It’s the best time of the year to celebrate the worst of the year! The Annual Backies are here once again! This year was quite the doozie! We had stiff competition for many of the awards, and many brands and stories didn't make the cut. SAD! This year we dole out: Brand of the Year, Recession Indicator of the Year, Stunt of the Year, Zuck of the Year, QSR TikTok Trend, Rebrand of the Yea, Infidelity of the Year, Fake Ah of the Year, Back it Backie, Lowest Hanging Fruit, Clanker of the Year, Flop of the Year, Refreshing Defresh, Sooo Back of the Year, Ass Backie, and Color of the Year. Don't miss these awards, plus some positive shoutouts as we close the year on a negative note! Thanks for another great year! Shout out to all you listeners, especially those reading this right now!
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2025 FRONTIES
IT’S HERE! THE 2025 FRONTIES! TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE BEST OF THE YEAR, AND BOY WAS IT A GOOD ONE! Today we award Story of the Year, Brand of the Year, Person of the Year, Rebrand of the Year, Brand Moment of the Year, Cream of the Crop Collab, New Brand of the Year, Soooo Back Award, Good Job Thumbs Up You Tried, Clanker of the Year, Qsr Tik Tok Trend, Man of the Year, The Protein Champ, Zuck of the Year, Innovation That Excites Award, and The Refreshing Refresh! What a year!
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The Combo Combination: with Brennan McGrath and Kapono Chung
This week, we are thrilled to welcome Brennan McGrath and Kapono Chung to the show! They are Partners at Combo, a strategic creative agency that uses strategy and design to unlock what's next. Their work spans from deep research and thorough strategy to design and beyond. They've worked with brands like Away, Target, Nike, Aldo, GAP, Instagram, Bed Bath & Beyond, Street Easy, and more! We talk about all things Combo: how they came to be, and how they chose the name when their two companies merged, their aspirations, and the state of design present and future. We had a great time talking with them, they're two very thoughtful dudes! Enjoy!
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GOBBLE GOBBLE!
GOBBLE GOBBLE BITCHES! IT'S A TRADITION LIKE NO OTHER - THE FRONT AND CENTER THANKSGIVING EXTRAVAGANZA. WE ARE THANKFUL TO YOU, THE LISTENER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE READING THIS! SO THANKFUL, THAT I WILL NOT BE USING ANY LOWER CASE LETTERS FOR THIS FIRST PART! We're coming at you this Wednesday with gratitude in our hearts and food on the brain! Alex and Kevin discuss their Thanksgiving plans and talk about the tastiest dishes, hottest brand stories, and releases. They talk about the OreoId Thanksgiving Dinner Cookie, Kraft Apple Pie Mac & Cheese featuring Jason Biggs, Butterball's Turkey Day Uniform, Instacart's Data-Driven Pie Power Rankings, KFC's Cluck Turkey campaign, Heinz Leftover Gravy, Brown Friday, and more!
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WE’RE BACK LIKE THE MCRIB
THE MCRIB IS BACK AND SO ARE ALEX AND KEVIN! The two McRib truthers discuss Bubbagate, The Eddie Murphy Doc, Ridiculousness being canceled, Streaming platforms’ greed, Purple Mattresses, REI Soho getting replaced by an Open Ai Office, Beastland opens in Saudi Arabia, the Marty Supreme Zoom call promo, the Starbuck Bearista, Doritos Simply NKD, the Baja Blast Pie, Graza launches a wine, still G.I.N adds a new partner, and more!
Each week, award-winning graphic designer Alex Center and co-host Kevin Batory discuss branding, design, pop culture, and more. New episodes drop every Wednesday.