2 chapters across the catalog
Barack and Michelle Obama’s $65 million Netflix deal is framed as a continuation of their career-long focus on storytelling. Their first project, American Factory, examines the impact of Chinese industry on Middle America, which the hosts find ironic given Obama's own trade policies. The discussion emphasizes that storytelling is a marketing tool used to lower a person's psychological barriers and sell ideas or products.
The discussion wraps up with a look at the authenticity of "pitchmen" like the fictional Don Draper and the real-world marketing of the Obamas' film American Factory. The hosts theorize that the film is targeted at the "Joe Biden crowd" to clean up political vulnerabilities regarding China. Finally, the Popeyes campaign is hailed as a "masterpiece of a nudge" for successfully breaking through a long-standing cultural taboo.
