You Did What !?

The band is back together! After a summer of internships and study abroad, the full team is back for the first episode of the new school year. And the Marketing world did not disappoint, with a plethora of announcements.Cracker Barrel and American Eagle get free PRLego sees record sales - pre-tariff bump, great marketing and adultingMeanwhile...25,000 show up for the Pokemon World ChampionshipsKraft Heinz splits into two companies - one looking for growth, one managing declineseBay is 30?!Pickles are a craze in 2025AI fallout - the return of the in-person job interview ... and blue books?The Tush-Push has an official sponsor!... and more! Enjoy!

A summer cornucopia of topics. Mahjong - fountain of youth?Retail experiences - Ulta, PrintempsGap resurgenceGen Z co-buying homesConverse "Chuck Taylors"2026 Super Bowl ads - $8million for 30 secondsLive Music ConcertsWaymo coming to Philly

Thank you to brand marketers for providing us with so many interesting topics for the podcast. Mattel - adult clubs and family theme parksHBO - admits they were wrong (and YDW was right!)Mattress national holidayMore experiential marketing - ComcastAI ads, hallucinations and desire to be an influencerNike slinks back into AmazonMcDonald's pursues the late night consumerMovies - MI7 and wait for it... the Whac-a-mole movie

We were looking for Sound advice? And who better to ask than a recognized expert in the area of Sonic branding, Dr. David Allan. Dave is a highly regarded professor at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia. We were very glad to have him join the podcast and share his experiences working with well-known brands on using sound to enhance branding - from memorable tones to incorporating popular songs in ads. Thanks, Dave. This episode definitely went to 11 !Dr. Allan's website and link to his podcast: https://marketingmusicology.com/

An enthusiastic welcome to Cynthia St. Pierre, from MassMutual Greater Philadelphia*. Cynthia’s LinkedIn profile headline is as a “Creator of Extraordinary Opportunities”. And indeed that infectious enthusiasm makes it easy to see why she has been so successful. She shared her winding but always upward path that is a great lesson for the 80% of us who have strong aspirations but always don’t know exactly what we want to do early in our careers. Cynthia’s role is a blend of B2B and B2C, working with hundreds of internal clients to drive business with a consumer target group in a very competitive marketplace. She offered sound advice on how to effectively utilize Social Media. And finally, it was great to hear how Cynthia is mentoring the next generation of women in business. Enjoy!*Local firms are sales offices of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111-0001 and are not subsidiaries of MassMutual or its affiliated companies.

Update: we had a number of requests to post a link to the study. Here it is!! https://rb.gy/401i0sWelcome Kate and Irene to the podcast. They have published an amazing paper relating to the impact the use of AI is having on students. Specifically: "How Generative AI is eroding Social Interactions and Student Learning Communities"AI is a valuable tool but it has plenty of watch-outs, especially around accuracy. But in their study, Kate and Irene found that is having an unintended effect of increasing isolation among university students. Coming on the heels of the covid pandemic, not a welcome outcome. But knowing that gives professors a clue as to what to emphasize in classes beyond course content. The interview was much more upbeat than this synopsis and we know that you will enjoy it.

Summer is here and Sheri & Jim are embracing summer activities like driving trips and summer blockbuster movies. And brands are cooperating with lots of new marketing initiatives. Enjoy!- Buc-ee's a truly American cultural experience- Movie refreshments have gotten so expensive, theaters should offer BNPL ($80 popcorn!?)- AMC let's moviegoers know just how long ads and previews will last (25-30 minutes!)- Summerween! is a thing- Retailers preempting Amazon Prime Day - Lululemon sues Costco for their dupes - great PR for Costco!

We were really fortunate to speak with Carla Childers while at the AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans. Carla is a very accomplished Marketing Professor, with 17 years of experience. She has taught at Ohio University and for the past five years at Bellarmine University. Her entrepreneurial spirit could easily be felt as she described her journey, moving to a new university and building the AMA student chapter from scratch. Planning, engaging, recruiting, marketing, pr, selling - all the activities that a someone starting a new organization owns - Carla has done very successfully. The chapter continues to grow and excel, as the accomplishments of her students in AMA competitions have demonstrated. Enjoy!

This was a really interesting and insightful interview. A big YDW thank you to Doug Tatum, the Vice President of digital media for the New Orleans Saints & Pelicans. Doug joined us on a Saturday morning along with his dog, Julep. We learned how the Doug's team works across both franchises, how content is created, and how his team interacts with the NFL and NBA. He also shared his thoughts on what skills and experiences students (and grads) need to accumulate to get hired and to progress in their careers.Enjoy!!

We welcome Bennie Johnson, the CEO of the American Marketing Association, back to the podcast. This episode was recorded at the annual AMA International Collegiate Conference, in New Orleans. Bennie discusses the success of the AMA's collegiate efforts, the challenges of leading a multi-faceted organization, and building the strategic plan for future growth. This interview was informative and a lot of fun. Bennie's enthusiasm is infectious!

This was very fun episode, recorded in New Orleans during the annual AMA International Collegiate Conference. Avery Bumstead and Maeve Bishop, the outgoing and incoming Presidents of the award-winning Temple AMA chapter speak with us about modern marketing (spoiler alert - they're already really good at it), and the expert speakers and great professors they have learned from. And also the benefit of leading a large team, while in college. Enjoy!!

Oh Canada! While in New Orleans for the annual AMA Collegiate Conference (1700 students, professors, more), we were fortunate to sit down with Erica Halvorsen, professor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and advisor to the AMA student chapter at the university. It was a terrific conversation, and especially so when the topic moved to the solidarity and pride in country Canadians are showing in the face of threats from the US government.

This was an incredibly informative and engaging episode. Thanks to Alex and Aveena, two rising stars, for sharing your experiences. It was really interesting to learn about the challenges of marketing and selling in the med tech sector. Even those working in very different businesses will find this episode intriguing.

Spring Break in Paris with studentsMattel introducing a line to compete with Lego - what are they thinking!?Live TV programming thrives - Oscars, NCAA basketballSheri interviewed by the BBC about the 2026 World Cup final adding a Super Bowl like, halftime showWhy is the Midwest home to so many large pizza chains?Monetizing AI - Google, Microsoft will run ads in AI searches Orphan Brands - Suave thriving after separation from UnileverGummy Bear Crocs !

Some big stories this week! How should Lululemon, Athleta and Alo respond to the Nike-Skims new product line.P&G returns to its strategy of the 50s and 60s, introducing the first new Soap Opera in many years. Much more!

With the nova of Super Bowl ads fading, the home team fields a range of Marketing topics including: Brands using Influencers for new product introductions, ala Cera Ve hair care Coke enters the alt beverage segment to compete with Poppi and OlliPop Starbucks cuts 30% of their sku's, to improve the customer and barista experience Barnes & Noble embraces TikTok's BookTok to drive book sales and expand brick & mortar bookstores! Super Apps - eyeing the success of super apps in Asia, US brands are looking to expand consumer usage of their apps to new categories - Airbnb, Uber, DoorDash, Amazon Prime Walmart buys the Dawn of the Dead shopping mall

Talk about Marketing for better of for worse! The Super Bowl LIX ads completely earned that epithet. While the Eagles were soaring, brands provided flying facial hair. But their were also some excellent commercials. Will any drive sales for the brand - we think so. And others should have been left on the barber's floor.

Modern marketing and entrepreneurship at its best - Christina Mitchell and Rebecca Neckritz, the Philly Food Ladies share their incredible success as Influencers in the Philly market. Hired by restaurants and stores to create engaging videos, and through collaborations with well-known national and regional brands, the pair have built a very successful business, highlighted by almost 150,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. Thanks to YDW team members Mackenzie and Min for arranging and hosting the Philly Food Ladies!

So much fun to have former TU-AMA star, Maeve Coogan join the podcast. After graduation in 2023, Maeve joined the very popular, clothing and home furnishings retailer, Anthropologie. It was very interesting learning about the co-op programs, artist collaborations and fast-growing wedding business, that Maeve works on. We already miss student producer, Joe DG who graduated at the end of the year. Joining Mackenzie and Min on the YDW team is Keenan who edited this episode. Welcome!

Back to class this week Taking students to Dubai over the break. Starbucks back-to basics strategy; no more free loitering State Farm cancels its Super Bowl ad - hear why Yahoo! implements curation to protect advertisers AB and Meta move to the right Dry January - Zebra striping becomes a thing! Celsius and Cottage Cheese having a moment.