Plants gone potty!: The Full Monty #280: Becoming What We Behold

The latest trends & the oldest principles.

Timely updates backed by timeless lessons.

Welcome to the Tuesday update of Timeless & Timely, where I cover some of the essential stories of the week to keep leaders up to date on changes in digital business while remaining grounded in the universal human truths we've learned throughout history. If someone forwarded this to you, please subscribe.

Hey there Potty —

I'm at Advertising Week in New York, and I'm reminded of Marshall McLuhan's iconic Understanding Media from 1964:

"Ads seem to work on the very advanced principle that a small pellet or pattern in a noisy, redundant barrage of repetition will gradually assert itself."

It's so easy to get wrapped up in the drama in our own lives, or of asserting that my priority is your priority.

Everyone has their own struggles, but sometimes it's helpful to look at the bigger picture and approach interactions with others with empathy and compassion: you don't know what's going on behind the scenes in their lives.

And now, off to issue #280 of The Full Monty.

Thanks, and I'll see you on the Internet.

If The Full Monty inspires you, please share it with others.

Forward

Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, 1903 (Google Art Project - public domain)

Commentary
"Geniuses differ from ordinary men less in the character of their attention than in the nature of the objects upon which it is successively bestowed." – William James

If you want to see what matters to self-important people online, just take away their status symbol—the coveted check mark that verifies them as...well, I don't know exactly what it verifies them as. Celebrities? Authentic? Better than you?

This is the conundrum that YouTube ran into as they announced they'd be removing verification badges and making the verification process more difficult.

"Cry 'havoc' and let slip the dogs of war."

—William Shakespeare

I don't need to describe the reaction to you. Let's just leave it at this: the following day, YouTube backtracked and will leave existing badges in place.

I couldn't help but think of Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches, an allegory about two types of creatures: the Star-Belly Sneetches, who look down on the Plain-Belly Sneetches.

The Plain-Belly Sneetches bemoan their situation in life until a salesman comes along with a machine that will automatically give them stars. Soon they're fulfilled, happily joining the Star-Belly Sneetches.

Suddenly the original Star-Belly Sneetches become angry at no longer being different and special, so implore the salesman to use his machine to remove their stars. This star-switching continues until no one can remember their original state of being, and they finally realize that they're all the same and can coexist without status symbols.

Marshall McLuhan's seminal work Understanding Media (1964) looked at the impact of different forms of media in our lives, particularly electronic. While he didn't live to see the age of the internet, he was insightful in his observations of human nature and the world we create around us.

The dual concepts of "we become what we behold" and "we shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us" were the guiding principles 55 years ago, and they still ring true today.

In "Who Would Tavi Gevinson Be Without Instagram," the author shares her evolution from writer/actor/artist to salesperson, in four acts: the Polariod, the Influencer, the Professional, and the Relatable. Each of these versions of herself perfectly reflect the version of Instagram at the time.

Chasing, chasing, chasing. Perhaps its the hunter-gatherer lizard brain in us. We're always on the prowl for what's next. Our next project, our next job, the next platform...

It's natural to aspire for more and challenge ourselves to do better or be more intellectually stimulated. But we shouldn't be doing it because we're trying to fit in or trying to be something that someone else wants us to be.

Given the constant swirl of content — advertising, news, updates, texts, notifications, videos, etc. — we run the risk of becoming what we behold.

It's your responsibility to be sure you don't become beholden to something that doesn't reflect your principles.

Curated Stories
"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and nothing but the thread that binds them is my own." – Montaigne

Casting Call

Pocket Casts originally launched as a paid podcast app. They put the money into a superior product and have announced that the app is now free. They'll also have a Pocket Casts Plus subscription tier with more customization.

My take: First of all, this has been my own favorite podcasting app for some time. It works on Android and iOS and has a number of features for the new and experienced podcast listener alike. Moving to a subscription model is de rigueur; we'll see how the business model holds up for them.

The AdWeek Podcast of the Year Awards 2019 is here. You can nominate the podcasts of your choice in a variety of categories.

My take: I'm on the jury for the awards. I hope you continue to follow the podcast recommendation I make here each week. See below.

I'm Not Dead Yet

The marketing industry is obsessed with voice, AR/VR, social media, apps and more. But when it comes to reliably reaching your audience where they are, email is still a power player. We spend five hours a day checking email — three on work email and two on personal email.(CMO)

My take: This is one of the few areas where you have the ability to own the relationship. It's less algorithm-dependent and more intimate. If done well, email can make a huge difference.

Big Changes Needed

When it comes to Big Tech, nearly two-thirds of Americans are in favor of breaking up tech firms, particularly if it means more innovation in the future. Mergers like Facebook/Instagram are particularly in their crosshairs. (Vox)

My take: Any time you modify an industry with "Big," the villification happens. Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Auto, etc. And it's easy to think of these companies as impersonal and inhuman. In the case of Facebook though, we've seen the cynical, cavalier and uncaring nature of the company on display for quite some time.

Then, as if to prove my point, Facebook suspended tens of thousands of apps that had access users' private data. But they only revealed this fact ahead of documents set to be unsealed this week in a new lawsuit. (New York Times)

My take: Let's not forget this is following the Cambridge Analytica connection in March 2018 and Facebook admitting to and suspending some 400 offending apps in August 2018. Now we find our that there were tens of thousands of apps, and they sat on this information for over a year.

Oh — anyone want a Facebook video chat device for your living room? (Recode)

Expecto Patronum

Snap kept a dossier of all of the ways that Facebook was trying to put them out of business, calling it "Project Voldemort." This is part of the antitrust probe by the FTC. (Wall Street Journal)

My take: Being competitive is a hallmark of business, but when you're so anti-competitive that your competitors refer to you as the Dark Lord from the Harry Potter stories, you might want to reassess your business practices.

Disney almost bought Twitter at one point. The reason they balked? Disney CEO Robert Iger said there were "brand issues, the whole impact of technology on society. The nastiness is extraordinary." (CNBC)

My take: Can't say that I'm terribly surprised about the assessment of the behavior on Twitter. I'm more surprised it was even considered by Disney.

Voices of the Generations
A special section on new research being released today.

The reason I'm in New York today is because I'm part of an Adobe Insiders program. learning about Adobe Experience Platform and Adobe Advertising Cloud (Disclosure: Adobe has paid for my travel here).

So it's encouraging to see them talking about the role of emotion in the customer experience, using purpose, empathy, and humor side by side with technology to make things more efficient and relevant.

But the thing that interests me the most this week is the Voices of the Generations survey polled more than 4,000 consumers on various hot topics. Once again, we find that regardless of the difference in our ages, from Boomers to GenZ, we share some common human traits and perceptions:

Everyone has concerns about trust and being influenced online;
No one believes politicians will create laws to protect our data;
Social media is widely used across generations, although specific platforms vary by age;
When brands make an error, a sincere apology works;
People appreciate location-based advertising in exchange for their data.

For much more detail and an in-depth look at where we're heading, check out Voices of the Generations report.

For the Curious Mind
"Curiosity is the lust of the mind." – Thomas Hobbes

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a mathematician, philosopher and inventor. But he was also something of an armchair psychologist. He determined that if you want to persuade someone that they're wrong, you need to first tell them they're right. (Brain Pickings)

Here's a valuable resource: Actionable book summaries for busy people. This site helps you understand the key concepts of best-selling nonfiction books quickly. Just what matters and why. (Durmonski.com)

Since I'm in the city, here's a look at the secret infrastructure beneath New York City. (Cheddar)

Recommended Reading/Listening
"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle

In The Knowledge Project, Shane Parrish follows his curiousity as he talks with remarkable people to uncover frameworks you can use to learn more in less time, make better decisions, and live a happier and more meaningful life. He explores the timeless ideas of how to better understand yourself, others, and the world around you.

"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one..." First published over 180 years ago, this is the original guide to behavioral psychology. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds: The Classic Guide to Crowd Psychology, Financial Folly and Surprising Superstition by Charles MacKay.

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I'm an executive advisor. A corporate conscience. A C-suite whisperer.

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