July 2018 : A newsletter
/Status: SPF 30.
Here’s a quick rundown of ten observations on topics + experiences I’m finding interesting.
Postback 2018 was a big success and I’m happy to have played a role in bringing the event to life. This year’s edition, hosted in Seattle on July 19-20, brought together an eclectic group of marketers from around the world and across the digital ecosystem. Two key takeaways: 1.) We measure to manage so that what we manage is what matters most; i.e. know the difference btwn signal and noise..both can change fast. 2.) What - and how - we communicate and share has never been more important so you might as well hold yourself to a high bar.
Shifting gears (which would be a pun if my bicycle weren’t a single-speed), I recently broke the 150 mark. For what, pray tell? A: Cycling and running segments recorded on Strava so far in 2018. Yes, my minor obsession continues and including alpine skiing the tally is over 170 segments. Pls forgive the rhetorical question and indulgence, it’s just that I really like data and you might, too.
Continuing the thread: Sports are advertising are sports are content marketing is marketing. The storylines are everywhere, all the time. Here’s one covering another of July’s signature events: Wimbledon says complacency is its ‘biggest threat’ as it looks to build a global brand. Plus one relating to the largest single sporting event in the world, also held this year in the seventh month of the Gregorian calendar: Why Nike ditched a proven winning strategy for the 2018 World Cup.
As mentioned in previous notes, there’s big upside in the B2B corner of the content universe and beyond. Research recently uncovered and/or reread: B2B Content Marketing 2018: As Usage Nears Saturation, Still Lots of Room for Improvement; 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - North America; and: Four Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing. All-up: Think audience + format + channel and repeat (with originality) at scale.
Do you read Seth’s blog? I recently returned and it’s as insightful as ever. For example: Walking away from fast twitch. Because the race belongs to those who keep going.
With all the work-ing and Strava-ing and strategize-ing, there’s never enough time to read. I did manage to finish Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (5/5 stars) and What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan (difficult and important, especially for parents), and am flying through Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday. His work is consistently high-quality, which is why I link him so often.
Being effective at anything requires deep commitment, a point underlined many times in Perennial Seller and the premise of To Make or Not To Make, an article I jotted two years ago. Sometimes I read what I’ve written and with the benefit of additional experience reconsider it through a different lens. That’s part of the creative process. In this case, To Make holds up. Knowing how to make things happen has never been more critical.
I also made a short movie a while back and titled it The Pumpernickel Clause. It’s about the importance of knowing your target audience. You may like pumpernickel, you may not like pumpernickel. Doesn’t matter. It’s your audience that matters.
Monthly podcast feature: The Tour de France is underway and I’ve been listening to The Move. It’s a daily show hosted by Lance Armstrong and JB Hager, often with guests and most days from the comfort of an Airstream trailer. For the 105th edition they’ve added a segment titled B-Fast with Boswell; or more specifically Breakfast with Boz; or even more specifically short conversations between Marshall Opel and Ian Boswell, one of 5 US riders in this year’s race. Been fun.
And finally, a monthly quote: “As long as you can start, you are all right. The juice will come.” -E Hemingway. I like juice.
Thanks for tuning in. Back soon.
-John