What happens when a baseball team stops thinking about ticket sales and starts thinking about fans?

In EP 67 of The Art of Commerce, Anish Raul and Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar explore how Jesse Cole turned the Savannah Bananas into one of the most talked-about sports brands by building the entire experience around one idea: Fans First.

They break down how the Savannah Bananas use attention-grabbing branding, repeatable entertainment, unexpected moments and a strong internal culture to turn casual customers into loyal fans. They also explore the business model behind that strategy, including why maximizing profit on every ticket may matter less than building long-term relationships that lead to merchandise sales, repeat attendance, media deals and word of mouth.

This episode covers:

• How the Savannah Bananas grew from struggling ticket sales to a waiting list of millions

• Why their unusual name, yellow branding and entertainment-first approach immediately grab attention

• Why getting attention means nothing if the underlying product is not good

• How repeatable moments and rituals help create a recognizable fan experience

• Why unexpected “magic” moments can turn bad experiences into memorable ones

• How the Bananas transformed a rain delay into entertainment instead of dead time

• What “Fans First” means beyond Jesse Cole’s book

• Why Savannah Bananas think beyond individual transactions and focus on long-term fandom

• How merchandise, touring, broadcasts and repeat customers support the business model

• Why baseball was particularly well suited for this kind of reinvention

• What the Grateful Dead and Phish can teach brands about building long-term fan communities

• How Apple, Adobe and Chase create value beyond their core products through experiences and community

• Why physical experiences can help brands create emotional connections that are difficult to reproduce digitally

• What marketers and business leaders can learn from the Savannah Bananas approach to fandom

The key takeaway: Fandom is not created by calling your customers a community. It comes from consistently giving people a great product, memorable experiences and reasons to keep coming back. The Savannah Bananas show what can happen when a business stops optimizing every interaction for immediate revenue and starts building relationships for the long term.

Connect with the hosts:

Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul/

Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

Klarna’s CMO says “Klarna has no fans.” But is that a problem?

In EP 66 of The Art of Commerce, Anish Raul and Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar unpack the growing

obsession with brand fandom and ask a bigger question: Does every brand actually need fans?

They explore why some brands, like Netflix, naturally lend themselves to fandom, while utilitydriven businesses like Klarna may be better off focusing on having a great product and loyal

customers. They also discuss the difference between having customers who repeatedly choose

your product and true fans who will advocate for your brand—even when the product isn't

perfect.

This episode covers:

• Why Klarna’s CMO says “Klarna has no fans”

• Whether brand fandom is overhyped in modern marketing

• The difference between fans, loyal customers and customers who simply have a choice

• Why the product has to deliver on the promise

• How Netflix turned a utilitarian streaming service into a global fandom

• Why Netflix’s fandom came from product innovation and content, not just memes and

marketing

• Why some product categories naturally lend themselves to fandom more than others

• How brands can build customer loyalty even when fandom isn't realistic

• Whether financial brands and utility businesses can create genuine communities

• Why you can't build fans on top of a bad product

• What The Art of Commerce itself can teach us about building a community

The key takeaway: Not every brand needs fans. But every brand needs a product that delivers on

its promise. Fandom may be an aspiration, but it should come from the strength of the product

and the experience. Not from simply adding “community” or “culture” to a marketing strategy.

Connect with the hosts:

Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul/

Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

AI agents are moving beyond simple chatbots. They can now analyze data, research competitors, plan campaigns and automate parts of the work marketers do every day. But does that mean humans are becoming less valuable?In EP 65 of The Art of Commerce, Anish Raul and Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar explore how AI agents are changing marketing and business workflows. Anish shares what he learned testing Adobe’s agentic marketing tools at its San Jose headquarters, how he built his own multi-agent CRO system, and why human judgment, business context and expertise still matter.This episode covers:· How Anish tested and broke Adobe’s AI agents at the Agentic Marketing Garage· Why AI can get you most of the way, but human judgment is still essential· Why different AI agents may need different LLMs to create genuinely different perspectives· How Anish built a system of data analysis, CRO and project management agents· How he reduced a process that could take two to four weeks to around 15 minutes· Why AI agents can feel like adding new team members to your workflow· How Jinx uses AI for competitive research and meeting preparation· Why beginners should start with one simple task and turn it into a repeatable workflow· How AI agents could help companies preserve institutional knowledge when employees leave· Why companies should not try to solve every problem with AI at onceThe key takeaway is simple: AI agents can dramatically increase speed and output, but they still need human context, judgment and expertise. Instead of trying to automate everything at once, start with one useful task, prove that it works and gradually build AI into your workflow.Connect with the hosts:Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul/Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

Hasbro, Mattel and Lego faced the same question: how can content turn physical products into powerful intellectual property? Their answers could not have been more different.

In EP 64 of The Art of Commerce, Anish Raul and Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar examine how three toy giants approached Hollywood and content. Hasbro bought a production studio, Mattel gave filmmakers more creative freedom with Barbie, and Lego stayed focused on its core business while carefully expanding its stories.

This episode covers:

• How G.I. Joe cartoons helped Hasbro increase toy sales

• Why Hasbro’s move into film production made sense on paper but failed in practice

• How Mattel turned Barbie into a major movie success

• Why creative freedom helped Barbie feel original and culturally relevant

• How Lego protected its brand while allowing filmmakers to explore new ideas

• The Disney content-to-product flywheel

• How stories turn toys into characters, communities and lasting IP

• How AI and 3D printing are making it easier to create new characters and products

The key takeaway is simple: content can create demand and strengthen a physical product, but brands do not need to control every stage of production. The right creative partners, clear guardrails and a strong understanding of your core business can produce better results.

Connect with the hosts:

Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul/

Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

What happens when a product goes viral before it even exists?

In EP 63 of The Art of Commerce, Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar interviews co-host Anish Raul about the story behind First Figures. It started with an AI-generated reel featuring a collectible figure inspired by Hindu mythology. The first video reached nearly 2 million views, a follow-up reached 6 million, and within a week, Anish collected 8,500 email registrations for a product he had not yet manufactured.

This episode covers:

• Why the product idea, not simply the video, went viral.

• How Anish captured demand before the attention disappeared.

• Why he moved his audience from Instagram to an email list.

• How performance data helped the second reel reach 6 million views.

• The challenge of turning an AI concept into a physical product.

• How First Figures validated demand across 200 cities and 16 countries.

• What it takes to keep an audience engaged while a product is being developed.

• The most important lesson for creators who suddenly go viral.

With 500 confirmed orders and growing interest worldwide, Anish shares what he has learned about content, distribution, product validation and launching an e-commerce brand in 2026.

Connect with Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul

Connect with Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

Explore First Figures: https://firstfigures.com

Your first 90 days are about learning, listening, and building trust. But what happens after that?
In EP 62 of The Art of Commerce, Anish and Jinx explore the next phase of leadership, when the safety net
disappears and expectations shift from potential to real results. They discuss how to keep momentum
without a fixed finish line, use the trust you have earned, and grow from a people-pleaser into a leader who
can speak clearly, challenge ideas, and handle healthy debate.
This episode covers:
- The mindset shift from “what’s left?” to “what’s next?”
- How to earn trust in your first 90 days and use it wisely afterward
- Why strong leaders need healthy tension, not constant agreement
- A simple framework for difficult conversations: empathy, honesty, and relevant examples
- How to separate your identity from your ideas and accept better feedback
- Using AI as an ongoing leadership copilot or chief of staff
- Creating urgency and milestones when no external deadline exists
- Why long-term career growth requires both consistency and reinvention
The first 90 days may help you enter the role, but what you do next determines the leader you become.
Connect with the hosts:
Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul
Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinky

Most teams don’t break because they lack tools. They break because they use tools to move faster on things that never mattered in the first place.In EP 61 of The Art of Commerce, we sit down live on air with Claude for a no-softballs interrogation on creativity, conviction, and what AI actually gets wrong about marketing.This episode covers:Why AI is a multiplier of existing strategy rather than a replacementThe exact marketing tasks that will be fully automated in 6 months to 2 yearsWhy human skin in the game and personal consequences are the only true sources of tasteClaude's blueprint for a decision engine that stops creative arguments before they startThe real danger of AI isn't the Terminator—it's human laziness amplified at scaleThe most overused marketing copy on Earth and what you should say insteadTaste without stakes is just pattern matching dressed up nicely. Conviction under fire is where the human edge actually lives.Connect with the Hosts:Connect with Anish Raul: ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraulConnect with Ajinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyaj/

In EP 60 of The Art of Commerce, we break down the ultimate global benchmark for marketing excellence: the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

This episode covers:

*Why the Cannes Lions is the undisputed Super Bowl of the communications world.

*The massive shift from traditional film and print to the new frontier of Creative Commerce.

*How the industry's brightest minds evaluate 25,000 campaigns from 90 countries.

*Why the everyday shopping journey is now a brand’s most powerful creative canvas.

*What it actually takes to win a Lion, move culture, and drive undeniable business growth.

The transaction isn't the end of the story. It's the main event.

Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraul

Ajinkya "Jinx" Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyajoglekar/

People are terrified of AI taking their jobs.But ignoring the technology won't save you—it will only accelerate your irrelevance.The reality? AI can process a billion data points, but it can't read the room.In EP 59 of The Art of Commerce, we break down the reality of AI in the modern workforce with Craig Foldis, Founder and CEO of Chat Walrus and former executive at Crocs.This episode covers:The Taste Deficit: Why AI lacks taste and timing—and why human intuition is your ultimate moat.The Danger of Shadow AI: Why banning ChatGPT at work is a massive security risk, not a solution.The 50-Yard Line Advantage: How to use AI to bypass the blank page and kickstart any project in minutes.The Adoption Playbook: The exact blueprint leaders should use to incentivize and celebrate AI wins across their teams.Focus Over FOMO: Why you only need to master one AI model instead of chasing every new tech update.Playing Jazz with AI: How to build a classical foundation with the tools so you can improvise your workflows.You don't justify the ROI of your company's Wi-Fi. Stop trying to justify the ROI of super intelligence.Connect with the Hosts:Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraulAjinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyajoglekar/Connect with our Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-foldes-1b949b96/

In EP 58 of The Art of Commerce, we break down why enterprise AI keeps failing with Craig Foldes, founder of Chat Walrus and former Global Head of AI at Crocs.This episode covers:Why 95% of corporate AI pilots are built to fail from the start.The "Planet Fitness playbook" for removing friction and driving widespread AI adoption.How to turn ChatGPT from a basic search engine into your bespoke Albert Einstein.The exact framework Craig used to scale "Everyday AI" across a massive global brand.Why empowering non-technical employees beats buying expensive custom software.If your leadership isn't mandating AI adoption, you're already behind. It's time to stop overcomplicating the tech and start building functional AI strength.

Follow Craig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-foldes-1b949b96/Hosts:Anish Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishraulAjinkya “Jinx” Joglekar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajinkyajoglekar/