Hi, Pixie friends!
I wrote this letter on Thursday, when it was 33 degrees at 9 am, and I was wishing I could stay in my air-conditioned office all day! Ha!
This week I bring you a tip that I learned earlier in the year as a result of my Wednesday creative leave days. If you haven’t heard about these days, they’re a day in which I don’t do Pixie work, but instead spend the time in personal writing projects. The projects are designed to stretch me creatively and professionally, and the insights have been quite amazing. I’m going to be talking about it in my next Patreon podcast, so if you want to hear about it, you have to become a Patron.
This week’s reading is nothing short of fascinating. I’ve dug up an antitrust case against Apple, which may change how ecommerce stores are handled. There’s a lovely little piece about why looking out the window is better than scrolling on your phone; a link to one of my favourite usability tools; the best marketing campaigns for 2018; and - just because it makes for juicy reading - a very sharp piece about Informer 3838.
If you’re not in Australia, and you haven’t heard about Informer 3838, are you in for a treat! Reply to me and I’ll send you a bunch of links. The TL;DR is that a barrister acting on behalf of underworld ganglanders in Melbourne was simultaneously working as a Police Informant against those same people. What a story.
Enjoy the reading this week!
Lots of love
~ Leticia Mooney,
Queen Pixie at Brutal Pixie
Tip of the week
Forget your elevator pitch, write a logline.
A logline is used in screenwriting and is developed before anything is done on a script. The logline is pitched to as many people as possible to get feedback, and only when responses become a universal hell yes I’d go see that film does the planning stage begin. This is so far ahead of writing a film, you can’t even begin to imagine. (It took me more than 6 months to go from my first logline to pen on script this year!) Imagine what shifts it could make in your business if you were patient and did the same thing.
The Sunday Five
Here are the best articles we’ve found from the past week. If you find any gems during your week and would like to see them included, email them to hello@brutalpixie.com.
[ Performance ] Hack your commute: Look out the window
Were you aware that you can improve your memory and recall by going for a walk through the trees? That you’ll remember more if you aren’t looking at a city street? Well, it’s true. A new study suggests that aimlessly looking out the window is really good for us! Read this here.
Key takeaway: Work isn’t about doing-doing-doing-doing. Go for a walk and daydream. You’ll solve more things more quickly. (Yep, even content things.)
[ Tools ] Usability Hub
I am a MASSIVE fan of Usability Hub, and we at Brutal Pixie use it all the time for usability and understandability studies. They’ve just updated a whole lot of their features - and their blog is really worth an hour of your time if you’re in charge of content-related projects. Check it out here.
Key takeaway: Some of the very best tools you’ve never heard of are Australian. ;)
[ Marketing ] Best campaigns of 2018
Don’t you LOVE everyone else’s roundups? I used to hate doing them myself, which is why I adore the effort that other people go to when they create them. Marketing campaigns is no exception. We might not be a marketing agency, but as a content pros, this kind of intel is priceless. And fun! Marketing Week brings us Part 1 of the Best Campaigns of 2018. Get it here.
Key takeaway: Being confronting - done well - is really bloody good for your brand.
[ Law ] When Justice is hacked, we all lose
If you consume any news media, you would know about Informer 3838. (And if you don’t know this story, man are you in for a treat! Reply and I’ll supply you with some links.) In this article, Ruth Barson, who is the Director of Legal Advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre argues that when legal and judicial processes become tainted by misconduct, so does our entire legal and political foundation. She argues that the problem isn’t just that Vic Police engaged in misconduct; she argues that self-assessments of misconduct are problematic in a whole range of ways. It’s burning and sharp, and you should read this here.
Key takeaway: Think about how you deal with misconduct in your business, especially if you’re in law or finance. I wonder if it’s worthwhile setting up an independent review process, even in your small business? Food for thought.
[ Business ] Apple Lawsuit could impact how courts view antitrust cases
This is about a US case titled Apple vs Pepper. The writer tells us that the outcomes may change how big tech defends itself in antitrust cases. At the heart of the case is whether or not Apple has engaged in anti-competitive actions in order to restrict consumers to buying apps exclusively from the Apple Store, and that they’ve been paying premiums as a result. While there’s the potential for a precedent to be played by the tech giant, it’s unlikely that it’ll fly. For Illinois Brick Co vs Illinois to apply, Apple will need to argue that they’re not the direct seller of apps. If Apple is not successful, this case may be groundbreaking, because it may change how people manage not only their ecommerce stores in the US, but also their pricing. Read this fascinating piece here.
Key takeaway: Anti-competitive behaviour is never cool, mm’kay?