Mitch Joel's Blog: Six Pixels of Separation, page 275

3 New Takes On How To Get Things Done (Better)

Do you wonder about ways to be more productive, efficient and better in managing your time?

Here are three new-ish pieces of content that have both caught my attention this week and provide very valuable advice on the topics of productivity and organization:

1. The Art of Stress-Free Productivity: David Allen at TEDxClaremontColleges. This is a great TEDx talk from the master of productivity, David Allen (author of Getting Things Done and Making It All Work).

2. Bullet Journal. Into notebooks and shying away from smartphone apps like Evernote to keep track of your tasks and work? Bullet Journal may be the solution for you (and all you need is a notebook and a pen).

3. The Authentic Swing. This is name of the latest book from Steven Pressfield (The War of Art, Do The Work, etc...). It's a book about how he wrote his smash hit, The Legend of Bagger Vance. If you click on the link, he is offering a very special 3-part video series called, Foolscap, that is a great series about how to create a story and framework in a very simple (and, yes, productive) way.

Now, over to you: what are you best tips and tricks for productivity?

Tags:

bullet journal

david allen

do the work

evernote

foolscap method

getting things done

making it all work

managing time

notebook

organization

productivity

steven pressfield

tedx

tedx claremont colleges

the authentic swing

the legend of bagger vance

the war of art

A Simple (But Hard) Truth That Will Change Your Marketing Forever

It's about something more than authenticity.

It is, somewhat, amazing that we live in a day and age when people talk about brands and authenticity like it is some kind of given. Just because brands have been forced to engage with consumers in a much quicker and more transparent fashion, it doesn't make them any more authentic. It just means that they are being public with the speed in which they connect. That's it. Few brands are truly authentic. Care to debate that issue? Turn on the TV tonight and just watch the commercials. Take note of the ones that are truly authentic. The ones that aren't just authentic, but telling a real and true story.

How did these ads score?

Watch this video from the Fast Company article titled, Ricky Gervais Tells A Story About How He Learned To Write:

How many stories does your brand tell?

It's interesting how marketers make an assumption that consumers don't want a real story. Consumers want to be faced with suspended disbelief. They want to think that what they're buying will change their lives. Make them better. Whatever. Think about the advertising that moved you. Truly moved you. What was it all about? Ricky Gervais isn't saying something new that none of us haven't heard before. He's telling us something we all know, with a fresh perspective. When marketers create a story, people can feel it. When marketers tell a story, because it's something that happened in the real world, that is personal or that is identifiable as something pure, real and honest, it can move mountains. Brands can do this. Marketers should be able to master this.

I wish more brands and advertising professionals created their ads the same way that Ricky Gervais writes a story.

Tags:

advertising professionals

authentic brand

authenticity

brand

consumer

fast company

marketer

marketing

public

ricky gervais

story

storytelling

television

transparency

tv

tv commercials

If You Have Ever Been Rejected... Be Like Bono

The letter read...

"Thank you for submitting your tape of 'U2' to RSO, we have listened with careful consideration, but feel it is not suitable for us at present. We wish you luck with your future career."

They were kind enough to end the letter by saying, "sincerely." So, that's something.

How many times have you been told "no"?

It's not that The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Museum doesn't have tons of eye candy, videos and collectibles that would get the most cynical of music enthusiast smiling. It's full of that. But, after spending several hours there today, in Cleveland, it is that short letter for Bono and the boys that I took a picture of, and will constantly refer back to when someone tells me no or rejects one my ideas. Thankfully, U2 kept going. They believed in the work that they were creating, and they persevered to the tune of massive global stardom. U2 is the type of iconic band that can sell out any stadium that has electricity. They're just that big. They're adored by millions. There are thousands of stories about rejection like this one. What's most interesting is just how much things have changed. The record industry (like the marketing industry) used to be based on a scarcity model. Without the right music, look, feel, management, resources, network and more, the odds of making it would shrink exponentially. Record labels could only release a handful of albums each and every year, and there was only so much shelf space in record stores for all of these artists. Gatekeepers had to do their best to reserve these coveted spots for "sure things." 

From scarcity to abundance.

Technology has added some dynamic layers of abundance to this. Now, any artist (or marketer) can share their ideas - in text, images, audio and video - instantly and (mostly) for free with the world. You can post your music to SoundCloud, a video to YouTube, or you can pique someone's interest via Facebook, Twitter and beyond. It has never been easier to share, because the cost of distribution has slipped to zero along with the barriers to entry. It gets even crazier when you think about the cost to record that music when compared to the days of recording studios and more. There's nothing new in that. We've been banging this drum for well over a decade already. Still, not a day passes by that someone isn't down in the dumps over being rejected or told that they can't do something.

If it's important to you.

When I think about rejection. When I think about quitting. When I think about all of the people who have ever tried to hold me back (including my own beliefs), I think about two books:

The Dip by Seth Godin.

Do The Work by Steven Pressfield.

They are small books with massive ideas that will help you figure out how to start something and/or when to end it. Both are important. Now, I have a picture of this letter that some record company wrote to U2. I can slide to unlock my iPhone, select my photos and just read it. In two seconds, I can then decide if whatever rejection I'm facing has merit beyond someone - with their own ego issues - getting in the way. This doesn't mean that other people's opinions and insights don't deserve any attention. Constructive criticism and feedback is often good and may very well send you on a different and more successful course. Still, people will reject you and your ideas for a myriad of reasons... and a lot of the time it has very little to do with your skills, talent, artistry and hunger. Always remember that.

If you're feeling rejected, just read that note to U2 over again, and be like Bono. Keep at it.

Tags:

abundance model

artist

artistry

barrier to entry

bono

business book

constructive criticism

distribution

do the work

facebook

gatekeeper

global stardom

iphone

marketer

marketing

marketing industry

music

music industry

online video

record industry

recording studio

rejection

rejection letter

rock and roll hall of fame museum

scarcity model

seth godin

skill

social media

soundcloud

steven pressfield

success

the dip

twitter

u2

youtube

The Best Piece Of Business Travel Advice

Have you put in your miles? I have.

I've done over 100,000 miles "up there," every year for close to a decade. I'll often tell people that it's nothing to be proud of. The fundamental difference in my travel (when compared to many other businesspeople who have to travel) is that I travel so many miles, because I refuse to stay out on the road for anything beyond a day (or two, if it's absolutely essential). So, while others can spend weeks on the road or several nights away from their families, I've strategized and prioritized my life so that I can be home as much as physically possible. This means that I'll often put my body through its paces, but I'd rather have the physical toll put on my body than the psychological toll of knowing I was never there for my family. A small price to pay.

So, what's the trick?

Most people want to know the best tips and tricks for business travel. They want to know about things like the best piece of carry-on luggage (buy Eagle Creek) or how to deal with delays (always have a book on you - or, in my case, my iPhone with the Kindle and Kobo app) or tricks on how to race through security and customs (get Nexus, Global Entry or be TSA Pre). As I was sitting in the lounge waiting for my flight today, I walked by the bathroom. I wasn't desperate for a bathroom, but I went anyways. Whenever I cross the border, I fill out the declaration form the night before. I will always check into my flight as soon as possible, and have the boarding pass on me. I keep a separate set of toiletries for travel, so that I don't have to constantly pack and unpack stuff like a toothbrush or floss. Anything that can be done in advance and then not be something to think about, I'll do. Even going to the bathroom, before I really have to go. It got me thinking. The best piece of business travel advice is this: if the opportunity is in front of you, take it.

Don't wait for later. Don't put it off. If it's there, don't waste it.

Travel is complex. People love to blame the airlines for everything, but there are so many moving parts in getting a plane off of the ground and safely to its destination. There is the airport authority, security, customs, airlines, weather, baggage handlers and much more. It's a system that is extremely fragile and temperamental. There have been multiple instances, when I would not eat at the lounge thinking that I would just grab a bite once I arrived, only to have multiple delays and problems. This leads to a late night arrival, a high level of hunger and the need to get a good night's sleep. Brutal. So, while I don't chow down on a meal whenever there is food in front of me, having a light snack (because it's there) or stuffing my bag with a fruit or bretzels (because it's there) makes sense. If there's a clean and quiet bathroom... take advantage of it. Need something to read and there's a newsstand in front of you? Don't wait for later, grab that magazine. It may sound simple enough, but when I see how angry passengers react in a not-so-great moment from the aviation annals, my guess is that they may behave slightly better if they've had some food, been to the bathroom and had something to pass the time during that bad moment. I know, I'm a dreamer.

But seriously, think about it.

The next time you're travelling (business or pleasure), if there's something in front of you, take advantage of it. Don't think it will be there later or that you can take care of it after. Much of what happens in the airport and on the plane is completely out of your control, and it doesn't care much for your best laid plans.

True story: this piece of business travel advice is equally applicable in almost everything that you do in your life. What's your best piece of business travel advice?

Tags:

airline

airport security

aviation

boarding pass

business book

business travel

business travel advice

carry on luggage

eagle creek

global entry

iphone

kindle

kobo

magazine

newsstand

nexus

reading app

super elite

travel

travel advice

tsa

What Keeps The Chief Marketing Officer Awake At Night? - Part 1

There is no doubt that the current role of the Chief Marketing Officer is fundamentally changing.

What was once considered to be one of the most interesting and creative positions within the corporate environment, has now become one of the most contentious job titles any business professional could have (if they can even hold on to it). It's hard not to imagine how challenging of a position this can be, in a world where the marketing landscape has shifted so fundamentally in the past decade. It's not just about how technology, the Internet and social media have changed the way that brands connect to consumers, and how consumers connect to brands (and to one another). It runs much deeper than that. It runs much deeper than financial meltdowns, funky things out of Wall Street, a mortgage crisis, globalization, and more. It wouldn't be brash to say, that there are those who feel that there is no longer even a need for a Chief Marketing Officer within an organization. Don't believe me? Google it.

Heresy you say?

There are five core foundational reasons why the Chief Marketing Officer's role within the organization is in such a fragile state. Over the next few months, we will deconstruct the following five areas that the Chief Marketing Officer must pay increased attention to, in order to figure out what the next decade of marketing will look like for businesses.

The five areas that Chief Marketing Officers need to pay attention to:

The corporate function.

Data and information.

IT and technology.

Media and communications.

Talent and recruiting.

Let's start with the corporate function...

Peter Drucker once famously wrote that a company only has two key functions: marketing and innovation, and that all other functions within the organization should support this. It feels like nothing could be closer to the truth in this technologically advanced and sophisticated day and age, and yet it feels like the Chief Marketing Officer's stock within that mandate continues to plummet. If you take a close look at some of the world's most respected brands, the Chief Marketing Officers are not much more than Chief Advertising Officers. If we are going to go back to the fundamentals of what marketing is - as a function of business - it's hard not to think of the classic Four Ps of Marketing that we all learned about in college: product, price, promotion and place. Think deeply about just how much the marketing department truly affects these four areas of business. It's quite obvious that the "promotion" piece has become the bread and butter of the marketing department. Most marketing departments act, fundamentally, as brand stewards and have little insight and input into what the product or service actually is, and how it better serves customers at large. It feels like the true marketing work is actually being done by the COO, the CFO, and the R&D department. Marketing is usually brought in way after the fact, to figure out how to best polish the look and feel of the product or service, and make it look sexy for the customers. At best, the marketers are also responsible for what happens after the product is purchased. Congratulations, these marketers are linked to customer service, and maybe get a chance to actually own the Twitter feed.

What is marketing?

Volumes of books, articles and blog posts have been written by some of the smartest business minds out there, attempting to define what marketing is? You could ask the top ten marketers in the world to define what marketing is, and you would get a different answer from each professional... and there is a possibility that you might even get a different answer from the same individual on different occasions. A definition that we can all wrap our arms around isn't going to happen in this column. What we do know is that marketers might get a much higher level of credibility, if they, themselves, could bring some clarity and definition to the practice. If marketers can't easily define what the role and function is within the organization, how can we expect the CEO to give us the keys to the car? Simply put: most people don't know what marketing is anymore. If marketers want to improve their position within the corporate organization, a clear definition of what, exactly, marketing is would be a prime place to start.

It's a numbers game.

Our world is filled with people who are financially illiterate. Just look at the credit card debt crisis in North America. You would think that after decades of advertising and communications from banks and investment advisors to help people better manage their money, that things would be better. You would be wrong. Recent studies suggest that financial literacy is at an all-time low. Some of the most telling articles on the topic start off by saying that the vast majority of Americans lack basic money skills. Why should we be surprised that marketers are any different? For the Chief Marketing Officer to regain their credibility within the organization, there is a dire need for them to become much more financially literate. Marketing needs to be directly linked to both sales and the overall corporate performance in terms of the P&L. Associate Professor and Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Kenneth Wong, from Queen's School of Business often says that no marketing should be done unless it "adds to the economic value of the brand." Business is a numbers game and marketers - who should be nothing short of rabid over the math - have somehow relegated themselves to the more touchy-feely parts of the business. It's time to break out the abacus and find a balance between the creativity and the numbers. Chief Marketing Officers will struggle desperately through the data and information phase, if they can't wrap their heads around the foundational numbers first.

It's a global jungle.

Why should marketing be any different? The mass globalization of corporate affairs has struck at the heart of marketing as well. There has been global consolidation of marketing and communication services from most of the major brands, and we have even seen mass consolidation from the advertising agency networks themselves (think about the Publicis and Omnicom mega-merger). On the brand side, we've seen the purchasing of marketing and communication services become that much more of a procurement-driven process than anything else. If you look towards the industry at large, there seems to be more brands moving towards agency partners that are completely integrated. An agency that is able to provide both traditional mass advertising services along with digital expertise, coupled with direct marketing, experiential marketing, promotional marketing, partnership marketing and beyond. While brands seek out these "pink unicorns," and the large advertising agency networks continue to PR that their networked agencies can provide such seamless integration, we have yet to see an integrated shop that is unified and integrated. What this has led to is the commoditization of marketing. With every large agency claiming that efficiencies can only be achieved through this model. A desire to have a truly integrated agency - in a world of deep personalization with media fragmentation across a myriad of platforms, channels and technologies - is more myth than reality. This idea that one agency of record to rule them all can beat out specialists - each with their own deep, rich and knowledgeable pool of experts and experience - has yet to be proven. At the corporate level, the Chief Marketing Officer is going to have to get a lot more knowledgeable about how to build "teams of record" rather than an "agency of record" relationship. Creating alignment with multiple agency partners (across multiple departments) in a bid to ensure that "best in class" isn't just something that will score them some points in marketing jargon bingo is another prime directive.

Once the corporate function of marketing is secured, the Chief Marketing Officer can get down to the real work of data and information.

In the next post (in about two week's time), we'll look at how the Chief Marketing Officer must straddle between the future promise of big data, while grappling with the reality that they're not doing nearly enough with the reams of data and information that they currently have. Along with that, we'll dig deeper in the paradox of privacy and personalization, and how the link between data management and creative services must evolve, as our world begins to look more and more like George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

As always, please feel free to add your perspective below...

Tags:

  brand steward

1984

advertising

advertising agency

advertising agency network

agency of record

big data

brand

business mind

business professional

ceo

cfo

chief advertising officer

chief marketing officer

communications

consumer

coo

corporate affairs

corporate environment

creative position

credit card debt crisis

customer service

data

data management

digital marketing

direct marketing

experiential marketing

financial literacy

financial meltdown

four p of marketing

george orwell

global consolidation

globalization

google

great services

innovation

integrated advertising agency

integrated agency

internet

it

kenneth wong

marketer

marketing

marketing department

marketing jargon

marketing landscape

marking consolidation

mass consolidation

media

media fragmentation

mortgage crisis

multiple agency partner

omnicom

partnership marketing

personalization

peter drucker

privacy

procurement

professor of marketing

promotional marketing

public relations

publicis

queens school of business

rd department

social media

teams of record

technology

the next decade of marketing

traditional mass advertising

twitter

wall street

What The Fox Say About Apple's News Tomorrow - CHOM 97.7 FM

Every morning at 7:10 am, I will be a guest contributor on CHOM 97.7 FM radio broadcasting out of Montreal (home base). It's not a long segment - about 5 to 10 minutes every week - about everything that is happening in the world of technology and digital media. The good folks at CHOM 97.7 FM are posting these segments weekly to SoundCloud, so if you're interested in hearing more of me blathering away, I will post the segment weekly here, on the blog for you to check out. I'm really excited about this opportunity, because this is the radio station that I grew up on listening to, and it really is a fun treat to be invited to the Mornings Rock with Terry and Heather B. morning show. The segment is called, CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel.

This week, we discussed the viral video sensation that is, What The Fox Say, what Apple has planned for tomorrow, NSA spying on your content and over-sharing on Facebook.

Here we go: CTRL ALT Delete with Mitch Joel - September 9th, 2013.

Tags:

  radio station

apple

chom 977 fm

chom fm

ctrl alt delete

ctrl alt delete with mitch joel

digital media

facebook

guest contributor

iphone

montreal radio

morning show

mornings rock with terry and heather b

nsa

radio segment

soundcloud

technology

what the fox say

Inside The Box Outside? Outside The Box? How About Finding New Boxes?

Episode #374 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

Thinking outside of the box? Thinking inside of the box? What would happen if there was a whole new slew of boxes that you didn't even realize were available to you? That's what Alan Iny need is trying to figure out. Alan has one of the coolest job titles ever: Senior specialist for creativity and scenario planning at the Boston Consulting Group. He is not only a trainer to thousands of executives and consultants all over the world, he is also the co-author of an amazing new book called, Thinking In New Boxes. Thinking In New Boxes is all about what happens when business and creativity collide. It's not just about a better brainstorming session. It's not just a revolutionary new roadmap for sustainable creativity at work. This is a whole new way of bringing a whole new level of creativity to the work that you do. Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #374.

Tags:

advertising podcast

alan iny

blog

blogging

boston consulting group

brainstorming

brand

business book

business podcast

creativity

david usher

itunes

marketing podcast

podcast

podcasting

sustainable creativity

thinking in new boxes

Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #168

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:

Richie Boss: Private Investigator Manager - Micah Joel . "Here's a short story about the rise of sentient artificial intelligence. If we create a computer smarter than us, connected to the Internet, it can likely use our dependence on the Internet to make us do whatever it wants. Point taken." (Alistair for Hugh).

Your phone is blabbing your location to anyone who will listen - NBC News . "Despite the misleading title, this is an interesting topic. Customer tracking is the Holy Grail of retail, and with our phones turned into tracking devices, it's easy to listen in. What fascinates me is that these invasions are invisible, and unconsidered by lawmakers." (Alistair for Mitch).

Don't worry dear, that's just a brazenly copulating squirrel monkey - The Guardian . "I send this link along based solely on the headline." (Hugh for Alistair).

Businessman buys promoted Tweet to berate British Airways - The Guardian . "Taking customer complaints to the next level. Twitter-style." (Hugh for Mitch).

Will Peek's Mobile Eye Exam System Takes A Bite Out Of Developing World Blindness? - Singularity Hub . "This is one of those amazing stories that will make you give pause. It's a combination of medicine meets technology meets changing the world. At once, you'll be amazed just by looking at the pictures, then you'll be amazed by wondering if Steve Jobs could have ever truly imagined that his simple iPhone would be used for miracles likes this, then you'll be amazed by how little coverage things like this get by mainstream media, in a world of twerking and Miley Cyrus." (Mitch for Alistair).

Take A Look At New York's Tiny, Secret Libraries - Fast CO.Exist . " Little Free Libraries have been popping up all over New York City this past summer. This photo collection and explanation of the project got me all emotional. The notion is pretty simple: take-a-book and return-a-book. Instead of dumping these old books in recycling bins or the garbage or storing them in boxes in our garages, why not have a bunch of these little installations in every city... all over the world? What's the worst thing that can happen? Just having them in people's line of sight may inspire them to book up a book and read. Sounds like a win-win to me." (Mitch for Hugh). 

Now it's your turn: in the comment section below pick one thing that you saw this week that inspired you and share it.

Tags:

alistair croll

bitcurrent

book a futurists manifesto

complete web monitoring

fast co exist

fast company

gigaom

hugh mcguire

human 20

iambik

iphone

librivox

link bait

link exchange

link sharing

little free libraries

managing bandwidth

media hacks

micah joel

miley cyrus

nbc news

pressbooks

singularity hub

social media

solve for interesting

steve jobs

the guardian

twerking

twitter

will peek

year one labs

For The Love Of Words

There are people who are true magicians.

Not parlor tricks. Not those who try to fool others. Individuals who have ideas and can create stories out of thin air. Very compelling stories. While they walk among us, they work alone, for the most part. They are not collaborative in the work that they do. They toil, grapple, struggle and massage ideas into words in what is a solitary environment, with the hopes that others will feel the same way, share these words and build a community around these stories.

There is something very magical about words, writing and the writer.

Years ago, I considered a life of professional writing. A life where all of my financial outcomes would come from those who would be willing to pay for my words. Looking back, I resigned myself to the fact that it would be a hard life. This was long before the commercialization of the Internet and even longer before the advent of blogging and online publishing. By the time blogging platforms became popular, I had moved on from freelance journalism as my full-time profession. Today, there is no doubt that writing (and actually being paid to write) is a large component of my day, but it acts as an engine of business development and awareness for Twist Image. A way to demonstrate how digital channels offer new and fascinating business solutions to the brands of the world.

Still, the romance.

It's hard not to dream of a point in my life when my day would begin by opening the patio doors that overlook a quiet lake. I could sit in a solarium, sipping a cafe au lait, listening to the quiet of the earth while reading a book. From there, a brisk walk in the morning air, a quick shower and then off into a study - filled with inspiring artifacts from our culture - to toil away at some words. It's probably the same type of daydream that most who have the writing bug think about... Or a variation on a theme. It's probably that kind of thinking that made me fall so madly and deeply in love with The Paris Review. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of reading fiction, but I have this fantasy of living a novelist's life of toiling with the muse, while writing about life, business, technology and the marketing of things. It is in better understanding how these masters of words write and come up with their concoctions that made me fall in love with Writers At Work - a regular and popular feature of The Paris Review that is an in-depth exposé of the writer's world. It focuses on their environment and thought process and, regardless of the affinity that you may (or may not) have for the feature's wordsmith, it is always an education in the craft of writing words and an exploration into the creative life.

Watching the talking of writing.

Recently, Charlie Rose featured a segment on The Paris Review and their 60th anniversary. Whether you dream of renting an apartment in Paris to concoct the next great novel, or whether you are toiling away in a cubicle trying to write some B2B copy for an industrial valves company, you will get something out of this video. Whether or not you care as deeply for words or the writers that this group discusses, is somewhat irrelevant. Watch and listen. What you will see, are people who are trying to change how we think about writing. They're trying to encourage us to read more. To discover something great that we may have not heard about. If that's not profoundly linked to the work that you do, I'm not sure what is.

If you love words (or even if you don't), you should watch this...

Tags:

blog

blogging

blogging platform

book

brand

business

business development

charlie rose

collaborative environment

community

content

content creation

creative life

culture

digital channel

fiction

freelance journalism

internet

magician

non fiction

novel

novelist

online publishing

professional writing

publishing

reading a book

stories

storytellers

technology

the paris review

thought process

twist image

words

writer

writers at work

writing

Some Of The Best (Non-Marketing) E-Newsletters To Make You A Better Business Leader

Where do you find the things that inspire you?

It should come as no surprise that content about marketing and smart marketers is one of the best places to get inspired about better ways to do your marketing. It's not hard to find a ton of resources for marketing. If you just look to the left of this blog post, you will see a whole list of inspiring people, blogs and podcasts that will make you a smarter marketer. The truth is that if you're really looking for inspiration, more often than not, the best place to look is outside of the industry that you serve. Some people are a slave to their email. Lately, I've been feeling like one of those slaves. It's kind of self-inflicted. In the day and age of readers, online bookmarking tools and other resources to find, curate and save content online, I still rely on good, ole fashion email for the bulk of my content. There are a myriad of amazing newsletters that I follow and read religiously that help fire the synapses of creativity that have nothing to do with marketing at all.

Here are some of the best (non-marketing) e-newsletters to make you a better marketer:

The Atlantic Cities . I became fascinated with the notion of cities after seeing the documentary film, Urbanized. We are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the cities that we live in. People from all over the world are constantly looking to move to cities. The ramifications of these changes on both geography and who we are is staggering. This newsletter  is filled with tons of amazing information about the cities that we live in, the people who are building them, the people who are inspiring them, and the things we are creating within them.

Brain Pickings. I am half wanting to not even mention Brain Pickings on this list. Yes, it's just that good. This weekly e-newsletter is bursting at the seams with inspiration. if you have been struggling with trying to find something to write, to create, or to build, than this might just be the solution for you. It's not only filled with inspiring articles and ideas, it is also chock-full of great books to pick up and devour. If I am ever struggling to come up with a topic, or to find the energy to write or to record, then Brain Pickings always provides me with the inspiration. Always.

Futurity.org .  This one is billed as research from the top universities. The description lies. Futurity.org is probably one of the best places to learn about the true marvels and miracles that are being created every single day in the fields of science and technology. This isn't your typical medical journal jargon. This is riveting news ripped from the headlines of today. Unfortunately, most of these headlines will sadly never make it to a daily newspaper or CNN. If I were able to be the publisher to the world, Futurity.org would probably be the prime place that I would use to source the best headlines, that everybody should know and understand. You will read things on Futurity.org, that will actually make you say, "wow! I had no idea!"

Lost At E Minor . This is all about art. But it's not the kind of art you would typically see in the museum. This is about the type of art that inspires human creativity. It is quirky, it is weird, it is fun, and it is beautiful.  the truth is, that it's not just about art. there's tons of stuff in here about music, movies, culture and much, much more. I was first introduced to Lost At E Minor by Arjun Basu. I can't think him enough. This truly is the place to find things that will deeply inspire you, created by people who are deeply inspiring.

Medium Top Posts . I am not sure what to make of Medium just yet. This is the newest publishing platform that was created by some of the former founders of Twitter. It is currently getting a ton of attention, both in the media and by some of the most prolific writers on the Web. At this point, it still feels more like a hodgepodge of content, rather than something that is curated, vetted and edited effectively, but this weekly e-newsletter is always full of some very fascinating content, written by very diverse people from very diverse backgrounds. It's also an amazing tool that encourages me to check out medium on a more frequent basis.

MIT Technology Review . If you're interested in technology news and information, there are so many sources that it is hard to make heads or tails of what is truly valuable and useful. Without  a question, MIT Technology Review is an amazing source of technology news and insights. We are not just talking about the standard stuff, in terms of what Apple is doing or what Google will do next. The content that you get in this newsletter, is really all about the future... and what is coming.

PSFK . If you like design, you don't have to look much further than PSFK. This newsletter is all about design, and how design affects business and communications. The folks at PSFK offer a ton of different newsletters for you to subscribe to. All of them are free, and all of them are full of amazing content.The ones that are more specific to design and business offer a mix of both strange stories, current events and news-y items with a spin. If you read nothing else but PSFK, you will be able to pass the cool test of the most cynical of creative departments.

Quartz . The bill themselves as, "a digitally native news outlet, born in 2012, for business people in the new global economy. We publish bracingly creative and intelligent journalism with a broad worldview, built primarily for the devices closest at hand: tablets and mobile phones."  Every morning in my inbox is the Quartz Daily Brief. And, it is a thing of beauty. Without having to hop over to any of major news outlets, this one simple e-newsletter gives you the latest happenings in the world without spin or choosing sides.

Singularity Hub . Science, technology and a whole lot more. When you bolt the Singularity Hub on to Futurity.org, you will always be several steps ahead of everyone else in terms of understanding where technology is going tomorrow, but how it is being built today.

Thought Catalog . I am still trying to figure out if Thought Catalog is just a deeper and richer version of Buzzfeed. It doesn't feel that way. On any given moment on Thought Catalog, you will find yourself seeing things like, 20 Things You Learn From Dating White Guys to Why Computer Keyboards Are Dying. Truly thoughtful stuff, written by people who are doing it for something more than simple linkbait.

Now, it's your turn. What are the best e-newsletters that you subscribe to? Please make them not about marketing...

Tags:

apple

arjun basu

art

blog

brain pickings

business

business book

business design

business leader

buzzfeed

city

city life

cnn

content

creative department

culture

curation

design

documentary

e newsletter

email

futurity

geography

global economy

google

headline writing

human creativity

inspiration

inspiring articles

intelligent journalism

internet culture

link bait

lost at e minor

marketing

medical journal

medium

mit

mit technology review

mobile phone

movies

museum

music

native news

news outlet

newsletter

newspaper

online bookmarking tools

online resources

podcast

prolific writer

psfk

publisher

quartz

quartz daily brief

science

singularity hub

smart marketer

smarter marketer

tablet

technology

technology news

the atlantic

the atlantic cities

thought catalog

twitter

urbanized

writers block