#56: A call to all businesses, Russian Twitter propaganda, hard lesson re buzzwords, and a confession.
Happy Saturday, friends.
I want to start with a confession: I f*cked up. I was rightfully called out privately by a Boston Content member after sending a promotion about our upcoming Feb event. Our panel lacks diversity, there's no excuses or sugar coating of that fact. As someone who advocates for gender equality on-stage, I'm embarrassed by this mistake. We have an important responsibility to elevate all voices when we choose speakers, and we need to do the work to find and highlight talented POC. On behalf of the team, I'm sorry, and grateful for the wake up call!
Some have questioned why I made this statement publicly - I believe it's important to set an example to all event organizers about accountability and action. No excuses! Representation matters! In response, I was sent this excellent list of more than 70 women of color who should be speaking at marketing conferences.
Weigh in on Twitter if you'd like to comment. I welcome the conversation, it needs to be held, and we will do better.
In this week's edition #56 of the World's Best Newsletter:
1. BlackRock’s Message: Contribute to Society, or Risk Losing Our Support (NYTimes)
2. Artist Reversed Gender Roles in Sexist Vintage Ads (Buzzfeed)
3. Two articles about women in leadership you should read (CNBC)
4. Specific examples of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election (Twitter)
5. HuffPo ends unpaid contributions (YAY)
6. How I Learned the Hard Way Not to Associate My Company With Buzzwords (Hubspot)
7. The 10 most fascinating people in B2B marketing in 2017 (Biznology)
8. Quote of the week: Play Bigger
1. BlackRock’s Message: Contribute to Society, or Risk Losing Our Support (NYTimes)
The world's largest public companies received a letter this week from Laurence D. Fink, founder of investment firm BlackRock, telling them to do more than make profits - "they need to contribute to society as well if they want to receive the support of BlackRock."
BlackRock manages more than $6T (with a T) in investments, the largest investor in the world. It's both a sign of what's happening in the business world (society turning to the private sector expecting companies to respond to broader social challenges) and a shot at Washington (governments failing to prepare for the future re: retirement, infrastructure, automation and work retraining.)
An important declaration, and one that means companies must move beyond lip service about contributing to society (marketing gimmicks abound). It also starts a debate about the role a company plays in the world - to enrich the profits of stakeholders? Or truly, to create positive change?
We'll see.
2. Artist Reversed Gender Roles in Sexist Vintage Ads (Buzzfeed)
A number of people sent this to me which means I have absolutely surrounded myself with the right kind of people. Eli Rezkallah's photo series "In a Parallel Universe" reimagines sexist ads from the mid-20th century with the absurdly rigid gender roles reversed.
I showed a couple of these ads in my recent talk on femvertising to provide historical context as to how far we (seem to) have come. I was so thrilled to see this creative and well-designed reaction to their absurdity. Brava!
3. Two articles about women in leadership you should read (CNBC)
Here's the first: Microsoft President Brad Smith says there would be less sexual harassment if more women were in leadership positions.
Then, Barack Obama says women have a better capacity to lead, and a study from Zenger Folkman confirms that women are now considered more effective than male leaders.
Re confidence: "Are women naturally less confident? Probably not. But if in a situation where people are doubting you or questioning your abilities, that would even make me less confident," Folkman says. "I think it's more about the company culture that creates that lack of confidence."
4. Specific examples of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election (Twitter)
Twitter decided to share some very specific examples that fooled many in the 2016 election. They're incredible to see, ESPECIALLY those stoking racial tension (... Russia knows, a country divided...) Over 600k people interacted with fake Russian accounts.
5. HuffPo ends unpaid contributions (YAY)
Let's be honest, The Huffington Post became a sort of free-for-all dumping ground for anyone to contribute. Some said it democratized the news. What really happened is that, as fellow comms consultant Rob Biesenbach said, "Everyone and their dog calling themselves HuffPo contributors seriously degraded the brand."
And apparently it only drove 10-15% of the site's traffic.
In this NYTimes article, Lydia Polgreen, HuffPost’s editor in chief, said unfiltered platforms had devolved into “cacophonous, messy, hard-to-hear places where voices get drowned out and where the loudest shouting voice prevails.”
Yes, girl. Yes.
6. How I Learned the Hard Way Not to Associate My Company With Buzzwords (Hubspot)
H/T to Ardath Albee for sharing this one.
"I thought associating our brand with "growth hacking" would make us seem like a valuable, forward-thinking group." says Jon Brody, CEO of Ladder Digital.
"I needed something relatable, accurate, and marketable that our audience could use to identify the type of service we provided"
OK we've all been there.
"As the term "growth hacking" eventually evolved into a tired buzzword, we had no other choice but to distance ourselves from a phrase that now carried negative connotations."
But the term took off, and Ladder Digital was unable to control the meaning.
"Almost overnight, growth hacking became a cover for shoddy marketing practices instead of the catchall phrase for data-driven strategies that it once was."
"Editors and publications rejected our articles, telling us the term was an outdated buzzword. Our PR mentions dried up, and as they did, our revenue took a hit."
The lesson? Be careful which buzzwords you associate with your brand. Category creation is difficult, it takes time, but it often is a conservative communications approach to ensure you're known for the right thing - a niche sense of value that you do better than anyone. Most importantly, as Jon describes, think like your prospect FIRST. What words/terms do they need to understand WTF you do.
"What sounds savvy and sophisticated to marketers often makes customers question whether the company offers the specific solution they need."
7. The 10 most fascinating people in B2B marketing in 2017 (Biznology)
Thanks to Ruth Stevens for naming me to this list. If you know Ruth, you know it is an EXTRAORDINARY moment to be held in such high regard by such a remarkable woman. I am beyond honored, and will try to live up to this expectation! Check out the full list for a great roundup of some voices you may not know about.
8. Quote of the week: Play Bigger
Relevant to category creation, I loved this excerpt from Play Bigger shared by Koka Sexton (who btw is looking for a new gig! #HireKoka!) I shared it today on Twitter.
We hear a lot about "disruption." It's a holy word in the tech industry, like maybe you should genuflect when someone says it. But disruption is a by-product, not a goal. Legendary companies create new categories that generate a gravitational pull on the market. Customers rush to a new category because it makes sense to them. In some cases, people leave an old category behind, and their departure sucks the life out of it. In that way, sure, new categories disrupt old categories. But for the smartest pirates, dreamers, and innovators on the planet, disruption is never the goal. Creation is the goal.
Have a stellar weekend,
Katie
PS: Want to share this newsletter w/ your network? You disruptor, you. Click here to Tweet, and here to post to LinkedIn. Thanks :)
PPS: Join Boston Content for an amazing event next month. Boston Write Now - What It's REALLY Like to Work in Copy and Content. It's moderated by Ann Handley (who is also doing a book signing) and featuring excellent panelists from Wayfair, Hubspot, Brightcove, and Crimson Hexagon. Don't miss it! Feb 22nd at 6:00pm. Register here.