STRATSCRAPS_v61
Be what's causing chaos in your field
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Email Subject line is a quote from John Waters.
Here is another quote that represents what a good agency should bring to a client:
“'Go out in the world and
fuck it up beautifully…
Horrify us with new ideas.
Outrage outdated critics. Use
technology for transgression,
not lazy social living.
Make me nervous.
JOHN WATERS
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The cinematic genius of Shrek is what happens when you let smart people goof around.
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In evolutionary biology, exaptation refers to a trait that was evolved for one purpose and then took on another. In the case of the turtle, what was initially a tool to help it dig eventually became a suit of armor—what has come to define everything we associate with these animals. Feathers are another prime example of this: they first appeared on dinosaurs with no ability to fly, likely for warmth and mating purposes. Growth does not always go where we expect it to.
When the creative team comes back with an idea that flies, don’t shut it down because the brief was to keep the bird warm.
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A few newsletters ago, I called out the growing disparity between critics and the audience.
Came across two things since then that I are relevant:
An article that validates the observation with data “Are Film Critics Losing Sync With Audiences?”
A quote from a since forgotten source:
One of many things that made the late Roger Ebert great was that he retained the ability to watch something as a conventional moviegoer and rate it accordingly, even if as a critic, he’d seen 100 similar films and had a different reaction from that perspective. He knew that most people who go to the movies are not looking for the next great work of cinema, but rather something with which to enjoyably pass an afternoon with their families. So he would do fancy film events where he’d discuss the technicalities of cinematography in the work of Martin Scorsese, and then turn around and give four stars to Iron Man.
Thing number one is just a fun follow up, but thing number two is actually a really good allegory for Strategy, Research, and Advertising at large.
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An Unsolicited Plug:
A couple weeks ago, I recommended Jess Henderson’s “Offline Matters” book. Well I totally forgot that I ordered these, which are really good and are getting added to my box of thoughts/prompts.
Highly recommend. You can get them here.
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Are Screens Robbing Us of Our Capacity for Deep Reading?
The proportion of Americans who read books for pleasure is now at its lowest level ever recorded.
I read a lot of books, but I’ve even noticed this in my own habits. I have a harder and harder time finishing a long article.
Practice sustained attention. Read deeply.
Just like fitness, it’s better to keep up the maintenance than to wake up one day and realize you’re one listicle away from the literacy equivalent of morbidly obese.
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Lastly:
For some reason a medium post I wrote in 2016 recently got an uptick in views.
“What makes a story, a story.”
It’s an ok piece of writing, but it reminded me of this quote that I like a lot:
“What makes a story is — you want to ‘find out what happens next’” -Ursula K Le Guin
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WEEKLY MONSTER
I made stickers!
