Hey friend – Rob here. System1 and The IPA are two of the most legit evidence-based bodies out there. And they recently co-released a research report on the importance of creative consistency. Or as they call it – compound creativity. (Goodness me, i love a financial analogy.) The full report is at the bottom of this email. But because i'm a nerd about this stuff, i clipped the 7 most useful charts for your ✨ pleasure ✨. Hope they're useful for when making the argument for... not changing...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Read online Hey friend – Rob here. Two lessons i learned this week: When you worry more about character counts than your own character, the real problems creep in Content by itself is a commodity, but community spaces are where the premiums lie Thank you to Rachel for helping calm down an over-existential elder millennial on a Monday evening. Back to basics. Here's a short but sharp email, hand rolled just for you. Plus a bunch of links that deserve to be set free. But first, let's talk about...
4 days ago • 3 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. I'm a sucker for blending modern social thinking with classic effectiveness thinking. The first go at this was on how Byron Sharp can help pump your social strategies. Today, chapter 2 of this definitely-not-a-book endeavour. That's right kids, we're going with Binet & Field. And how they can help you bust your social feeds more effectively. Or, at the very least, help justify why feeds need busting in the first place. Let's get into it. First up, the reason i write...
5 days ago • 8 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. Every now and then, i like to reflect on short and sharp quotes. They help the introspective side of me feel seen, which in turn makes me better around others. Here are five quick bites to get you in an introspective state as well. Mindfulness music optional! "Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes." P. J. O'Rourke Careful not to indulge in ego-driven productive procrastination, especially when the job is right in front of you. "It is...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. There are two fundamental stages of creativity: The surrendering part The structuring part Surrendering is what needs to happen at a conceptual level. Structuring is what needs to happen at a craft level. The same dynamic happens in other parts of the job too: Surrendering to algorithmic distribution vs structuring the results we see (or don't see) Surrendering to instinctive strategic territories vs structuring their implications Surrendering to what you feel vs...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. Old school ways of working: clients want the answer. Modern ways of working: clients want options. It's insane that so many places still refuse to accept this, or work with it. The body language of doing so suggests they think clients are idiots. When in fact, we see different market dynamics vs "the good old days": Business structures are more complex Timelines from brief to delivery are shorter We operate on less clear information More stakeholder input is needed...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. I like to describe myself as having been professionally born in the world of social and digital culture, but raised in the world of integrated marketing communications. Another way of putting it is by describing it as the anatomy of a strategy organism, whereby my backbone is integrated but my muscles are social by design. I get into weird analogies, so there’s two for you. Anyway, one of the blessings of having spent 6 years at VCCP was being exposed to the world of...
6 days ago • 7 min read
Hey friend – Rob here. Last week i held my first editorial board of directors sort of meeting, with Salmon Theory+ members. And i have to say i was a bit nervous but got a lot out of it – so thank you for those who managed to make it! It was useful to hear from folks that the real value of this newsletter isn't so much in fulfilling existing demand. (I.e., what do you need to read, and i write about that, etc) But, instead, more in creating demand for ideas and links you didn't even think you...
6 days ago • 9 min read
🦍 Brought to you by IdeaApe Make sense of what reddit is saying about anything, at lightning speed. No monkey business, just smart GPTs using brand strategy frameworks to help you make sense of the unvarnished opinions of real homo sapiens. Plus, if you sign up with the code 'SALMON', you get 10% off your subscription. *does ape-like gestures to demonstrate what a good deal this is* (Don't forget to add 'SALMON' at checkout!) Hey friend – Rob here. Welcome to Salmon Theory, a strategy...
8 days ago • 15 min read