TWIS: It's always so hot in the Apple Store. They should think about installing Windows
Hi Strat Pack!
Big news: Real-life Mario Kart is coming to New York this September! If you know me, you know that this is still one of my top 5 games of all time (Goldeneye still #1 by a long shot).
But even more importantly, you can now go for a slice and a shvitz at Roberta's. Weekends through March(ish) Roberta's pizza will also feature a 180 degree sauna. Seriously. Book an appointment through that link! I'll see you there.
Ok, stop messing around on r/SaunaStories and let's jump right in.
The one thing to read this week
1) ‘Bravery’: The folly and the vanity [Martin Weigel]
For anyone who ever has to sell in an idea. An instant classic from 2017 you probably (maybe?) haven't read yet.
We are so keen, it would seem, to cast ourselves as heroes and iconoclasts, so hungry to massage our fragile egos that we choose to misunderstand both human psychology and the collective psychology of the corporation. But we should heed the words of John Hegarty:
"There is no point in saying ‘I want you to be brave’, you’re not going to succeed. We’ve got to challenge this notion that we’ve got to sell more bravery because people won’t like it”
If we want good ideas to see the light of day, it falls to the us as originators of ideas to demonstrate how the new and unfamiliar is in fact, the right thing, the sensible thing, and the best thing to do. It demands that we articulate how and why it is fit for purpose. How it will work. And how we will know if it is working.
All those things that we devalue so casually and so thoughtlessly when we ask for a few slides of Powerpoint ‘setup’. As if this were merely some audience-fluffing warmup act ahead of the main event, rather than the exercise of rigorous idea stewardship.
2) What the hell happened to car advertising [Blokewriter]
Please please click through. This article will recenter you on what advertising should be. What it needs to be. And the about me for 'The Bloke' about me reads: Hard Truths and Occasional Wisdom, so you know I'm going to love him.
Car advertising was once the benchmark for all that was good in our industry. A gold standard that everyone sought to uphold and emulate.
Ads that built on a single-minded thought.
Ads that demanded our attention.
Ads that communicate persuasively with economy, wit, and confidence.
Ads that built on one another. They accumulated value and incrementally raised expectations and properties around the brand over time. Today’s ads do none of these things. Bereft of any conceptual merit or sense of longevity, they merely piss away a tidy budget down a hole of invisibility.
What happened? The whole thing smacks of subjugated creative teams. Of countless valiant attempts to get better work approved to no avail. Just one look at the script tells you it was micro-mandated by committee and crippled by fear.
Yes, never forget fear.
Fear of being different.
Fear of standing out.
Fear of being provocative.
3) An open letter (which won't be read by those who should read it.) [George Tannenbaum - Ad Aged]
On how to foster a positive culture. And a bit of reminiscing about Lee Clow
These days, everyone in our business is so smart, so sophisticated, so busy and so very important, that we forget many of the things that go into making people human. We forget the little things that motivate people to work hard. The things, beyond money, that make people feel valued, rewarded and recognized. I'm not talking about an agency t-shirt at the holidays, or a logo'd mug with 32 M&Ms inside.
No, I'm talking about a basic human need. The need to feel appreciated, valued and rewarded. You know, liked.
4) Three things I want you to click on
I didn't want to do full write ups on these but I want you to know that they're important.
How brands like Wendy’s and the NFL are marketing on Fortnite [Digiday] Relevant to you because you work in advertising.
Behind the $2bn+ development reinventing the Times Square billboard [The Drum] The world’s biggest billboard is getting so much bigger
Top 15 biggest global brands ranking for the last 19 years [Twitter] It's a one minute time lapse of brand value. Super interesting
5) P&G's Pritchard prepares for 'world with no ads' [Warc]
Marketers should “start thinking about a world with no ads”, according to Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, the FMCG giant.
The top marketer of the world’s biggest advertiser suggested that a holistic focus on experiences is central to how P&G will pursue this aspiration.
“What we think about is every aspect of the consumer experience and trying to make it better: the product, the package, the communication, the in-store, the online, the in use, the after use, and how it all comes together,” he said.
6) Department of Great Work
Alright, enough of being an industry debbie downer. Lets talk about great work
Tide plots nationwide ambitions for mobile on-demand laundry service [Mobile Marketer] Ugh. So good/smart/clever.
Ron Burgundy returns in iHeartMedia podcast with ads that are definitely not brand safe [The Drum] Made me lol.
This Ad Captures the One Thing Every Millennial’s Dad Does [AdWeek] This spot from Nord DDB for a telecom company absolutely nails it.
Danone Revives 1950s artwork to celebrate its centenary on the streets of Paris [AdAge] Great Out of home from BETC Paris
Disneyland Paris - The little duck [YouTube] I'm not crying, you're crying.
7) Platform Roundup
Woof. It's been a rough week for YouTube. Let's talk about it.
In case you've been living under a rock, Advertisers Abandon YouTube Over Concerns That Pedophiles Lurk In Comments Section [NPR] Editor's note: This story contains content that may be upsetting to some readers. This is the second time in 2 years that advertisers have fled the platform over brand safety concerns. AT&T literally just got back on the platform earlier this month
But it's not all bad: YouTube ranked 'most intimate brand' among millennials, report finds [Marketing Dive] Anyone want to guess which story was published first?
Apple, Goldman Sachs Team Up on Credit Card Paired With iPhone [Wall Street Journal] Both companies are seeking new revenue sources as their bread-and-butter businesses struggle
Facebook Watch has a new program to fund publisher shows starring influencers [Digiday]
Amazon seeks a better way to do loyalty rewards with new Moments program [Marketing Dive]
Valentine’s Day 2019 on social media [NewsWhip] A look at the top publishers for Valentine’s Day, and the Facebook posts that drove engagement for brands.
This was a long one; lots of news this week. Thanks for sticking around!
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Have a great weekend!