The Empire Builders Podcast Podcast Por Stephen Semple and David Young arte de portada

The Empire Builders Podcast

The Empire Builders Podcast

De: Stephen Semple and David Young
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 Reverse engineering the success of established business empires.The Empire Builders Podcast Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo Marketing Marketing y Ventas
Episodios
  • #213: Folgers – The Best Part of Waking Up

    #213: Folgers – The Best Part of Waking Up
    Jul 9 2025
    Snippet Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [Pin Point Payments Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast, where Stephen Semple, who's the guy that you're going to hear next, and myself, David Young. We talk about empires and how they're built and what makes them tick. And if you're listening to us in the morning, it's totally appropriate for the topic that Steven just whispered in my ear, which is Folgers, and immediately popped into my head was the old jingle. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. Stephen Semple: And Folgers is what a dominant, dominant, dominant force in the coffee space. In the home ground space the data that I was able to find as they do close to 900 million in sales are basically 27% of the market. Dave Young: My guess is that they in the past have been more than that, but the crafty roasting kind of people have probably been nibbling away at that over the years, but I'll be back in the '70s or '80. Stephen Semple: I didn't go back. Dave Young: They were just a juggernaut. Stephen Semple: And I didn't go back and take a look at that. But look, when you're number one, you're number one, right? That's a big deal. Dave Young: When you and I were kids, nobody was grinding their own beans. You bought a big can of coffee and put it in a percolator. That's what coffee was. Stephen Semple: But the interesting part, we will talk a little bit about that campaign. The best part of Waking Up. That campaign came out in 1984, and prior to that, Maxwell House was actually number one. That campaign allowed them to surpass Maxwell House and become the leader in the space. So it was a very, very successful campaign. Dave Young: It's one of those jingles. I don't know if it's out yet, but I did a copy or a copy, an episode of Sticky Sales, sales stories with Matthew Burns, and we talk about Winston and the power of the Winston Jingle can get in people's heads. And if you were a kid before 1971, you still remember that jingle? Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: And so Folgers, and gosh, you were inundated. You couldn't escape the Folgers jingle. Stephen Semple: And there's the power of the fact that it's a rhyme. The best part of Waking Up. Like rhymes, as we know, have got a rhythm and a power to them. We'll come back to the jingle later, but let's go back to the beginning. Dave Young: Let me put one more little plug-in for that episode with Matthew, because we talk about the scientific reason that audio is so sticky in your head. So it has to do with the brain and humans' unique ability to process sound. And that's the fun part. It's more than just a story of, oh, this is how we sold cigarettes. So anyway, check that out. Stephen Semple: That's awesome. That's awesome. So as we all know- Dave Young: But wait till the end of the podcast. Stephen Semple: So as we all know, the Boston Tea Party was a thing in the United States, and in fact, it actually led to the growth of coffee being something that people started drinking in the United States. It ended up becoming a statement and a revolutionary idea. And coffee houses started to pop up both in the United States and around the world. Dave Young: But it was [inaudible 00:04:58] that tea and the tax on it. Stephen Semple: Yeah, that started getting things going but- Dave Young: Which explains why you guys still drink a lot of tea in Canada. Stephen Semple: We do,
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    18 m
  • #212: Red Bull – Powerful Branding Works

    #212: Red Bull – Powerful Branding Works
    Jul 2 2025
    Red Bull has used the same marketing for 20 years. This is the power of a well thought out brand that stays the course. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [OG Law Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. And I'm Dave Young, and that's Stephen Semple, over at the other microphone. You may not be able to see him if you're listening on a podcast. That makes sense, doesn't it? So the only clue he gave me as the countdown timer started to what this episode is all about is he said, "Gives you wings." I'm like, well, obviously we're going to be talking about Red Bull. I didn't miss that one, did I? Stephen Semple: No, you got it right. Isn't that amazing how powerful that is? Dave Young: "Gives you wings." Yeah. I mean, we tell people all the time. That's just branding. That's just becoming known for some things, right? And the longer you do it, and the more consistently you do it, the easier it is for people to know you by a slogan, "Gives you wings" or "Ba-ba-pa-pa-pa," right? Stephen Semple: "I'm lovin' it." Dave Young: Just a few notes. And now all of a sudden, 60, 70 years of advertising is rolled up into five little notes in your head that brings back all those associations. So Red Bull, man, they're everywhere. Stephen Semple: Well, and they have not changed their advertising in 20 years. Like the whole using the drawings and it gives you wings. They have stuck with that for over 20 years. So when you say doing it over and over again, here's the other part where I got to give them real credit on the "Gives you wings." I could see somebody going, yeah, but it doesn't give you wings. We all get it. Dave Young: That's magical thinking. Come on. Stephen Semple: Magical thinking. And that's why it's powerful. And then the other thing they did is they misspelt wings. They have the extra I in there. Dave Young: Never even noticed that. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And the reason why they did that is it makes it trademarkable. Dave Young: Okay. So the chicken wing places can't infringe on them, right? Stephen Semple: Well, if something's a common phrase, you can't prevent other people from doing it. So they do that little thing and he said, you hardly notice it. So there's a bunch of little clever things that they've done. Dave Young: Well, take us back to the beginning. Stephen Semple: I just want to talk to you about how big in 2023, 12 billion in sales. Dave Young: Man. Stephen Semple: But to date, they've sold a hundred billion units, 12 billion in sales last year. And you think about it, they really have one product. Sure they've got a sugar-free one, and every once in a while they do some seasonal ones, but pretty much they're one product. Dave Young: Is caffeine. Stephen Semple: Yeah. And it's these little 8.4 ounce cans and actually started in rural Thailand. I'm going to butcher this guy's name, because it's a Thai name, I don't know Thai, but was a pharmacist, Chaleo Yoovidhya, I think is how you pronounce his name. And again, I may have that completely, completely wrong. But here's the deal. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: He's a pharmacist. He has a pharmacy in urban Thailand, and it's 1976. And what he notices is there's these energy tonics coming from Japan, and they're really popular in the cities. And he grew up in a poor rural area and he notices these imports are kind of expensive. And he decides to make his own version of it.
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    20 m
  • #211: Alienware – Computing Power Empire

    #211: Alienware – Computing Power Empire
    Jun 25 2025
    Synonymous with gaming Alienware rode the wave of easy to use and beautiful gaming computers. Now they are the G.O.A.T. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is... Well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [Pinpoint Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to The Empire Builders Podcast, Dave Young here with Stephen Semple, and we're talking about empires. This is The Empire Builders Podcast. You tuned in because you wanted to hear us talk about empires, right? Stephen Semple: I hope that's why they tuned in. Dave Young: I mean, I'm assuming that's why you... Stephen Semple: Either that, or you're in the wrong place. But still, stay with us, you might like it. Dave Young: If you're expecting steamy ghost stories, this is not your podcast. Stephen Semple: Oh, there goes half our audience. Dave Young: That's all right. "Choose who to lose," that's what we always say. People that are interested in steamy, ghost stories, this is not it. Stephen Semple: But. Dave Young: Aliens. Stephen Semple: Aliens? Dave Young: Maybe. Maybe- Stephen Semple: Maybe. Dave Young: ... I'm saying. Maybe. Stephen Semple: Yeah, maybe. Dave Young: Because today's topic, Stephen told me we're going to talk about Alienware, as an empire. And I know them because I remember, back in the day, one of my kids insisting that that was the only computer that would allow them to play World of Warcraft in any kind of successful fashion. Does that sound right? Stephen Semple: Yep. That would be pretty accurate. Did you end up buying an Alienware computer? Dave Young: Probably. I don't know. Dad was just the checkbook. Stephen Semple: Well, we're going to talk about Alienware, but even before we go into Alienware, I want to take a little bit of a detour, because it actually speaks to Alienware. Is, one of the things that Alienware was really good at recognizing, was things going on in the world. And you know how we often talk about tapping into what's happening out there, and the emotions that's happening out there, and looking outside of your world. I had a really interesting conversation this weekend with Bob Camp. Now, Bob Camp is the co-creator of Ren and Stimpy. Dave Young: Okay, yeah, yeah. Stephen Semple: Now, if you remember, remember back at the Slinky episode? Remember when we covered Slinky? Dave Young: We talked about Log. Stephen Semple: And we talked about Log. Well, as it turns out, Dave, you are completely right. Bob Camp told me that the whole thing Log, was actually completely inspired by Slinky. Dave Young: Oh, yeah, I was just, yeah. Stephen Semple: And here's what happened. It was in the very first episode of Ren and Stimpy, and they had produced it, and they suddenly realized just before it was about to go on air, they were a minute short. And he was like, "How do we come up a minute fricking short?" So that night he decided, "I got to come up with a minute of content." And what he decide to do is create a commercial. He thought. "Let's start the commercial." So the very first Ren and Stimpy episode started with that commercial Log, and he very specifically wanted to tie into something that was a shared experience, that had a positive emotional context, and that he could kind of have some fun with. But it was that whole looking outside the world, and that's how he came up with Log. Yeah. Dave Young: Nice. Stephen Semple: When I come see you in Austin, people can't see this podcast,
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    22 m
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