Drew in the Morning!
What happens when you give a guy from the RGV a platform to talk about the latest news, politics and musings of South Texas with his friends? Come find out.
Drew in the Morning!
How to say Mayonnaise, will Vaqueros Football last, and the Lipstick Effect - also, tuna?
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The fascinating psychology behind our everyday economic choices takes center stage as we dive into "the lipstick effect" – that curious tendency to treat ourselves to small luxuries during financial downturns. Why do $8 specialty coffees thrive when people are cutting back elsewhere? It's all about maintaining normalcy through accessible indulgences.
Our conversation explores how companies like La La Land Coffee have mastered the art of creating Instagrammable family experiences through Disney collaborations and aesthetically pleasing packaging. Meanwhile, established giants like Starbucks seem to miss opportunities by not developing dedicated children's product lines. This prompts us to examine the growing trend of family-style marketing packages that cater to both parents and kids simultaneously.
We also tackle the shifting landscape of social media, particularly how Twitter's transformation into X has driven professional conversations to LinkedIn. For industries that once thrived on Twitter's community-building aspects, the platform's current state has become problematic, raising important questions about where meaningful digital discussions happen now. The conversation seamlessly transitions into local economic development with the excitement surrounding UTRGV's new football program, complete with sold-out tickets and booming commercial development. Yet this enthusiasm comes with historical context – the Rio Grande Valley has welcomed and bid farewell to numerous sports franchises over the years. Will college football prove different? Join us for this wide-ranging exploration of consumer psychology, digital communities, and the economics of entertainment in our region.
Tuna Preferences and Pronunciation
Speaker 1I kind of gag . So there's that . So all in all , no , I don't really feel like tuna should be hot .
Speaker 2You don't like tuna . No , I do like tuna . What about cold tuna ?
Speaker 1Yeah , cold tuna works , but Okay so .
Speaker 2Well , what about ? Do you like cold tuna ? I don't like red tuna .
Speaker 1It has to be like a drier consistency tuna salad .
Speaker 2Like with a water base , an oil base or a mayonnaise base .
Speaker 1Probably a mayonnaise base .
Speaker 2Did you say mayonnaise or mayonnaise ?
Speaker 1I said mayonnaise .
Speaker 2Mayonnaise . Am I saying it right , mayonnaise ?
Speaker 1Mayonnaise , mayonnaise .
Speaker 2Mayonnaise .
Speaker 1Am I saying it right , mayonnaise ?
Speaker 2Mayonnaise .
Speaker 1Mayonnaise .
Speaker 2Mayonnaise . Mayonnaise , mayonnaise Get out of here , mayonnaise .
Speaker 1Mayonnaise .
Speaker 2Mayonnaise .
Speaker 1That's how I say it Mayonnaise . How's it ? Mayonnaise , mayonnaise . I don't know how to say mayonnaise . You say mayonnaise ?
Speaker 2yeah , no , it's mayonnaise . I mean , I don't know , uh it Celery . Yes , we do , sure , Carrot .
Speaker 1No Pickles .
Speaker 2Pickles .
Speaker 1Yeah , egg .
Speaker 2Hard-boiled egg yeah .
Speaker 1Maybe capers .
Speaker 2Ooh , good call .
Speaker 1And then you mix it up with some mayo .
Speaker 2Some what .
Speaker 1Mayo , mayonnaise , mayonnaise I'm killing me here Mayonnaise . You mix it up with some mayo , some , what ? Mayo , mayonnaise , mayonnaise , mayonnaise . Look , arctic is now doing the little
Family-Style Packaging Trends
Speaker 1coolers and the little lunch boxes they've been doing those arctic is way cheaper . See , they're on to something because they have hit .
Speaker 2they've got mom's stuff and kids stuff . So is this the trend , where we're watching a video because they've got mom's stuff and kid's stuff ? So is this the trend ? We're watching a video right now where a mom is loading up an Arctic cooler and there's a mom Arctic cup and a kid's Arctic cup . Do they sell that as a set ? Because we were just looking also at La La Land Coffee , who did a collab with Disney , where you can go get your mom's coffee and your kid's coffee and it's like a , it's like a package deal . Are we going to start seeing more family style packaging happen ? Because I feel like maybe we were on trend and we were talking about that stuff in California . What other collabs are there ?
Speaker 1I think it's a matter of convenience , right ? And I'm curious to know why even Starbucks hasn't produced these lines . So you already have the locations all over the place , so why not add a couple of items to the menu ? That makes things convenient . So it's no lie , starbucks holds the market with the coffee , right , it's just a given . Why don't they have a children's line of drinks ? And you can get a hot chocolate , you can get a chocolate milk , but that's pretty much it . You know the kids want to drink all the little frosty beverages and the frappuccinos and all that , but you really shouldn't have coffee for kids . So why don't they have just a kid's line , a dedicated kid's line on the menu that says for kids ?
Speaker 1a kid's menu at starbucks yeah , and then for all the people that are being healthy and just will need a scoop of protein in their coffee , why not have a protein mix in ?
Speaker 2so if you could charge like five or six well , that goes back to the conversation about La La Land . What they did is the way that they made , the way that they gained tons of success is by having products that were Instagrammable .
Speaker 1Well , theirs was an aesthetic appeal .
Speaker 2That's right .
Speaker 1It's not even necessary that the coffee has an extensive range or that it's it's not even that good . It's not bad , though . I enjoyed it . But I'll tell you that everything at that coffee shop is beautiful to look at , beautiful to hold
La La Land Coffee and Aesthetics
Speaker 1the cups . I didn't even want to throw the damn disposable cups away .
Speaker 2I know .
Speaker 1They were the heavier plastic . They were nicer .
Speaker 2Everything just looked the straw hole was a heart a heart .
Speaker 1And now for the mickey collab stuff , which is the children's line , the little topper on the like to I don't know what you call it the little spill proof thing yeah , it's no longer heart , it's a mickey ears , right . So they've been able to change certain things up that make sense with whatever they're doing . I find it fascinating because the upsell is crazy . But this also goes back to the recession talk , right . So you start talking about oh , this is the lipstick . This is the lipstick conversation .
Speaker 2It's not called that .
Speaker 1It's called something else .
Speaker 2It's like the simple pleasures thing . If you're broke , the concept is Well , you think about it . The concept is that if you don't have any money and your whole world's going to shit , at least you can buy a lipstick , and it makes you feel better right or if you , is it the lipstick effect ?
Speaker 1I can't remember .
Speaker 2Yeah , or if you're , you know your whole world's going to shit and we're in the middle of a terrible recession . Well , you know what a five dollar starbucks or eight dollar starbucks is gonna make you feel like you're not broke ? Like a , like a little luxury yeah , it's a luxury , it's a um . You have to google it , man , because I can't remember what it's called I'm checking .
Speaker 1It's something of fact .
Speaker 2Yeah , that was called the lipstick effect or the lipstick . You know , who was telling me about this was Nola , our daughter was talking about it .
Speaker 1It came up in something I was reading also , and I don't think it's called the lipstick effect . This is not plain ending . Yeah , okay , it is called the lipstick effect . This is not plain ending . Yeah , okay , it is called the lipstick effect . It's the economic theory that explains how consumer behavior
The Lipstick Effect in Economics
Speaker 1shifts during downturns or times of financial stress .
Speaker 1Right , so the lipstick effect suggests that when money is tight , people still buy small indulgences like lipstick coffee , skin care or affordable luxury items , instead of splurging on big ticket purchases like vacation , jewelry and cars . It's one way that consumers treat themselves without breaking the bank . So , right now , because we do , I mean , and I don't know , I haven't really , I mean , I'm not an economist , so I don't know Are we in a recession , are we not ? I don't really know , but I'll tell you .
Speaker 2That Depends on who you ask Facts or people who don't believe in facts . So I'm not about to go down that whole thought .
Speaker 1But I will say that if I look at something that's attainable , right and so , for me it's like not having to think about it . And I think everybody's got that range in their budget where you don't have to think about the purchase If it's under a certain amount , you can just buy it and you don't have to think about the purchase . If it's under a certain amount , you can just buy it and you don't put , you , don't give it a second thought so for me , it's under a hundred dollars if it's gonna be if it's gonna be over a hundred dollars .
Speaker 2I really think about it like , I'm like do I need that , do I not need that ? Wow , wow .
Speaker 1Yeah For me if it's under $100 , yeah , okay , like maybe I don't go buy my you know Starbucks today and put it towards my whatever little $100 purchase .
Speaker 2There's a difference between us .
Speaker 1I , girl , math it all the time . Okay , so just bear with me . But if it goes over , if it goes over to , if it's $102 , it's an automatic .
Speaker 2No , no , no no , let me think about that , hold on . So does this give me permission to just buy whatever I want under $100 ?
Speaker 1I don't give you I don't put any parameters on you what I don't like , that you do You're right . We're not going to get into that .
Speaker 2But what I don't like You've never really told me not to buy something .
Speaker 1I don't get involved in your purchases . I mean buy whatever you want . If you single-handedly cause an economic malfunction in our household , well then you're in some shit . But for the most part , no , I don't care . I mean discuss it with me if it's a big purchase .
Speaker 2No , you were going to say something . You don't like it when I do what .
Speaker 1Okay , so you have these like simple pleasures that sometimes irritate the show .
Speaker 2Oh , okay , hold on . Oh , I can't wait to get into this one , because it has been stewing since yesterday . What do you think are my simple pleasures ? Oh , come on , let's go . I think that you enjoy Whataburger .
Speaker 1No , I enjoy convenience and when I'm on a phone call and I need something to eat'm not going to hang up the phone call , but I made you food ?
Speaker 2yeah , but I wasn't thinking about that at the time .
Speaker 1I was just thinking I'm hungry , I need to get something okay , but there's plenty of things that I leave behind for you , and then you just take your ass to water that was the second day you've left me and I specifically said are you going to eat this or are you going to go to Whataburger ? You're like no , no , make it for me , I'm going to eat it . And I don't know if you were just trying to be nice to me , because you didn't really like it anyway .
Speaker 2No , I totally was going to eat it . It was fantastic the day before .
Speaker 1And then I made you one . And then I get there for dinner and I'm like , oh , I made it , it's the nice thing , a water burger cup .
Speaker 2and I know I didn't go to water burger you know kids don't drive , so it was you speaking of driving , we're driving behind a cyber truck right now and you can't see around this thing , and this idiot is driving slower than the rest of the traffic . I have no respect for people who drive cyber trucks .
Speaker 1Just gonna say how do you stand in the back window though ?
Speaker 2I want there's a camera on the back . Um , you know , I , I remember you know it's like , oh , it's going to be cool , it's going to be cool . I put a preorder in for it , dude , and I saw it . I was like that's gross man .
Speaker 1It's really interesting looking .
Speaker 2Okay , hey , on that note , there was a conversation that came up yesterday on LinkedIn where my industry , the wireless industry , the one I work in we used to be super active on Twitter . Everybody was on Twitter . It was the spot where our entire industry would go and have a conversation . Everybody would join Twitter
Social Media Platform Shifts
Speaker 2and that's where we talked and that's where we shared articles and that's where we collaborated and that's where we told jokes and whatever else it was . And yesterday someone posted on LinkedIn and they said where has all the conversation gone ? Because nobody posts on Twitter anymore . None of our industry posts on there anymore . None of the tech people that I know really pay attention to Twitter anymore and a lot of it has moved to LinkedIn .
Speaker 2That was the concept was a lot of it has moved to LinkedIn because ever since Elon bought Twitter and turned into X , it's become just a shithole . Like no one that I've talked to jumps on there first anymore , which we used to . We all used to jump on there and that was like the spot where you would go , and now Okay , but did the trend change because of the person who bought it ?
Speaker 2The trend changed because of the way that's operated and what shows up on your feed now and so like , for example I mean you know my politics right and I'm sure anyone who's listening to this podcast knows my politics .
Speaker 2I opened up the main page and it was a MAGA article , a MAGA article , something about , you know , pro-israel . And then it was you know , something about some guy talking about ubiquity . And then it was you know , elon , who I have blocked on Twitter so I can't even I'm not even supposed to see those things . I have a filter but it was like Elon and the cowboy hat , and then that little robot that's running around Austin and it was like dude . I opened up Twitter and it's just all this shit that I don't want to see . And for the first time yesterday I felt like this is exactly what everyone is saying . It's it's baiting me into getting angry and responding or feeling like I have to respond Because I don't respond on Twitter . I never did , because I tried to keep it professional on Twitter and keep politics out of it . And I opened up yesterday . I was just like this is why I don't use it . It's horrible now , like I don't want to see this shit .
Speaker 1Well , I never used it . A couple times I used it , yeah , but no . So the question is what ?
Speaker 2where do you find ?
Speaker 1if it's work related , it's always linkedin and I do find um I do find really useful information . I don't feel like anyone I'm . On occasion you'll get someone who put something politically charged and for the most part the comments kind of will level set that person like , hey , this isn't , this is not a political platform if I see someone post political stuff or something that's overly , you know , like facebook , personal right , I just block them .
Speaker 2I block them . I'm like I'm not , I don't't even have , because there's so few people that do it on LinkedIn , I'm just like get the fuck out of here . I don't even like I don't want to hear it .
Speaker 1Yeah , for the most part , LinkedIn really has remained professional . At least in my eyes , it doesn't seem like it's taken any .
Speaker 2Oh God , I've seen a bunch dude . I haven't want to hear that . I get on there because I want to understand what's happening in the market .
Speaker 1I want to understand what's happening with my friends with the , you know , with the industry . So for a little while I was really , you know , on the podcast , you know like Headline News or what is it ? The CNN one , the one that gives you like just the topics , the headlines , headlines of the day or whatever it is , and those were really helpful . But I think , like with everything else is , it's maybe a little one sided right , we're not hearing the big picture , you're only hearing half the story , and so , like , where do you go to get the others to half of the story ? I don't know .
Speaker 1It's hard to keep up , I think , because right now everything is just negative altogether . I don't see a whole big reason to even attempt to research anything anymore .
Speaker 2What's the ?
Speaker 1point . What's the point ? We don't know what's real . We don't know what's you know .
Speaker 2It's like sports Whenever I watch sports . I'm not a big sports guy . You know that I like baseball , that's about it .
Speaker 1So , speaking of sports , you know what I am excited about Hold on .
Speaker 2So I watch sports , but if I leave it on for a little bit longer than normal , I'll get into it . And I feel the same way about politics . If I leave it on , I'll start to steal , like , oh my God , I can't believe this and this and this , and all of a sudden I'm an expert in it , right , so I'm expert in it , right .
Speaker 1So I'm trying really hard not to stew on anything . Everyone's got their own opinion . They're all entitled to their own thoughts and whatever I'm trying to find the how do I continue to work with this person , or to still be friends with this person , when I entirely don't believe in their views or in there ?
Speaker 1I've decided , I'm just gonna and you can't blanket statement because it's not true , right , you've got ? You've got those outliners of friends where you're like , eh , their politics sucks , but I totally love them as a person . What am I going to do here ?
Speaker 2It's true there are some people , but it's also , I don't know , man .
Speaker 1It's still such a shitty . I stay away from asking anything I don't really want to know the answer to . How's that ?
Speaker 2There you go , hold on . You wanted to talk about sports .
Speaker 1I was just going to comment on how excited I am about the UTRGV football team . I wasn't excited about it , but it
UTRGV Football and Valley Sports History
Speaker 1is a huge deal . You realize that there's over a 4,000-person waiting list to buy tickets .
Speaker 2I don't even know . It's like $600 and $800 a piece .
Speaker 1We inquired about sponsorship and I can't get anyone to call me back . I don't know if there's just so much money that's flowing through that they're not returning calls on sponsorships , which I guess is okay or maybe there's no more room .
Speaker 2The time to sponsor would have been two years ago .
Speaker 1I didn't think about that two years ago , and so here we are and I'm pumped , though I mean it sounds like it's going to be standing room . Only right , Stand up stadium room only . I don't know where that is , but those standing tickets are pricey from what I've heard . But forget that . I'm just pumped that the city and the counties are getting behind something that we can all agree on how long is it going to last , because hockey was here and it was great .
Speaker 2Oh , be positive about it Well no hold on .
Speaker 2I'm being truthful , hockey was awesome . Granted , it was a weird fit . Everyone's like why are you doing hockey in the Rio Grande Valley ? But it was amazing . God , I miss Killer B's hockey . I miss it so much . It was so much fun . So we had hockey , but even before that we had the Rio Grande Valley White Wings . We had the Edinburgh Roadrunners . They were the best baseball team you could find . They were so good . Their games were so much fun . It was such a great environment to be around . Baseball disappeared , Hockey disappeared . They tried to do indoor football . Remember the Dorados ? Yeah , indoor football disappeared . They tried to do soccer football . Remember the Dorados ? Yeah , indoor football Disappeared . They tried to do soccer with . The Toros Disappeared , and these were great games .
Speaker 1I was going to say the Toros is such an interesting case study for me , toros gone . How did that not ?
Speaker 2feel sweet , we've got the Vipers . Are they still around ?
Speaker 1The Vipers yeah .
Speaker 2Okay , so you've got the Vipers , but you go to these games . There's nobody there .
Speaker 1There's no one there , and it doesn't make any sense , because the teams are winning , so now we've got football .
Speaker 2You know man , a long time ago there was .
Speaker 2I think that football thing is going to be different yeah well , okay , so is it , though , because a long time ago , my buddy Bill was working with the group in the Rio Grande Valley that was trying to bring an NFL team to the Rio Grande Valley , and then it was like , okay , can it be NFL , can it be like a , like an offshoot of NFL ?
Speaker 2And they were legitimately trying to get an NFL team to the Rio Grande Valley , and they had the numbers and the statistics and everything , and then they were going to put the . They were going to put the stadium , I think , in Mercedes or West Laco , so it would be Mid-Valley , so everyone could go and enjoy it . And there was all of this market research that talked about how football , american football , is so dominant of a sport in the Royal Grand Valley and the majority of it's Cowboys fans . There's Texans fans also , and then you get weirdos from you know some part , like Green Bay or the Vikings or whoever , but for the natives that are here , it wasn't just about the natives , it was also about the draw from Mexico .
Speaker 1Right .
Speaker 2That all of these Cowboys fans and Texas fans from Monterey come up to the game and from Mexico City come up to the game because it's the closest American football team , so there's this big push for it . So I'd like to believe that , statistically , football should work in the Rio Grande Valley and if it's tied to a school then you can't just really , I guess , get rid of it . But I mean , how long before people just go ? Ah ?
Speaker 1I think it's going to stand on the on , like what if they're any good , like if they're a decent team and they can come back and have some wins . I think they're going to start to see some major traction .
Speaker 2Okay , but as a Cowboys fan , that's a team that sucks every year , but this is going to be our year . You know , you're obligated to say that If you say you're a Cowboys fan , you have to follow it by saying this is going to be our year . But even the Cowboys suck , right , the Texans suck . These guys don't . I guess maybe they don't suck , but these are teams that did something awesome 30 years ago , 40 years ago .
Speaker 1Well , maybe it's like a culture , I don't know . All I know is that everything is sold out , and that's the first time that I think any of these arenas , or that even the stadium , has seen anything like that . Everything is completely sold out . That's crazy . If I wanted to go and try , you have to buy tickets that are being sold again so what do you call it when you have to ?
Speaker 1buy them on like um resold , there you go secondary market secondary market tickets in order to to get to something or find someone who's not gonna use their tickets . Uh , I think the buy-in was huge . I think it's going to do a ton for the economy . I was out visiting with a developer in that area yesterday and the growth of it is incredible . The commercial strip centers that are coming out , the hotels that are going to go out there all that area is thriving . It's where to be .
Speaker 2Bro Longoria Road who knew .
Speaker 1But even further down to Monte Cristo , all of that is being developed now , who knew Super Splash ? What happened to that place ?
Speaker 2Oh dude , it's the valley . We can't have nice things . That's what happened to that place .
Speaker 1Oh , there's that , that place was so great .
Speaker 2You know , I had a dream the other night that we went down to Schlitterbahn , but it's not Schlitterbahn anymore Now . It's like Cameron County Beach Water Park or whatever it's called , it's not . No , that's what it's called .
Speaker 1What a name .
Speaker 2It's called something goofy like that , and I really was like , oh , I don't want to go . And then we had a friend of ours went down there and posted a bunch of pictures with this kid . They had a good time .
Speaker 1And they had a great time . I think the wonderful things that we have yeah .
Speaker 2Dude it's like our little dude telling me that he had never eaten at Burger King . He's like you know , I've never had Burger King right .
Speaker 1What does Burger King have to do with the water park ?
Speaker 2Because we've never taken them to the water park .
Speaker 1They've never been to Schlitterbahn they have been to Schlitterbahn . Fleety has never been . Yeah , the OLS hosted their thing there .
Speaker 2No , but like during the day , like playing around in the water and riding on the water coasters and doing all that stuff .
Speaker 1He's never
Family Activities and Final Thoughts
Speaker 1been Dude .
Speaker 2no , We've never taken him .
Speaker 1Well , that's because you're just a bad parent .
Speaker 2You're just a bad mom .
Speaker 1I said parent , I didn't say dad . But I guess you're a bad dad .
Speaker 2You're a bad parent .
Speaker 1You should take him to the water park and then to a baseball game , and then to a football game and then go fishing . And then go fishing , maybe take him on a cruise through a park , am I ?
Speaker 2posting this today ? Probably not . Do you want me to I ?
Speaker 1don't care .
Speaker 2Two days in a row .
Speaker 1Why not Build some traction ? People forgot who we are . That's true . I forgot who you are .
Speaker 2I don't even know who you are . I just picked you up at this house . I don't even know Earlier today .
Speaker 1you really upset me . I'm so mad at you .
Speaker 2Every day it's something You've been upset two days in a row .
Speaker 1Every day it's something you didn't eat the freaking wrap .
Speaker 2I made for you yesterday , is it your time of the month you are cruising for a bruising .
Speaker 1You're just a silly guy . I gotta go .
