sort of care robots for the elderly, or home-bound, or people who just need a little extra help. There are I guess, emotional support robots in a way, like little animals. I think there are monkeys, I know there's a dog. And then there are also the terrifying kind of robots from Boston Dynamics, that actually could kick your ass. JD, so maybe that's the one you...
JD DiGiovanni:
That's what I was going to say. If you're doing flips and stuff off boxes, I'm here for it.
Nick Caruso:
That parkour video is terrifying.
JD DiGiovanni:
I love it. The thing with all these service robots though, is just that humans kick ass in general, and we're so good at doing so many of the things that for a robot to be anywhere near worth it... Because yeah, there's a lot of costs involved in having another human-sized thing, especially in a place like New York where you have housing density like crazy, it has to really be worth it. And it feels so far away, in the same way that fully automated driving feels very far away. Because it's just, we are so very good at just assessing risk, and managing a bunch of different things at the same time. I guess, even as I'm saying that, you could argue that actually we're not, given how many auto fatalities there are. But just comparatively, it's, it's really hard to beat humans, because we're so on top of it.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, we're the best.
JD DiGiovanni:
I agree.
Nick Caruso:
Humans are the best. I also think about maintenance too. I can barely wrap my head around how to replace something in my Jeep, because I have to pull under the BQE and pull a 35 pound whatever under the thing, and get dirty... Am I sending my robot in for maintenance? Is the Geek Squad coming to solder something? I don't know.
Henry Phillips:
Or you just buy the new one.
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah. I don't know either, but I really hope that they'll have the same kind of temperaments as cars from different parts of the world. You're just like, "Oh God. Yeah, I have a European robot."
Henry Phillips:
British.
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah, just needs some more tea, some Italian meats to calm it down.
Nick Caruso:
I mean, who doesn't calm down with Italian meats? I was just watching Stanley Tucci Pizza last night on HBO.
Henry Phillips:
You don't want Italian meats right now, Italian meats are bad news bears, man.
Nick Caruso:
What do you mean?
Henry Phillips:
They're tainted. CDC, at Twitter, @CDC, or FDA. One of those, three letters, saying avoid Italian meats right now. Actually, they're not saying avoid Italian meats. They're saying if you have Italian meats and desire to eat them, you should steam them. Steamed Italian meats.
Nick Caruso:
Let that be a warning to everybody, only come near these guns after I've had a shower. Just some bicep Italian meat. You'd starve in a second. Are there any, we kind of joked about it, but are there any actual applications for robots in normal, maybe not walk-up apartment New York City living?
Henry Phillips:
On the consumer side, it feels like the consumer side, just general you and me would be maybe the last situation where it would actually be useful to have some sort of human shaped robot. But I think there's tons of applications for them, and the kind of applications that actual robotics companies have been actually working on for actual decades. In healthcare, and in emergency response and things like that, not to mention war. War seems to be the primary driver for all of this. But sure, I think there's certainly use cases for something that you don't necessarily have to care if it gets hurt or can be stronger. But five eight, 150, doesn't sound like much.
Nick Caruso:
Well, are you suggesting you're not going to care for your robot companion?
Henry Phillips:
Not unless he gets his weight up.
Nick Caruso:
Do Androids dream of electric sheep? I don't know. Yeah, I think going back to your point, JD, it's like a stunt, right? Vice actually says, "Elon Musk's Tesla Bot is a shitpost," was their article title. So, big stunt there. But I do believe, even though we're making a lot of fun of it and maybe being dubious about needs, at some point we're going to see technologies like this in the mainstream, and around us a lot, I think. We're going to need the help, we're going to be able to make something robotic small enough to help us in our daily lives. I shared an article with you guys, households adopting technologies over the last century. Things like dishwashers, that's kind of the robot of a certain era. So I don't know, remains to be seen. JD, do you have a final word? Do you have any other clever quips about beating the hell out of a robot?
JD DiGiovanni:
No. I guess I would just say I agree, I think they'll they'll end up in our lives. I just think that the more specific and particular, the tasks that they're being asked to perform, the more likely we'll actually see them integrated. I'm thinking we're going to see more robots that just mow the lawn or just mop the floor, instead of just a robot that can use your lawnmower and mop your floor.
Henry Phillips:
Yeah, that's a great call.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. Well Elon, if you're listening, and I know you're not, there's some good advice for you. Okay, let's move on. Next story is good news for brown booze fans, and that's Jack Daniel's latest release. It is a 10 year Tennessee whiskey called appropriately, Jack Daniel's 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey. But it's very special, because it's the brand's first aged-dated whiskey in over a century, over a hundred years. And it's the first whiskey it has ever bottled at 97 proof, which packs a wallop, as they say in the biz. It's familiar, it's the brand's classic old number seven. It's just sort of been stored longer, and cared for in a different way, but it's the same stuff aged a few additional years, excuse me, and it'll be available next month, September for about 70 bucks. And Henry, I want to know if you're interested in a dram of 10 Year Tennessee Whiskey from Jack.
Henry Phillips:
Yeah, I find this super interesting. I love it. I'm not necessarily a massive Jack Daniel's drinker, or maybe an ever Jack Daniel's drinker. But I don't know, bourbon whiskey and bourbon in particular, always struck me as something that really big companies, really big distilleries do very, very well, just because it requires a ton of infrastructure. So that you get these big companies that can produce really excellent whiskey, just because they have the space, they have the R and D. Craft whiskey, while ever-present, hasn't really done much, certainly not to the same extent as craft beer or something. So you get these big guys, these really big guys like Jack Daniel's or even Wild Turkey is another one that always comes to mind, and they have the capability of making great whiskey. And it's really just a matter of doing it, and seeing the market for it. And our home writer, or our food and drinks editor, I don't know what his title is. He does a lot of of stuff.
Nick Caruso:
He's our robot, he's our multi-function robot.
Henry Phillips:
I was going to make a joke about his size, he's much stronger. He won't shut up about Jack Daniel's single barrel, barrel proof, which is one of their great high-end offerings, before the introduction of this new one. And he loves it. So, I'm excited to see it, and I'm excited to try it. And it seems a little expensive, but we'll find out.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, I'm eager to try. But you're never going to find it for 70 bucks, I feel like. This is probably one of those that, Will also talks about this quite a bit, the prices of booze vary drastically depending on time, and hype and location. JD, what's your take here?
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah, I tried that single barrel barrel proof earlier this year. I think after hearing about it from Will, and it was at a friend's place and he had a bottle, and it tasted really damn good. I'm not the most astute whiskey drinker, but it was one of those things that really did stand out to me as being unique. And it was cool to have it from a brand that, I'm well familiar of Jack Daniel's as a distiller, but I've never gone to them looking for something interesting. That's more something like, I want something with Coke, and let's just mix that together. So, I'm genuinely interested. I think if I see this in my neighborhood shop, then I'll definitely pick it up.
JD DiGiovanni:
Because yeah, that single barrel barrel proof had these really crazy banana notes, which are from what I understand, a mark of Jack Daniel's in general. But it was really something kind of unique. So yeah, I think it's exciting to see, and just exciting to see in general, a bigger company with a very time-tested product, using that infrastructure and know how to do something that is just a bit more, considered, I guess is maybe not the word that they would use, but that's my take on it.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, it's more refined, I think. A sophisticated kind of offering. And another article I shared with you guys is kind of about that idea of brands going up market. And it made me think, what it means for a brand to make a move kind of like this. Because it's not just that it's a big brand, just dipping their bottles, I don't know, in a trend, I don't know what metaphor I'm going for. But they're doing a big thing, this is a big shift for them, a hundred years have gone by since they've done anything like this. And most people drinking now, have therefore never seen this. So, they've always known Jack as this really simple go-to affordable whiskey brand, and now going up market. So that's all to say, is this kind of a brand shift, or does this feel like more of a product offering? That's what I haven't been able to suss out of this discourse.
JD DiGiovanni:
I think it can be both. I think that, I was trying to parse through this in my head before we got on today, about okay, what are brands that have a more mass market offering, and then also have within that brand, something that is a bit more refined, or for a smaller and more discerning market? And mostly the examples that came to mind were not in alcohol, or even I couldn't think of too many consumer packaged goods. But a lot in fashion, I think Levi's, you can just get your 501s anywhere. But they also have Levi's Vintage, or more bespoke labels within Levi's. Or Arc'teryx for instance, is this outdoor gear brand, but they have Arc'teryx Valence, which is this very fashion-y tech wear kind of thing.
JD DiGiovanni:
So, I think there's definitely precedent to this being done. And when you think too, about the fact that Jack Daniel's made the call to do this shift 20 years ago. Because that's how long it takes for this stuff to get made. Because when you're talking about aging whiskey, it's really you have to put that time in. So, I'd be quite surprised if they didn't follow through in execution, or make it feel weird in any way, or a separate, or not coherent with their brand. Because they've certainly had enough time to think about how they want to roll it out.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. This is their Tesla Bot. Henry, what are you grinning about? I feel like you were going to start something.
Henry Phillips:
No, they're in a tough... It's interesting to see where they came in at with the product though, because it's 10 years old and about $70. I'm actually fairly confident that you'll be able to find it with some regularity, just based on the size of Jack Daniel's. Hopefully they're making a decent amount of this stuff. But I'm curious how, I think it's another good sign for consumers because it's going to have to be really good. There's so much competition to that kind of $70 price point, that maybe you wouldn't inherently choose a Jack Daniel's product. You'd go for something a little bit more niche, or whatever. So, that's always the good sign to me, is... Nikki put in the show notes about Genesis, the car company. And that's a classic example, I think, of this company that realizes they have to over-perform at a given price or whatever, and create something that is really, truly, deeply appealing, in a way that benefits consumers and whiskey drinkers and luxury car drivers. So, I'm excited.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. I really do hate to use the word disruptor anywhere, ever, but that is kind of what we're talking about here. Even if it's just a little seismic disruption in the sector, or even like we're talking about, within their own brand, seems like a significant move. Particularly from a brand, like we said, this is not an expensive brand by any means. This is more affordable than most, has been a go-to for that reason for a long time. And it's also known for these flavored whiskeys and sort of low brow offerings, so it's interesting to watch them balance the scales with something like this. And I am really interested.
Nick Caruso:
Personally, I tried to do Jack when I was a young man out on the town, for money issues, but also because I know Frank Sinatra drank Jack. And I just couldn't do it, I don't know, it wasn't for me. But maybe this is it, maybe they've finally got me, now that I'm an old man with money issues. JD, I'm surprised you're making me say it, but do you want to talk about your personal relationship with Jack Daniel's?
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah. My beef with Jack Daniel's was essentially 29 years in the making. Yeah, my name is JD. It's an initial, so people always like to guess what that means, which it's kind of amazing how unimaginative everyone is. Because it's really, it's JD from Scrubs or it's John Daniel's, which is an oddly frequent one. And then probably the most frequent was just, "Oh, like Jack Daniel's?" The answer's no. And I would like to claim I was there first, but I obviously wasn't. But I don't know, I think I have more to offer, even though I do like Jack Daniel's. So, I don't know. I won't hold it against them too much, I like their whiskey. I'm looking forward to this release, and the barrel, Jack Daniel's barrel proof? What was that called again? I'm trying to think.
Nick Caruso:
Double barrel, first barrel?
JD DiGiovanni:
The single barrel barrel proof. Yeah, just a terrible name, but hopefully they can get that stuff sorted out for their future releases.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure. Maybe the 10 year is something that'll finally make you proud of your name, who know? It remains to be seen, next month is your chance. Okay, well let's move on story three, the last of today's ep, pod ep. We're discussing a melange of several stories actually, they're all very much related. Related to this still burgeoning confluence of social media and commerce, so here are a few of the main takeaways from a lot of these pieces. The first is that TikTok, the video doom-scrolling app, has added in app shopping, which capitalizes on this trend of products going viral on its platform. People go nuts over products, they buy stuff they see from influencers. Instagram is testing ads in its Instagram Shops tab, which launched during the pandemic, as we all probably remember. And Instagram profiles, as our Gear Patrol writer, Evan [Malakowsky 00:31:31] wrote about just last week, I think, or recently, Instagram profiles are turning their mood board curations into real life product collaborations with big brands.
Nick Caruso:
We're also seeing reports of this new-ish phenomenon, in the States at least, called livestream shopping, which is basically QVC meets video content, and streams live on platforms like Facebook. And then sort of tangential to this is this niche trend, I found this really neat article from The Verge on this niche trend of design studios creating subversive products like rubber chicken marijuana pipes, with the sole purpose of going viral, and of course sell out. So anyway, Gear Patrol prides itself on examining product culture and being steeped in it, and keeping our fans and listeners and readers informed of it. So, how do you guys see us tackling this sort of viral evolution of commerce, as we see it on social media, sort of like this new frontier? JD, do you want to run with this?
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah. It's a really interesting question, and I think not one that any one person has maybe a total grasp on. Just because the pace of media and social media, is pretty crisp, these platforms are growing and changing constantly. I mean, TikTok was not something we would talk about all that seriously, up until I think really late last year, and earlier this year. And so, it's really I think just what folks should keep in mind in general, is just that products and enthusiasm about products is just going to follow wherever the people go. It's going to be on TikTok, it's going to be on Instagram, it's going to be kind of all over the place, and the next thing.
JD DiGiovanni:
Because that's just, so long as we're anywhere sharing or interests about anything going on in our lives, we're also going to be doing the adult version of show and tell, about, "Check out this eyeliner, check out this car, check out these shots I took with my camera. By the way, check out the camera." We have a kind of thing where we do cathexis, where we just imbue a lot of importance and meaning into physical objects. It's almost like we feel, like our little horcruxes, and they're parts of ourselves, and we want to share them and connect with people about it. And so long as those venues are available to people, they will continue to do that.
JD DiGiovanni:
And then too, so long as there are companies that are looking to sell products, and to engage with that culture, they're going to be on these platforms and trying to find ways to utilize them, either through organic viral content, or from just paying up to folks like Instagram or TikTok. So I don't know how coherent that is exactly, but that's just my read on this stuff, is that really, it's interesting to figure out the permutations of any one platform, and what's unique or different about it. But if you zoom out far enough, it's all the same in terms of what's going on. The commerce follows the people, where the people are, what they're reading.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure, what they're scrolling. Yeah, this is inevitable. My typically cynical take, of course, is social media was fun for a little while, purely, and it is inevitable that capitalism comes in and takes things that are fun, and takes advantage of that. And we're seeing that effect, and we're going to have to follow that trend ourselves as product culture people. Henry, you're our economist. Does that true up with what you know?
Henry Phillips:
As resident economist, I'll refer all charts and graphs in the show notes. No, it's really interesting, and it's a new challenge for brands like us, for sites and publications that try and focus on sussing out really quality products, from perhaps non. And the idea of very efficient, fairly inexpensive, very targeted marketing, means that you're going to get a lot of ads for products that are exactly what you want, or theoretically are. And so, it's an interesting challenge to see what does a product recommendation publication, ours or someone else's, do in the face of that? People are surely still making buying decisions, and are consciously thinking about whether this product, or that product meets their needs or does what they want it to do.
Henry Phillips:
So, it's almost as much just about existing in product publications, I guess, being available and topically relevant enough that people can still feel like they're making good informed decisions. And I think anecdotally, you're seeing a lot of that even now. A lot of sites and a lot of publications that are focusing more on people coming into their sites, or coming into Google and saying, "I want running shoes, I have 15 minutes to decide what are the best running shoes," or what is the best whatever. "And I want to be fully informed, and then I want to buy." So, I think there's this kind of on demand research that's always existed, but maybe it's easier now. And so, that's cool. And I think just like JD said, this kind of marketing is maybe a faster pace version of what we've always seen, but the brands will follow where the people are.
JD DiGiovanni:
I will say, I think that the thing that is markedly different from what we've seen in the past, just from my vantage point, is we don't really have, I don't know, we don't really have a monoculture around products in the same way we used to, or really in any way in the United States. Everything has become so atomized, culturally, politically. And I think in some ways it's a function of how our media works now, where all this stuff is based off of how can we target your specific interests to you, and deliver those to you on a consistent basis? This is what these algorithms are all about, is trying to increase the amount of time you spend on these apps.
JD DiGiovanni:
And so, I think a good thought experiment for this was like, what would Furby be right now? Remember how crazy hyped that toy was? There were people fighting outside of Toys R Us, it was a huge thing. And just trying to think about that same thing happening in today's media environment, it would probably be a lot of parents being like, "Damn, what the hell is this weird thing that my kid is getting targeted ads for on iPad I let them use?" And I don't think the rest of us would have the same kind of understanding of it as a cultural phenomenon. And so I think the challenge, when you talk about our challenge as a publication, is how do we stay in tune with a variety of different buckets of the culture, that are separated and really siloed from one another? Because I think something we're very good at, is testing and testing products and providing recommendations on what we think is the best, and being clear about why.
JD DiGiovanni:
But I think a challenge for any publication now, is just understanding, especially if you're covering multiple product categories it's like, all right, what's going on in the very niche world of X? What is the hype thing in Y? And it's harder to... You can't, especially when those things are just flash in the pan often, it's almost harder to keep tabs on it. So that's I think, when we're talking about challenges from a consumer point of view, and getting good recommendations, and understanding what's worth it and what's not, it's almost like you have to rely on publications that are with it enough, and then also just on peers. When it comes down to whiskey, for instance, we were talking about Jack Daniel's. And yeah, talking about brand positioning, marketing, all this other stuff, but at the end of the day, that community is so strong online, that if it's not good, it won't sell. Because people will talk about it enough, they're enthusiasts.
Nick Caruso:
For sure. First, I want to make a point that I think the Furby of today is probably the Tesla Robot. And the second thing is, all three of us are talking about this speeding up of that funnel. We call it the sales funnel, which is kind of a gross term to talk about casually, or just the process of product discovery, and vetting a product, and then choosing a product and buying it. That sort of speeding up is what we're talking about here. And JD, you were talking about things being siloed, and you were talking about things being on demand, this sort of product sussing. So, is there a risk that it gets so quick, people get so trained to just see something cool on their feed, be like, "Oh, that does look cool, I believe what this says, buy"? Skipping the middleman entirely, skipping, whether it's their friend, the peer, or Gear Patrol or Wirecutter or whomever? That's where my mind goes. Eventually, this just becomes very efficient for commerce.
Henry Phillips:
Yeah, absolutely. You've got it down here in our notes, but Kickstarter. Just think of, pick your Kickstarter project, the Coolest Cooler, that thing, how many millions, tens of thousands of people signed up to buy this beautifully marketed cooler that could do everything short of deadlift 150 pounds? And it didn't exist, it never existed, and it never happened. Because it was exquisitely marketed, and they made too much money, and they didn't know what to do with it. And as members of a publication, and a company that exists to tell people about products, and inform them about good ones or bad ones, or those that fall in between, it's going to naturally feel a little self-serving to say that kind of thing has to exist, or else you leave it up to the marketing departments.
Henry Phillips:
And people are inclined to take, I think, well-marketed, well-advertised products at their word. And I think there was definitely a Wild West-y type period where things were maybe getting over-hyped, or being allowed to get over-hyped without a lot of check. But totally, the idea, and the whole purpose of Instagram shopping or TikTok click-throughs, it's to make that buying process seamless. So, if you see the Coolest Cooler on TikTok, and you can tap two buttons, Apple Pay and it's already gone, then maybe you're inclined to skip that research step.
JD DiGiovanni:
I would bet money that you could go to any decade since the Industrial Revolution, and identify at least a couple products that were well-marketed, very hyped, although it definitely wasn't the term being used in the early 1900s, and didn't live up to what was being said about it, or to what people's expectations were.
Nick Caruso:
[crosstalk 00:45:02] heroin.
JD DiGiovanni:
Yeah, yeah. Coca-Cola with cocaine. But look, I think that so long is there are marketers and there are people making products, we're going to have stuff that is hyped, and frankly just appeals to, just strikes a note, hits the zeitgeist, and people buy into more impulsively than they would something else. And I think that the same shopper who would really read up on what the best running shoe is for them, and make a considered decision, they can also be an impulsive shopper for something else, depending on the price range, depending on who they are.
JD DiGiovanni:
And so, I would just say, I think this kind of idea about maybe the increased risk of more impulsive shopping, and I don't know, I guess you could say at its most nefarious, just deceptive marketing or something, is maybe increased in the short term, if only because we're being appealed to in a new way on these new evolutions or new platforms entirely. But at the end of the day, I think this stuff is always a back and forth, where something speeds up, we maybe are a bit more gullible for a year or so, and then even back out. And I think that is, yeah, I think this is just another way for me to say what I said at the top, which is I think a lot of this stuff is very much the same, but different.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah, for sure. Really good point, that's evolution. You just wait until your Tesla Robot starts deadlifting cases of wonder tonic, and then we're all screwed.
JD DiGiovanni:
I just want my Tesla Robot to teach me how to do a better hook grip. That's all I want.
Nick Caruso:
Yeah. I feel like CrossFit Tesla Robot, there's a thing there, there's an app for that. Well, it all remains to be seen, a lot of this does, in fact. We're talking about a lot of future stuff today, and I'm going to call it quits there. Thanks guys, for weighing in. You got some good brains churning under those headphones. I appreciate it. And also, thank you listeners, I'm sure you're under headphones or have ears around ear buds or something. I really appreciate you sticking through this convo, and through all the others. We love to hear from you, and have you on the other end of the line. And if you want any info about anything we talked about today, you can check out the show notes that Henry mentioned, those are below. Hyperlinks to all sorts of stuff, articles on Gear Patrol and elsewhere, some product links, that kind of stuff. And you can of course, always find all the information on Gearpatrol.com.
Nick Caruso:
If you like the podcast, and I know you do, you know you do, so let's just get it over with and subscribe, and drop a five-star review so we can keep the pod going as successfully, and with as much fun as we do currently. And also, reach out to us, let us know what you think of the pod. If you have questions, comments, you want to add to the discourse, you can hit us up on social media. Our handle everywhere is Gearpatrol, it's one word. Or you can email us at podcast@gearpatrol.com. So, that's it for today's episode. Guys, thanks again for being here. JD, Henry, always a pleasure, 100% of the time.
Henry Phillips:
Thanks for having me again, man.
JD DiGiovanni:
Likewise.
Nick Caruso:
You got it. And for Gear Patrol, I'm Nick Caruso. Until next time, take care.