This Week in Strategy: Fungi puns are my yeast favorite...There's too mushroom for error!

Let's address the elephant in the room. I left the punchline off of last week's one liner. The full joke was What did Yoda say when he saw himself in 4K? "HDMI!" I said we would not have a third week of Yoda and yet here we are. The Strategy Editorial Department regrets this error.

Now that the elephants are out of the way, let's talk about bears. Friends of the newsletter are well aware that panda bears are my favorite. But what’s not to love about a brown bear? Which leads me to this gem of an item: did you know it's Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park this week? Yes that's a real thing, yes it's a March Madness-style bracket to choose (and this is a direct quote from a real dot.gov press release) “which gluttonous giant sits atop the brown bear oligarchy of obesity.

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This is democracy in action, folks! Vote for your favorite bear in the link above. And at the very least, block off an hour on your calendar and go check out the brown bear cameras in Katmai National Park

Speaking of obese bears, have you heard that Sandwiches in Subway 'too sugary to meet legal definition of being bread'? Because the Subway heated sandwiches, such as a hot meatball sandwich, did not contain "bread" as defined, it could not be said to be "food" for the purpose of the Second Schedule of the Act, he held.

I don't even want to get into any more detail because I feel like the headline tells you everything you need to know. The real story is that is a Subway franchisee tried to get out of paying taxes by claiming that the bread was a staple food and therefore subject to a 0% tax rate. But after analysis, the Supreme Court of Ireland determined "Whoops, sucks to suck, you've got to pay your taxes".

And on the subject of taxes, what a shitshow is going on in the US right now. All I want to say about that is, if you are eligible to vote in the United States, please make sure you're registered, and PLEASE VOTE. Thank you.

Before we jump in - (non-sponsored) Free Webinar Alert: WARC Talks 360: Future of Strategy. Warc alway puts on a good show and I hope that this will be the same:

From Warc: "With the global pandemic and a looming recession, strategists are in high demand. But with the role of strategists changing dramatically, what does the future of strategy look like? On 6th October, we're bringing together 7 senior strategists to discuss the trends featured in WARC's Future of Strategy report and their view on the future of strategy, including headcounts and budgets, the role of strategists and what long-term changes might result. "

It's got 3 sessions, at least one of which is hopefully in your time zone. And recordings are available afterwards. I'm planning on listening in and I hope you do the same.

Alright stop messing around trying to figure out where I would fall on the fat bear ratings scale (I think I'd do pretty good PS). Let's jump right in.

The one thing to read this week
1) Don’t Just Do It … [Rob Campbell - Musings of an opinionated Sod]

To people outside of the UK, the title of this post might sound like a diss to NIKE.

But it’s not. It’s part of a well known tagline by UK hardware giants, B&Q. Originally the whole expression was ‘Don’t just do it, B&Q it’ however it’s recently had an evolution … which is my excuse for talking about their new ad campaign.

A campaign by – in my opinion – the best agency in the UK right now and one of the best in the World. Uncommon.

DIY often gets promoted by ‘salt of the earth men and women’ making, fixing or changing stuff. Or ‘cheeky chappy’, blue-collar cliches … having a giggle as they saw some wood. It’s all very practical, rational and very before/after.

But Uncommon have done something different. For a start they are trying to bring more people into the DIY world rather than just appeal to the people already there. It’s smart, because with COVID, we’re having to rely more and more on our own abilities than those of a specialist.

But they’ve done something more than that. They’ve tapped into the emotions of what DIY does for us. Not in the terms of a new shelf or a better shed … but in terms of crafting the place we live and turning it into our home. A place that reflects us not just shelters us. The stuff we will always remember when we see it. The stuff that makes it OURS. The stuff we built … literally and figuratively.

And it’s this premise that Uncommon tapped into with the thought, “you don’t buy a life, you build one”.

It’s always been true, but in these times where we try to outsource everything for a generic perfection, it is even more pertinent.

Doesn’t matter what you make. Doesn’t matter how good you are. All that matters is you make something that makes it yours.

I love that they’ve evolved the line from ‘Don’t just do it’ to ‘You can do it’.

It’s the right thing to do. Not just because it is more inclusive, emotional and personal … but because it has a positive, encouraging energy to it. Something that conveys confidence for whatever you’re going to do rather than judgement and doubt.

But one thing I like in particular is the poster campaign. As I wrote previously, Uncommon are seemingly single-handedly bringing the beauty and value of posters back into the ad world.

The work they’ve done for B&Q is a perfect example of that. Simple. Clear. And each expressing a different attribute of the brand idea. No bought in stock shots with some throwaway, meaningless copy dropped on it …, oh no … they’re all individually and beautiful art directed to within an inch of their life.

This is what advertising can be. Should be. This is how we build the industry again. This is how we turn it into a home people want to live in again.

2) 7 Rules for Job Interview Questions That Result in Great Hires [Harvard Business Review]

An article from 2016 that is written from the perspective of hiring managers but I think is super relevant to job seekers as well. I've condensed into my three favorite points, but it's worth clicking through and checking out this concise but interesting article

Research at firms like Google has proven that “brainteaser questions” can contribute to a costly miss-hire, that having a candidate meet any more than four interviewers doesn’t increase new-hire quality, and that for many jobs, factors like grades, test scores, and schools attended don’t predict success in the position.

So it’s time to rethink your interview questions with a focus on work-related questions that are harder to prepare for and to fake an answer to.

Be wary of historical questions. Questions that require a candidate to describe how they performed in the past, also known as “behavioral interview questions” (e.g., “Tell me about a time when you led…”), are problematic in a fast-moving world where yesterday’s approaches quickly become irrelevant. And according to research by professors Frank Schmidt and John Hunter, those questions predict success only 12% better than a coin flip. Why? Because the way a candidate did years ago at another firm may be the wrong answer today at this firm with its unique culture. Historical questions also allow a good storyteller to passionately describe how a problem was solved even though they only played a minor role in the solution.

Assess their ability to solve a problem. If you were hiring a chef, you would ask them to cook a meal. Taking a “job content” approach, by having an applicant do some of the actual work, is the best way to separate top candidates from average ones. Consider asking them to:

  • Identify problems on the job. Say something like: “Please walk me through the steps of the process that you’ll use during your first weeks to identify the most important current problems or opportunities in your area.”

  • Solve a current problem. The ability to solve current problems is often the number one predictive factor of job performance. Provide them with a description of an actual problem that they will face on their first day. Then ask them to walk you through the broad steps they would take in order to solve the problem. Prior to the interview, make a list of the essential steps. Deduct points if they omit important steps like gathering data, consulting with the team or customer, and identifying success metrics.

  • Identify the problems in our process. Hand them a single-page description of a flawed existing process related to their job. Ask them to examine the process and identify the top three areas where they predict serious problems are likely to occur. Prior to the interview, make a list of those pain points and flaws.

Assess a candidate’s ability to learn, adapt, and innovate. If the job requires any of those factors, consider these questions:

  • Learning: “Outline the steps you’d take to continuously learn and maintain your expert status in one important technical area.”

  • Agility: “Outline the steps you’d take to adapt when a dramatic unexpected change occurs in either technology or customer expectations.”

  • Innovation: “Outline the steps you’d take to increase innovation among your team to respond to increased competition or new technologies.”

3) Post Social Media - the Future of Community Online [a report by co—matter]

This is a fantastic deep dive report on the 'post social media era' and how we're moving from mass social communications to niche supportive communities. h/t Zoe Scaman on twitter

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4) This Week only! Quick Hits is now the Department of "It's that time of the year for big companies to start putting out thought pieces"

What can I say. It's that time of the year to start putting out corporate think pieces. Let's take a look at one good one and two...not so good ones.

The good one:

  • Spotify's Culture Next trend report [Spotify] One reason I like this report is because the link takes you directly to the PDF. Good job, Spotify! This report goes deep into Gen Z and I think does a good job capturing how our habits are so radically changing now that we're all, you know, stuck at home. IMO, The brand takeaways are a little hit or miss because they have to be so generic and some stuff you've definitely seen before. But overall there are plenty of good nuggets in there. And a few useful reminders of what the role of advertising actually is. Like this one: When Spotify asked American Gen Zs and millennials what they want to see out of brands, 93% chose “purpose” over “politics." A small but very meaningful distinction especially in this election cycle. I also particularly liked this stat: 66% of Americans surveyed said they have a passion others would consider obscure, and 69% proudly identify as a “weirdo.” 

The two bad ones (aka your brunch Hate Reads)

I can already feel the theme of this season's corporate bloviation: "Everything is different, everything is the same: A white paper on how an upheaval in society shows us that nothing in advertising ever changes".

Not to pick on our friends at Google & Facebook, these are just the first two I've seen.

  • What 2020’s teaching us about rebooting our storytelling fundamentals [Think With Google] In truth, this one isn't that bad, it just doesn't say anything new which frustrates me. The article's thesis can be boiled down to this pull quote: "The core storytelling principles simply don’t change – no matter how upside down everything else seems to be."And you know what, I agree! But here's the thing, if storytelling principles never change why do we keep having to put out articles about how storytelling principles never change *even in these trying times*.

  • How Authenticity Can Help Brands Connect With Consumers This Holiday Season [AdWeek Sponsored] I've really got to hand it to Facebook this year. They didn't even mention Covid, and instead just published a sales sheet on Facebook Watch. One of my favorite sentences: "It’s clear that publisher video viewing on Facebook is fueled by a desire for connection." Counterpoint: maybe we're all just really bored and video content is a welcome distraction? I watch a ton of TikTok but I not because I want to connect with anyone, ever...

5) Department of Great Work

  • Protect Yourself From 2020 [Ads of the World] Without a doubt, 2020 has been the most batshit crazy year any of us have ever lived through. Which is why when Mosaic Life asked us to help them get millennials interested in life insurance we decided to lean into the unexpected and bizarre things already happening all around us. An active volcano. Murder Hornets. Confirmed UFO sightings. Oh ya, and a global pandemic. There’s never been a more important time to protect yourself and the ones you love. Created by Conflict, Canada for Mosaic Life Insurance

  • Relief for stressed voters: Excedrin creates Election Headache Kit [PR Week] Over-the-counter pain reliever Excedrin has come to the rescue with an Election Headache Kit. The bad news is that the kit, which includes Excedrin Extra Strength, an unscented candle, a sleep mask and lavender-scented essential oil, was only sent to celebrities and politically involved people. The good news is that bottles of Excedrin Extra Strength Election Headache Limited Edition went on sale in-store last week at CVS and online via CVS, Walgreens and Amazon. Excedrin had success with a similar strategy when it inserted its brand into the 2016 presidential election via the #DebateHeadache campaign.

  • 5 Easy Steps to Voting Naked (feat. Adam Waheed) [Comedy Central on Facebook] Yes it's SFW! Yes it's a bit of a repeated trope (or maybe I'm just saying that because Austin Powers was on TV this weekend). But its still an effective way to get people to watch content on how easy it is to get out the vote this year. And the hashtag: #ThirstTrapTheVote *chef's kiss*

  • This campaign encourages 'Dousche Bag' behavior on public transit to keep passengers safe from Coronavirus [AdAge] A new campaign from Sweden encourages what would normally be regarded as "douche bag" behavior on public transport: taking up seats with bags. But these days, it's all for social distancing purposes. Agency Forsman & Bodenfors in Gothenburg has created free tote bags to be handed out to passengers of Västtrafik, the area's public transportation system. The "No Douche Bag" comes in a striped pattern designed to resemble barricade tape. It's emblazoned with the words, “I’d love to sit next to you, just not right now.” The first edition of 1,000 tote bags were distributed for free at the Central Station in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sept. 30 and If the interest is high, Västtrafik will produce more. So clever.

  • Cameron Frye Resurrects an Iconic Scene From Ferris Bueller in LiftMaster Ad [Muse by Clio]  Schafer Condon Carter remade the iconic garage scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off in a fun spot touting LiftMaster's Secure View Garage Opener. This time, however, the client's built-in camera technology ensures no wild road trip ensues, though you may recognize a familiar face from the movie. Alan Ruck, who played Bueller's buddy Cameron Frye, returns in the dad role after all these years. And he gets the last laugh. Haha, busted, punks! Go do some homework! Why it works: The movie scene is so iconic, the spot works even if viewers don't recognize Ruck. Moreover, the ad effectively communicates the LiftMaster brand proposition even if you've never seen the film. Nice.

  • Dos Equis commits to making football fans' Saturdays fun again [Marketing Dive] Dos Equis wants to "Save our Saturdays" by encouraging consumers to text "S.O.S." in a bid to receive tailgating swag. Among the prizes is a Seis-foot Cooler, a six-foot-long cooler that doubles as a social distance measuring device. Some winners will be awarded a bevy of prizes, delivered in a "tricked-out" Chevrolet El Camino. From agency Fast Horse.

6) Platform Updates

As always, the full archive is available here. Was this email forwarded to you? Want to start getting this on a weekly basis? All I need is your email, everything else is optional. Thanks for sticking around as always. See you next week!

Jordan Weil