The Addiction Economy

Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy

MrBeast has some recent learnings in trademark legalities and how hard DTC chocolate can be, and McDonalds is not answering back Phillip’s question. Plus, was the Super Bowl really the most-watched human event or do we just have too many ways you count who is watching, more people, and more widespread and varying broadcast options? And could a giant sphere be coming to a city near you? Or perhaps even your very own home? So much to talk about, so listen in now!

“The McRib and Shamrock Shake Loophole”

Key takeaways:

- McDonald's continues to activate its brand through innovative partnerships, this time with popular anime studio Studio Pierrot.

- Mr Beast faced a trademark violation for using the term "Deez Nuts" on his chocolate packaging, leading to a rebrand.

- Las Vegas transformed its identity by shifting away from vices through family-friendly experiences, emphasizing business conferences instead.

- Companies may need to constantly reinvent themselves as competitors catch up or as markets change.

- There is a growing demand for immersive experiences like the Sphere, which could revolutionize entertainment venues and advertising formats.Rather than making the world obsolete, tech has created an opportunity for historical modalities to rise from obsolescence.

• {00:17:17} - “The algorithm thrives on the type of content that produces dopamine hits because it's stuff that people keep coming back to. So we are in the dopamine economy. That's where we live, the addiction economy.” - Brian
• {00:33:56} - “Live events are on the rise. The Golden Globes, the Grammys, and the Oscars have all posted not just double-digit, but insane growth multiples year over year since the pandemic. And so when you look at these live events, these are elements of the monoculture, the things we've been saying are dead for the last 10 years. However, they have also become hyper-cultural events where people sort of multiplayer mode their way into participating in the discourse.” - Phillip
• {00:39:24} - “Whatever you have that used to make you unique will eventually be competed away. You have to continue to reinvent yourself.” - Philip
• {00:43:23} - “You go to a movie theater because you wanna see a movie sooner, not necessarily because it's the experience that you want to consume that particular movie in. Only a few movies are worth that. But movie theaters were basically what the sphere is to us when they first came out. Really immersive experiences you couldn't get anywhere else, because your tiny little TV at home was hard to watch stuff on.” - Brian

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