Strands of Genius: Marketers in Pajamas, COVID Resources, The World After

plus: our thoughts on isolation therapy

Mar 23, 2020

WORKING ON | stabilizing towards a routine

LOOKING AHEAD
March 23-April 17: Beersheba Springs, TN
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:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::

Entering week two in some form of quarantining and we have retreated to the mountain house for extra isolation. When we left last, we thought the next time we’d return would be for Rosie’s sister’s 30th in July. But here we are. These are strange days, friends, and we have no way of knowing how long they will continue. It’s hard to not think about everything at the same time and feel paralyzed. Everything seems beyond our control and no one in power seems to have any idea of what to do or clarity in communication. As uncertainty increases, the discount applied to investments or assets increases as well. As always, focus on your health and mental health first, with an eye to this evening, and the end of the week.

This week, we’re especially thankful for:

Family to support us, especially Judy, everyone still working on the front lines or health or supermarkets, Zoom dance parties with friends, chats with many, many friends we should speak to more often, virtual coffees and happy hours and hugs, bravery and talking it out, and of course, YOU!

:: THE LINKS ::

MARKETERS IN PAJAMAS

Tribe and Facebook have started a series to provide a lighthearted lunch-and-learn during lockdown. The first two episodes feature Keith Weed [former CMO of Unilever] and Adam Ferrier. Last night we spoke to them for episode three, talking about travel and work and life in the corona-age, how influencers can spread the ‘social distancing’ message, the app Rosie swears by for self care (and marriage preservation!) and Faris’ pajamas. (Tribe)

COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR MARKETERS

Strands reader and junior strategist Ci En Lee has worked with strategists all over the world to compile this folder of marketing POVs, business and consumer research reports across agency land ( including China) to help everyone to make better decisions - they have uploaded about 130 over POV reports as well as a spreadsheet directory of 111 links including a tab on "Brands Doing Good". (Google Drive)

WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE AFTER COVID

Yuval Harari has penned an op-ed considering how the choices we, and governments make, during crises have a tendency to stick around. Israel has operated under a state of emergency since 1948, the USA [at least internationally] since 2011. Global problems require global solutions, but what seemed like reasonable overreaches during a pandemic may lead to ubiquitous biometric surveillance. There’s been a lot of COVID coverage, and this was one of the more interesting perspectives we’ve appreciated. (Financial Times)

:: WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT: ISOLATION THERAPY ::

Have you ever been in a sensory deprivation tank? You float in very salty body temperature water in complete darkness and it can lead to weird distortions in perception. (Also: you really shouldn’t rub your eyes during it it.) Perhaps weirdly analogous, but regardless, we are all going to have to face distortions in our perceptions, of the situation, our own physical or mental health, in what we know, and what we think we know.

In prisons and jails, solitary confinement is both a punishment and a practical measure, removing the problematic element from the regular population. And so now we are all in solitary, or trapped in close proximity, both of which will mess with you. Compassion and patience are the social buffers that allow us to function or freak out around each other and help each other but they aren’t infinite. When we are scared or feel bad, our patience is worn thin by worrying about *gestures widely*, so it’s crucial to do some of the things that restore you. For lots of people who need social contact, zoom your brains out, facetime for two minutes, drop a text to 2 old friends today. Find time out, do whatever it takes to stop applying the full weight of the current situation to your head all the time. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of others, so we can take care of everybody.

:: AND NOW… SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE PAPER ::

A new section in Te Tennessean, taking over what was previously the Sports section.

If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Getting to meet like-minded folks is one of the best parts of living nomadically, so please let us know if you see if we'll be in a city near you :)

rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co

@faris is always tweeting
@rosieyakob hangs out on instagram
@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed

Know someone who could use some inspiration in their inbox? Send ‘em our way!

It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

SPEAKING
We're currently booking speaking gigs for the year.
Check out full descriptions and key learnings from our talks on here:
http://bit.ly/TalkDescriptions2020

Strands of Genius