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From a $300 Starbucks cup to talking dogs powered by AI — this week’s episode unpacks what happens when creativity, culture, and smart positioning collide.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why you are not your customer — and how that shift can 10x your offer strategy.
• The secret behind Starbucks’ ability to sell “premium” without premium ingredients.
• How brands like Dove and Crumbl use unexpected collabs to revive relevance and reach.
• The viral AI dog campaign that proves entertainment still converts.
  
  

Timestamps:

00:00- Introduction

04:52 – You Are Not Your Customer: Building Offers Beyond Your Own Preferences
08:45 – Starbucks’ $300 Bearista Cup: Scarcity, Positioning, and Premium Perception
13:10 – Cold Foam Economics: How Starbucks Rebranded Whipped Cream into a $2 Add-On
17:00 – Dove x Crumbl: Turning Cookies into Soap and Collabs into Cash
24:45 – Cutting Through Holiday Noise: Standing Out During Black Friday Chaos
33:00 – AI Dogs, Real Impact: How Dog Pack Used Humor + Honesty to Win 20M Downloads

References & Resources:

• Starbucks “Bearista” Holiday Cup
• Crumbl Cookies
• Dove
• Dog Pack App
• Black Friday Statistics (2024)
  
  

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: hello@michellepualani.com
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

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Send us a text

✅ Subscribe to our companion Substack:
Get each week’s summary in your inbox — plus on-demand alerts when something big breaks 👉 https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/

From Sephora’s “striking” elves to Calvin Klein’s viral thirst traps — Joanna and Michelle unpack how brands are losing (and winning) consumer trust this holiday season. Plus, how you can turn this chaos into marketing gold.

What You’ll Learn:

• What the Sephora x Mariah Carey ad got wrong — and how to avoid tone-deaf marketing during hard times
• Why humor, relatability, and repetition are the real keys to shareable content
• How subscription boxes became a $40B business model (and how coaches and creators can steal their strategy)
  
  

Timestamps:

00:00- Introduction
03:35 – The controversial Sephora holiday ad: “elves on strike”
07:50 – When “no press is bad press” doesn’t work anymore
15:20 – Uber Eats and Calvin Klein: ads that actually nailed storytelling
25:30 – Double standards in advertising: Sydney Sweeney vs. Calvin Klein
27:45 – Why people share content: the psychology behind “contagious” marketing
31:10 – Real estate agents and car dealerships making viral, personality-driven content
39:10 – Subscription boxes: recurring revenue, retention, and brand loyalty goldmine

References & Resources:

• Sephora — Mariah Carey holiday ad
• Calvin Klein — Jeremy Allen White & Jungkook campaigns
• Contagious by Jonah Berger (book)
• Wildgrain — subscription bakery doing $31M/year
• HelloFresh, Stitch Fix, ButcherBox, Above the Bar
• HubSpot’s The Hustle newsletter

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: hello@michellepualani.com
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com

Send us a text

✅ Subscribe to our companion Substack:
Get each week’s summary in your inbox — plus on-demand alerts when something big breaks 👉 https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/

What Pringles, Cracker Barrel, and Instant Pot can teach you about marketing missteps, cultural backlash, and knowing when to stop scaling before it breaks your business.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “more” customers, followers, or products might be killing your brand faster than you think
• The surprising story behind the bot-driven Cracker Barrel controversy — and what it means for online perception
• How grassroots marketing and in-person connection are outperforming viral posts and influencer deals
  
  

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction
02:30 – Halloween banter & book-to-brand storytelling lessons
09:00 – Subscriber story: how in-person events still outsell Amazon
11:30 – Pringles rebrand: why “Once You Pop, The Pop Don’t Stop” works for Gen Z
16:00 – Borrowing big-brand tactics for small business wins
23:00 – Cracker Barrel backlash: when bots shape public opinion
31:00 – The influencer bubble is bursting — here’s what’s next
41:00 – Instant Pot’s $500M fall: growth gone wrong
47:00 – “More” isn’t more — the profit leaks killing your business

References & Resources:

• Marissa Molson on Substack: https://substack.com/@marissamalson
• Cracker Barrel Outrage Driven in Part by Bots: https://www.wsj.com/business/the-cracker-barrel-logo-mess-c57d23e8?st
• Instant Pot Bankruptcy: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/06/instant-pot-bankrupt-private-equity/674414/

Join the list, get the tea, tips & tools that convert: https://clickteasepodcast.substack.com/subscribe

📱 Social: @themichellepualani | @joanna_atwork
📩 Michelle: hello@michellepualani.com
🌐 Joanna: millennialmktr.com

📅 10-Day Course Creation Challenge (Joanna)
💻 Build a Successful Online Business Using Kajabi
🎙️ Get Descript for Podcasting
✅ Try Out Monday.com