🍨 “Creamaxxing” — David’s CEO on ice cream. Coors Banquet’s beer pop. AI’s sticker shock. +Spelling Bee $$$

The latest episode of The Best One Yet dives into three explosive business stories that defy conventional wisdom. First, Coors Banquet Beer—America’s oldest beer brand—is surging with Gen Z, not despite its 153-year legacy, but because of it. The brand’s cowboy aesthetic, retro packaging, and strategic placements in Yellowstone and country music are resonating with young adults who crave authenticity in a world of performative branding. Second, the era of 'token maxing'—where companies blindly poured money into AI agents for vanity metrics—is over. With Uber burning through its annual AI budget in four months and one employee racking up a $500 million bill, CFOs are demanding ROI. The market is shifting from 'show me the money' to 'show me the results,' exposing the true cost of agentic AI and forcing companies to question whether expensive frontier models are worth it. Finally, David Protein’s ice cream launch isn’t a gimmick—it’s a strategic, high-stakes marketing masterclass. Using a trail of breadcrumbs, including paparazzi shots of Bella Hadid on a yacht, the company built hype without tipping off the press. The ice cream, sweetened with rare allulose and packed with protein, targets new consumption occasions like post-workout and breakfast, expanding ice cream from a 'sin food' to a functional treat. The brand’s long-term vision? A Mars-like expansion into pet food and chocolate cereals, with a potential IPO under the ticker symbol S-W-O-L (Swole).