S05.E14: Diaper Dude

[Amarsir]

Quote

A father-focused bag company that once generated millions is now at death's door when, after 15 years in business, the owner has allowed his fears to get the best of him, and he's lost faith in his skills and his products.

[Ray Adverb]

I tried to start watching this, but after the last two weeks it just felt like a chore that I wasn't up to.  More fashion and fashion accessories!  Damnit!  I'll give it another shot later though.

[toodles]

double post

Edited July 4, 2018 by toodles

[Whimsy]

I agree. I know it may sound awful, but I don’t care about the message either. And I was bullied. Really bullied. I buy products if I like the way they look, are well made and in the price range I can afford to spend. 

 

That wife was SO annoying!  She just wouldn’t stop talking! Also, the focus group didn’t care about fabric laws, etc, that she kept interjecting. They give their opinions, you write them down maybe ask clarifying questions and then later figure out if you can incorporate the ideas or not. 

[tobeannounced]

So now Marcus has done an about face again. Last week he didn't want to hear about loss when all he wanted was some sunglasses. But this week, screw the bag. It's all about raising awareness and money for anti-bullying.

@Whimsy, I totally agree with you - I don't care one bit about the message. When the owner accidentally admitted that their link to domestic abuse was to make sales, I was like, yes, somebody is finally telling the truth. When I see all these products nowadays saying we will give thus and such for every widget sold, I'm like, screw you and your fake concern. You're just trying the newest marketing twist to sell something.

And I really could not believe what I was seeing/hearing when Marcus brought in his employee from the outdoor company for the owner to practice for. He didn't want to hear about any damn bag. They can do bags anywhere, anytime, better and cheaper than the owner can. He wanted to hear the message!!! IDK, maybe I'm that out of touch with the younger demographic though and these are the things that they consider before purchasing a diaper bag.

[BusyOctober]

Marcus has bought into the marketing scam of “donating proceeds” to social “causes”.  That is crap.  It’s a touchy feely way to allow millennial to assuage their guilt for being capitalist consumers.  Ooh! A small business with artisan products AND has heart? Quick, let me order something from my phone made in a country with no concern for human rights while wearing my bo-ho chic tribal tunic produced by child labor and sipping my no fat macchiato with environmentally unfriendly almond milk in an elitist coffee shop so I can help an orphan with the .07 cents this faux Etsy-boutique bullshitter will offer up on a $70 Whatnot!  Check me, bro, I’m woke AF!

[toodles]

3 hours ago, toodles said:

Wth was that?  I was dizzy at the end.  I don't care about a message for the product.  Is it a good bag?  Can I wash it out at the end of the day?  Does it have enough space for all my stuff?  Can I find the pacifier when a baby is screaming in my ear?  I know  at the end they were getting away from the diaper bag idea, but it's still a bag.  

There were so many commercials that it was hard to tell what was prophet and what was commercial.

Go back to the old format, Marcus.  I used to learn something from this show.  I don't care about hipsters getting in touch with their feelings.  I don't care about dumbass mission statements.  

This show has moved from It's Tuesday and the Prophet is on to Oh Yeah - The Prophet Was On The Other Day when I see it on my car playlist.

Now get off my lawn.

[Ray Adverb]

I liked the episode.  The entrepreneur was likable.  His wife was beautiful and they seem to have a really good marriage.  She had a bad habit of interrupting and could be a little pushy, but I thought her heart was in a good place. 

 

The idea of "having a message" or associating with cause is corny, but as the guy in that first pitch meeting pointed out, they don't have much of a choice.  A bag is a bag and you need some factor to separate yourself.

[cooksdelight]

How long before these folks show up on Shark Tank? This is tailor-made for that show.

[Jamoche]

I would not look at a sign that said "no bull" and jump to an anti-bullying message.

[cooksdelight]

No, me either, that was stupid. 

[Amarsir]

There was a certain irony to Nicolas' message. "The cause has to come first, or else people will smell it as a bullshit marketing tactic." He says 50 minutes into an episode as they attempt to add a marketing tactic to a generic bag. It IS good advice. Just not authentic to what they actually did.

By the way I thought Nicolas (from Courage b) came off very competent and authoritative. He seems to have grown well into a role for Marcus, well above clashing with family about designs. Also nice to see The Partner Julie Reed, looking less exhausted than last time we saw her. (Though still not sufficiently partner-like IMHO.)

4 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I agree. I know it may sound awful, but I don’t care about the message either. And I was bullied. Really bullied. I buy products if I like the way they look, are well made and in the price range I can afford to spend. 

 

That wife was SO annoying!  She just wouldn’t stop talking! Also, the focus group didn’t care about fabric laws, etc, that she kept interjecting. They give their opinions, you write them down maybe ask clarifying questions and then later figure out if you can incorporate the ideas or not. 

To me, when I see a brand marketed for a social cause it shouts "We added $5 to the price so we can donate $1 to charity." It's an ad for inefficiency. But then I never cared much about brand either.

The wife was a bit annoying, but I also understand that after being married for years they settled into roles where she takes the lead. She wasn't trying to belittle him. It's just a hard habit to break.  But I'm completely with you on how horribly run that focus group was. He was responding to them like they were a board of directors. You're there to get some public sentiment, not pitch ideas for approval. Marcus should have explained that better.

[sarthaz]

Dude trying to "reclaim his voice" or whatever during the focus group was hilariously awkward. The wife's knowing smile said, "Oh, I see. You're pretending to be a man today. OK, cool. That won't last." Their dynamic was annoying to watch, but she seemed to have her heart in the right place (even if her nose has been moved from its original location). Nothing's going to change with them, though. Dude is passive. That's just his way.

Everything about this episode, and honestly Marcus in general these days, reminds me of the Giraudoux quote repurposed by so many since: "The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made."

[seacliffsal]

Like others, I am so tired of tying products to social causes to increase sales.  Every time I see that I want to ask exactly how much money has the company actually donated to charity.  And, I think most companies operate in the manner Chris originally stated-they give the small percentage from their profit which then translates into much smaller numbers than consumers may realize.  I give annually to the charities I have selected (the process which includes looking at what percentage of the donations go to "administrative" costs versus the percentage that goes to the people being served by the organization), so I don't want to pay a higher price for a product due to charitable giving-especially if I do not have a say in the charity.  And one of my biggest pet peeves is that the business then gets the charitable tax deduction and not the people who are actually supplying the money through their purchases.  But, I digress...

I would have left the focus group had I been a part of it.  I just can't tolerate numerous interruptions and tangents like the owners exhibited during that meeting.  Ask questions, let us answer and move on.  Debate amongst yourselves when I don't have to be there.

Oh, and get off my lawn (I am really irritated for some reason-I think I'm really tired and frustrated with Marcus investing heavily in hipster products and trends).

[KHenry14]

I was looking forward to this episode because I was in that boat in the early 90's when my 2 kids were babies. And I found a nice bag from Kipling that worked great for many years. So I was curious as to how the diaper bag market might have changed in the past 20 years. And I could instantly see by the DD messenger bag, not much. And Marcus was right, is was obvious to the naked eye that Chris was using cheap materials for the bags. 

So Marcus ditches the DD concept and entrusts this weak guy to develop bags. Yay, I guess?

[FrankieTankie]

The husband is a sissy and it’s obvious his wife wears the pants in the household ... the wife could not shut the f up ... it was annoying ... she had an opinion on everything and when her sissy husband would speak she would jump in and give him the side eye with that half nose of hers .... then the sissy husband was a professional dog walker before this come on this dude is a typical male in today’s society ... don’t want to work and keeps finding excuses to not get a real job. Also how convenient that half way through the episode when Marcus tells the sissy husband he lost his confidence .. Marcus talks him into saying he was bullied ... like damn Marcus just write him out a script next time .... 

[ae2]

I feel like I missed part of the episode?

Is Diaper Dude no more? They are now No Bull, or is that just a new product line?

Does No Bull still sell diaper bags? I genuinely couldn't tell. The bags looked the same but the two "branding" photos we were shown just had these younger looking hip men with their bag and... No baby in sight. Do they take their diaper bag to work with them? Did they forget their baby at the store?

Then they pitched the product at some sort of outdoor store and failed to mention babies or diapers or the purpose of the bag even once. I guess the kind of guy who needs an uber manly diaper bag might be swayed by an impulse purchase when buying his chum and deer urine, but the price point doesn't lend itself to that.

Also, there has to be some irony in this guy who can't get a word in when his wife is around needing his diaper bag to feel manly, but I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet.

I guess No Bull is better than Diaper Dude? I guess?

[cherbitrary]

1 hour ago, ae2 said:

Is Diaper Dude no more? They are now No Bull, or is that just a new product line?

To answer absolutely nothing:  I googled Diaper Dude and clicked their link to www.diaperdude.com.  Took me to https://thenobullmovement.com/ - all about the "movement".  If you scroll almost all the way to the bottom you see "Coming Soon No Bull Merchandise".  The "Our Board" page shows Marcus as President, Juli Reed as VP + Treasurer and Chris as Chief Outreach Officer + Secretary.  For Chris it says this:  "He is currently partnered with Marcus Lemonis on his latest venture The No Bull Movement – a non-profit organization focused on supporting victims of bullying. Pegula will bring his design background to align with product that will support the cause of the The No Bull Movement. He will also serve as the Chief Outreach Officer and Secretary of the Movement. He lives with his wife and three children in Santa Monica, Ca."  Just curious - can you all hear my rolling my eyes?  I feel like that is coming across....

[Ray Adverb]

It's almost like the Diaper Dude business failed and they just got new jobs working for Marcus Lemonis.

[Koalagirl]

At first I thought the wife was completely emasculating him until I realized that he probably had no balls to begin with. 

[Ray Adverb]

1 hour ago, Koalagirl said:

At first I thought the wife was completely emasculating him until I realized that he probably had no balls to begin with. 

I don't think you start a business if you don't have a decent amount of courage and confidence.  It seems more like he had a lot of confidence but the years of running the business and getting rejected by customers wore him out.

[Koalagirl]

8 minutes ago, Ray Adverb said:

I don't think you start a business if you don't have a decent amount of courage and confidence.  It seems more like he had a lot of confidence but the years of running the business and getting rejected by customers wore him out.

I totally get your point but I still think he is took the path of least resistance by allowing his wife to behave the way she did in front of clients.  It would have been easy enough to have taken her aside before the presentations and asked her to please let him take the lead and speak for the product.  (Note:  I'm a female and would never have dreamed of constantly interrupting my husband during a sales pitch for his company).

[Ashlyc]

i love this show, i really do. ive always felt like i learned something from every episode. this one i learned to never trust the " we give to charity " gimmick. this was my least favorite episode. it really had nothing to offer. i think just sticking to guy diaper bags wouldve been better. like another poster commented, it didnt seem like there was a clear segway to no more diapper bags, we are now a generic messenger bag company seg way. i hope the remaining episodes get back to the regular format and not any more apparel type stuff. i like the industrial companies, over the jeans and phone cases. 

[Whimsy]

3 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

I totally get your point but I still think he is took the path of least resistance by allowing his wife to behave the way she did in front of clients.  It would have been easy enough to have taken her aside before the presentations and asked her to please let him take the lead and speak for the product.  (Note:  I'm a female and would never have dreamed of constantly interrupting my husband during a sales pitch for his company).

I feel like, with her, that wouldn't have worked.  She would've been like "Yeah.  Ok.  Of course!" and meant it in the moment, but during the meeting she wouldn't be able to help herself.  That's just how she comes across to me. 

[Showthyme]

It would be refreshing to see a show that did not try to convey a social or political message. Give it a rest already! I don't know of anyone who wasn't bullied or didn't have something to overcome as an adult. One of the hallmarks of being an adult is learning to push forward. Who wants to be remembered for being bullied in school? The bully wins when you are still talking about it as an adult. 

A partner will become the voice in the marriage if the other one is quiet or leans on them too much. We can be critical of her but it takes two to create this dynamic. 

Bundling all of Marcus pet-project stores until one roof/umbrella is a good plan. Not only do they benefit in lower rent, phone, and IT costs, but they are able to get valuable insight from their store mates. 

Speaking of giving it a rest: Marcus please give away all of your broken heart sweaters. I refuse to ask you what it means. You are breaking my heart by wearing it. 

[tobeannounced]

2 hours ago, Showthyme said:

It would be refreshing to see a show that did not try to convey a social or political message. Give it a rest already! I don't know of anyone who wasn't bullied or didn't have something to overcome as an adult. One of the hallmarks of being an adult is learning to push forward. Who wants to be remembered for being bullied in school? The bully wins when you are still talking about it as an adult. 

Ugh, so much this. And I really do not understand what man bags have to do with anti-bullying. It just seems so shoe-horned in. They were complaining to the Diaper Dude guy that the domestic violence thing didn't feel organic or whatever, and this feels even less so. I'd really love to know the real story behind this.

[Showthyme]

The real story is that a diaper bag made for men is limited. Marcus had to change the name to allow for a multi-purpose bag instead of a diaper bag, thus the No Bull Bag. Most women that I know do not carry a traditional diaper bag to hold their baby's diapers. People want a bag that can be used for anything but has specific features like a leak-proof pocket for a bottle or wipes. The fabric and quality is important and I prefer to have a bag that has a clear pocket on the inside because I am always searching for my cell phone.

Wifey wanted to educate us on the harmful smell of dry erase markers. Using a dry erase marker to write on your bag is something that no one would do, marker smell aside. 

The green in the camo bag was too bright. It looked gimmicky and not masculine. 

[LuvMyShows]

5 hours ago, Ashlyc said:

 i like the industrial companies, over the jeans and phone cases. 

I like the ones where we see complexity and a unique problem.  I feel like the industrial-type ones have greater possibility for that.

 

12 hours ago, ae2 said:

I feel like I missed part of the episode?

Is Diaper Dude no more? They are now No Bull, or is that just a new product line?

Does No Bull still sell diaper bags? I genuinely couldn't tell. The bags looked the same but the two "branding" photos we were shown just had these younger looking hip men with their bag and... No baby in sight. Do they take their diaper bag to work with them? Did they forget their baby at the store?

Then they pitched the product at some sort of outdoor store and failed to mention babies or diapers or the purpose of the bag even once. I guess the kind of guy who needs an uber manly diaper bag might be swayed by an impulse purchase when buying his chum and deer urine, but the price point doesn't lend itself to that.

On 7/4/2018 at 10:57 AM, Ray Adverb said:

The idea of "having a message" or associating with cause is corny, but as the guy in that first pitch meeting pointed out, they don't have much of a choice.  A bag is a bag and you need some factor to separate yourself.

1 hour ago, Showthyme said:

The real story is that a diaper bag made for men is limited. Marcus had to change the name to allow for a multi-purpose bag instead of a diaper bag, thus the No Bull Bag. Most women that I know do not carry a traditional diaper bag to hold their baby's diapers. People want a bag that can be used for anything but has specific features like a leak-proof pocket for a bottle or wipes. The fabric and quality is important and I prefer to have a bag that has a clear pocket on the inside because I am always searching for my cell phone.

What I think happened, is that Marcus had them completely re-brand it as No Bull, which I think was a giant mistake.  I don't see why he didn't keep one as Diaper Dude (and making the quality and features upgrades) and make the other as the multi-purpose bag sold at outdoor stores or whatever.  I think Diaper Dude was genius, and selling it at a baby store is the smart move, and wouldn't need the stupid message.  For the other branded bag, they can swap out a few of the features, and go after a completely different market.  So I don't see any reason why a change had to be made in the market that they were so successful in, in order to enter another separate market.  

[cooksdelight]

Marcus has a crappy team of designers and marketing people. The name “No Bull” is stupid, I think of the animal first. 

[sarthaz]

On 7/5/2018 at 9:31 AM, Koalagirl said:

At first I thought the wife was completely emasculating him until I realized that he probably had no balls to begin with. 

"No Balls" is the perfect rebranding for "Diaper Dude" and "No Bull".

[sarthaz]

19 hours ago, Showthyme said:

It would be refreshing to see a show that did not try to convey a social or political message. Give it a rest already! I don't know of anyone who wasn't bullied or didn't have something to overcome as an adult. One of the hallmarks of being an adult is learning to push forward. Who wants to be remembered for being bullied in school? The bully wins when you are still talking about it as an adult. 

I'm so torn on this issue. I was bullied as a kid -- physically and emotionally. I begged my teachers for help. I begged the Asst. Principal. They were all lazy sacks of shit and refused to do anything. I have zero respect for them as humans. Reluctant and terrified, I challenged the biggest and meanest bully to fight me after school. By that point, I was ready to beat the shit out of him or die trying. Everyone showed up ... but him. He faded into the shadows and didn't bully other kids after that either. I suspect he had a very difficult life, and I feel sad for him. I learned a valuable lesson about life that day. I am stronger because of it and am ultimately happy I suffered that trauma. But ... I just as easily could have killed myself because of it.

On one hand, I recognize that we need to learn the harsh realities of the world and how to stand up for ourselves without being coddled by adults. I also recognize that not everything is bullying. It's become a buzzword and a crutch to avoid growing up and taking responsibility. Just because someone said something mean to you one day doesn't mean you've been bullied. On the other hand, true bullies are merciless, especially modern social media girls, and there's too much sadness and loss of life because of it. We have to protect our children from that.

On a lighter note, I think the "No Bull" campaign is a direct response to the reaction over Marcus' wardrobe. I'm sure he's teased daily.

[Ray Adverb]

58 minutes ago, sarthaz said:

On a lighter note, I think the "No Bull" campaign is a direct response to the reaction over Marcus' wardrobe. I'm sure he's teased daily.

I think we can make some interesting inferences into Marcus's childhood.  His launching of a campaign against bullying, plus his odd obsession with businesses that are "hip", make me wonder what his life was like growing up.

[cooksdelight]

He was picked last for sports teams in the playground, stood in the awkward boys line at boy/girl dances, not asking anyone to dance. The way he walks, hunched forward slightly.... reminds me of a very shy kid growing up.

[Amarsir]

13 hours ago, Ray Adverb said:

I think we can make some interesting inferences into Marcus's childhood.  His launching of a campaign against bullying, plus his odd obsession with businesses that are "hip", make me wonder what his life was like growing up.

Writers who want the dramatic angle often point out he was born in Beirut in the 70s and lived in an orphanage. Except he was adopted at 9 months old the year before the civil war started. So while bonding in infancy (or the lack thereof) probably does have an effect, this is kind of a fake lead.

Not fake is the fact that he was molested by an extended family member. He didn't talk about it for years because he never wanted his mother to know. Plus he says he was overweight and I'm sure there was bullying there, although it pales in comparison to the first revelation.

[phoenix780]

Do the bags have anything anti-bullying about them? Like a pocket for a weapon for self defense, or an affirmation sewn in that someone being bullied could read? 

If it's a foundation...what do they actually do? Does this guy go out and look for donors, instead of selling product? 

This was a weird episode for me. I don't really know what this business is. 

[sarthaz]

9 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Writers who want the dramatic angle often point out he was born in Beirut in the 70s and lived in an orphanage. Except he was adopted at 9 months old the year before the civil war started. So while bonding in infancy (or the lack thereof) probably does have an effect, this is kind of a fake lead.

Not fake is the fact that he was molested by an extended family member. He didn't talk about it for years because he never wanted his mother to know. Plus he says he was overweight and I'm sure there was bullying there, although it pales in comparison to the first revelation.

I feel like they also tried to convince us he was Greek in the episode where he kept mispronouncing "gyro".

I give this show a lot of grief because of its double-talk, misrepresentations, and outright lies -- but kudos to Marcus for opening up and talking about difficult subjects. A lot of bad shit happens in this world, and it's meaningful to those going through it to know that they are not alone.

[hoosiermommy]

The link between the bags and the message was non-existent. It makes a lot more sense when the product is related to the mission, not just the name. Buy this book and a portion of the proceeds will go to literacy programs. Buy this food product and a portion of sales will go to fees the hungry. Buy this bottled water and a portion of the proceeds will help communities establish clean water sources.

Buy this bag and a portion of h proceeds will...provide backpacks for kids at school? No. Provide parents with the bags they need to parent theor infants? No. Benefit family travelers? No. It will go to bullying. I guess?

[Gregg247]

This guy seemed nice, but what a wimp!  He went from "professional dog walker" to creating a diaper bag for stay-at-home dads.  Isn't this "diaper bag" simply a man purse?  I understand the utility and function of a backpack, but those bags he was selling looked like a giant "European Men's Carry-All" (@tm "Seinfeld").

Then, in Marcus' "Dr. Phil" moment, we find out that Wimpy was once bullied as a child (well, I'm assuming it was as a child.  With this guy, it may have been a cashier at the local Starbucks who ridiculed him just last week).   Everybody -- Let me repeat -- Everybody in the world gets bullied at some point in their lives.  Its part of growing up and learning how to stand up for ourselves and for what we believe in.  Better to learn these lessons as a youngster rather than having to learn it as an adult, when the stakes are much higher. "Bullying" is such a buzzword now.  Its also, I'm afraid, becoming a one word excuse for people who just can't seem to deal with life's ups and down.

I hated the idea of turning the entire company into a "cause" rather than a product line.  The diaper bags were selling well; not as well as before, but I'm sure Marcus could help with that.  I liked the idea of extending the line of bags/purses into the outdoor market (again, I think a backpack version would have been better here).  This is a viable (but small) business.  I hope Marcus doesn't ruin it by trying to "make it into a national brand or else".

Again, Marcus is a successful businessman, but his marketing sense it terrible.  The outdoor store they visited is one of his brands.  I kept wondering why an outdoor chain store would use the Blockbuster Video colors of bright blue and gold, rather than a more outdoors-ey forest green and brown.  It looked like one of those pop-up stores where, for a few weeks a year, some specialty store takes over some closed retail space to sell their wares, and then gets out of Dodge (i.e.-fireworks stores, Halloween costume store, Christmas decoration store, etc.).

Edited July 9, 2018 by Gregg247

[TVbitch]

In this Very Special Episode: Marcus helps a dude who didn't even know he had been bullied get his confidence back by having him pitch his product (which Marcus pretty much totally re-invented) to buyers who work for Marcus and were clearly told by Marcus to lap up every word Chris said.

God help Chris when he has to face non-Marcus controlled business situations or criticism again. 

It would be easy to bash the wife, but Chris has pretty serious social anxiety and gets emotional very easily, so she has probably had to step in and speak for him on many occasions and it is just second nature to her now. But still, annoying. 

[shksabelle]

What ever happened to MEN??

I wonder if WimpBoy’s wife carries his balls in her purse or just leaves them at home in a jar?

Also, one of the guys at that day care is an actor, but I can’t think of his name. Can any of you help?

[Jessi85]

On 7/15/2018 at 11:33 PM, shksabelle said:

Also, one of the guys at that day care is an actor, but I can’t think of his name. Can any of you help?

Someone on twitter thinks he's Bailey Chase.  I think I recognize him from his role on Criminal Minds as the guy who shot Garcia in season 3 or 4.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_Chase

[shksabelle]

Thank you, Jessi85!

Yes, I remember him in both those roles.