Right so. Back at it. Hope all is well. Letās do this.
"Pessimists sound smart. Optimists make money.ā
Nate Friedman, CEO GitHub
culture // the fame game
Fame š¤ is an interesting thing isnāt it? I mean, as Faris Yakob writes, fame is an important metric in the success of any brand and a legitimate goal. Paul Feldwick, in his great new (ish) book āWhy The Pedlar Singsā, outlines the key elements of brand fame as: Intrinsic Appeal, Distinctiveness, Mass Exposure and Social Diffusion. But achieving these, is changing a bit now isnāt it?Ā This piece on Lil Naz X is great. How the Gen Z icon went from penniless, to global fame busting superstar in 5 months.Ā The techniques he used arenāt traditional but itās the same elements Feldwick outlines. Heās talented, so heās appealing but he also designs his songs to appeal to new needs (short, chorus up front etc). His 1st hit Old Town Road is completely distinctive (but also different). HeĀ methodically and algorithmically, hacked fame using the internetĀ to create social diffusion. He partnered with the right people (Billy Ray Cyrus) and intentionallyĀ courts controversy to gain exposure. Same same, but different.
brands // storyworlds
Lego are incredible arenāt they? From plastic bricks, to storyworlds š, their capacity for reinvention, is š².Ā The Lego World BuilderĀ project is a great example of this. Theyāre leaning into theĀ creator economy and online communities to build out their storyworlds.Ā Enabling fans to create their own world, characters and stories.Ā Reshaping, reforming and reimagining the Lego Universe.Ā Amazing.Ā Stories š are a big part of their š. Their physical retail expansion plansĀ include storytelling tables for Adult Fans of Lego (AFOLs) where they can have virtual meetings with set creators and pore over early product designs and prototypes. And also personalisation studios and Brick labs.Ā Add to that, the new app BRICKIT (which uses machine learning to scan a pile of lego and suggests shapes to make)Ā and this Lego meets monument valleyĀ game and you can safely say theyāre on fire š„š„š„.
creativity // weirdos š¤Ŗ
Creativity rocks š¤. You know, joining dots, using imagination and importantly taking risks. Creativity and the capacity to take risks, leads to innovation. And, creative employees are more likely to take the kind of āgoodā risks that lead to innovation. Theyāre more willing to take the social risk of speaking up to help to steer a team out of harmās way.Ā BecauseĀ creative people, are less like to conform to norms. Creativity, isĀ a little bit weird. GoodĀ weird. And rememberĀ in a world run by algorithms, weirdness is our best weapon.Ā Weirdness is power, that cuts through š© and celebrates the full spectrum of possibility. Weirdness opens the grey areas, where mutations develop and innovations are born.Ā So stay weird š¤Ŗ or at least make sure you have weird in your life and your brand.Ā
technology // transformation
Nike really havenāt pissed about with their digital transformation program. In 2018 they set a goal of 30% digital penetration by 2023. They delivered that in June 2020 and now have 50% in their sights. Their digital ecosystem has paved the way for their D2C digital transformation. It's been purposeful, clear, commercial and customer focussed.Ā Their suite of workout and retail apps tied together by rewards and membership, sets Nike up to smash their 2023 target.Ā TheirĀ CEO, John Donahoe said āWe know a consumer who connects with us on two or more platforms has a lifetime value thatās four times higher than those who donāt.āĀ Their shoewear app SNKRS has been downloaded nearly 500 million times across the globe and they added 70 million digital members during the pandemic. Some talk about transformation, others, transform š¦.
five (ish) random things //
Naff noughties pop is cool againĀ and Goblincore š§āāļø is a thing š¤.
Copying is how design works. Genius steals etc Ā©.
This film from Discord and this one from CALM were š.
Autonomous teams < 150 are the trick, like Mongolian horse swarms š.
Inside TikTokās secret algorithm and TikTok is art, are both š².
listening š§ // rick rubin
Enjoying all of the Malcom Gladwell podcasts š» at the moment including Revisionist History and Broken Records. This episode, with Rick Rubin in particular was š. Heās soooo interesting. Imagine, to broaden the appeal of Hip Hop, he figured he needed to connect with an established white mainstream audience. So, he mashed Run DMC and Aerosmith together and made Walk This Way. Such an immense creative talent š¤.