If you're not #1 in your category… your only hope might be to get really, really weird. In this episode of The Checkout, John, Zoe, and Bart (with Shack out this week) dive deep into what it takes to stand out in a saturated market. From Charleston Chew to Dr. Pepper, sliding mitts to Dad Gang hats, we break down the strategies behind products that win by being different—not bigger. We talk: - Why weird wins when you're not the category leader - How packaging and product design can disrupt legacy spaces - Tootsie Roll, Liquid Death, canned vegetables, and the “X for Y” framework - What NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals mean for brands - Why influencer trust is collapsing—and what that means for marketers - Plus: The underrated brilliance of skit creators like Veronica is Cool If you’re building a product, a brand, or just love seeing how weird stuff wins, this one’s for you. ----- 💼 Sponsors of This Episode: Marpipe – The multivariate testing platform built for performance creatives. Discover your best ad combinations faster and scale what works. 👉 https://www.marpipe.com Heatmap.com – See what your visitors do on your site—where they click, scroll, and drop off. Heatmaps, session replays, and powerful insights to optimize conversion. 👉 https://www.heatmap.com Chapters: 00:00 – Intro & what this show is about 01:30 – Why weird brands win 08:00 – Product and packaging that stand out 18:00 – Niching down vs. going mass 27:00 – The “X for Y” framework 35:00 – Distribution strategy matters 45:00 – NIL deals and underrated influencers 55:00 – Do people still trust influencers? 1:05:00 – How brands should work with creators 1:15:00 – Wrap up & final thoughts ------- Follow our hosts: Nick Shackelford Twitter/X: https://x.com/iamshackelford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickshackelford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnickshackelford/ Zoe Kahn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_zoekahn_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-kahn-5b61aa129/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/_zoekahn_ YouTube: @ZoeKahn Bart Szaniewski Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theszef/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-szaniewski-374b1141/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/TheSzef John Coyle YouTube: @johnjhcoyle Twitter/X: https://x.com/johnjhcoyle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnjhcoyle/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coyle-1bb231120/ 📩 Business inquiries: john@coyle-enterprises.com