Strands of Genius: Swept Up or Left Behind, The Dominos Effect, Cake-Wiches
plus our thoughts on: good and bad
WRITING FROM | Nashville, TN
WORKING ON | Remote training on insights & briefs; Challenger brand keynote
LOOKING AHEAD
Oct 8-12: Beersheba Springs, TN
Oct 12-20: Nashville, TN
Oct 20 - 29: Beersheba Springs, TN
Oct 29 - Nov 16: Athens, GA
Nov 16 - 23: St. Petersburg, FL
Nov 24-Dec 3: Beersheba Springs, TN
Dec 3 - 10: TBD
Dec 10 - Jan 16: Nashville, TN
:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::
We took the long-ish weekend off, isolating with a couple of couples and a toddling toddler, couldn’t get enough of the dog Noodles, enjoying being around other maskers, screened-in porches, cooking, eating as social lubrication, and the futurethusiam that children embody.
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This week, we’re especially thankful for:
toddler time withLeona, Josh&Elea, Ben&Yvonne, Pants&Noodles, buffalo no-chicken chowder, Impossible Cheeseburger Salad, Judy&Marty, Focaccia on demand (thanks baker Ben!), 365 Ginger Sparkling Water (still), Normandy, TN, 50’s furnishing, Scooter&T, Lauren, Lentil soup and collard greens, cardinals, and Kindles.
THE SCHOOL OF STOLEN GENIUS PRESENTS
Experimental Learning Community #2 | Nov 3/4 - Dec 14/15
We’re over halfway through our first ELC, and it’s been more than we could have imagined. There’s something magical about the alchemical nature, bringing together global perspectives from all sorts of roles within the world of marketing and communications. Each week, we tackle a topic - like challenging conventions. There’s an exercise related to the topic, where we take advantage of those Zoom breakout rooms, and then debrief as a larger group. The exercises are designed for you to take back into your organization, because, you know, genius steals ;) “It's a fantastic crew and such an interesting program,” said one participant, who also declared that the first session alone was worth the investment.
We’re seeking applicants for our second ELC cohort. Applications will remain open until October 27th and participants will be contacted on October 30th. If you’re close to the Eastern time zone of the US, this is an afternoon option for you — with meetings at 4p ET each Tuesday afternoon. For those of you in the Antipodes, that’s Wednesdays for you — 9a for Sydneysiders & 11a for Kiwis.
TL;DR : Applications open for the second ELC cohort.
:: THE LINKS ::
CAKE-WICHES
We all suspected that Subway wasn’t as good for you as the #eatfresh exhortations implied but could never work out where the unhealthy was. An Irish court just clarified it wasn’t the butter but the ‘bread’ - it’s 10% sugar, which makes it cake for tax purposes. (Vice)
THE DOMINOS EFFECT
Companies compete in many different arenas but don’t always realize the expanse of the field. Pandemics expose ignored frontiers and we all have to adapt. Faris’ column this month considers why Dominos was so well positioned to capitalize on Eating From Home™ and what it suggests about marketing in general. The Dominos Effect casts a shadow on all brand / consumer interactions. (WARC)
SWEPT UP or LEFT BEHIND
Pew is an endless source of free & interesting research, from a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank"). It’s funded by the Templeton Foundation, which reflects the ideas of its founder who became wealthy after a career as a contrarian investor and wanted to support progress at the intersection of religion and science. This deep piece of qualitative research across US and UK examines the roots of changes in the countries and the surprisingly similar motivations and sensations experienced of both political faction in each. Both the “Swept Up” and the “Left Behind” have recently been forced to confront the fact that their values are not obviously dominant in their homeland. (PEW)
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:: WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT: NOTHING, EITHER GOOD OR BAD ::
But thinking makes it so.
Good and bad are subject assessments.
This is true, obviously so, but not, by itself, insightful.
Once there was a farmer whose horse ran away.
“Such bad luck!” Said the villagers.
“Maybe” Said the farmer.
The next day the horse returned with three wild horses in tow.
“Such good luck!” Said the villagers.
“Maybe” Said the farmer.
The next day the farmer’s son rode a wild horse and was thrown and broke his leg.
“Such bad luck!” Said the villagers.
“Maybe” Said the farmer.
The next day the army comes to town to conscript all able bodied young men and the farmer’s son is passed over.
“Such good luck!” Said the villagers.
“Maybe” Said the farmer.
——————
Maxim.
You never know what part of the movie you are currently in.
:: AND NOW…STOIC JACK N GILL ::
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
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
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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 :)