Open if you want a newsletter that doesn't talk about last weekend's commercials
+ noticing the simple joys + putting love to the test on TikTok
Hi friend,
Last week, I asked you to send me a note of one good thing that happened to you throughout the week.
The best thing was how all the messages I received weren’t about monumental, life-changing things that had happened – it was all simple joys. Ordering dinner from a new place, getting a good night’s sleep, repotting plants!
I think when we try to reflect on good things that happened, it can feel a bit lackluster. Like every day you’re just going through the motions.
But sometimes stopping to think about every moment in itself can truly make you realize how wonderful those simple good moments are.
Getting coffee from a coffeeshop, watching a new movie (if you’re in the market for a cheesy yet lovely one, I’d recommend Marry Me), discovering really good new music.
It doesn’t all have to be monumental. In fact, being in a season of life without monumental changes sounds pretty great to me.
So, what’s a simple joy you can treat yourself to this week?
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Marketing Brew: Ad-free? Think again: The product placement business is only getting bigger
Sure, you can avoid commercials by subscribing to premium versions of streaming services. But can you really avoid brands all-together? This piece discusses how brands are finding their way into your favorite shows, whether you like it or not.
Vice: Why Everyone’s Instagram Looks Ugly Now
There was a time when posting on Instagram felt like creating a masterpiece – only the most beautiful of photos and content curated with a museum lens. And now there’s weird stuff. How do you feel about seeing unfiltered, random posts on the gram?
Adweek: Are Mega Influencers the New Mega Media Platforms?
Okay, I lied. We’re briefly talking about last weekend’s commercials. This piece examines how making a partnership with a celebrity or mega influencer might just bring as many eyes as an ad during The Big Game. File both under: very very very expensive brand activations.
Input Magazine: Warning: The hottie sliding into your DMs may be a ‘loyalty tester’
Influencers have a new way to make cash – exposing partners to potential cheating. Dubbed “loyalty test influencers,” this new group of TikTokers are getting paid to test true love by sliding into your partner’s DMs and letting chaos unfold.
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
This one’s a longer one today (a whole 5-minute video!) but bear with me. Have you ever approached your to-do list with mindfulness?
Ahead of setting your to-do list today, take a moment to watch this video from Headspace which not only helps you intentionally set your tasks for the day but also meditate on them.
Suddenly, my to-do list is looking a lot less terrifying.
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
The New Yorker: Notes On Work – This piece is a really accurate yet poignant depiction of modern working life. This line really struck me: “A lack of structured demands on your time would induce anxiety, because, if you aren’t actively contributing to something, then why do you even exist?”
Fast Company: Sinking 1,000 NYC subway cars in the Atlantic to create a reef didn’t go as planned – I just found this story really entertaining and interesting. Womp womp.
GoodGoodGood: The Best Mental Health Podcasts To Help You Learn And Grow – If you’d prefer to listen to mental health help, this list is full of some gems!
The Next Web: How Pixar’s Toy Story 2 was deleted twice, once by technology and again for its own good – Again, I just found this story really entertaining and interesting. I had heard a lot about this through tweets over the years but finding a more succinct, research-backed piece about it was even better.
I’ve been really enjoying the incredible Amanda Natividad’s YouTube series The Menu where she interviews experts on areas of marketing and productivity while sampling some solid food and drinks. My favorite episodes so far: Jenny Li Fowler on wise lessons and whiskey, Khe Hy on $10k work and margaritas, and Christina Garnett on marketing hot takes and hot sauce.
Lastly, Sprout Social recently asked yours truly about how to become a successful social media consultant! Link here if you’d like to give it a read, and let me know if you found the advice helpful or horribly unhelpful. No hard feelings 🤍
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
One of my favorite things is content at the intersection of two areas.
Personal finance and being a college student.
Fitness and parenting.
Beauty and mindfulness.
It’s exciting because you have a unique opportunity to approach something standard with a twist.
And of course, not everyone’s profession or area of employment will allow for such a twist. But consider whether or not you could examine your content from a different angle.
Where are all the possible places your audience could be coming from? What else is going on in their lives beyond the product you serve them?
Maybe there’s a twist just waiting for you to find it.
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel
Thanks so much for sharing Good Good Good's list of mental health podcasts, Nicole!