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Big Things PodcastIt’s the Great Meme Depression and We’re Confused (E23)Thanks for tuning in! After this episode we will be taking a hiatus and will be back again in the late spring. Be sure to catch up on old episodes in the meantime! This week we’re talking about the Severance season finale, March Madness, Puma’s new running ad, Tower 28’s YouTube Shorts series, and more!More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 02:00 – Spoiler alert! Thoughts on the season finale of Severance. 10:00 – March Madness continues. Also, realizing we aren’t 20 anymore. 19:00 – Do we need a consolation bracket?21:15 – Big Thing 1: Tower 28 launched a cool scri...2025-03-2846 minBig Things PodcastTreat Your Brand Like An Athlete (E22)This week Mitzi is leaving everyone behind. Plus, White Lotus feels like a build that will never drop, Set Active embraces realness, and YouTube creators are doing something that could revolutionize the industry. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 02:00 – Mitzi is leaving everyone behind.05:00 – Is White Lotus building to a drop that will never come?13:30 – Set Active is embracing realness with their “bloopers” campaign. 20:00 – YouTube creators are hosting the first ever YouTube upfronts. The importance of upsetting the social ads spectrum.27:10 – PepsiCo is acquiring Poppi for nearly $2 billion (despite their recent scandal). 3...2025-03-2142 minBig Things PodcastIs It Too Soon to Talk About Football? X Causes Chaos (E21)We’re unpacking the latest in sports and social media: Unwell Hydration signs a deal with the NWSL, and Instagram is testing a new algorithm. Plus, we explore the frenzy of NFL free agency and what happened when X went down. Is it too soon to be talking about football? More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 03:40 – Decision fatigue: It’s real, let’s talk about it. 08:30 – Mitzi is making her 17-year-old self proud. 10:00 - Thing 1: NWSL signs a sponsorship deal with Alex Cooper’s Unwell Hydration. 13:50 – Can makeup brands and NWSL athlete relatio...2025-03-1751 minBig Things PodcastYou Can Throw Your Gum at Me (E20)From the unexpected launch of Domino’s pizza-scented perfume to Instagram exploring a Reels app, we’ve got a lot to unpack this week. We also dive into Timothée Chalamet’s epic poker night with Cartier, the end of award season, and how we’re feeling about the current state of the world. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 02:05 – Timothée Chalamet’s SAG acceptance speech 06:23 – Kieran Culkin’s Oscars speech (You’re rich rich if you have 3 kids!) 10:30 – Award season is behind us. How we’re feeling about it.12:56 – Thing 1: Dream of s...2025-03-1044 minBig Things PodcastWhy Are We Crying Over An Ugly Fish? (E19)It’s been a busy week on and offline: From Gen Z collectively losing it over the death of an angler fish, to landline phones making a comeback, we’re not sure if we’re okay. In this episode we also dive into Canada’s huge win at the 4 Nations Face-Off, IKEA’s creative social media campaign, and key moments from the SAG awards. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – The 4 Nations Face-Off and Canada’s big win. 07:00 – Mike was right about this year’s Super Bowl ads. Also, why were there so many cel...2025-02-2836 minBig Things PodcastWhy We Aren’t Loving NikeSKIMS Yet (E18)Welcome back! We have a lot to cover this week. Between Love Is Blind drama, NikeSKIMS, and new signals around emotional-impact marketing, this is a jam packed episode. We also share a quick Super Bowl recap, thoughts around Mitzi’s first season diving deep into the NFL, the death of Duolingo’s beloved owl, and the end of personal style. Let’s get into it.More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 02:00 – Hockey fights are on the rise lately. Does it create more camaraderie?03:45 – The Drake and Kendrick beef continues. Are we over it o...2025-02-2456 minBig Things Podcast4 Big Steps for Setting 2025 Goals (E14)New year, new us? Nah. We’re about practical goals that help us take the things we’ve worked hard on to the next level. On today’s episode, we break down the 4-step process we use each year to set goals we can’t wait to achieve. We start by sharing our theme for the year, and then we break it down from setting a focus to identifying milestones. Hint: It might be the start of Mitzi’s running era and Mike is taking a page from Bruno Mars’ book. More from us:Mitzi Payne...2025-01-1035 minBig Things PodcastWe Listen & We Don’t Judge (E13)This week, we’re celebrating 500 subscribers on YouTube (thank you!). Mike and Mitzi step into the magical world of Harry Potter, for the first time, and we break down Instagram's new “Trial Reels” feature. Plus we share our thoughts on the Golden Globe 2025 Nominations and explore the viral TikTok trend “We Listen and We Don’t Judge” that puts relationships to the test. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziMike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 04:00 – We hit 500 subscribers on Youtube! Thank you for listening!05:00 – Mike and Mitzi experience Harry Potter for the first time. 12:20 – Check out the Easy Reads podcast and...2024-12-2056 minBig Things PodcastInfluencers Are Suing Each Other for Stealing “Vibes” (E11)This week’s episode is the personality hire of episodes; it’s fun and light (and just what we needed). From trying to understand what “brat” even means, to the unhinged gifts for celebrity lookalike contests and influencers suing each other for “vibes,” you don’t want to skip this episode. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – Personality stories ONLY this week. 02:30 – Be sure to check out Arcade’s TikTok for our Vlogmas!06:00 – Mike & Mitzi explain new slang (Big Thing 1 - the word of the year isn’t one word). 20:00 – Thing 2: Influencer, Sydney Nic...2024-12-0641 minBig Things PodcastNetflix is Gaslighting Us (E10)Beyoncé is gearing up for the NFL Christmas Gameday halftime show, while Volvo and Jaguar’s latest ads are bringing the tears (for very different reasons). Plus, Smirnoff appoints Troye Sivan as their new Chief Vibes Officer—what does that even mean? This week on Big Things, we’re talking all things holiday hype, brand moves and more. More from us:Mitzi Payne Mike PayneTimestamps: 01:00 – We are living in a winter wonderland ☃️02:30 – Big Thing #1: Beyoncé is performing during the halftime show for the NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix. 5:20 – Netflix livestreaming attempts (is Netflix gaslighting us?). 8:20...2024-12-0343 minBig Things PodcastSweetgreen and Market Battle for IP (E9)‘Tis the season: Grammy nominations are out, Gift Guides are dropping (ours included), and brands are beefing over IP. On this week’s episode we’re talking about Sweetgreen’s recent controversy with Market, gift ideas for everyone in your life, and, of course, Beyoncé. More from us:Mitzi PayneMike PayneTimestamps: 03:00 – Big Thing #1: Grammy nominations are out and we have thoughts!09:00 – Beyoncé’s nominations, the country music categories, and Drake v Kendrick beef28:00 – Big Thing #2: Sweetgreen launched merch, but it stirred up controversy with NY clothing brand, Market. 33:00 – Can ideas really get “stolen” in marketing? How do you pr...2024-11-221h 00Big Things PodcastThe Youth Are Okay (Actually, Better Than Us) (E8)Now that Halloween’s over we’re switching into holiday mode – between our own Christmas decor and planning our annual Arcade holiday party! Since we’re in the festive mood, our team is putting together our first ever Gift Guide (linked below). We also chat about our tips for surviving winter in Calgary, campaigns we’re loving from Zara and GAP, and trends around Gen Z, movies and nightclubs. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – Starting to get in the holiday spirit (by buying more Christmas trees). 09:00 – Tips to survive winter in Calgary...2024-11-1554 minBig Things PodcastSNL’s Comeback, IG Lowers Video Quality & Flag Football Pops Off (E7)Is flag football the future of the NFL? Why is Instagram lowering video quality for certain users? And what’s on our Christmas list this year? For this week’s Big Things we’re talking about social media, marathons, SNL and more. Be sure to subscribe, follow and rate the show if you’re enjoying it!More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – What we’ve been up to and highlights from The Gathering summit (Gary Vee, the NFL, sonic branding, huge brands & more). 10:00 – The most important part of the conference: Our team karaoke...2024-11-0855 minBig Things PodcastAirline Etiquette & Praise Kinks (E6)Should we be kind to our future AI overlords? What happened to airline etiquette? And does Mike have a praise kink? That’s before we even get into this week’s Big Things. We also chat about ByteDance taking over BookTok and Jessica Campbell making history as the first full-time female coach in the NHL. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – Thing 1: Should you be nice to AI chatbots?03:20 – Gen Z are the nicest to bots & what happens if you’re rude. 07:00 – Should you recline your seat on an airplane?12:20 – Tip your servers!2...2024-11-0149 minBig Things PodcastMitzi Wants a Cow for Christmas (And Other Gifting Trends) (E5)This week on Big Things: olive oil is the gift of the season, modern parenting is bad for your health and Instagram doubles down on group chats. We share a teaser about our upcoming holiday gift guide, a shocking stat about working moms and get annoyed about Snapchat (again). More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:00 – What we’ll be chatting about today. 01:40 – Thing 1: Olive oil is set to replace bottles of wine this holiday season. 05:00 – What gifts we will be giving this year. 8:50 – Mitzi develops an emotional connection with a chicken.11:12 –...2024-10-2640 minBig Things PodcastLeBron’s Legacy Off the Court (E4)This week our team convinced us to try the viral Dua Lipa Diet Coke drink and let’s just say… It was interesting. We also do a deep dive into LeBron’s career and recent debut with his son, Bronny, the upcoming WAGS reality TV show, if everyone really needs a hobby and share a hot take on our kids’ art projects. More from us:- Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP - Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps: 01:30 – What we’re talking about today. 03:00 – Dua Lipa’s viral Diet Coke drink (our team made us try it). 2024-10-1855 minBig Things PodcastBeyonce's Levi's Collab Dropped And We Have Thoughts (E3)This week on Big Things: Beyoncé’s new Levi’s collab feels like it’s missing something, Meta’s conceptual smart glasses could lead to doxxing, LVMH partners up with F1 and Mitzi might be in her villain era. Thanks for tuning in!More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps:02:00 – Why we rely on following signals to inform future marketing trends. 06:00 – The fun art event Mitzi went to this week (and struggled at). 08:20 – Millennials need to watch this new show.12:00 – Thing 1: Beyonce released a collaboration with Levi’s and it’s just okay. 17:15 – Why d...2024-10-1148 minBig Things PodcastNutter Butter TikTok Has Us Tripping (E2)Welcome back to Big Things! This week we’re taking a deep dive into Nutter Butter’s social media strategy, celebrating human error, why college students aren’t reading, Amazon’s “Red Zone” (NHL’s Version) and how Snapchat thinks it’s the antidote to everything.More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps:04:00 – How the branding for Big Things came together. [clip]05:00 – Personal shoot prep. 08:30 – What we’ll be talking about this episode. 09:30 – Giving feedback/working with your partner.11:00 – Thing 1: Nutter Butter is the name on every marketer’s lips right now. 24:00 – Gen alpha and snack...2024-10-0448 minBig Things PodcastMonopoly Go! Was Not Good for Our Marriage (E1)Welcome back to Big Things! This is our first official episode and we are ready to yap about all the big things happening in marketing, social media, pop culture and sports. From the new NFL season (and WAGS) to Chilis killing it on social media – these are the stories on our radar this week. More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitziP Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps:00:00 – What is Big Things?04:30 – Entrepreneur guilt, taking time off and our fitness era08:10 – The Big Things we’re talking about today, first up – NFL is back (and for Mitzi, it means it’s WAG...2024-09-2744 minBig Things PodcastGoodbye Waves; Hello Big Things (E0)Are you listening on a podcast app? Hop over to YouTube for the full video version: https://youtu.be/dnSC-WruYSA Welcome to Big Things! A weekly show where we talk about the big things happening in marketing, social media, pop culture and sports. You can catch the show every Friday on podcast players and YouTube, and be sure to follow us on Instagram for updates on every episode!More from us:Mitzi Payne @mmmitzi Mike Payne @mmmiiikeTimestamps:00:10 – What is Big Things?03:00 – Why we’re moving away from Waves and Tea for Lunch.05...2024-09-2714 minBig Things PodcastGaby Bayona On Building 5+ Businesses & What’s Next for the Bridal IndustryGaby Bayona is a force in the bridal and modeling industries. The humble entrepreneur has been building her empire since her teens and is now the owner of multiple businesses. After starting out as a seamstress in her mom’s bridal business, Gaby discovered a passion for the industry. By the time she graduated high-school she knew she wanted to own her own business. Now, she owns 3 bridal dress brands and a boutique with multiple locations in Canada, as well as a modeling agency based out of Vancouver, BC. We talk with Gaby about what inspired her to take on...2023-12-2042 minBig Things PodcastExploring the World of Sports Marketing with Shahob Mehr, Director of ContentThis year, it seems like every company is trying to get involved in sports. It had us wondering, is there really an increased interest in sports or is this a perceived growth we’re seeing on our own feeds? We brought in sports marketing expert and Director of Content Strategy for William Raymond Communications, Shahob Mehr, to answer our questions. Shahob shares his journey from being a student, to getting a seat at the table in this incredibly competitive industry. He unveils the hidden layers of the sports industry, exploring topics like: the art of creating compelling soc...2023-12-1338 minBig Things PodcastPredictions for 2024 Marketing Trends: Anti-Tech, Nostalgia & Campaigns with Mike and Mitzi PayneSubscribe to Arcade’s Newsletter, SCAN 👀 CLUB: https://www.arcadearcade.ca/scan-club Mitzi and Mike are back with another solo episode. This week, they’re talking through the top 3 news stories (signals) that they’re following. We break down what each signal could mean for the future of digital marketing. First up, Chipotle renames one of their locations after a Travis Kelce tweet resurfaces. Then, we talk about the rise of print with NYLON relaunching their physical magazine for the first time since 2017. Last, we talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “anti-smart” phone and what it might mean. We wrap things u...2023-11-2935 minBig Things PodcastHandling Tough Client Feedback & Finishing Strong in Q4 with Mike & Mitzi PayneIt’s the most wonderful time of the year… Marketers hold their breath and pray the Facebook pixel was installed correctly. Hopefully this episode will breathe some levity into your week. We’re shaking things up a bit this week–taking some time to have a catch-up and chat through some listener questions we’ve gotten. From handling tough client feedback and giving mistakes the attention they deserve, to our thoughts on sports brand collabs and sonic branding, this episode is a fun, light listen for marketers trying to finish Q4 strong. Show Notes:01:26 - A bit about t...2023-11-1549 minBig Things PodcastWhat It Takes to Become a Creative Director in 2024 with Katarina TerentievaKatarina (Kate) Terentieva went from studying International Relations, to building Tumblr blogs, to being a Partner and the Chief Creative Officer at Louder. Now, Louder invests in the world’s most competitive startups and helps them disrupt at scale. We break it down with Kate to learn about her story, how TikTok helped her grow her brand, her advice on discovering what you’re passionate about, what Gen Z wants from advertisers, and how to capture and revive moments past the trend cycle. Kate also explains the difference between becoming a creative or an art director and how to choo...2023-11-0850 minBig Things PodcastGen Z Media Brand on the Future of Internet Culture with Lauren & Jordyn of Centennial WorldWhen Lauren Meisner and Jordyn Christensen noticed a gap in the market for influencer news that actually felt relevant, they decided they would be the ones to fill it. Now co-founders of Gen Z media brand, Centennial World, and popular podcast, “infinite scroll,” they join Mike and Mitzi to talk about their journey. The duo shares advice about carving out space in a saturated media landscape for something new, the importance of staying in your lane and why they don’t sell to their online community group. They also talk about what media companies are getting wrong with Gen Z and...2023-11-0141 min