Upstream #166
dead words, ineffable, miners, ketchup, kenneth.
All aboard, the Summerâs here. Sea swimming, lake rambling. Glorious. Hope youâre catching some rays đ . Right, letâs do it. Enjoy the long weekend.
âOn major life decisions, the purpose of seeking advice is not to get answers. Itâs to gain perspective. No one knows what's best for you. They can only share what makes sense to them. The most important question to ask is not what you should do. It's what you might be missing.â
Adam Grant
culture // dead words
Everything together, all at once. Thatâs the problem with global culture, isnât it? We're so dizzy chasing it, trends have lost all meaning. They come and go, at light speed. Most of the signals considered âtrendsâ today are really nothing more than frivolous entertainment. And âthe vast majority of people have not even heard of what marketers are obsessing over. By chasing trendy, we forget what matters. Older cities, for example, are more interesting because they were designed with vernacular architecture, where local needs, materials and culture drove style and form. Globalization means standardization, which astro turfs cities, and cultures. Even language and words become meaningless. As the late Martin Amis said, clichĂ©s are dead words. Herd writing, herd thinking and herd feeling. Letâs not forget the magic of unique.
brands // ineffable
We use words to make meaning. To capture, and contain, our thoughts. As Joe Moran says in First You Write a Sentence, "a sentence is a small sealed vessel, for holding meaning. Writing is both the opportunity and the limit of thoughtâ. Words dominate brand development. But, as Aldous Huxley said, "We float in language like icebergs â four-fifths under the surface and only one-fifth of us projecting into the open air of immediate, non-linguistic experienceâ. Words are just the means, not the end. How we feel is everything. Nick Cave gave us a wonderful reminder of the importance of feelings in a letter on the death of Andy Rourke and the magic of music. As Damasio said âweâre not thinking machines that feel, but feeling machines that thinkâ.Â
technology // miners
Scott Galloway gave a great macroscopic view of the writers strike in the US. He compares the strike to the UK miners in the 80s and just like the miners, the writers he says âhave incorrectly assessed the situation and will exit severely impactedâ. TV is in structural decline, and itâs not the networks they should be upset with, but Bytedance, AI and the weapons of mass distraction (another good Galloway read). He goes on to say that "As with near-every technological innovation, AI will inspire job losses in the short run and then, over the long term, net job creation. Automation destroyed jobs on the factory floor, but at first we didnât see the jobs that heated seats and car stereos would create". Which is fair. Feels like weâre dealing with a lot of change and rippling 2nd and 3rd order effects. Like WFH has meant no office water cooler moments, which has spawned show companion podcasts. Remember, great change creates great opportunities.
creativity // ketchup
With the cost of living still high, value hunting shoppers are shifting to own brand. Itâs 1/2 of all shops now. To survive, brands have to create some value. Heinz is using creativity to do just that. Their new global creative platform âit has to be Heinzâ, celebrates the love between the brand and itâs fans. Itâs part of a business wide creative transformation program. According to Megan Lang, head of brand comms, âKraft Heinzâs ambition is to lead the future of foodâ and their marketing and creative evolution is âa critical driver of the companyâs ongoing transformationâ. The work is great. Which is why Heinz ketchup has 80% of the market in the US and 60% in Europe.
five random (ish) things:
The Creator looks rather good đ„.
Make these tomorrow đšđ»âđł.
Meanwhile, back at the office đą.
Squirrel fakes his death đż.
A marketers career path đšâđ».
watching // kenneth
Swedish electro-pop band Little Dragon announced a new album, Slugs of Love, and shared a new song from it, âKenneth,â with a very very nice video. The song is a soulful, lo-fi tribute to a childhood friend. Album is due out July 7. Enjoy.