Episode 685

full
Published on:

4th Apr 2025

3 Jaw-Dropping Takeaways from Shoptalk & SXSW

Ralph Burns and Lauren Petrullo reconnect to unpack Lauren’s whirlwind tour through three of the biggest marketing events of the year: ShopTalk, South by Southwest (SXSW), and Podcast Evolution. From radically inconsistent product launches to Gen Z’s zero loyalty game, Lauren brings raw, in-the-room insights that challenge conventional playbooks. Discover how $200K vendor booths, haunted childhood bedrooms, and an invite-only Google quantum AI session all tie back to the future of customer experience and brand building. Whether you're scaling eComm or rethinking your retention funnel, this episode is packed with unexpected lessons, real-world tactics, and a few wild stories you won’t forget.

Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 - Kicking Off Another Wild Ride on Perpetual Traffic
  • 00:00:26 - Did the Hosts Break Up? Ralph Spills the Tea
  • 00:01:16 - Lauren’s Back—with Ghosts, Nostalgia, and Chicago Vibes
  • 00:03:50 - Ghosts, Toe-Breaking Drawers, and Voodoo Blessings
  • 00:05:37 - The Conference Circuit Is No Joke (But It’s Hilarious)
  • 00:06:54 - $200K Booths, Ugg Swag, and the Vegas Vendor Jungle
  • 00:13:10 - Radical Inconsistency: The Strategy You Didn’t Know You Needed
  • 00:21:21 - Forget Perfection—Launch Loud, Messy, and Real
  • 00:21:39 - Loyalty Through Limited Drops and Cultural Flavor
  • 00:22:44 - 11 Million Receipts a Day? Fetch is Playing 4D Loyalty Chess
  • 00:24:59 - Your Real KPI? What Happens After the Purchase
  • 00:29:23 - Beyond Facebook & Google: Hunting Down Fresh Ad Gold
  • 00:31:32 - Two Conferences, One Mic Drop Recap
  • 00:33:39 - AI Isn’t Just a Buzzword—It’s Changing Everything
  • 00:41:24 - Catch Flights, Not Feelings: What’s Coming Up Next

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

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About the Podcast

Perpetual Traffic
Helping marketing directors and CMOs master paid traffic and conversions!
Perpetual Traffic is a twice weekly podcast that shares cutting-edge strategies on acquiring leads and sales for your business. The show is produced by Tier 11 and hosted by Ralph Burns and Lauren Petrullo. Traffic is the act of putting your product, service, or message in front of your target audience…it’s the act of acquiring customers online while also building goodwill, and is the lifeline of any business. So, whether you’re a media buyer yet to create your first Facebook or Instagram ad, a Director of Marketing or CMO managing a team of marketing specialists, or a CEO growing your business on your own, you’ll discover actionable strategies that can be applied today. Perpetual Traffic combines the traffic strategies developed at Tier 11 with the real-life agency experience of the hosts. Listen to real stories of business owners and marketing executives just like you how they overcame struggles with digital marketing and online advertising. Learn how to make Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising, YouTube advertising, Twitter advertising, Google AdWords advertising, LinkedIn advertising, (and more) work for your business.

About your host

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Kasim Aslam