The Sunday Letter, 20 Jan 2019
Hi Pixie friends!
It’s late Saturday afternoon as I write this, which is not my usual practice. I’d planned to create this as The Razor Blade issue, but today decided that it wasn’t on point for the Pixie. Someone else will run an analysis of that campaign.
Instead, I’ve dug up some articles from the past week that you will have easily overlooked in the furor about companies’ advertising tactics.
~ Leticia, HRH the Queen Pixie.
PS. Our case studies are running out the door. If you want the lovely extra consulting time shipping with them at the moment, you don’t have much longer to book yours in. They disappear on Valentine’s Day. More info & bookings at https://brutalpixie.com/case-studies.
Tip of the Week
Brand representation is not an idle matter, and brand damage is never immediately apparent. Content makes or breaks it, but the cracks may appear a long way down the track. Be careful about how you approach what you do.
The Sunday Five
Below are 5 articles we think you’ll love this week. Every one was published in the last 7 days. If you find any gems during your week and want us to share them, email them to hello@brutalpixie.com.
[DIGITAL] McKinsey gives us some lessons about new operating models
This is really pitched at large enterprises facing digital strategy. It walks you through the things to look out for when you realise it takes an entirely new way of working. This kind of transformation isn’t end-point-only: It’s fundamental. It affects everything from recruitment to office locations; practices and policies; and how you deal with debt. Important reading if you’re not yet realising the benefits of your own company’s change. Read it here.
[SOCIAL] Forrester’s indications are that Facebook’s heyday might be over
If you haven’t seen Forrester’s Consumer Energy Index, it’s a measure of attitudes, behaviours and actions, and it tracks their impact on the global market. In this sharp and short analysis, Data Analyst Anjali Lai explains Facebook’s negative actions - surfaced in 2018 - have had an impact on its users. In short, they’re disengaging; and Forrester believes that the strength of the change is such that even the network effect can’t save it. Read it here.
[CONTENT] It’s about density, not length
It sounds like another phrase that is NSFW, doesn’t it? haha In any case, Ross Hudgens makes the very sharp observation that the best-performing content is dense, not long. By ‘dense’ he means, ‘packed with meaning, of value to your readers’. It’s at the heart of any publication’s success: From blogs to print magazines. He doesn’t have any data to prove that it’s more successful. But if you test it, you’d work out pretty quickly if it is beneficial for you or not. (Hot tip: It is.)
[DESIGN] Roll-up of the 2019 Pune Design Festival
This is a fabulous little resource full of nuggets for designers, and for those using design principles in their work. This piece is a full wrap-up, so you get the benefit of the festival… without having gone to India. :) It covers design language, metaphors, commentary, criticism, partnering with designers for innovation, inspiration, concept, and much more. Get it here.
[CONTENT] Is it time we paid more for less?
Danny Crichton at TechCrunch this week argues succinctly that it’s time we started valuing our creators much more than we do. Running through the reality of payments to authors, on a page basis, following the Amazon model, he asks how much your time is worth. And then he suggests that if you’re spending $18 for a 160-page book, you might not be as fulfilled as paying $16 for a 128-page book. Having spent $21 for The School of Life’s book Why we hate cheap things, which is a high-density, brilliant 80 pages, I find it hard to argue with his logic… even though my inner reader really wants to! Highly recommended. Read it here.
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