The 7 types of rest you might need are: physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, and spiritual.
PIRATE(D) READINGS
Dropping the cover art images… Sorry.
Haven’t read, but probably will:
Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction
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Propaganda and the Public Mind (own what we do)
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Currently reading:
A Short History of Nearly Everything
BUT WHAT IF WE’RE WRONG?
Gooood Morning Vietnam. I had an identity crushing thought the other day.
I was listening to the 3rd podcast I’ve ever listened to (yes seriously). It was about the philosopher Walter Benjamin.
He believed we needed to invent a new philosophy for literary criticism (as well as any philosophy that related to media and communication).
Basically, he argued that the tools we had built (literary theory, media theory) were no longer applicable to the technology of today. The age of the novel encouraged a society where concentration was a core skill. But in the age of mass media, the core skill is distraction. (lots to explain there, here’s the podcast if you’re interested.
I bring this up because a large part of my knowledge as a planner is based around the importance of the fundamentals. Sharp, King, Hegarty, Erenberg, Steel etc. My Planner identity is based in firm belief that Branding is important, reach matters, distinction over differentiation, and that wastage is the part of advertising that works.
But what if the tools of the past no longer work?
I generally hate stunts because they aid and abet short term thinking.
But also, Bogusky, who’s agency continues to provide me with inspiration, believed the following:
This is all a very long way to say– fuck man, are we in the publicity game now?
Is the brand era over and the product era taking its place? How much does branding matter when I buy all sorts of shit off Instagram from brands I’ve never heard of? Is the universe a simulation?
Our heroes used to be on TV. Now they’re in the tabloids. You used to be able to escape ads, now they are just as pervasive as digital itself. If we as a society worship the 24hr news cycle, I guess being in the news is pretty important?
I hate it.
For the record, I still think the fundamentals are correct, just need to be viewed in context. Follow the Journal of Scientific Advertising for irrefutable truths of the present. They reassured me nothing has changed. Except that there are more variables than ever and rules only work when current variables match the variables of the past.
STRAT SCRAPS
But first, an important read / hot take on burnout: The Exaggeration of “Burnout” in America
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ok, here are some scraps: