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Hey all,

Do you wanna see something really cool and creative? Then join us next Thursday for Proper Fancy. It’s a fun show and tell where creatives from around the world share things that have tickled their fancy this month. You can too. Or just listen and watch. It’s free. It’s easy to sign up. And it will fill you with creative inspiration for another month.

This week we won a couple awards for this thing we made. If you’d like us to find your big award-winning story, talk to us about our 15-day story finding sprint. It’s a fast, low-risk investment that will deliver silverware to sit on your shelf forever! Hit that button below to chat.

Have a splendid weekend and enjoy the links.

Hugh

A Brilliant Organ Donation Ad (1-minute read)

The Verge - Welcome to 2004 Week (multiple features)

Brand ‘StoryDoing’ That Just Doesn’t Wash (6-minute read)

Why B2B Marketing is ‘Dry, Beige and Bland’ (7-minute read)

A Collection of TV Channels All Made Using AI (multiple channels)

The Most Slept-On Storytelling Format (3-minute read)

Seeking Mavis Beacon (2-minute watch)

Here’s What the Fight For Attention Really Looks Like (8-minute read)

Why You Shouldn’t Use ‘Better’ or ‘Best’ (37-second watch)

Charles Schulz on Being a Good Citizen (1-minute read)

How we can help you

Storythings is the content marketing agency of choice for some of the world’s most forward-thinking B2B brands and organisations. Here are 2 reasons to get in touch. 

1. “I want to tell better stories” – You’ve been creating content but it’s not having the impact you need. Talk to us about our Content Audit Workshop.

2. “I need help making things” – You know what you want to make, but need an agency to make it. We can help make your podcast, video, publication, animation or newsletter. We do other things too. Get in touch for a FREE 30 minute consultation. 

A Brilliant Organ Donation Ad (1-minute read)
So simple. So good!

The Verge - Welcome to 2004 Week (multiple features)
This is a great collection of nostalgia pieces from The Verge which turns the clock back 2 decades to a year when Gmail was launched, podcasts were first given the name ‘podcast’, Digg was the homepage of the internet, and the idea of sharing your personal photographs on the internet felt really weird.

Brand ‘StoryDoing’ That Just Doesn’t Wash (6-minute read)
This piece looks at the difference between a couple of brands that do purposeful storytelling and compares both their approaches. One scores 10/10 whilst the jury is out on the other: “The stories brands tell around their involvement in major issues works best when it’s specific and intentional. It lands when it’s driven not by a marketing plan or a PR opportunity, but a steady cadence of content and action that reflects the values of the customer base they’re building.”

Why B2B Marketing is ‘Dry, Beige and Bland’ (7-minute read)
At Storythings we often say that taking on a new client is like learning a new language. We knew little about payroll before 2020 when we first started talking to a future payroll client. Now our payroll storytelling is winning awards. Thankfully, as a highly curious company, we absolutely love the process of learning about our clients’ worlds. And it’s that love of falling down rabbitholes that enables us to find, then tell, award winning stories. This piece looks at how B2B marketing has become so dry as a result of marketers deprioritising curiosity to focus on a particular set of metrics.

A Collection of TV Channels All Made Using AI (multiple channels)
If this is anything to go by, AI isn’t ready to completely replace our TV viewing just yet. It features lots of familiar channels such as AI Court TV, AI Horoscopes, AI Election Showdown, AI Yes Chef and various public access channels, all created using AI script, audio and animation tools. There is however entertainment to be had thanks to the pure weirdness of it. As we pointed out in our Scrollstoppers report last year, ambient TV viewing has become more popular, especially for people who are working at home. Both the Yes Chef and Court TV channels had me watching longer than I wanted. As I said, it won’t replace our TV viewing soon but it will find a niche place in some people’s media habits. I found this via Web Curios.

The Most Slept-On Storytelling Format (3-minute read)
I’m with Joe on this. I think there’s a big opportunity for brands looking to do something different in the audio space other than two people talking on Zoom. Seriously, so much of my podcast stream had been reduced to interview formats that all sound the same. C’mon people. Try something different. We’ll help you make it amazing: “Compared to video — which we’ve optimized to death over the last decade — audio storytelling remains ripe for innovation, giving you the chance to tell stories in a way few have tried before. Imagine that. What if instead of mimicking the latest TikTok trend or begging ChatGPT for LinkedIn hooks to create copycat slop, we tried something new?”

Seeking Mavis Beacon (2-minute watch)
This looks interesting. If you learned touch typing in the 90s you’ll be familiar with Mavis Beacon. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence. I found this via Nick Parker’s excellent newsletter.

Here’s What the Fight For Attention Really Looks Like (8-minute read)
Last year I read 42 books. Ten short of my annual target which I’ve never managed to achieve. Declaring this total is clearly me signaling to you all that I’m an avid reader. If only there was a good Spotify Unwrapped for books I’d be able to get a whole bunch of likes on social media for that brag. But what it doesn’t tell you is that I probably couldn't recall 50% of those books off the top of my head. Even if I could I’d still struggle to give you a good summary for many. Quantifying our behaviours has changed our relationship with leisure time, which has now become as ambitious as our professional lives. This is a good on how we are turning joy into competition in so many areas of our lives - even sleeping!

Why You Shouldn’t Use ‘Better’ or ‘Best’ (37-second watch)
When it comes to positioning, saying your’re ‘better’ than your competitors or the ‘best’ doesn’t help as much as you think. Try this simple approach.

Charles Schulz on Being a Good Citizen (1-minute read)
In 1970 as part of a class project, 10-year-old Joel Linton wrote to Peanuts creator Charles Schulz to ask him, “What do you think makes a good citizen?” Schulz replied with this letter.

That’s it for this week! We hope you enjoyed our curation of stories. Ask everyone you know to subscribe - we’d really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading. Till next week!

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the rest of Team Storythings

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