“Slug life” — Vaseline’s creator hack. Agentic shopping bubble. Official hotel cars. +LIVE from NY AdWeek
Oct 9, 2026 · 21m
Summary
Hosts Nick and Jack cover three top advertising stories from New York Ad Week. First, Vaseline leverages viral "life hacks" through its Vaseline Verified program, shifting from the medicine cabinet to the beauty shelf. Second, they debate agentic AI shopping, arguing that while bots handle commodity purchases, humans prefer the dopamine of experiential shopping. Finally, they explore the trend of hotels partnering with car brands to offer zero-intent test drives, proving that "fun samples" can be more effective than traditional freebies.
Topics discussed
Intro: New York Ad Week and the state of advertising
Audience check and transition to stories
Sponsor: Monarch money app
Sponsor: Audible and Atomic Habits
Story 1: Vaseline goes viral via user-generated hacks
Story 2: AI shopping agents and the limits of agentic commerce
Sponsor: Audible (repeat)
Sponsor: Hims hair loss treatment
Story 3: Hotel and car brand partnerships
Listener takeaways and best fact submission
Outro and sponsor: Hotels.com
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