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:

• ShopTalk
• SXSW Conference
• Evolutions by Podcast Movement
• Fetch
• Prosper Show
• Klaviyo
• Criteo
• Flamingo Estate
• Get Your nCAC Calculator Now!
• Tier 11 Jobs
• Perpetual Traffic on YouTube
• Tiereleven.com
• Mongoose Media
• Perpetual Traffic Survey
• Perpetual Traffic Website
• Follow Perpetual Traffic on Twitter
• Connect with Lauren on Instagram and Connect with Ralph on LinkedIn

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Perpetual Traffic? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!

Mentioned in this episode:

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