STRATSCRAPS_v102
do flat-earth believers think the moon is flat too?
Hi.
A few things.
ONE: THANK YOU
a really big shout out to everyone who reached out after last week’s note that I had been laid off. It means more than you know. Greater than the sum of its parts kind of thing.
TWO: I’M GOING FREELANCE
The universe seems to keep pushing me towards going freelance. I think I’m finally going to listen.
THREE: I'LL STOP THE “ME” TALK NOW.
I swear this isn’t going to turn into a newsletter about me or about my employment status. However – probably I will have an occasional note about my availability at the bottom. Either before or after the monsters. Haven’t decided.
Ok back to the show.
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In direct contradiction to what I just wrote above… I made a StratScraps logo!
I include this for a reason though. This logo was made with adobe illustrator – which I do not really know how to use. The design is a result of experimentation rather than intention.
Along the same lines; on this week’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver ended the show by showcasing a plumbing company that made its own ads. All of which were incredibly low quality movie spoofs. Here is an example from a commercial titles “Toilet Dune”
The point is – we spend so much time trying to land the perfect concept, tone, message. Maybe there needs to be more room for novel experimentation. I really like the strat scraps logo I made. And I never would have made it if I knew what I was doing. Toilet Dune is fucking hilarious. And says very little about their ability, but I would totally hire them. People (and companies?) who don’t take themselves too seriously seem far less likely to rip you off.
SNL’s most popular format, the digital short, came into existence because Andy Samberg had a video camera and liked goofing around.
And you know what– this leads to a lot of bad content. But this isn’t Sundance. frequency is a huge part of effectiveness. Yet we spend 6-12 months with clients trying to land the perfect thought.
During that time, Radiant Plumbing released 18 commercials. And are being rewarded with free coverage on a show with an overage of 500,000 live viewers and 9 million subscribers. The second most popular show on HBO.
I guess what I’m saying is… Can we stop trying to make thing perfect and more that’s just fun?
Can we stop taking it all so seriously?
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“News is something somebody doesn't want printed; all else is advertising.” ― William Randolph
This also implies that advertising should be something people want printed.
Make advertising that I want to frame on my wall
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Some links about layoffs…
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You’re good at your job, but are you fun enough? - WSL
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To be reminded just how unlikely we are to make a catastrophic error is to be liberated
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Strategists, far too frequently:
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WEEKLY MONSTER
I’ve been building a deck in my backyard, so that has taken up my monster time. So here’s a lamp that I made a while back.
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STRATEGY PERSON FOR HIRE
Need help finding the right problem to solve?
In search of clarity or focus?
Unsure how to proceed?
ACT NOW! CONTACT ALEX. HE CAN HELP.