PODCAST · business
Material World
by Bloomberg
There's a whole lot of stuff out there to buy. We're talking about all the things you eat, drink, wear and even smoke. Every other week we're going to take a look at one part of the universe of consumable stuff. We'll delve into why we spend our money on these things, the people behind the products -- and why it matters.
Episodes
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Introducing: Blood River, A New Podcast From Bloomberg
The killers of Berta Caceres had every reason to believe they’d get away with murder. More than 100 other environmental activists in Honduras had been killed in the previous five years, yet almost no one had been punished for the crimes. Bloomberg’s Blood River follows a four-year quest to find…
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Introducing Foundering
Adam Neumann had a vision: to make his startup WeWork a wildly successful company that would change the world. He convinced thousands of other people -- customers, employees, investors -- that he could make that dream a reality. And for a while, he did. He was one of the most successful startup...
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Introducing Prognosis Season 4: America's Broken Health-Care Costs
Americans are paying more and getting less for their health care than ever before. On the new season of Prognosis, reporter John Tozzi explores what went wrong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing "What Goes Up," A New Show From Bloomberg
On this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Mike Regan and Sarah Ponczek speak with expert guests each week about the main themes influencing global markets. They explore everything from stocks to bonds to currencies and commodities, and how each asset class affects trading in the others. Whether…
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Introducing "Works For Me," A New Podcast From Bloomberg
On this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Francesca Levy and Rebecca Greenfield navigate the productivity industry by way of their own experiences. In each episode, one of the two becomes a human guinea pig as she tries to solve a specific work-related problem. Using the advice of so-called...
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Travel Genius, a New Show From Bloomberg
What’s the most sure-fire way to get a flight upgrade? How can you find the best, secret local restaurants by asking just one question? What's the first thing you should do when you get into a hotel room? On Bloomberg's new podcast Travel Genius, we'll give you those answers—and plenty more—as...
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Prognosis, a New Show From Bloomberg
Where does a medical cure come from? 100 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for scientists to test medicines by taking a dose themselves. As medical technologies get cheaper and more accessible, patients and DIY tinkerers are trying something similar—and mainstream medicine is racing to catch up....
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BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 6
So far, the pay gap has proved pretty impossible to solve. But most of us aren’t just going to sit here and accept that we’ll be paid less than men for our entire careers. In the last episode of The Pay Check, host Rebecca Greenfield talks to Gaby Dunn, who hosts her own podcast called Bad With...
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BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 5
The pay gap goes way deeper than just men's and women's salaries—that's why just paying women more doesn't solve the problem. In this episode, Claire Suddath talks to Salesforce.com Inc., the San Francisco software company that began doing pay equity audits in 2015 and has found a pay gap every...
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BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 4
Can companies be shamed into closing the pay gap? A new law in the U.K. requires companies with more than 250 employees to publicly disclose their gender pay gaps. More than 10,000 companies reported by the April deadline, revealing differences in median pay of as much as 60 percent in some…
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BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 3
Skeptics say the gender pay gap is explained by choices women make about family and career. Rebecca Greenfield unpacks those arguments with the help of professors from Harvard and Georgetown. Then, Jordyn Holman goes inside a contract negotiation between Netflix and the comedian and actress...
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BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 2
There was a brief moment 150 years ago when it looked like women might get equal pay for equal work. But they didn’t—and that set the standard for decades to come. On this episode of the Pay Check, Rebecca Greenfield revisits a Civil War-era sex scandal that set the stage for the pay gap debates...
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BONUS: Listen to The Pay Check
In the first episode of The Pay Check, we go deep on pay discrimination. Host Rebecca Greenfield tells us about an equal pay fight in her own family. We take you inside a gender discrimination case against Goldman Sachs that’s been unfolding for over a decade. And we look at how companies…
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Movie Theaters Want You Back, So They're Rushing to Modernize
For many people, going to movies in the theater is more of a hassle than a joy -- why sit in an uncomfortable chair and spend upwards of $10 to get a ticket, plus the cost of popcorn and a drink? As the number of shows on television and subscription services surges and home theater systems…
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Wal-Mart Gets Ready For Virtual Reality Shopping
Retail has been undergoing a rapid, extreme time of change that hasn't happened since online shopping came on the scene 20 years ago. Companies like Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer in the world, are trying to get ahead of the next trends in how people will buy stuff. They're making a big bet on...
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Global Warming Is Coming for Your Shopping Cart
The impact of climate change on the things we buy is already noticeable, but it’s bound to get worse. In future decades, the food we eat, beverages we drink and clothes we wear may all be altered by the warming planet. In the second of two episodes about climate change, Jenny and Lindsey dig into...
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How Climate Change Affects What You Buy
Climate change is already worsening extreme weather events -- from hurricanes to wildfires -- and beginning to affect the U.S. economy and consumers. This episode is the first in a two-part series on climate and commerce. This week, Lindsey and Jenny dive into how changes in the environment are...
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Yogurt Battle Puts Big Food Struggles on Display
Big Food's having a tough time, and yogurt is no exception. Large, bureaucratic food companies have trouble keeping up with consumers looking for fresh ingredients and new products. Newcomers like Chobani are beating out old standbys such as General Mills' Yoplait and DannoneWave's Dannon. This...
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Is New York Fashion Week Still On Trend?
Last month, fashion lovers got a taste of what's going to be in this spring as designers and models took to runways from New York to London to Paris and Milan. But as customers look for instant gratification and retailers rush to get clothes on shelves faster, is New York Fashion Week as relevant...
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The Evolution of Coffee, America's Favorite Drink
The majority of Americans drink at least one cup of coffee every day. The kinds of drinks and the companies producing them have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Consumers increasingly want their caffeine kick to be gourmet and iced. Meanwhile, artisanal coffee companies are being...
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The Disruption of the Jewelry Industry
Millennials are blamed for disrupting a lot of industries, from cereal to soap, and now they're wreaking havoc on the jewelry industry. Customers today want timeless pieces that aren't so expensive they require a down payment, and they want to be able to collect items that can be customized into…
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Beyond Barbecue: The Evolution of Potato Chips
Everyone knows it's almost impossible to eat just one potato chip. Why is America's favorite salty snack so addictive? Jenny and Lindsey dig into the science behind the mouthwatering taste, the evolution of the business from local to national and the diversification of flavors from plain to…
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Trump Inc. (Ivanka Edition): What's in a Name?
For the rich and famous, a name is often much more than just a name, and the Trump family hasn't shied from capitalizing on that opportunity. This week on Material World, we explain how Ivanka Trump turned her name into a brand. Now that the First Daughter has taken a position in the White House,...
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Be Right Back
Jenny and Lindsey are taking a vacation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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To Win the Grocery Wars, Wal-Mart Is Making Designer Melons
In our last episode, Jenny and guest host Craig Giammona explored how technology could shape the grocery industry's future. This week, Jenny and Lindsey look at what the biggest grocers are doing to stay on top -- and discover it has a lot to do with produce. As part of its plan to fight off...
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The Tech Industry Wants To Revolutionize How You Shop For Groceries
For decades, the experience of buying groceries has remained much the same — and stayed largely immune to tech disruption. But that may be about to change. Amazon's bid for Whole Foods shows that it's determined to revolutionize the way Americans buy their groceries. Jenny and guest host Craig...
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Barbie’s Torrid Rise, Awkward Fall and -- Maybe! -- Surprise Comeback
She's been called a role model -- but also creepy and superficial. So who is the real Barbie? Matt Townsend looked into an 58-year-old toy that's become much, much more than a mere plaything. He and Lindsey trace the life and times of this 11-and-a-half inch doll -- from her Eisenhower-era debut...
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Yes, Big Tobacco Says It’s Racing to Create a Smoke-Free Future
When you think innovation, Big Tobacco probably doesn't spring to mind. But Philip Morris International alone has spent more than $3 billion trying to create new products and push towards a “Smoke-Free Future.” Jenny and Lindsey dig into the tobacco industry's race to move beyond cigarettes and...
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How Festivals Became Marketing Meccas
From the success of Coachella to the cataclysm that was Fyre, music festivals are omnipresent these days, drawing colossal crowds and clogging Instagram feeds. But it isn't just partiers who have caught the festival bug -- consumer product companies want in, too. This week on Material World…
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How Tech Is Changing Your Beauty Routine
The beauty industry is on fire, thanks in large part to technology. Prestige beauty sales in the United States grew 6 percent to $15.9 billion in the year ending in February, according to the research firm NPD Group. Makeup alone rose 11 percent to $7.3 billion. Lindsey and Jenny talk to…
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Inside Fashion's Quest to Make Sustainable Clothes Fit
Americans love what they wear -- until it's time to throw it away. Each year, we generate 21 billion pounds of discarded clothing, amounting to 70 pounds per person. Now, as the world finally begins to address climate change, is there a business case for the fashion industry to invest in...
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This Bud's For You: Weed Goes Mainstream
As legalized pot becomes more widely available, the race is on for brands to become household names. One in five American adults now lives in a place where he or she can smoke, eat, drink, vape or otherwise ingest cannabis as they please. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau laid out plans last...
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How America's Push to Live Healthier Is Changing Food Labels
Food and beverage companies have long used buzzwords like "natural" and "healthy" to get shoppers' attention, a battle that's intensified now that foodie culture has gone mainstream. Whether it's organic, gluten-free or non-GMO, consumers are demanding more information about what's inside the…
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The Rise of Ghost Tequila
The man who helped turn Fireball whisky into a shot sensation is at it again, this time with ghost-pepper infused tequila. Recording a day in the life, Material World follows him around to find out exactly what it takes to make a liquor brand go viral. How do bars come by their selection of...
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Is Trump's 'Made in America' Push Healthy for Your Wallet?
Jenny and Lindsey explore what Trump's campaign to revive domestic manufacturing means at the mall. Some companies, including Knot Standard, the custom suit-maker that dressed the younger male Trumps for the inauguration, say the U.S. doesn't have the technological infrastructure or employee...
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How to Live Forever Young
Immortality may remain forever the stuff of science fiction, but our ability to live long and prosper is finally within reach -- if a select group of so-called biohackers can be believed. Take Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey, so committed to the lifestyle that he plans to live to the age of 180.…
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Why There's No Excuse Not To Buy Better Underwear
Material World is taking a look at the basics -- underwear. Technology and innovation has infiltrated the rest of your closet. Now, entrepreneurs say it's time to upgrade your underwear drawer. There's plenty to pick from: The global men's underwear market is expected to expand to $11 billion in...
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Shopping in Trump's America: A Look Ahead to 2017
This year was full of surprises -- Brangelina called it quits, the U.K. voted to leave the European Union and Donald Trump became the next president of the United States. It's hard to predict what lies ahead in 2017. Jenny and Lindsey are joined by others on Bloomberg News's consumer team to do...
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Zombie Brands Are Hard to Kill
The holidays are upon us, and with them a shopping season that can make or break a struggling retailer. Yet bankruptcy doesn't always mean the end. Many struggling chains linger well past their expiration dates and others find second lives under new ownership. The deciding factor is the strength…
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America's Sugar Addiction: Why So Sweet?
This time of year feels like a continuous feast. With pumpkin spice lattes and apple pie and holiday cookies at every turn, Americans are constantly confronted by sugar. More than half of the nation's people are trying to eat less sugar -- and some are trying to quit altogether. So why is it so...
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Celebration Inflation: We're Partying Hard & Companies Love It
The holiday season is almost upon us. But these days it feels as if we're always celebrating. When it's not Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas, it's Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, National Margarita Day, National Siblings Day or National Pet Day. Companies have even created their own...
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How The Kardashians (and Other Celebrities) Get You To Buy Stuff
Celebrities, they're just like us! Or rather, marketers have long relied on the fact that we want to be just like them. Slapping a famous name and image on to products has been a sales tactic for more than a century. But consumers's thirst for authenticity and attachment to social media have...
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The Costly Companionship of Cats and Dogs
Cats and dogs have never had it so good. Hosts Lindsey Rupp and Jenny Kaplan explore the $63 billion U.S. pet industry. As Americans wait longer to have kids, they're spending more on their furry relatives instead, from pet insurance and premium diets to Halloween costumes. To break down the...
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American Made, Bought and Sold
Hosts Lindsey Rupp and Jenny Kaplan are talking patriotic marketing. In an Olympic and election year, consumers have been overwhelmed with red, white and blue. Budweiser actually branded its iconic beer "America" during the summer. Do these ploys attract buyers? What about items that are made in...
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Having a Baby Never Cost So Much
Having a baby costs more than ever. The average American parents will pay about $245,000 to raise a child born in 2013 through the age of 18 -- and that's just for basics! It isn't just higher costs that are changing the business of raising babies, industry experts tell Jenny and Lindsey in this...
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Pink It & Shrink It
Marketing to women is getting more nuanced than the stereotyped, often sexist, efforts of the past -- mostly. How are companies that sell typically macho-things like beer and guns appealing to the fairer sex? Some do it better than others with inclusive messages. The toy industry is making...
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The Future of Vegan Food Is Here, and It’s Not Gross
For many years, packaged vegan foods were expensive, sometimes unappealing, knock-offs of animal products and byproducts made for diet extremists. Not any more. Companies that make plant-based fare, such as Treeline Cheese and Beyond Meat, want their products to go mainstream. They're working…
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Skinny Jeans Are Killing the Fashion Industry
Skinny jeans have dominated the denim world for 10 long years and the fashion industry has had enough. Apparel companies are eager for pant styles to change, prompting customers to spend more on updating their entire wardrobe. Yet the skinny silhouette has serious staying power, according to…
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Sex Sells
Attitudes toward the sex toy industry have changed dramatically thanks to the Internet, making what was once a taboo subject pervasive in popular culture. In this episode, Lindsey and Jenny take a closer look at the $15 billion "adult product" market, with guests including Phil Harvey, who…
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Cash, Sweat and Tears: The Big Business of Fitness
The business of slimming has gained serious weight. From Soul Cycle to Lululemon, people are focused on getting fit -- and shelling out significant cash in the process. But just how big is the fitness economy? Are we in a fitness bubble? Join us as Jenny and Lindsey dig into the business side of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
There's a whole lot of stuff out there to buy. We're talking about all the things you eat, drink, wear and even smoke. Every other week we're going to take a look at one part of the universe of consumable stuff. We'll delve into why we spend our money on these things, the people behind the products -- and why it matters.
HOSTED BY
Bloomberg
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Material World have?
Material World currently has 54 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Material World about?
There's a whole lot of stuff out there to buy. We're talking about all the things you eat, drink, wear and even smoke. Every other week we're going to take a look at one part of the universe of consumable stuff. We'll delve into why we spend our money on these things, the people behind the products...
How often does Material World release new episodes?
Material World has 54 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Material World?
You can listen to Material World on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Material World?
Material World is created and hosted by Bloomberg.
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