The Best One Yet
🩳 “Nike + Skims” — Nike’s deal with Kim Kardashian. Protector’s bodyguard app. Fire Trucks' oligopoly.
Wed, 19 Feb 2025
Nike just partnered with Skims… but has Kim stretched Skims too far?Protector just launched an Uber for Bodyguards… and 1 video hack made it go viral.The Fire Truck industry has been taken over by Private Equity… but its stock tripled while fires fell?The best Black History Month story yet?... Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaker.$NKE $UBER $SPYWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… The Patagonia Fleece 🐑Subscribe to The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks to listen.“The Best Idea Yet”: The untold origin stories of the products you’re obsessed with — From the McDonald’s Happy Meal to Birkenstock’s sandal to Nintendo’s Susper Mario Brothers to Sriracha. New 45-minute episodes drop weekly.—-----------------------------------------------------Subscribe to our new (2nd) show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly. It’s The Best Idea Yet.GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts FOR MORE NICK & JACK: Newsletter: https://tboypod.com/newsletter Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/ Connect with Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/ SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ Subscribe to our new (2nd) show… The Best Idea Yet: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinksEpisodes drop weekly. It’s The Best Idea Yet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of Nike's collaboration with Skims?
Chapter 2: How did Protector's bodyguard app go viral?
They didn't do a wait list or put out coupon codes or pay for a billboard or do any paid advertising. Yeah, basically their launch strategy wasn't any of the traditional things you would do if you were launching a brand new app or a brand new brand. Instead, Protector found two pretty well-followed influencers and let them use their service for free for one trip.
Then they recorded a one-minute video that got 10 million views in just three days. Here's the video. Two women were flying from Los Angeles to New York for New York Fashion Week, and they used Protector to get picked up and brought to the airport. Now, the pickup was in a Cadillac Escalade, and there were two guards inside guiding them to the terminal.
Basically, everyone at LAX, Jack, was thinking they were one of the Kardashians. And then when they landed in New York, two different guards picked them up, also packing heat, also driving an Escalade with sunglasses, and escorted them to the fashion show.
So basically, the appeal for these two regular people who don't actually need security is that it signaled they were famous, even though they're not exactly that famous. You can invest 400 bucks for a protector, and then the world thinks you're worth 4 million bucks. Your personal secret service is basically an investment in personal branding.
Now, yes, this whole business reflects a troubling socioeconomic side. Do you really want to live in a world where you need private security just to go out with your bachelorette party? But we got a question for our listeners. Drop it in the comments. Would you pay for private bodyguards for a night? Yeah, this business model could go one of two ways. Would you pay for security...
Or would you just pay to party? One sec, Jack. I'm just touching my earpiece here. Yeah, the eagle has landed. The eagle has landed. If Domingo tries to get into the limousine, let him in the limousine. 10-4. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Protector? It's a modern take on the age-old storytelling rule. Show, then tell.
Yetis, if your new business is going to get any business, you need to get people's attention first. Protector's launch video was 100% about showing you what it was. That was key. They didn't describe the business to you. They showed in the video seven-foot guards, concealed weapons. everyone staring at you as you walk around the LAX terminal.
So they did a great job showing you, but it's more important than ever in this age to tell, right? Like, is this a scam? Is this AI? In an age of disinformation and misinformation, you better have an FAQ section on that site. People are going to do their own research. Oh, and if there's an armed guard involved, yeah, you better tell the details.
That's why we have a tweak on the age-old storytelling adage, show, then tell. That's how Protector launched a viral Uber for Bodyguards app in 72 hours with almost no budget. For our second story, Nike just announced its first new brand since Air Jordan, Nike Skims. It's Kim Kardashian's biggest business win yet. Honestly, making her the number one woman in athletic apparel.
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Chapter 3: Why is the fire truck industry controlled by private equity?
For our third and final story, bet you didn't expect this one. The fire truck industry has become monopolized with longer waits and higher price tags. And it all reveals a strange contrast. Fewer fires, but more expensive fire trucks. Yeti's trust in institutions is down. But according to Ipsos, if you're with the FDNY, things are looking good, man.
Firefighters are ahead of nurses and teachers as the number one most trusted institution in America. There's a reason your mom keeps that firefighter calendar around. It's because she trusts the firefighters. Nick, hold on. Tell them the story about the time you visited and put on a firefighter uniform.
Yeah, in business school, we did a trip to FDNY up in New York, and we went into a burning building. It was a leadership lesson, right? It was a leadership class, yeah. I already had respect for the firefighters, but what an incredible group of guys. How heavy was this suit you had to put on? 60 pounds, Jack. I had to get a spotter just to put on the outfit. Did you slide down a pole?
I think the pole slid down me. I got crushed, man. But yeah, as you may have noticed from the Los Angeles Wild Fighters, that there's a nationwide shortage of fire trucks. From Las Vegas to Atlanta, from Cape Cod to Tucson, there's delays. All these fire stations are waiting for their vehicles to arrive. The wait time for a hook and ladder, it's now four years for a new truck.
Now, the fire truck industry is very different than the car industry, we should point out. First, there's very few orders of new fire trucks that happen, relatively speaking, and each one is highly customized. Yeah, that fire truck is built to last 15 years and a whole bunch of fires. And California fire trucks have very different needs and requirements than a Minnesota fire truck.
Yeah, like the fire trucks in San Francisco, they have actual surfboards on them. Like, no joke. Yeah, and they have to get into like the ocean. In Minnesota, you need like an icebreaker and a snowplow on that fire truck. But it's not just the delays that are wreaking havoc on fire departments. It's the price of trucks, which have doubled in just the last few years. Get this, a new fire truck?
That was $1.3 million about four years ago. Now, it's $2.3 million, according to the New York Times. It turns out the fire truck shortage we see today, though, is thanks to moves made on Wall Street yesterday. This is what we found fascinating about this story. 20 years ago, Yetis, the firetruck industry, it was fragmented.
Every region of America had their own little firetruck maker, like not that far away. Like a firetruck chassis company based in Ohio, only making firetrucks for Ohio. But in 2006, Wall Street noticed. And one private equity firm known as American Industrial Partners bought up a bunch of those regional fire truck manufacturers and rolled them up into one giant company.
And Jack, what was the result of that private equity roll-up of the fire trucks? We have one giant company today that controls 30% of the market for new fire trucks. And get this, that company, Rev Group, was taken public in 2017. It's a $2 billion, pure play, publicly traded fire truck company.
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Chapter 5: How does the Uber model apply to bodyguards?
So basically, the appeal for these two regular people who don't actually need security is that it signaled they were famous, even though they're not exactly that famous. You can invest 400 bucks for a protector, and then the world thinks you're worth 4 million bucks. Your personal secret service is basically an investment in personal branding.
Now, yes, this whole business reflects a troubling socioeconomic side. Do you really want to live in a world where you need private security just to go out with your bachelorette party? But we got a question for our listeners. Drop it in the comments. Would you pay for private bodyguards for a night? Yeah, this business model could go one of two ways. Would you pay for security...
Or would you just pay to party? One sec, Jack. I'm just touching my earpiece here. Yeah, the eagle has landed. The eagle has landed. If Domingo tries to get into the limousine, let him in the limousine. 10-4. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over at Protector? It's a modern take on the age-old storytelling rule. Show, then tell.
Yetis, if your new business is going to get any business, you need to get people's attention first. Protector's launch video was 100% about showing you what it was. That was key. They didn't describe the business to you. They showed in the video seven-foot guards, concealed weapons. everyone staring at you as you walk around the LAX terminal.
So they did a great job showing you, but it's more important than ever in this age to tell, right? Like, is this a scam? Is this AI? In an age of disinformation and misinformation, you better have an FAQ section on that site. People are going to do their own research. Oh, and if there's an armed guard involved, yeah, you better tell the details.
That's why we have a tweak on the age-old storytelling adage, show, then tell. That's how Protector launched a viral Uber for Bodyguards app in 72 hours with almost no budget. For our second story, Nike just announced its first new brand since Air Jordan, Nike Skims. It's Kim Kardashian's biggest business win yet. Honestly, making her the number one woman in athletic apparel.
Yetis, one of the most recognized brands in the world, is now partnering with the buzziest brand in the world. Because Nike and Skims just announced Nike Skims. One word, no space. It looks more like a screen name than a brand. Yeah, can we jump on AOL for this one, guys? And because everything Kim touches turns into cash, Nike stock rose 5% on the news.
Nike grew $5 billion in market value thanks to this announcement with Skims. Nike signs a deal with a Kardashian and gains more market value than one Lyft jack. Let that sink in. Nick and I think Nike looks like an older presidential candidate here. Yeah, we do. They picked Skims as their vice president to bring some youth to the ticket.
Yeah, like Skims, can you come up with me on the stage and get this photo out together? Now, the collab starts with women's apparel, but they plan to expand to menswear and footwear, and it launches this spring. But Jack, we've both read Phil Knight's book about Nike. Could you please sprinkle on some historical context to this deal? This is Nike's first new brand since Air Jordan.
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Chapter 6: What risks come with brand collaborations?
Chapter 7: How does Skims plan to expand into the athletic apparel market?
Like a lithium battery that is 10 times more efficient than the standard one. So after getting rich from the super soaker, literally made hundreds of millions of dollars on it, he now runs an institute for innovation down in Atlanta with a staff of 30. Yetis, if you got the best fact yet, for Black History Month, we want to hear it. And we want to get it on the pod.
So click the link in the episode description. You can leave us a voicemail or you can go to tboypod.com slash shoutouts and leave it there. Either way, we want to hear it. It's a very easy Google form. We'd love to get you on the pod. Besties, you look fantastic out there for the four-day week. Jack, I have got a request for you. You ready for this? Hit me.
Okay, is the pod son still into trucks and cars like ahead of his fourth birthday? Very much so, yes. For his fourth birthday, I might get him a share of this fire truck stock. I think it's worth it.
That's a good idea.
What do you think? You know, the annual birthday gift of buying shares? I think a fire truck stock for a kid actually works out really well. Deposit it right into the 529 account. Let me just say, I hope this is a really high dollar price stock. Yetis, this is not investment advice. I am purely doing this because a little boy loves fire trucks. It's a good idea.
If you haven't yet, drop down to give us a five-star rating because that helps grow the show. And Nick and I will be back with you tomorrow. Can't wait. And before we go, a happy birthday to Yeti Mulvika all the way over in Mumbai, India, turning 22. Happy birthday to Earl Lee in Philadelphia. And Connor Malloy over in Connecticut, probably going to hit a hole in one for his birthday weekend.
Happy 33rd birthday to Marley Miranda in Charleston, South Carolina. And Daniel Prado over in Bellflower celebrating a birthday and an anniversary. Happy 30th birthday to David Chen in Ontario, Canada. And Tyrone Jenkins turning 42 as a hurricane over in Raleigh. Big shout out to Tom Berry, who just got a new job in PE over at Carlisle. Tom, if you see some fire trucks, snatch them up.
and Andrew Mahler over in Wisconsin. We just wanted to say thank you for your incredible message. Jack, Andrew is who emailed us about him and his wife listening every day, commutes, gym, doing the dishes. They're amazing. Wow. TBOI and TBIY, have fun on your next budget date, guys. Big shout out to the publication Feedspot, which just named T-Boy a 20-minute top podcast.
And Showbeak Don down the street in San Francisco launched Upli, a platform for job seekers. Congratulations on the job launch. And happy anniversary to Melissa and Goberto in Aurora, Illinois. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack, Nick on Stock of Nike, which I deposited into his son's account for his birthday. And it finally went off today, Jack. It's about time.
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