00:53:16 · Ian Dallimore, Michael Provenzano
[00:53:16] S0: and it's the tech side that struggles with that. [00:53:19] S1: And it it should be the tech side that solves that. Correct. It's crazy. And I [00:53:24] S0: that that's gonna be the biggest evolution because you don't, like, you don't want the Lexus brand. You know, I'm infatuated with the g x five fifty, if I [00:53:31] S1: could ever find one.... Scars. [00:53:33] S0: Yeah. But if an ad will... And if that... I love that. The toll that it is for attacks Yeah. In order for you to continue to watch now becomes a negative experience with you about where if Lexus were to serve that ad in a different format, different location, different Yeah. Time of day Yeah. The experience and the thought may be completely different. [00:53:52] S1: Totally. And it's sad because it's not even Lexus doing it, it's probably another one of their media buyers or their or their technology platform, maybe a managed service doing it, making the mistake, and it's like, it's hard. It's really hard to be a brand and and have, like you said, like, consistent healthy conversation with the consumer. [00:54:09] S0: Yeah. And and at the end of the day, it's all about the consumer and how it ingests the media. [00:54:14] S1: Yeah. So what do... Pay the bills.
00:54:14 · Michael Provenzano, Ian Dallimore
[00:54:14] S1: Yeah. So what do... Pay the bills. [00:54:16] S0: Yeah. It's what pays the bills. But it's... What... So what do you feel, like, what can media owners, advertisers, and tech providers look? Because that's that's where the star has been extremely successful. Like, you had to bring everyone in Yeah. On the media side. You had to bring the advertisers in to believe in the technology. Sure. All the kind of cohesive come together and you've... I would say you've done that very successfully, and you've made a lot of money for out of home vendors, you made a lot of money for agencies and advertisers as well. But touch on, like, the the importance of the collaboration and really pushing boundaries and and where you see what is possible and out of home. Yeah. And not just from a creative perspective and Sure. But, like, really, where do you where do you think that we can go?
00:54:56 · Michael Provenzano, Ian Dallimore
[00:54:56] S1: Yeah. I mean, I think you're you think you're right in that everyone is here now. So all this like, oh, we have to get everyone together. It's gonna be so hard. Like, no, dude. Like, it's there. It's been fourteen years. We did it. Mhmm. It's here. Everyone's at the table to make change. So the thing, some the things I think a lot about is like the quality overall of the industry and the quality of the medium. So I think a lot about can media owners spend a little bit more on the hardware they use? Can we have higher end screens and higher quality experiences for their consumer, right? Not every screen should just be thrown up whenever they can get one. Think about the location of the screen, you know, Eric Lamb who runs our enterprise software business is big on retail media, he, he... Retailers ask him all the time, hey, I'm gonna put up, know, 70 screens in the store. He's like, please don't. In typical Eric fashion, just please don't. Very stoic. Just stoic, just don't do it, please. And he's right. He's like he's like, honestly, stall one really beautiful big screen. If if we look at our friends at Decaux, they've done a great job of that. If you go to a Decaux or Clear Channel Airport, [00:56:02] S0: for
00:56:02 · Ian Dallimore, Michael Provenzano
[00:56:02] S0: for [00:56:02] S1: example, like both of have done a great job of, like, really impactful experiences, right, when you walk in to these places and that's memorable, it's like why not same kind of concept as you think through retail? So I think meaningful interactions is important. I think the quality again of those interactions is important. You know, saving an extra thousand dollars, 2,000 on a screen that's gonna be up for ten years, like, a dumb decision, guys. Yeah. Just spend a little bit more, have less, but high quality stuff so that when people do interact with our channel of out of home, people say, wow, like that that was actually a really intimate experience that I got.
00:56:37 · Ian Dallimore, Michael Provenzano
[00:56:37] S0: Yeah. Alright. So kind of switching gears on the back half of the podcast here, really kind of going more on the personal side with you, if I may. We won't go too personal. We'll save that for, dinner tonight off the off the mic and recording. But as as you've... I... I've always said this to you, and, you know, I'll never forget. I've told you this story a million times. You know, we were we were in Broken Bow, my wife and I, our family, and it's funny being from the South. Ironically, we just had a massive snowstorm. But ironically, from the South, you... Oftentimes your kids are like, I just wanna see snow. So long story short, we go up to Broken Bow, which is Oklahoma, a little north we saw the weather pattern coming across. Fast forward the story, you know, this was probably three, four years ago, and four, five years ago, because it was pre COVID and, you know, we're on vacation, cabins icing over, major group of all of our friends, and we're like, we got to get back home, like, because we don't know how to drive in ice and snow, And I remember you and I were having a conversation. It was kind of the first company, and we won't go into detail here, but it was one of the first companies that were very interested in acquiring Vistar. And I just remember telling you, I'm like, Michael, you have a legacy to leave. There's so much more left. Do you remember this conversation? [00:57:54] S1: I remember you saying. Yes. Yeah.
00:57:54 · Michael Provenzano, Ian Dallimore
[00:57:54] S1: I remember you saying. Yes. Yeah. [00:57:56] S0: Yeah. What what... It it obviously wasn't me that swayed you, but what's made you continue to kind of push? And I know for you it's not, you know, well, I want to get paid a check. For you, it was... It truly was a legacy. And I wasn't trying to, like, poke at the at the... But, like, what... Why is that is so important for you to make sure the acquisition of a company fit... It fit with the people, but most importantly, for you, I want you to be a little, you know, bloviated here about yourself a bit, but, like, a legacy that you've left in the space.