#79: Truth, lies, and marketing, empathy's limitations, and being a dream 'diversity hire'
Happy Saturday from the woods, friends.
I'm ensconced in a cabin for the weekend while my wife rows in a beautiful lake in Vermont. My goal this weekend? Write.
In fact, the first link today is the result of a morning of reflection and trying to ignore how far I am from the nearest Starbucks. Give it a read.
In this week's edition of the World's Best Newsletter:
1. Truth, Lies and Marketing: 5 Facts in a Time of Chaos
2. The death of truth: how we gave up on facts and ended up with Trump
3. My interview with Brightcove's Britta Schellenberg
4. Marching band as marketing best practice? YES.
5. "I’m every employer’s dream ‘diversity hire,’ and it’s the worst"
6. Empathy is not enough by itself
7. Quote of the week:
1. Truth, Lies and Marketing: 5 Facts in a Time of Chaos
What is the role of truth today in our life, and in marketing?
What's the current state of truth in the US - and around the world?
Why does truth matter? Read my new take.
And if you think this is a message worth spreading, please share.
2. The death of truth: how we gave up on facts and ended up with Trump
Today's Guardian article is a must-read. (I've also linked to it in the article above.)
“The term “truth decay” has joined the post-truth lexicon that includes such now familiar phrases as “fake news” and “alternative facts”. And it’s not just fake news either: it’s also fake science (manufactured by climate change deniers and anti-vaxxers, who oppose vaccination), fake history (promoted by Holocaust revisionists and white supremacists), fake Americans on Facebook (created by Russian trolls), and fake followers and “likes” on social media (generated by bots).”
“Around the world, waves of populism and fundamentalism are elevating appeals to fear and anger over reasoned debate, eroding democratic institutions, and replacing expertise with the wisdom of the crowd. False claims about the UK’s financial relationship with the EU helped swing the vote in favour of Brexit, and Russia ramped up its sowing of dezinformatsiya in the runup to elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries in concerted propaganda efforts to discredit and destabilise democracies.”
This is one of those “if you’re not worried/outraged, you’re not paying attention” moments.
3. My interview with Brightcove's Britta Schellenberg
Today's diatribe on truth was inspired by the first, and simplest, question Britta asked me in our interview a few weeks ago at PLAY 2018.
"You refer to yourself as an 'unapologetic marketing truth teller.' What truths are you questioning?”
Now, both videos are live and worth watching. And yes, we drink scotch.
4. Marching band as marketing best practice? YES.
Of course it is.
Thanks Kristen from G2Crowd for featuring my ridiculous marching band stunt in your roundup of corporate event planning ideas.
"Look for ways to break the status quo, and offer something that will get attendees talking."
Read on to find out my advice for anyone considering this kind of stunt.
5. "I’m every employer’s dream 'diversity hire,' and it’s the worst"
via FastCompany. Another team member from G2Crowd, Jori, penned a brave and piercingly honest look at the current state of token diversity quotas in tech.
She is a black, korean, female, lesbian.
"I’m what you’d call a quadruple threat when it comes to employers ticking off boxes for a diverse tech hire–a dream candidate for the modern recruiter charged with hiring members of underrepresented groups in a stubbornly white, male-dominated industry."
LOL
Funny - but SO REAL. It's worth reading Jori's smart POV. She gives good advice for companies who need to achieve a diverse and inclusive workforce, namely:
"Diversity starts with values, not numbers."
6. Empathy is not enough by itself
via Quartz. This past week I gave a persona lecture and workshop at Boston University's summer entrepreneurship accelerator. It's something I've done ever since my Cintell days, and is always an invigorating experience - I get to hear from entrepreneurs and teach them how to conduct customer intelligence research (one of the most critical elements of their success and often a really eye-opening process for many of them.)
This article reminds us that empathy alone is not enough in our quest to understand others. As we talk to our customers, we MUST be open to hearing something new.
7. Quote of the week:
"We’re given Walmart T-shirts, even when we want Balenciaga sweaters and Gucci coats."
Gianluca Russo in his NYLON piece, where he writes about the utter lack of body diversity in the men’s fashion industry inspired by his experience at New York Fashion Week.
Word.
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Have an awesome weekend.
Best,
Katie
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Upcoming events:
Who's going down at the #B2B Marketing and Sales Feud at #FlipMyFunnel 2018? (Can't we all just get along?) Come cheer me on! Details and promo code in this blog.
I'm excited to be your emcee for the 2018 Women in Digital National Conference. I'll also be sharing a talk on (R)evolution: Suffragettes to Social Media. Join us in Columbus, OH this fall.
Can I have your attention please? Hear me share my strategies for breaking through the noise at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum in San Francisco this November.