#30: Special milestone edition of the World's Best Newsletter!
Friends, we have reached TWO important milestones in our relationship as newsletter-writer and occasional-newsletter-reader... THIRTY issues & FOUR HUNDRED subscribers!
Who are you people?
Shoutout to Kerri from GE Digital as lucky #400!
Quick note about this lil old newsletter, skip ahead for the links
I started this newsletter when I left my startup to remind people that yes, I was still alive and no, I was not unemployed. (I think my in-laws still think I don't have a real job, but, you know, #consultantlife #YOLO.) I call it the World's Best Newsletter as a joke as I, honestly, thought nobody would read it.
You can read all past versions here.
Instead we've shared 28,222 words, grown to four-hundred strong, and I've heard amazing support from those of you who read it diligently. Thank you.
This issue comes at a time when I am personally forging three very distinct identities that normally operate in separation. I spoke last month at Out in Tech, an organization that builds community for LGBT professionals. From time to time I leverage this platform to speak out against the BS I see happening in politics, because silence leads to terrible consequences. And on this platform, as you know, I speak my mind on marketing.
Politics, relationships, and business. Three things that are like oil, water, and a third unmeshable thing.
But when combined, appropriately, they form a more complete, more authentic, more whole representation of the girl behind the newsletter. A truthful personal brand.
A friend recently asked me if I were concerned about sharing political links in the fear of alienating readers. Just one week prior, during that Out in Tech event, I was asked by a member of the trans community what I do to give voice to the one in five trans people discriminated against in the workplace.
One group asking why I spoke up, another challenging me to speak louder.
Here's the deal. My clients who hire me know I'm good at what I do - we don't need to share the same political views to create great marketing. It has not yet been a problem in my professional life.
But as marketers, as communicators, we have the ability to make people pay attention. To challenge the status quo. We're paid to garner attention to our products/services.
What are we doing with our skills to draw attention to what really matters?
I believe there is room for both as our professional lives and personal lives meld, and that this is a necessary balance if one seeks fulfillment in life. (Unless it involves hate - I'm not advocating for carte blanche trolling.)
Long story short: I thank you for continuing to support this newsletter as I write fully, authentically, and with due attention paid to what I feel are the right things, whether they fall into politics, relationships, or business. And for those of you who play it safe in fear, I encourage you to start speaking up, as appropriate.
Mary Oliver said it best:
In edition #30 of the World's Best Newsletter:
1. I went to Oracle MME and all I got was this lousy recap
2. Finding an enemy could be the best thing you do
3. Yahoo's Demise is a Death Knell for Digital News Orgs
4. The new media message - Why innovation stories deserve innovative formats
5. Wonder Woman marketing takes a depressing turn with diet-bar partnership
Read on...
1. I went to Oracle MME and all I got was this lousy recap
My recap post of Oracle MME / Modern CX features Fabio, a drone, takeaways, and that epic Jean-Claude Van Damme truck split. Read it on LinkedIn.
2. Finding an enemy could be the best thing you do
I was invited to speak at aforementioned Oracle event this year on the topic of Finding an Enemy.
In a separate email, you'll be receiving early-access to the accompanying eBook I wrote on this topic, and learn how the right foe can motivate your buyers (and team) to action.
PS: I'll be speaking at Inbound this year on a similar theme, alongside Michelle Obama :-O
3. Yahoo's Demise is a Death Knell for Digital News Orgs
"Print newspapers will continue to fold, but Yahoo’s demise is a signal that web-native companies are next. If you run a business that relies on digital-advertising revenue for an outsized portion of your funding, you need to find new streams of revenue. Now. It may already be too late."
4. The new media message - Why innovation stories deserve innovative formats
This post from Velocity Partners says it all by the very nature of the experience you have when reading it. Click through if you're interested in new ways to tell our stories.
5. Wonder Woman marketing takes a depressing turn with diet-bar partnership
Facepalm.
As always, comments are welcome on the web version.
Best,
Katie
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