Keeping Up with 2023 Trends

In this episode, Christy, Thomas, and Mark from The Lone Star Podcast team up with our very own Allison Diep, Brand Strategy Manager at Catalyst, to talk through all things on trend for marketing in 2023. From content creators to renting by choice, redefining amenity spaces in apartment communities, highlighting the art and culture from previous generations, and more, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Allison Diep
Allison Diep has been working with the creative team as a Brand Strategy Manager at Catalyst for almost three years. She’s responsible for managing and supporting relationships with clients and any brand-related projects, including website launches, brand guides, naming, logos, and more. Find out more about Allison’s experience by listening today.

Transcript

Christy McFerren:

Hey there, it's Christy. Welcome back to another episode of Good Mood Marketing. I'm here with Thomas, as usual, and our buddy Katie is out gallivanting around Europe, making us all jealous about our lives <laugh>. But I am fortunate to be joined by two exciting guests today, Mark Renkens of Lone Star podcast fame...

Mark Renkens:

Hello.

Christy McFerren:

And Allison Diep, who has come to talk with us about our 2023 Trends Report. She joined us back on episode five in September last year to talk about the 2022 report. We were checking in just to kind of see how those trends were taking shape, and so we wanted to kind of bring her back today. This is a list we've curated to review digital marketing and design trends spanning the student housing, multifamily, senior living, and hospitality industries. We just wanna try to shed some light on how we think about these trends and how they'll shape our future because we like to introduce these to our clients where it makes sense. We're excited to have you both join us today. Mark, thanks so much for jumping in with us.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah, of course.

Christy McFerren:

Looking forward to making this a two-parter with you on the Lone Star podcast.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah, our, the first of its kind! We'll be, we've got quite a lot of trends to cover because of it's a 70-page trend report. So it was easy thing to make this into a two-parter, so we'll be carrying the conversation over to Lone Star after this.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. Excited about that. Allison, tell us a little bit about how you put this report together and, and all your reasons and, and how your process works.

Allison Diep:

Yeah, thank you again for the invite this year. I'm excited to talk about 2023 and look back at last year a little bit. But really the way that we put this trend report together, it is a group effort. There's a lot of us on the team that work on it. But we start with the research phase, and so we pull all of these trends from a variety of sources. Some of the major ones that we pull from are Wunderman Thompson's The Future 100 Report. They put that out every year. We also look at Trend Hunter's Trend Report. So again, that's a yearly publication. And then ones that is a little bit more tailored towards our industry, especially the multifamily, is the PWC and Urban Land Institute. They put out a 2023 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report. And so, you know, between those main reports and then additional desktop research, it's really just a conglomeration of all this information.

Allison Diep:

And so, you know, we think that this is really useful for our clients and for us as marketers, because sometimes trend research people don't realize it's actually really difficult to do. You have to take a step back from your every day-to-day you know, whatever you're doing in business. And so being able to see this general overview of what's happening in the year, what's to come, I think it's really important to give this information to our clients and then they can see how it fits best with their, their marketing and business objectives.

Christy McFerren:

Absolutely. I think it's so critical and so many companies say they have innovation as a value, and it really is an intentional act to put aside the day-to-day and not keep your head down and, and miss what's coming and what's evolving around you. And speaking of that, we'd be remiss if we didn't at least address the highly talked about AI developments and Metaverse and Web3. So we are gonna be dedicating two full episodes to those trends alone with some members of our interactive team here coming up in the near future, because there's a whole lot shakin' on that front. But today we really want to focus kind of on design trends and real estate-based trends for this report and kind of break those two pieces apart because well, they can be broken apart and we want to make sure we go deep enough.

Christy McFerren:

It's just so important to be innovative in these areas too. And I think a lot of people get really hot on like new technological developments, but they don't exactly pay attention to some of the other aspects that really drive decision making at the consumer level. So really looking with interest at some of the, the marketing and design trends. One of them is that you put in the report that I'd love to talk to you a little bit more about is kind of a, a design is leaning again towards like an art nouveau for all. It was like capturing all the psychedelia feels from the sixties and seventies. And I think that's so interesting because for me, I've always felt like someone who, and I know Thomas, you can probably relate to this with your love for Bob Dylan. I could see you smiling over there.

Christy McFerren:

I know that's a Bob Dylan smile. But just, you know, I think it comes about when there is like a high evolution in digital or in innovations that are technological. And if you think about the sixties and seventies, that was definitely happening, but it's like we take this sort of "human side" where we want almost like this mural on our wall to be like, things to be really free flowing and wild and, and sort of like this polar opposite to like a highly digitized, binary, like structured sort of evolution. We also want to, we have this reach to stay organic, to stay human, to stay touchy-feely and like have this sort of more free-form expression. So I think it's interesting that in your report that that's something that's like kind of coming about.

Allison Diep:

And I think you kind of touched on a really big part of like, if we step back for a second in thinking about the general trends, and we have to remember what we went through the last two, three years with Covid, right? Like, that was such a huge, it just changed everything from technology and, and I think to art, to marketing, to whatever it might be, how we live our everyday life. And so if we look back, you know, at the beginning of 2020 before Covid was a thing, we were looking to this new decade, right? Like 2020, everyone was so excited. Then obviously we, we know what happened. Covid hits...

Mark Renkens:

Do tell!

Thomas Demiranda:

<Laugh> What happened??

Allison Diep:

Hmm! You know, sometimes though I find myself for-- like, you forget everything we went through. And so, you know, by the end of 2020 going into 2021, we sort of had this like cautious optimism of going into 2021.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah.

Allison Diep:

And so as we get through 2021, you know, things are starting to evolve and get a little bit better yet it's still, there's still things going on, especially regarding Covid. And then we get into last year in 2022 and we sort of have this like full fledged optimism of like, yes, we are on the other side of this thing. We're moving forward, but then we start to see things like recession stuff come up, wars, you know, there's just things that sort of dimmed a little bit of that optimism. And now what they're saying for 2023, and I think, you know, with this art, the trend that you bring up about the nouveau art, like there's all this chaos going on and we're kind of going through this like reprioritization and reordering of how like everything, how we work, how we live, how we interact with each other. Like it just, there's this tension between chaos and order and we're all trying to figure out how that, what the outlook is at the end of this year. And so I think in general, you're gonna see that sort of rebound mode and that reprioritization and reordering come up in all of these trends going forward.

Thomas Demiranda:

In the sixties and seventies, this was a great era of just like, music and art and just experimentation changing for the better, you know, like movements. And so, you know, when I think of sixties and seventies, usually some of my favorite music, like Christy mentioned, is from that era, it just makes you feel good and happy. And then the clothes that people were wearing and the hairstyles, it's just like, it's a vibe. It's such, it's such like a specific era, you know? I think that and the twenties you can really tell...

Allison Diep:

Yeah, yeah.

Thomas Demiranda:

...If it's those eras — and of course medieval times — but it just, you know, that I understand why, you know, that era is getting, you know, being at least more prominent now in social media and art and even movies now. I know we watch a lot of movies and, and things like that. I think people just really have a, an affection for that era.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah. It's interesting that you brought up like the part about music and art too as it relates to like where we're looking at like just creative pieces of marketing. Cause when we're thinking about that era too, that's also like when a lot of other countries were coming to America, like the British invasion and all these things. So like all of that was also informing what we did with art. And then I also tend to think of like the seventies as kind of like a cut-through-the-BS look at marketing. When it came to like slogans and ads and everything, it was very like in your face, it's like, this is what this is, vote for this or go see this or listen to this, you know?

Thomas Demiranda:

Mm-Hmm.

Mark Renkens:

And like, after coming out of these like past two, three years of where it's like, you know, you have all of these companies vying to be like in the digital space, all of of a sudden all competing for the same reach, trying to look for something.

Mark Renkens:

All of all of the people in this room and all the people aren't, aren't in it, are like, let's cut through the fluff. Like, let's find what we actually wanna say and say it well and say it creatively and say it beautifully. That's what that part of the trend report really like, stuck out to me was like, oh, we are going back to that. Like, we just wanna be told like the right thing. You know, we want, we want our motivations to be like solemn and true. And not just like, I'm not on Instagram this year because of how much money I've spent on Instagram over the last year of my life. So it's like, that was a decision I had to make for myself. And it feels good to know that the trends are following what I'm trying to do with my own life. So.

Allison Diep:

Well, and they're saying too, like when you bring up social media, the whole idea of like, feel-good feeds, like people wanna see good things on social media. And I agree. We spend a lot of time on it. So, and the other interesting thing that's kind of, I think this has been sort of under the surface for a while, but it's now being deemed as what they're calling creator marketing or creator communities. And so with, you know, obviously TikTok has been around for a while, but it really is the platform that everyone is on, especially from a Gen Z / Gen Alpha perspective. But looking at this trend, it's really about sort of like democratizing content creation and who's creating things. And so building these communities, it's, I think it's really interesting and they're starting to say that the new status symbol per-se is creativity. And so the way that you show that is, you know, through your own content and creating it.

Christy McFerren:

Well, and it speaks to kind of what you, another thing you put in the report with the sticker mania and just the expression of good vibes and almost like this child likeness you know, we've got emojis and now we've got stickers, and like all the platforms have created these sort of digital stickers. And, you know, I think there's really something to, it's like a, it's fun and there's like so much that ties, there's a through line of just fun through all of this. And it's sort of this release valve from all that we've been experiencing as a culture and a society, an international society really, because everything that's impacting Ukraine and all of the economic stuff that's going on in the wake of Covid, like everybody is more and more connected. And we are all kind of sharing the same headlines more all the time.

Mark Renkens:

So true.

Christy McFerren:

You know, and I think it's, it's really important that to see that beneath the surface of some of these trends, there's sort of this cry for mental health.

Allison Diep:

Yep.

Christy McFerren:

And it's like this deeper need and, and yearning for like a place of safety in the midst of all of this.

Allison Diep:

Totally. And I think digitally, some of those trends, this is a result of that, right? As we're kind of maybe dipping our toes further and further into the digital world, how we still connect to the physical world. Like a lot of that I think is the undertones for all of that to come out.

Christy McFerren:

Well, and I think it impacts too our, our clients as they, as we start to like apply this to our clients. Like what other places? More of a place of refuge than your home, and doing real estate marketing and helping people like find where they want to live. It's our job to like, speak to these aspects of the communities that we're working with. You know, they, they need to tout this fun vibe, and this great place to be, and cool hangs, and modern technology. But underneath it all, there still has to be like this sense of stability and home and safety and kind of where you go at night to like reset. And, and so like, I think it all kind of connects and you have to capture that vibe in every ad, in every email, and everything you do, every campaign has to like, do all of that. And so it's, it's really relevant for our clients to be aware of, of where people's heads are at.

Thomas Demiranda:

Yeah. I think the essence of like really great marketing is to, when you can do a general campaign, but that can capture specific people in a unique way, because in the end you touched a, I think people just wanna be seen.

Allison Diep:

Yep.

Thomas Demiranda:

So like when they're doing like content creation, they want to be seen. When they see an ad, they wanna see themselves in the ad. When they go on the website, they wanna see themselves, you know, totally like that pool. And so I think everything great marketing campaigns, at least like, you know, puts you with them at that ad, you know, whatever that ad may be. And it's like, wow, I could see myself wearing those sneakers, or I could see myself riding that bike, or I could see myself going to Italy. All those, all those things.

Allison Diep:

It's kind of a perfect segue into one of the trends that we're seeing with multifamily. There are more and more people now that are being deemed as rent-by-choice households. And so this means that they're deciding to rent because they want to, not because they need to. And you know, this could be...

Mark Renkens:

What a great, what a great decision to be able to make <laugh>.

Allison Diep:

Right? I'm just gonna blow my money here.

Mark Renkens:

Can't speak from experience there. <Laugh>.

Allison Diep:

Not yet, Mark.

Mark Renkens:

We're on our way.

Allison Diep:

But you know, because this rent by choice sort of category is popping up, it's really blurring the traditional idea of demographics. And so what they're finding is that is like, from customer experience research, it's much more appropriate to classify people by their buying patterns and behaviors rather than like their generational cohort, for example. Because as we know, you know, there's people that are empty nesters now that no longer want the responsibility of a house. And so they're living among, you know, millennials like ourselves, Mark and myself, just, you know, who can't maybe afford a home yet. So there's just a lot to think about when it's coming to marketing for all these places.

Christy McFerren:

Well, and investor mindsets have changed too. Like you used to be told, our Gen X, you know, group was told "buy a house, it's your primary investment."

Thomas Demiranda:

American dream.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. I mean, and that's still true. It still works, you know, and definitely in, in markets like Austin, homes appreciate quickly. But it also, there's alternatives now. Like there's much more accessible consumer-level investing in way different diversified options than there used to be. And so if you want a nomadic lifestyle and investment, you can have both now. And that used to not be the case. You used to kind of had to put down some roots and that you're gonna become wealthy because you're gonna have a home that appreciates and things like that. But now you can kind of invest in so many different things if you're brave <laugh> and kind of tie your money up elsewhere. So I think that changes that. But, kind of going back to your, you know, discussion on multifamily and things that are changing there and the creator lifestyle. I think we're starting to see the changes in amenities in the apartment communities as well because there's things like creator spaces that are coming on board that are like kind of fresh. They used to call 'em study rooms and now I guess they put a microphone in there and call it a creator space <laugh>. Or maybe some, maybe some craft supplies, but it's like kind of the, a new way to like pitch some of these aspects and amenities in apartment communities.

Mark Renkens:

That's, I, the apartment that I lived in before the one I'm in now had a podcast studio.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah.

Mark Renkens:

And all it was was a padded room with outlets and, and they're like, "oh, there's no mic in there."

Christy McFerren:

And the janitors are like, we didn't, we need a closet <laugh>.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah. It's like, and it's like they've got, they've got something to market. They know that like, hey, we can use this space. It's going to speak to what the generation that's moving in right now is what our demographic is. All these sorts of things. And I really liked what you said about the mental health aspect being a big part of like, where the trends are going this year because it's like we do kind of want that like safe haven space, that warm color idea. It's like we're, we're not looking at the big neon colors to like tell us to live there anymore.

Allison Diep:

Yeah.

Mark Renkens:

We're kind of looking for that like warm hug at night rather than, that seems to be the trend this year after like the chaos and mixed with the order of the last couple of years and yeah. It's, it's like you, everybody's finding new ways to use the space that they have at their multifamily apartments or student living and it's like a movie theater is now, we're gonna keep saying podcast studio cause we're in one <laugh>. But like the, the idea of just like, okay, well no one wants a movie theater anymore, so what do we do with this space? You know, let's make it like a like a, what do they call 'em? Incubators. Like, you know, something like that...

Allison Diep:

Sound bathroom, <laugh>.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah. It's like, yeah. Literally, like where's the mental health in our amenities? Oh, we can just repurpose.

Thomas Demiranda:

I think the American dream is changing like from the 2020s with everything happening and globalization and technology, social media has allowed people to have so much access to so many things and with that you have access to other people's lifestyles, right?

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Thomas Demiranda:

You see how they're living. With that, I think people's, you know, I'm gonna speak for America and Brazil since I have family there. You see other people the way that they live and you realize maybe I don't want to just have two and a half kids and get married...

Mark Renkens:

Right. Right.

Thomas Demiranda:

Get a house. Maybe I want to do things that are more experiences and I really do think there's gonna be a pocket of people that are gonna be like that forever, where it was like maybe 1% of America population, now it's gonna increase to whatever percentage because, and some of 'em are gonna be lifetime renters. And so the management development companies, they're gonna have to get smarter now for these amenities. Not to just to be like, oh, here's some little thing we put together. It's gotta have to be really thought out.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah.

Thomas Demiranda:

And really maybe more class-A and a lot around experiences so people feel like they're at home even when they're renting the place.

Christy McFerren:

That's so true. So many people are like giving up the chase, like, you know, Mark over here quitting Instagram.. <Laugh>

Christy McFerren:

Just or the year or are you forever not...?

Mark Renkens:

You know, I don't know. We'll see.

Thomas Demiranda:

As long as he can go!

Mark Renkens:

As long as I can go. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Christy McFerren:

Kudos to you, like, I mean I love that and I, I think that, you know, minimalism and, and you know, that whole stream of thought and movement has a lot to do with encouraging our generation and those that are coming up to like, you know, you get one life and you need to do as much with it as you can. And the pursuit of things and the chase, you know, is not as meaningful as it is made out to be. And I think, you know, having had acquired a couple of things in my life, there's some things make me really happy and other things just make my bank account empty. <Laugh>. And, and it's like, you gotta be able, everybody's different. You know, you have to figure out what that is for you. But centering your life around the things that truly give you that joy. And I think, you know, again, back to real estate, they, we have to, our homes have to match that decision making.

Allison Diep:

Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. Totally. And this might be such a millennial comment I'm about to make, but <laugh>, you know, I look at one of the trends in here too, as, you know, I we're, I'm kind of at a point where I would like to buy a home, but do I want all the responsibility that comes with a home?

Christy McFerren:

Right. It's a lot.

Mark Renkens:

I wanna mow my own grass.

Allison Diep:

Right. I mean, that's the thing. Well, and then we're seeing these things, some...

Christy McFerren:

Neighborhoods will do it for you.

Allison Diep:

Yeah!

Thomas Demiranda:

But here's $200 a month.

Allison Diep:

<Laugh>, that's the HOA. But we are seeing the rise. I mean, still with a bunch of our clients, the single-family rentals, like, we're seeing an explosion of those all over, you know, nationally. And I think really that does, you know, give you the best of both worlds if you're not really ready to have that house yet, but you want that space and you want something to call your home. Like, you know, it's, it's an attractive offer.

Thomas Demiranda:

And I think terms, I, I don't know if we've seen much of this. I, there's a little bit of rumblings around lower lease terms. I think those are gonna start to be more flexible. Kind of like how services now are more month-to-month and more flexible. I don't know if rent is ever gonna be like that.

Allison Diep:

Sure.

Thomas Demiranda:

That's a, that's a lot of risk for companies that depend on you know, revenue recurring. But I do see like where prices could be the same at three months as they were at six, at nine, at 12. Because you have to be able to give that, that flexibility and really that's what people want.

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Thomas Demiranda:

They want to be able to move, oh, guess what? I just want to go move to Italy and work from home for a month.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. I have a friend that's a real estate agent here in Austin. Shout out Amy Sims, hi! <Laugh>. You know, and she was talking about the increase in short-term rentals that goes with this, this trend. And I think there's, you know, nurses and people like that that get stationed places, especially when pandemics break out for shorter periods of time. And so they need a three month or a six month and they don't necessarily want to commit because their residency is only gonna last that long. And then, you know, they're gonna move on to the next level of medical care. And there's a lot of career fields that are kind of moving into that kind of a format. You know, if you've got some that are like purely remote now and others that are much more nomadic than they used to be.

Christy McFerren:

And so going after those opportunities is a part of the equation of going after your life experience. That includes career. It's not just your vacation planning. And so our accommodations and where we live are gonna have to accommodate, you know, be part of that. It kind of takes me to affordable housing a little bit too, because we're starting to see a lot more options. There's a, a group next door to Catalyst's office here that built some beautiful homes here in Westlake ,and they have a couple of affordables in there and you would never think that driving by, but it's starting to become like a city, city code, city ordinance that, you know, developers have to include some percentage of that. And there's this movement, you know, against nimbyism, that "not in my backyard" movement that's like, you know, build it anywhere, it's a great idea, but not in my backyard.

Christy McFerren:

And, but we need more and more people to become more open-minded so people like your teachers and firefighters and public servants can have a place to live that's not like such a haul to get to work, you know, like they need to be able to live in this community next door.

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Christy McFerren:

And so I think I we're starting to see more of an open mindset and a push and even marketers, I was on a, a webinar with Richard Florida who's like a, a major thought leader in the creation of cities and communities. He, you know, I think he did like a book called Markets or Conversations like back in the nineties. And it's really, he's a really like thought leader and the idea that nimbyism has got to die. And so people are marketing even that concept so that affordable housing and things like that become more to the forefront. So I think the trend and the needs of society are starting to wake you up to the fact that maybe the people living in the affordable housing aren't people that I wouldn't invite over for dinner. Maybe they are my people. And so just becoming more accepting in that as well, I think is, it's all part and parcel. Like real estate's so fascinating because you think of it as like a physical location, but it's really just a function of community.

Allison Diep:

Totally. I think the other interesting part to that too is, you know, especially here in Austin, we're seeing the government also step in a bit more with people coming in, buying up properties and then turning them into Airbnbs or VRBOs and that totally kills a, a community as well. And I think having that sort of, you know, government goes both ways, right. But having that ability to help kind of team some of that stuff is really important.

Christy McFerren:

A hundred percent. Even my HOAs is like, no short-term rentals. And I'm like, what are you even thinking <laugh>? Like it's, first of all, people aren't gonna wanna drive all the way out here anyway, but second of all, when you do develop all this stuff around me that I see being developed, you're gonna want that because it's only gonna boost the community.

Mark Renkens:

It's, there's like the, it's like the nimbyism coupled with like, the stigmatism of the words "affordable housing"...

Allison Diep:

Yes.

Mark Renkens:

...that comes with like all of this like negative connotation that you're just going to get like the lowest of the low moving in next to you or something. And it's like, all this is is granting somebody opportunity. And looking beyond like your own personal, like not in my backyard or like, well this is a nice neighborhood or anything like that, you know, I don't know who I'm imitating with that voice there, but... it's just...

Christy McFerren:

It's my old neighbor Art <laugh> who came over the first day we moved in to ask if we were renters or buyers.

Mark Renkens:

Oh my gosh.

Allison Diep:

Can you imagine?

Thomas Demiranda:

That's funny.

Mark Renkens:

It's just, there's so much that you have to like, overcome emotionally with that word. Like, and understanding like, it's, it's not, it, it, it is about privilege, it's about class, it's about community. But that doesn't mean, you know, well we're just giving this home away to the poor, which is like, I think where people's brains are going with that. And I think the more that we are involving that as a part of an aspect in a place like Austin, I can't speak to like the country, but I think that's a really important thing. Our friend wanted to live at the apartment complex that we are at now, and they said that they don't have space because they've reserved a certain amount of units that are available for affordable housing. And he was initially like, oh my God, that's so ridiculous. And it's like, you, you have to understand like everybody wants to live here right now. Like, and that doesn't mean that everybody's working for Tesla like you, everybody has different pay grades. Everybody's got their own thing and they wanna live somewhere. They shouldn't be like walled out just because of how much money they're making.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. And I think if we change the words from affordable to accessible, we would all feel...

Mark Renkens:

Accessible. Yeah.

Christy McFerren:

...different about it.

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Mark Renkens:

Don't drop the mic, but mic drop. <Laugh>.

Christy McFerren:

We can't, we can't afford anymore <laugh>.

Mark Renkens:

We can't access! <Laugh>

Thomas Demiranda:

At the end of the day, it's about flourishing communities.

Allison Diep:

Yep.

Thomas Demiranda:

You know, and if we can all be more accepting and if we have neighbors that are different from us and we start interacting with them, what that, what that's gonna do is just educate us more...

Mark Renkens:

Yeah.

Thomas Demiranda:

...on what people's needs and what they want. And I think it's at the end you're gonna make the country better. So we gotta keep going at it.

Mark Renkens:

We just unlocked how to make the country better in a podcast. <Laugh>

Thomas Demiranda:

Take notes, take notes.

Allison Diep:

You know, we're talking a lot about how we're you build community and where you live. And I think what's interesting, and this is definitely a side effect of the pandemic as well, is this new sort of term that's come to light. It's called super commuters. And this is another trend. We have it in our hospitality section, but I think it really could fall within the multi-family as well. And it's really, we're seeing society is now experiencing a greater demand for in-office work mandates, right? That's coming back. We have more hybrid working styles now, but it's definitely affected how certain employees commute and where they live. And so I think Christy, you were telling a story about someone you know, who literally lives in a different state.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah, it was, it was just an article I read, but yeah. It was like this, I feel like I know it. <Laugh>. I'm also a bit of a...

Mark Renkens:

Really, really well done article. <Laugh>.

Christy McFerren:

It was very interesting. No, he was, I think he's like a physical therapist and he goes back and forth. I can't remember if his family lives in Austin and his office is in Arizona or vice versa. But he goes back and forth because he, there's a net gain of 40 to 50,000 a year for their family income by keeping his practice one place and keeping his family in another. And he literally flies to one of those places like once a week or twice a week maybe?

Allison Diep:

That's so crazy.

Christy McFerren:

And like has office hours, does tele telemedicine partly, and also in person medicine cause physical therapy.

Christy McFerren:

But it's like crazy, crazy to think that, you know, at some point during the pandemic his family was like, let's get outta here. And because he couldn't do his practice at all, it got reduced to telemedicine during the pandemic I guess. And so he moved two states over three states, whatever it is. Geography's not my forte, but like that's far. Yeah. And it's like weekly.

Thomas Demiranda:

Oh geez.

Christy McFerren:

And or maybe like every other week or something, but it's insane. You know, I thought my little commute from Leander to Westlake was something, and it is something <laugh> But that's a whole 'nother level and it, it's, but it shows you the shift. I think what we were talking about before is the shift in priorities for families, you know, the pandemic taught us that, you know, we're only here, we're temporary, and you know, we have to pay attention to what matters during the time that we're here. And I think it's, it's really clear that people have like permanently shifted priorities.

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Christy McFerren:

And I think it's so for the better.

Allison Diep:

And that...

Christy McFerren:

Because we put work in its place, right?

Allison Diep:

Yep.

Christy McFerren:

You have to work to live, but you shouldn't live to work and unless you just like truly love your work. Like that's what you're married to. Like there are people, like Victor Frankl talks about three ways to find the, the meaning of life. And one of them is through creative output. And so like there are people that, that is their thing and that's only their thing. But for most of us, it's a part of our thing. And I think it has to have its place.

Allison Diep:

I agree. And I think to that point of looking at, you know, your life work family more from a holistic view, I think people are totally looking at their free time the same way. So vacations and what they're doing and you're seeing like from a hospitality perspective, there's this like holistic hospitality, health, wellbeing, sort of selling proposition that is really coming to life.

Mark Renkens:

Stay here and your life will improve.

Allison Diep:

Totally. Totally. And it's just like interesting to see, you know, wellness and mental health again. It's been around for a long time. People have been capitalizing on it for a while, but I think things are becoming a little bit more, I guess holistic and real, not like...

Mark Renkens:

Can I tell you an example I thought about of exactly what you're saying? So the, the hotel that we do our conference at for Campus Advantage, the FOCUS hotel, I can't remember what it is right now. That when you check into your room, they have a TV on that has like the menu, that's like, oh your TV guide or whatever.

Thomas Demiranda:

Welcome Mark!

Mark Renkens:

First, yes. Yeah, exactly. And that's like another thing.

Allison Diep:

You've arrived.

Christy McFerren:

We're watching you. Yeah.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah, like don't take the second water bottle. We will know. The first year, I won't, I don't know why this really stuck out to me though. The first year, which was that we had it back was 2021 or, it was January, 2022. And they were playing like *dubstep* music when you walked in on the TV this year, it was like, like spa music. And it was like a total shift.

Christy McFerren:

Thank you so much for the sound effect.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah, you're welcome. Podcasting 101. And I was like, that's that's intentional. You know, that small thing of like either welcome to the party-like vibe versus like welcome to serenity.

Allison Diep:

Totally.

Mark Renkens:

You're now here, you can close your eyes and sleep well, you know?

Christy McFerren:

Well before they saw your Instagram feed <laugh> And they were like, oh, he's party.

Mark Renkens:

If it's that hypertargeted, by all means.

Christy McFerren:

They're like, oh, he vacated the building.

Allison Diep:

It is a trend. Hyperpersonalization is a trend.

Christy McFerren:

It's a trend.

Allison Diep:

Yeah, I wouldn't put it past them. It's a little creepy, but...

Mark Renkens:

Little creepy. But if they, you might be absolutely right.

Thomas Demiranda:

Some people get Michael Buble...

Christy McFerren:

Mark has exited the conversation. We were gonna give him spa vibes <Laugh>.

Mark Renkens:

Yeah. It's just something that clicked immediately when I read that part of this, I was like, wow. Like that was something that I thought was so small, but it was just like a, a minute change that like maybe, maybe a lot of people that travel a lot like experience and notice a little bit more. But I, it like made a lot of difference to me because I kept the TV on this time for the music to like be there while I unpacked my clothes before I went back down. Like I really enjoyed it. Yeah. I was like feelin' myself.

Thomas Demiranda:

A hotel at AIM is like that. And so every year I remember like, oh, okay, this is what's happening. It feels like a resort. It feels like they're taking the resort service and putting it into, you know...

Christy McFerren:

Are you talking about Pasea or Hyatt?

Thomas Demiranda:

Well, Pasea.

Christy McFerren:

Pasea. Yeah.

Thomas Demiranda:

Hyatt this year, but yeah.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. Pasea is very spa vibes. Yeah. It's, it's cool. I bought the robe from there. Like I, I wear that robe all the time.

Thomas Demiranda:

I have the sandals, they give it to you for free!

Allison Diep:

Stop.

Thomas Demiranda:

They give you, I still haven't opened 'em, but they're there.

Mark Renkens:

The robe is like 80 bucks. Sandals are crap. I don't know if you've ever tried 'em on yet.

Thomas Demiranda:

That's why I never opened!

Christy McFerren:

It actually hurt between your toes. <Laugh>. I mean it is good effort, E for effort, but like the robe is legit. I brought it to my parents' lake house and I wear it.

Thomas Demiranda:

I know you love it cause it's coastal vibe <Laugh>, the whole place is like very wavy blue, coastal, you just like...

Christy McFerren:

Even their chase lounge in the, the room is like a blue wave.

Allison Diep:

Oh my gosh. Wow.

Mark Renkens:

Wow.

Allison Diep:

Fancy.

Christy McFerren:

It's a, it's a cool place and it's actually not even all that expensive, but it goes to one of the trends, you know, that you put in the report about holistic hospitality and you know, their focus on, on wellbeing. And I think it's you're starting to see more and more like even international destinations. Like there's a Costa Rica, I was watching this documentary about new hotels there and there's like one that's like lifted up into the treetops and it's just only a spa experience over the treetops in Costa Rica. Like, you know what more can you ask for?

Mark Renkens:

Heaven, heaven. <Laugh>.

Allison Diep:

Yeah, that sounds lovely.

Christy McFerren:

Sign me up. Like, I'll work remotely from there. <Laugh>.

Allison Diep:

Well that sounds interesting too because I feel like another, we haven't really talked about it, but another large general trend that we keep seeing, and again, I hate that I'm calling it a trend because it's really something that everyone should be focusing on is climate change and green, and, and especially in the, you know, you bring up Costa Rica and I can imagine some of these places are really using that idea of green as like a responsibility. Like they're not just walking or talking the talk.

Christy McFerren:

I mean, it's a little bit off topic, but maybe it should become a trend. But Costa Rica has like a school for people who wanna be tour guides because tourism's such a huge industry there. But they train them on how to be green and like all of the work that their country is doing, they're really setting the bar on taking care of their wildlife and their, their forests their beaches. And like they teach people as part of their tourism all of these concepts. So they'll hope and hopes they'll take it back to their country.

Allison Diep:

That's awesome.

Christy McFerren:

Like it's, it's so fantastic.

Mark Renkens:

It's educational tourism.

Allison Diep:

Literally.

Mark Renkens:

Wow.

Christy McFerren:

This guy was walking his through the one of those, you know, with the bridges that goes across that's super scary.

Allison Diep:

Oh yeah.

Mark Renkens:

<Laugh>. Oh my god. I love those.

Thomas Demiranda:

The rope ones?

Christy McFerren:

It's not rope. It looks rope, but it's cable and...

Mark Renkens:

Like, like the Jurassic Park bridges <laugh>.

Christy McFerren:

He brought his nephew with him cause he is like apprenticing to be one of those guys. And this kid was like sprinting across. I was like, you crazy <laugh>. Like I am like holding on and then you can feel it swinging. But that guy had walked us on a three mile trip through to like get up to the treetops and the whole time he's educating me and Dan on like ecotourism and everything their country's doing. And he's like, what are you doing in your country? Literally like evangelizing <laugh>. Like it's, it was awesome. And I was truly motivated.

Allison Diep:

Yeah.

Thomas Demiranda:

It's great when you go to these places and you're being taken care of in such like a, like, I don't even know how to describe it, but like, when you go to like a nice hotel or resort and they start giving you things that you know you want, you didn't even know you wanted. And it, and I think that experience of just like making you feel at home and you know, a great resort when you just go and you're like, wow, you leave, I immediately, I'll go and do a review. I never do a review.

Allison Diep:

Yeah. I know.

Thomas Demiranda:

They do things like that. Like go above and beyond. You know, we always talk about the Ritz Carlton and the gold standard. I mean really, you know, when they're intentional about things like that.

Christy McFerren:

Well, and you're starting to see in the, taking it back to the real estate industry, there's this industry specifically a multi-family and student is in what every industry ultimately goes through, which is periodic consolidation. And who you're seeing are the survivors, are the people that are, are the a players that are paying attention to these things that leave you feeling like a better human. And you know, there's always gonna be the fringe and there's always gonna be real estate that's not that, you know, it's, it just is what it is. But those who are really thriving are putting people in that good mood. Like they're, they're cau giving them cause to live there. They're giving them something like a reason to hold onto that's beyond just a home. It's either about their personal wellbeing or cultural or society wellbeing or something green that, you know, they feel like they're helping take care of the planet, but there's something attached to it. That's a motivating factor. And those are the ones that are kind of winning. And so I think we can probably land it there for sure.

Mark Renkens:

No, that sounds great. I, and like we said at the top this conversation doesn't end here. For the first time ever, we're bridging the two podcasts for Good Mood Media™. So we have many more trends to discuss on part two of this, which you can find on the Lone Star podcast next week.

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. Allison, thanks so much for joining us. We always have one last question for everybody, so we'll go around the circle, what's got you in a good mood today, Allison?

Allison Diep:

Well, thank you again for having me and good mood. I have a family wedding this weekend, so I'm super pumped to see my whole extended family do some partying and yeah, it's gonna be a good time.

Mark Renkens:

She's going to Tampa.

Allison Diep:

I am going to Tampa.

Mark Renkens:

She omitted that.

Allison Diep:

I left that part out. It'll be fun.

Thomas Demiranda:

Let us know how it goes. <Laugh> I guess for me lifted my, my mood today was I was like, I'm gonna go eat at Hat Creek and I was like in between a salad and it took me less than half a second to make a decision. I'm not eating a salad, I'm getting a burger <laugh>, I loved every second of it.

Allison Diep:

Yes.

Mark Renkens:

Oh, that's a very good mood

Thomas Demiranda:

My 2023 goals. <Laugh>

Mark Renkens:

My good mood right now I'm in the middle of my, my first Taylor Swift and second Taylor Swift show. So that's coming up on the 23rd of this month in Houston. We just saw her in Dallas, so still riding the high of that. Loved her, loved her, loved it. And can't wait to do it all over again. So...

Christy McFerren:

Your good mood would be my sad mood, but <laugh>

Mark Renkens:

<Laugh>

Christy McFerren:

Bully for you. My good mood is I found out today that we got a slip for our boat at Austin Yacht Club, which has been in the works for about 10 months now. So...

Mark Renkens:

Beautiful.

Christy McFerren:

I'm so excited. So yeah, that's it. I guess that's it for us. And don't forget to check out part two on the Lone Star Podcast with Mark and...

Mark Renkens:

Which will be recorded on the boat, right?

Christy McFerren:

Yeah. <Laugh>. I'm on a boat. Cheers everybody.

Thomas Demiranda:

Cheers.

Thomas Demiranda:

Hey, this is Thomas from Good Mood Marketing™ podcast. If you like what you're listening to, please rate or review us on whichever streaming platform you're listening to. Thanks.