Hi folks,

Our lovely clients at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are funding a couple of events happening soon that will be of interest to anyone who is invested in more just futures: a webinar celebrating the launch of the Collective Imagination Practices Toolkit on September 18th, and the inaugural Wealth Hackers Challenge to discover new ideas or works in progress that hack at systems and structures that keep the Wealth Defence Industry going (a.k.a industries that are paid to prioritise the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few).

If you haven’t bought Colin’s Castle for a little family member or friend yet, then may we remind you Halloween is not too far away, and now’s the time to stock up!

We’re having some interesting conversations with a whole new class (pun intended!) of clients, even as children in the Western world go back to school in September - perhaps you’d like to join them in seeing if your content is working for you?

Au revoir for now - what inspiration those Paralympians are serving us from Paris, eh?!

Anjali

Making Boring Writing Fun Again: What We Can Learn From Stink Bugs (2-minute read)

The Secret Inside One Million Checkboxes (10-minute read)

A Show Business: Your Audience Is Sick Of Being Sold To (2-minute read)

Why The Ban on X in Brazil Might Bring A Very Specific Type of Internet Culture In The Country To An End (4-minute read)

Every Frame A Painting - Video Essay (6-minute watch)

WTF Is The River Café Podcast? (8-minute read)

A Simple Reminder Of The Long And The Short Of It (2-minute watch)

Your Brand Is A Social Construct (7-minute read)

How the Business of Fashion Became An Unlikely Insider’s Guide (30-minute read)

Chloe, 21, From Stockport (2-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 don’t know what to do” – 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 something making” – 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. 

Making Boring Writing Fun Again: What We Can Learn From Stink Bugs (2-minute read)
Ann Handley references a beautiful, long New Yorker science-based story about stink bugs (yes) and talks about what B2B marketers can learn from the way it’s been written. Her point is that there is an art to making the seemingly boring sound interesting to a lay audience, which is pretty much the definition of B2B marketing.

The Secret Inside One Million Checkboxes (10-minute read)
We’ve linked to a story on Nolen Royalty’s website before, but this account of what happened to the site he built for people to - effectively - check boxes online as a game, is so inspiring. A group of teens hacked his site in a very clever, simple way. And as Nolan says at the end, small experiments like this are where he got his start into coding. Here, the kids communicated over Discord to build some very creative images using checkboxes: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rick Rolling, it’s all there. HT friend of Storythings Ash Mann. This project reminded me of the Party In a Spreadsheet project by Marie Foulston from a few years ago!

A Show Business: Your Audience Is Sick Of Being Sold To (2-minute read)
Ad veteran Sir John Hegarty references findings from Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer of ad effectiveness company System1. Wood talks about the role of showmanship vs. salesmanship in the business of advertising, and says: “Showmanship works straightaway but also creates future earnings because its effects are lasting. It strengthens the business fundamentals. It is the foundation for your salesmanship advertising. Why use the term ‘showmanship’? Because it is suggestive of what’s needed to enthral an audience: narrative, characters, dialogue, tension, music, humour, metaphor – and an understanding of the human condition. The type of advertising that entertains. When the industry gets stuck in a salesmanship rut – when it bores its audience – its reputation falls, it struggles to recruit talent, trust disappears.”

Why The Ban on X in Brazil Might Bring A Very Specific Type of Internet Culture In The Country To An End (4-minute read)
We’re big fans of Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day newsletter, and this piece on the potential impact a ban on X can have in Brazil is very interesting from a sociological perspective: “…Twitter’s hashtag, chronological feed, and open search provided the same ability to create endless pockets of conversation or “zoeira” or “zuera,” the term Brazilians sometimes use for the meme-filled chaos that used to happen on X….The word comes from the verb “zoar,” which means to joke or mock or fool around. And this is why many algorithmic platforms, like TikTok, tend to be used less in Brazil. You just can’t riff as well.”

Every Frame A Painting Video Essay (6-minute watch)
The last ever XOXO Festival happened a couple of weeks ago in Portland, Oregon. Jason Kottke came back with news that Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou showcased a new video essay after eight years - this one about the sustained two-shot, “a type of shot that was used a lot in the olden days but still has its uses today — and gives actors room to actually act.”

WTF Is The River Café Podcast? (8-minute read)
Vittles Magazine is definitely one of the more interesting food writing publications on the internet right now. Here, Simran Hans goes deep into how, despite reaching ‘peak celebrity food podcast’, Ruthie’s Table 4 from the owner of River Café uses food to somehow make smugness and celebrity continuously palatable.

A Simple Reminder Of The Long And The Short Of It (2-minute watch)
Les Binet talks to Orland Wood about the Long and the Short of It, the seminal research that continues to be quoted globally, about the importance of brand-building along with performance marketing: “When you engage people emotionally, and make people feel that they want a product in an irrational way, then you kind of de-fang the price pain - people are willing to pay more.”

Your Brand Is A Social Construct (7-minute read)
Continuing with this series that is unpacking bit by bit all of our key comms principles at Storythings, Matt Locke looks at the third business problem you can solve in B2B with a solid content strategy: your brand won’t live through campaigns, but with stories. As he says, “it’s easy to show your bosses and peers a new website, logo or ad campaign. It’s harder to show that people are talking about you in new ways. But it can be done.”

How the Business of Fashion Became An Unlikely Insider’s Guide (30-minute read)
A long read that goes into the history and success of digital publication The Business Of Fashion, which has blazed a trail in fashion journalism. An insightful take into what it takes to run a successful business. As a minority, Imran Amed’s personal background clearly shines through in the way he’s building BoF: purposefully. There are lots of bits that make you sit up and notice, including BoF’s editorial mandate and focus on sustainability, that a lot of fashion publications still shy away from: “In total, BoF aims to publish three strong pieces a day: “preferably,” Baskin said, “a news story, an analytical feature about, say, how to run your business better, and some kind of cultural story.”

Chloe, 21, From Stockport (2-minute read)
If you were stuck in a virtual queue for 4 hours or more last week trying to get tickets to the Oasis reunion tour next year - or even if, like me, you were not - you will likely chuckle at this really amusing paragraph. That last line is chef’s kiss. Nothing better to end the weekend with!

Another week, another newsletter done. We hope it gave you food for thought, and perhaps some smiles. Don’t keep it to yourself! Please share it with friends, family, colleagues. If you’ve received this from someone else yourself, you can subscribe below and get it direct to your inbox every Friday.

Thanks for reading. See you next week!

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the whole team at Storythings.