The wealth divide is reshaping consumer markets, with 10% of households now driving 50% of all consumer spending in America while the majority struggle with inflation and debt. This economic distortion, hidden by misleading averages, is now colliding with new international tariffs that threaten to remove entire categories of goods from store shelves.

In this episode of Cross Tabs, Farrah interviews brand strategist Faris Yakob about how misunderstood economic metrics mask the real consumer experience. They discuss how the stock market crash will impact wealthy consumers who've been propping up economic growth, why statistical averages are increasingly misleading when wealth distribution looks nothing like a bell curve, and how political polarization mirrors these economic divisions. Yakob provides fascinating context for why so many Americans feel economically squeezed despite positive macroeconomic indicators.

Want to be a part of the future of Cross Tabs Podcast? Here are a few simple ways to get involved:

- Subscribe, rate, and review Cross Tabs Podcast on your favorite podcast app

- Subscribe to Cross Tabs Podcast Substack and suggest Cross Tabs to your audience if you have your own Substack - we’re happy to do the same!

- Contact Farrah with guest or topic suggestions you’d like to hear about on the show

Resources

Mar-a-Lago Accord

American Time Use Survey

The Road to Somewhere by David Goodhart

'What the Comfort Class Doesn't Get' by Xochitl Gonzalez in The Atlantic

“Strands of Genius” newsletter by Faris Yakob

Paid Attention by Faris Yakob

Our Guest

Faris is the co-founder of Genius Steals, a nomadic creative consultancy that works with brands, agencies and events. He and his partner Rosie speak at conferences and corporate events all over the world and have been living nomadically in between engagements for the last 7 years.

Previously he held senior agency roles at Naked Communications, McCann and MDC Partners, in London, Sydney and NYC. He is the author of Paid Attention: Innovative Advertising, writes a monthly column on effective brand communication, and bylines include Fast Company, Financial Times, The Guardian, Economic Times of India Brand Equity, and Campaign.

Your Host

Farrah Bostic is the founder of The Difference Engine, a strategic research and innovation consultancy. Drawing on her extensive background in research and strategy, she examines how power dynamics and data patterns shape both democratic institutions and market environments, bringing a sharp analytical perspective to the intersection of politics, data, and business.

Her incisive questioning style and ability to connect political movements with business implications makes Cross Tabs essential listening for political...