February 2019 : A newsletter
/Status: 🌤❄️⛷and 🖥.
According to two-time Pulitzer-Prize winning author David McCullough, “Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard.” It’s also why, in the marketing and communications game, good writing travels. And good writing :news flash: travels light. Meaning keeping it on point (i.e. thoughtful) pays. Perennial reco: The Elements of Style by Strunk & White.
To me, thoughtful work requires a deep interest in Why? Few answer it well. This is notably true in the field of digital marketing (one of my day job hats), where there’s a metric for every action and inaction, and a rationale for both - some of which change quarterly. Takeaway: The more anyone can help their team (and their target audiences) unpack Why? succinctly and with objective proof, the more effective they can be. This requires a constant stream of inputs, including a classic rediscovered, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Caveat lector: It’s dense.
This is a ten-second time-out to allow those who may be thinking tl;dr to catch up with those hanging on every word (appreciate it, AT). Here’s a podcast reco for the dedicated who’ve read this far: The Hidden Side of Sports. It’s produced by the authors of Freakonomics and available wherever you download your digital audio.
I also have two Instagram feeds for you: Chris Burkard and Alex Strohl, both of whom consistently inspire with their adventure photography, stories, and approach. For brand work, Yeti is superb.
While in the *great outdoors* category, I’ve descended over 170,000 vertical feet on waxed boards so far this winter season. Though I’ve _postponed_ the pursuit of skiing at least as many days as my age in a single year, there has been terrific joy in the past three months. And now, back to that day job (later, a stretch).
An article I wrote got published in cmo.com. Thanks, cmo.com (and Adobe). Cool.
A few weeks ago a colleague asked why I invest so much energy in content. A: Because it works, and when it does it generates exceptionally high ROI. Just as time and KPIs have largely validated Seth Godin’s (2008!) observation: “Content marketing is the only marketing left,” so too has personal experience. While the only marketing might be a tad extreme, content is super-important and the good stuff - the material that unequivocally influences revenue - is always in short supply because it’s not easy to make.
Rowing is my new thing. At home. Because it’s still winter and I can typically carve out like 15 free minutes in any single block; or enough time for 3K at approximately 32 strokes/minute and a pace of roughly 2:15/500 m. It’s peaceful and low-impact and I dig it for both. Also for a mind + body connection, I can multitask 🚣♂️ 🎧 by listening to podcasts at the same time.
Just yesterday I finished a truly outstanding ‘cast: Jim Collins: A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath. Tim Ferriss hosts and does a nice job bouncing from topic to topic. It’s so good I recommend dropping everything except your phone and starting now.
If you haven’t started yet, here’s something to chew on: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” -Mark Twain. (H/T: the above-recommended Ferriss/Collins ‘cast)
Always forward.
-John