#23 – What actors know about strategy, myths can do for brands, challenger brands really do, and how to resolve creative conflict
Good day!
A busy week comes to an end and to break out of the mind’s tunnel vision, here are a few lighter reads and views on what writers (and strategists) can learn from acting, the role of myths for brands, the truth about challenger brands, how to handle ego and conflict, the demise of streaming, and something delicious to eat.
Enjoy the clicks:
The Power of Cultural Innovation: Why Brands Must Become Mythmakers. In Paid Attention Faris Yakob writes about his belief that brands are myths. This piece by Adrian is a short reminder of why that is – and what role “culture” plays in all of this. ”Culture refers to the beliefs, behaviors, language, and artifacts that shape how a group of people see the world. It provides shared meaning and expectations.”
10 types of challenger brand strategy. I tend to have a slightly allergic reaction to brands wanting to channel their challenger mentality. This piece lays out why: because being a challenger brand isn’t about challenging other brands – it’s about challenging a convention (in the category or in culture.)
Derek Thompson’s maxims for writing. Strategy is language in service of change. And a lot of it is done in writing. Derek Thompson is a great writer who’s written some great pieces about taste and culture in a very entertaining way. Yesterday I learnt that he used to be an actor. Thanks Victoria Seffens for the share.
Len vs Glenn. There used to be a great principle at 72andSunny when I was still there: the only space for any ego was in the work. (I’m paraphrasing.) This piece by Ian Leslie is a great illustration of how two of the biggest personalities in the history of music put their egos into the work. And how to resolve any resulting conflict with confidence and elegance.
Streaming Has Reached Its Sad, Predictable Fate. Everyone who sat on the sofa yesterday and was trying to figure out how to give their brain a well-deserved entertainment break can probably relate to this: streaming has changed. For the worse. The question of what to watch has been replace with the question of how to watch it. As in posed quite literally by Apple on my smart TV. What this has to do with grief, you can read in this piece.
100 Easy Dinner Recipes for Right Now. The thing that helps me most to turn of my brain after a day at work is cooking. As bedtime routines with our toddler drag out for longer and longer, I had to come to the realisation that I have less and less time to really cook. So this list was a welcome reminder that there’s plenty of stuff out there you can put together quickly to resist the temptation of yet another Deliveroo dinner.
If you enjoyed this issue of Strategy Bites (or just one of the easy dinner recipes), why not share this edition with some of your friends and colleagues?
See you all (and them) again next week.
Great edition 👍