Ep. 11 : The Gen Alpha Revolution: How CPG Brands Can Stay Ahead

Episode 11:  The Gen Alpha Revolution: How CPG Brands Can Stay Ahead

Summary

In this episode, hosts Christine Wright and Trevor Lewis explore the influence of Gen Alpha on retail and brand marketing. They discuss the impact of social media, influencer marketing, and the purchasing power of Gen Alpha. The conversation also delves into the importance of understanding and targeting this demographic, as well as the evolving strategies of brands and retailers to appeal to Gen Alpha consumers.

Takeaways

• Gen Alpha has a significant influence on household spending and purchasing decisions.
• Understanding and targeting Gen Alpha is crucial for brands and retailers to stay relevant and successful in the market.
• Influencer marketing and social media play a key role in reaching and engaging Gen Alpha consumers.
• The purchasing power of Gen Alpha is substantial, and their preferences and behaviors are shaping retail trends and brand strategies.
  
  

Transcript

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (00:02.702)
Welcome to Blue Light Special, the podcast for CPG brand marketers who want to lighten up their hustle in retail and real life. I'm Christine Wright. And I'm Trevor Lewis. We're here to decode the mysteries of retail and give you some insider hacks to make your brand talk the shelf. Let's get into this week's episode.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (00:29.358)
Welcome and let's get in this week's episode where we explore Gen Alpha, specifically around capturing the minced overlooks

So first, let's get into.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (00:51.47)
shapes.

Yeah, so you know the first, the mall hall. So if you're on TikTok. Your Jennifer is a girl. Yes. Mine's a boy. So you know more about the hall. Yes, the hall is, I'm learning about the hall. And so what this is, is it's a trend on TikTok. And typically it's from when you went to the mall and you've spent. Got your hall. Got your hall.

And so what you then come and do is you video or you tick talk, wherever you want to call it. video yourself unveiling all of the goods, but it starts with the bags because that's very important. Yes. My daughter, when she was this age, she always saved the bags and bags were important. And they, they show, you know, brand association. So typically right now, if you look at.

If you go to TikTok and you type in the hall, you're going to see bags of Sephora are definitely one of the more known ones in the 12 year old girl's hole. And yeah, it's, it's, it's interesting experience, but I think, you know, what that does is they then broadcast that to all of their audience, but they also share it amongst their, their, their team community as well. And I think you obviously see what that can do from an influence standpoint. gosh. Yes. Yes.

So have you noticed kind of what they're self aware about when they are out shopping about? Is it more about just the brands themselves or is it something that they're paying more attention to? It's really both. So, you know, at least I can speak from, you know, the experiences I have with my 12 year old, Jen Alpha girl. And so, you know, it's definitely all health and beauty for the most part.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (02:49.198)
they're very much, you know, in tune with what they're looking for when they choose to go into these, you know, physical stores, because they've watched other influencers. And so the brand is, they're not seeking, they're not searching and learning about new brands in store. They're going out and, you know, purchasing it at that point. And so, right now everything is in the health and beauty space. but they're very much familiar with what they're looking for. So a lot of it right now is.

hair specific products in our world. And a lot of it is looking at ingredients at all. yeah. Just going to a brand she saw on TikTok. And that's what we're getting. It's you know, I think she really looks at whatever the influencer is highlighting originally. So in certain cases, it's what the product can do and what are some of the direct benefits there if the influencer is then highlighting it because it is a you know, it's a call it organic or natural products.

then that's definitely influenced what she is looking for or highlighting. And so ingredients, certainly a lot of it has to do with what the product is, you know, what are the direct benefits of the product and how are those being articulated to her through the influence? so she hits that store, she, she knows what product she's going to go get. it's just, do they carry it or is it readily available where we can pick it up and purchase it right there? Instant gratification. Yeah. Well, I will say my son's not as big of a shopper, we don't do the whole, but he's still in app and he knows what T -Move is. I mean, that's surprising, he knows what Sheen is. That's surprising to me. So he is in app, he's on social media all the time. So for me, what's happening in my world is how can I monitor this kind of from a safe distance so he doesn't feel invaded?

And there are some apps out there that I've looked into. I actually have a subscription to one called aura. There's another one called park. And basically I can turn off tick tock or turn off Snapchat on his phone. I might get alerts that, you know, it's some kind of inappropriate content or something. So I can turn that off. I'll get that notification. I can monitor how long he's on there. I can say, Hey, it's 10 o 'clock.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (05:05.102)
Time to go to bed and completely shut the phone down. But it's helping to parents monitor all of the social apps that they're in it. Because that's all it is. It tells me like what he's been on the most all day on YouTube or Snapchat or something. So you can really monitor. Well, keep me posted because obviously we're venturing into summer break. So one of our battles is, yeah, what are we doing with this free time? So this was kind of the first week in our summer break.

And so I was much more relaxed, but the phone is going to be a problem. I can already sense that So I currently don't have one of these apps outside of just the the monitoring that you can do specifically on the iPhone So if I come Asking you're gonna have to you know continue to share and point me in the right direction

All right, well let's get into our first segment, which is show and tell. This is where Christine and I share most of our personal experience. Look what I have got for you! Christine, what are you paying attention to? What am I paying attention to in retail? Well, I've just kind of started noticing a trend and for a while there everything was omnichannel and now it's not really new, but it's starting to evolve to omni -commerce. It's not just a channel shoppers might be in, it's more focused on

Where is the purchase happening? Where is money transacting? And now that we're focusing on that, I'm seeing agencies kind of rebrand. I've worked with VML for a long time, then they became VML, YNR, and then it's VML, YNR commerce. They're adding more commerce. And then I just saw Mars Agency rebranded to Mars United Commerce. So that commerce, that spend, that money exchange is...

harder brand name now because it's so important in the shopper experience. Yeah, I've watched it and seen, you know, obviously, you know, some of these, you know, I'll call it rebrands. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but they're definitely leveraging the commerce. I think when we are speaking with the clients, you can kind of understand why. And it's because, you know, even like last year, these were very siloed, specific channels. You had in -app, you had in -store, you had e -commerce.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (07:26.094)
And now they're, you know, the conversations are these are blended, right? The, the shopper journey is not linear. And so, you know, yes. And so as they are, and as a, as a service provider that ultimately wants to consult those brands and help them across all of those channels, I think therein lies where this commerce is because that's essentially we're putting it all in the bucket and we're calling it commerce now. And so, yeah, I'm, I'm excited to, you know, continue to see.

how brands navigate this, how agencies play their role in assisting. I'd say by and large part, you're still seeing a lot of the agency work being done on the digital side. But as that translate to more retail in -store retail media, I think that's probably why they're wanting to kind of blend that. So it's not as confusing and also so that they can continue to show that they are a single source and service provider across all channels. So.

More to come. I don't think we're going to go in stores. I'm just play commerce play yet, but who knows who knows The one of the Things show and tell that I'm seeing or I recognize was and I reference these guys quite a bit dude wipes. Yes They're everywhere but they just don't Utilize the same playbook when it comes to I don't know that they have a flavor

They don't. And I think, I think Sean is the gentleman's name, the CEO that is running it is I love his approach to business. I love how he's navigating. I love how he does, you know, his own little shout out series where, you know, brands send him stuff or he opens it up and gives them his two cents. But recently they just did something that I think, I think is everyone will be paying attention to. because they are clearly a disruptor and a very known category.

and they're doing really well, but the thing is that I saw was they rethought their social media, paid, paid advertising, play. So historically on social media, when you're a direct to consumer brand as well, as you know, sell through the trade or the channel, you would historically drive, you would promote your ads to then convert on your own direct to consumer e -commerce.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (09:47.118)
They're not doing that anymore. So they're doing an ad, they're running social media ads, but they're driving traffic to where they know buyers convert the best and that's in store. So they're driving, they're paying ads and driving traffic to walmart .com or some of the other big players that because they know that their audience converts there. And so we're going to see which ones get on board.

But I can guarantee you that conversation perked a few category buyers ears when they said, Hey, yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna spend money on social ads, but we're gonna drive the traffic to you. To the retailer. To the retailer. So that was a bit of a show and tell. We'll see what other brands kind of jump on that. I don't think that they're by any means for going their own direct to consumer channel, but they all are very self aware of where their shoppers buy and convert.

and it's really not on their own channel. And so they're essentially, and also I think that, you know, the retailers will enjoy that and appreciate that. Absolutely driving traffic to their reseller site. Yep. So that was a little aha moment that I had something to pay attention to as we continue to kind of move forward. That was a good one. And we are going to move on to our next segment, which is our shop. We love the brands that are getting it right. Toothwipes is one of them. Anybody on your radar besides them?

Well, you know, being here in Kansas City, we're obviously Chiefs fans, but as a brand and you know, they're definitely getting it right. Some of that was recently validated through the schedule announcement. And so they have a significant amount of prime time games. I heard.

You know, through the grapevine that they did check Taylor Swift's touring schedule. Yeah, scheduled around the schedule and scheduled around that as well. I know that the streaming services last year, they was kind of the first one to do the Amazon in the Amazon game. I think that was a kick. That was the kickoff home opener. They're also going to be the one streaming on Black Friday on that game. So I think someone told me that they are going to play every day of the week except for a Tuesday.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (12:02.765)
this week and so the reason why people want to watch them right? You want to watch the Chiefs you get good ratings. And the brand so that brand is definitely thriving and so that was one that I would say is continuing to get it right. Well I'm my shout out I'm staying kind of on the sports platform and I'm just shouting out women's sports in general I mean right now I don't think it could be any bigger.

You had Pat Mahomes at the time 100 Awards and he was quoted saying tonight I'd like to raise a glass to a new era in sports an era when the women's game is finally getting the attention it deserves and just with him and Brittany being part of owners of the Casey current and that women's soccer stadium opening and just having great following their Caitlin Clark.

bringing record crowds to her opening debut for the WNBA. Angel Reese at the Met Gala, it's just women's sports is everywhere and I don't think it's a fad or a trend. I think they finally made their place. Yeah, well obviously, you know, I'm rooting all of it on and I think it even is closer to me than ever because I do have a 12 year old and she is very much involved in sports. And so for her to be able to have, you know, these sports idols is new for women, right? As many as they have. Yes. And so to be able to look at them and, you know, obviously they're, you know, carving out their own paths, but to be able to have a little girl that can see that this is being done is just so inspirational. So, I'm excited to continue to watch it. you're, you're right. I think it's, it's here. They've, they've caught our attention. We're captivated audience.

Seeing little kids or hearing little kids that are shooting threes and now saying Caitlin Clark You know how cool is that so I'm here for that trend for sure All right, it's time for hurt on the streets Retailers and brands on the daily we are in the know when it comes to trends Anything new trend wise I I don't know that new but I think I've noticed it's making a comeback is store tests

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (14:16.366)
And I think a lot of it's being driven by emerging brands. Retailers want to put them in store, want to get them on space. But hey, let's do a store test in certain markets, glean a little data and insights. If we're successful, then we'll roll it out to an all store. We recently had an electronics client, permanent inline set, but we're all going to do 50. Let's let it roll out. Let's see how it does. And then you know, 2025 maybe we'll do full store. Yeah, low risk high reward. So yeah, and I think of course the brand in most cases is wanting to do a full store rollout. Sure, but I think it's smart. it's very smart. And I think that it's, you know, if I was, you know, launching an emerging brand, it's such a long game. And I think this are clear examples, but.

You know, it could flop too, right? And so there's so much learning that's happening. The environment is changing. You have an emergence of retail media. You have all of these things that are happening in eating up budget and, you know, creates a kind of a risky environment to do a brand new launch, across, you know, hundreds of, of stores without some of that critical insights and learning that they're able to obtain through a test. So, while again, we love working on those large projects as well.

It is the right thing to do. It gives them validation, learnings, and with budgets continuing to be scrutinized as well as brands continuing to emerge in different categories, it makes perfect sense. And these are larger programs, right? We're not doing a test on a sidekick, per se. No, the one we were doing, like I said, is permanent, inline, high price point on the product. Yes. So let's test it. Yep.

Okay, Jen Alpha. In the pantry for snacks. I wanna hear some Jen Alpha slang. Tell me some, like what's bet? What's that mean? Like bet? What's bet? Like bet that. What's it mean? Like I can probably do that. What about goat? you're a goat? Like...

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (16:41.102)
What's it stand for? Does it stand for something? Like you're an OG. What's a goat, isn't it? Like LeBron James, you know, like he's a goat. He's been playing for like a long time. Okay, so like greatest of all time. At least know that one. What's sus? You're suspicious. You got food in your mouth, dude. And that's a pop tart at that. Suspicious? Like a girl is sus, like suspect, like suspicious. What's Riz?

Do I got Riz? Mom, you got number 10. Come on! It's like when you hit on someone. well, yeah, Mom. Don't have that. Mom ain't Rizzy. What's... I know Bussin' Bussin'. that's good. It's Bussin' Bussin'. Bussin' Bussin', chocolate pop tart, Bussin' Bussin'. What's cat? That's not true. That's cat. That's cat. That's not true. What's skivvy? that's... I don't know. Like...

There's no skibbity toilet beta. Beta? Skibbity toilet beta. What the heck is that? I don't know. But it means something? Yeah. It doesn't really mean anything. it's just Coolio? Yeah. Like there's no skibbity toilet beta. Skibbity toilet beta. I'm skibbity toilet beta. Ha! One more. One more that I don't know. I don't have any more. Really? You're drinking a Fanta, eating a chocolate pop -tart before baseball. Ew.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (18:15.694)
I got all, nothing else.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (18:20.686)
All right. Peace out, Boy Scout.

I'm Riz.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (18:29.262)
So I got another one up in my mom. Erm, what the sigma? What's up brother? Yeah that, what's up brother? Tuesday, what's the Tuesday part? Tuesday, Tuesday, special teams, special plays, special players. Tuesday, Tuesday, what's up brother? Good rain. Good, good rain.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (18:58.222)
Hey Leila, can you tell me what Sigma means? Sigma means like when you think you're better, like when you're cool. Okay, can you tell me what Riz means? When you like are talking to a boy or a girl and then you guys like...

Like flirt. That's what Riz means. Okay. And what about... Skibby. Skibby. Skibbity. Skibbity. I don't know. It's just like a funny word that somebody just started randomly saying on the internet and then just people just started saying it to be funny. It's like something you say when you're like goofing around. was it on TikTok? Yeah. Okay. What about my bad? My bad. This is like...

sorry like that was my fault. What about my bad G? My bad G means like that was my fault G like say if you said like I'm sorry Billy Bob like you're just like whoever you're saying my bad to you just call him G and G means goat and goat means the greatest of all time so. Thanks Layla for the information. You're welcome.

So I think after all of that, we are going to jump into our main topic, which we mentioned it was Gen Alpha. And why did we choose to talk about this demographic? I will say I read a quote the other day that kind of made me step back and be like, wow, that's true. And the quote was, every organization, every brand, every product is just one generation away from extinction.

So I think it's very important that we look at Gen Alpha now. What is Gen Alpha? Why did we decide to talk about this? You and I, especially, we have them in our household. So we know firsthand what they're influencing. Yeah, well, it's definitely relevant. My pockets are definitely bleeding. And so I guess it's all top of mind. But just to kind of level set, the generation of Gen Alpha is born between 2010 and 2024. That's a big span, too.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (21:15.47)
It is. It is, you know, I think I may have proposed a question on, you know, either internally or in the social forum, which is, are they the most informed shopper that hits the store? And I think we could easily, you could make an argument that there is no argument because they are, and it's the relevance of what social media plays. They're the digital world. They don't know any difference. Yes. The information has been right in front of them.

Yep. Specifically shopping information, right? Like we're still relatively new in this digital shopping experience. Now, obviously it's been around for a while, but they were probably the first generation as it was there when they were born. We had to adopt it. Yes. That's the norm for them. It is absolutely in the norm for them. And so I think that's number one why we're paying attention to it. Obviously their level of influence is not really segmented at age anymore. And so you're, you know, you're able to have a, you know, a 12 year old who can influence the masses because of their own social following, not that they're even a, you know, necessarily just a consumer of, tick tocks. Like there can produce the content as well. and you have the, you know, you have older people looking at them for trends and culture and what's happening.

in terms of what may be coming, that's a great place to plug into. So outside of their just sheer, impact of what is being purchased in store. Well, they're spending power, at least according to statistics, it's expected to reach 5 .46 trillion. That's amazing. Brands definitely have to know about this demographic and how to influence them and how to influence that purchase. Yeah.

And if he's going to start, let's just pretend you're going to start a brand, today, the, the, the number one channel that you're absolutely going to have is social media. Why it's free to start. and you know that you have to go there. So, you know, before there was many, you know, legacy brands that are around that did not start with social media. They didn't start there. Their play was we need lots of cash because we're going to go on the distribution play. And so we need to get in store.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (23:36.974)
and we're going to introduce our brand for the first time in store. We're going to convert shoppers for the first time in store. Everything was in store. Not anymore. we're going to create awareness for the first time on social media. We're probably going to influence the shop digital shopping cart for the first time from social media. And so the game has just flipped. Well, some statistics since I was pulling some of those and I, and I have a regularly available, they're pretty shocking. The typical gen alpha parent, which is us, estimates that nearly half of all household spending is impacted by their child's opinion. That's huge. Or the amount of money the typical gen alpha child has to spend each week is $45. And that's over $2 ,300 a year. You add that up. And 95 % of gen alpha parents learn about new brands, products, or services from their child, 95%. I didn't know all that. That's huge. That is huge. And the last one, 90 % of Gen Alpha children are already earning their own money in at least one way. And I think we talked about a few episodes ago, kind of the spending power of just our kids with their little Venmo green light credit cards, and they're earning money and it goes on that card and then they use it like a debit card.

Yep. They're, they're actual purchasers. Yes, they're influencing, but they're also actual purchasers too. Yeah. And they have a unique way of generating funds too, right? In our world. I mentioned earlier that we're in summer break and so we got a lot of old toys and old things that are. Did your daughter go on and like resell? Absolutely. Even though she's not, well, yeah, she's Jennifer still. she went on and would resell her clothes. Yep. Poshmars, that one. Well, she's, I want to, I want to buy something. And so she'd go right her closet and find stuff she didn't wear anymore. It was like selling away, selling away all those, but she was making her own money so that she could spend again. And then they put it, and you know, I think we've talked about this before is like Amazon. They, they have built shopping carts. These kids do.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (25:58.146)
yes. and they watched the shopping cart and as soon as one of those price, they get a notification just like we do that there's been a 10 or 15 % price discount and they're coming. Hey, look, you could have bought this then, and where you can buy now and save a little bit. And it's like, okay, you're right. let's buy it now. so there, yes, they're bargain shoppers. They've, you know, Layla is also into going and doing the thrift thing and then coming back and finding those and reselling those as well. so not only can they, you know, at the ease of just how they can purchase, but they're also able to fund some of their desire purchases as well. so yeah, this, this, Jen alpha a little bit scary, a little bit scary. They do have a lot of power. Well, as we were researching Jen alpha, cause, even though we have one, I really didn't know all that much. I did not become fascinating to me. I kind of wanted to see what what's a brand or a retailer that's actually targeting them. What are they doing?

And I found an example from Claire's, which we all know Claire's, we've all taken our teen daughters to ear piercing in their freestanding storefronts, but now they're in Walmart. So now they're in Walgreens. Purple. Yes, a pop -up shop in there. So Claire's did to better appeal to Gen Alpha shoppers, the retailer assembled new brand ambassadors to drive content and marketing.

And the brand ambassadors were there to guide creative strategy of content, communications, brand activations, and in -store experiences. And some of the influencers partnering with Claire's included a filmmaker, an up and coming chef, and a skateboarder. Just transitioning your strategy to focus on Gen Alpha and utilizing influencers. And then you kind of have to go into their world of what influencers am I going to use? A chef. skateboarder. It just fascinates me that that's happening. Yeah and I think we even, you know, one is I just love how these brands, you know, are getting, you know, getting creative. They are. They're stepping outside of the box. Yes, they're absolutely doing that and so and we're at the beginning, we're at the forefront of a lot of this. Definitely the infancy stage.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (28:17.838)
Yes. So I'm excited to continue to see, you know, where this goes, how it continues to get incorporated, how we see that those, you know, those themes or those campaigns show up inside of physical retail as well. because the reality is they, they, they do like going to the store, generally shopping period, whether it's online and app in store, whatever, just the shopping experience in itself. They love it. Yep.

And so one of the other things we did is kind of leading up to this show is kind of look at what are some of the top retailers? And yeah, what's the first one? Well, the top five, the first one is Walmart, Amazon, Target, Nike is a big one. Of course, my kids, they buy all the like the specialty Nike that you really have to save up for and buy online. But this one shocked me. GameStop. However, my Jen Alpha got hit the boy Braxton gaming, gaming, gaming. And even when we're in gaming, we're buying skins and all the outfits and dressed them. my gosh. It's craziness. But GameStop surprised me. And Sephora came in at number 10. Yeah. Yeah. A couple other ones. Apple didn't surprise me. Lego surprised me. Yeah. Starbucks did not, but Jen Alpha loves the luxury brands.

and they will gravitate towards high -end brands. Yep. Marketing to Gen Alpha. Anything that come from this that stood out? I mean, I know we have a list here, you know, emphasize visuals and interactivity, use humor. The big thing for me just because my Gen Alpha games is that just the game, they call it gamification, you know, build that into your brand strategy because that's what they gravitate towards. It's gaming, everything gaming was big for him. And that's how you're going to grab his attention. Yeah. in my world, I'll say it's, if I just kind of observe Laila's behavior, it's, she tends to really gravitate to the influencers that are authentic. And then that by default, you know, it's explores the brands that are then, you know, authentic, as well. now I think that that's why Tik Tok is, you know, does so well there is because.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (30:40.974)
It's so relatable. Yes. It's not a high quality production, you know, advertising campaign that's being shot. They feel relatable to that person because of whatever reason that's there. But they also, as they're consuming the content, it feels very authentic. And a lot of it has to do with this little. They're being sold to. Yeah. I think it's down on their level and they're just interacting with someone close to their age on the same level. Kind of just a friend or, you know.

somebody that they would know from school, it's very relatable. Yes, yep. Well, I think we covered a lot with GenAlpha, but in concluding just how huge this demographic is and what brands have to pay attention to is we're only just beginning, like you said, to understand this audience, transitioning to teens, but early observations are that they are a gateway. They have the attention of and influence over household leaders, which is huge. And if captured, brands can form a connection that grows alongside these savvy, influential shoppers, creating impact for years to come. And in today's age of unpredictability, the power of that potential is endless.

And I think that's a powerful statement that, gosh, you're not just, brands are not just influencing a segment that physically purchases, but that segment also influences the purchases of other demographics. So it's huge. And if anyone's just curious, so again, the, anyone that's older than or born above 2010 kind of fits in this Genalpha category. 2012 is when she was born. So if you're just generally curious,

What I would encourage you to consider is you probably know someone in this age group. Take them with you on your next trip to Target, Walmart, CVS Walgreens. You might need a translator. You might need a translator, but just watch. Ask them to go down any aisle and say, hey, show me a brand that you knew about before you stepped in here and how did you know about it? Or just watch what they do and what category is they just naturally...

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (33:00.91)
you know, walking in and gravitate to. There's absolutely lessons right there in doing that small little experiment. I know I've done it and so it's incredible to see. And then I think that if I was a brand manager, I would literally probably go to a local school and say, Hey, can I rent 20 or 30 kids because I want to do an experiment. Give them a little money and just observe and just observe what they do, what they choose to buy, why they choose to buy it. and I, I almost guarantee you that you'll learn something through this experiment that you could then come back and at least consider or imply that we have focus group worth investing. Yes. Definitely.

Alright, so for our last segments, we want to give you a little glimpse into our own minds. We all have those moments where we reflect, learn, and remind ourselves of certain truths. For me, it's my memo to myself, and for Christine, it's her I .A for the day. It's a chance for us to be a bit vulnerable, share our thoughts, and maybe some of it will resonate with you. So for mine, it's really a verse, but it's, to whom much is given, much will be required.

Very true. Very true. So that was it for me. That was profound. Yeah, it was. I heard it. It resonated. I recorded on my memo to myself on the way in. Definitely. And I was like, yeah, that's it. That's it for sure. That's definitely it. Well, my I comes from my group of accountability partners. I have every morning drinking our coffee. We text each other and say, what are you today?

And today I am flawed and that just comes from, again, I think we all just kind of get into a mode of life and we don't recognize that we all have faults. You really do. I mean, I'm no better than this, at least not every day. And just recognizing and embracing that yes, I have imperfections, but also others do too. So show yourself some grace, show others some grace.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (35:08.75)
kind of goes along with, you don't know what someone's going through kind of thing. Yeah, it is real. And yeah, again, I think I say this every time, but that is a great one. And it's also one to just remember, right? That we're kind of forget that we are flawed. We do. We do. And flawed as professionals, flawed as parents, flawed as leaders, flawed as flawed in every aspect. There's, you know, it's not perfect. Yes.

All right. Well, that's it for this episode. We're grateful to have you along for the ride as we lighten up your hustle through retail in real life. Thanks for listening and keep your questions and comments coming. We love tuning into what you want to know about helping your brands stand out in store. Please like and share the podcast. We appreciate you helping getting the word out about Blue Light Special. And finally, join us for next week's episode where we will dig into mastering display quality standards ensuring on time and on budget delivery with IDD's own Quintin Balls.

BlueLightSpecialPodcast (36:19.438)
How long was it? Did we talk long enough? This podcast is a production of In -Store Design Display, the go -to expert for guiding and elevating your in -store experience. Our wordsmith, Julie Edge, and mix master, Jackie Vera, make all of this possible. So a big thanks to them and the entire team at In -Store Design Display. Stay tuned for our next episode on YouTube or wherever you consume podcasts.

We'd love to hear from our listeners so please drop us a line and tell us what you want to hear about retail and real life.