The Hidden Power of Marketing

Today I will tell an interesting story about Apple and share some books I think you might find useful: particularly if you want to be more creative, write better and perform in front of an audience… or if you care a lot about how pillows were being used in the 13th century.

Before we begin, I have an announcement to make - I will be taking some time to focus on another large project, which means that we will skip the next two or three editions of MarketINK!

I hope I make it up to you with an increase in quality! See you in November.

🥊 The Power of Marketing 💪

Marketing remains one of the most popular courses for students (either by itself or as part of a business degree). I thought about all those young people eager to enter the field and tried to imagine what it would be like facing such a gigantic evolving topic.

I believe most novices start with digital marketing: learning the ins and outs of social media marketing, email campaigns, SEO, analytics, and more. And yes - these skills will likely land them an opportunity for a well-paid job in a modern company, if they play their cards right. However, beyond these skills there is a hidden opportunity in marketing that often goes untapped.

Apple is a company that cares about the environment.

Right?

Their Apple Park runs on 100% renewable energy. Their new MacBook Air is 50% recycled.

This is a valiant effort to protect the environment. It is amazing. It is also marketing.

Appe has a huge Envornment web page with the typical clean, sleek look. They release the Environmental Progress Report, which is a beautiful, detailed-packed 113-page report on their sustainability efforts.

This is all marketing.

Marketing that creates change. Apple’s strategy wasn’t to “post something cool on socials to increase engagement”, but rather to position the company in a new, attractive way.

This led to real change.

True marketing can do that - so be bold enough pursuing it!

📚 Shelf Shocks 💥

1. Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives by Tim Harford

Are messy environments good? According to Tim Harford - yes. In fact, the qualities we praise - like creativity, resilience and responsiveness, are often born in disruption and chaos. So why should we try to keep everything clean and tidy all the time?

This book explores how varied and unexpected environments can push people to be more alert, observe better and come up with better solutions. Celebrities, teachers, and entrepreneurs have used messiness to outwit their opponents or find a key solution in a (pardon the pun) messy situation. And you can too.

🎧 Summary

2. Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter by Ian Mortimer

When I say “Middle Ages,“ you probably imagine peasants dying from the plague, the Inquisition torturing heretics, and knights going on Crusades. Yet this massive work from an English historian highlights the progress and creativity that happened, which we often don’t realise.

The book explores how war, comfort, inequality, literacy, speed and individualism were transformed in the distant time period. People were printing, using gunpowder, and creating central legal systems, all of which helped set the stage for the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

🎧 Summary

3. Finding Your Comic Genius: An in-depth guide to the art of stand-up comedy by Adam Bloom

I don’t assume most of you are staup-up comics, but this rich manual from a 30-years career of writing, performing, and teaching people about writing. And being extremely funny while doing it.

Adam Bloom is a multi-award-winning comedian who has ghostwritten for fifty comedians, and he goes in-depth on everything from setting up misdirection and adding details to mastering your performance timing and flow. It’s not afraid to go into hand-drawn diagrams. This is the real deal.

Fun Links ⏰ ❗️

1. Write your novel in one month!

Writing a never easy, and finishing a novel requires hard work and iron perseverance. Here’s where NaNoWriMo wants to help. It is a challenge-slash-support group that takes place every November and provides maximum support, structure and encouragement to help you achieve your goal of writing a 50,000 word novel.

Will you join? Get involved here!

You've reached the end of my newsletter. Hooray! If you’d like to see more of my work, you can GET MY BOOK Write Better: A Simple Guide to Better Business Writing or connect with me on LinkedIn for more fun and educational content.

If you have any comments or would like to share what you enjoyed the most, feel free to get in touch! See you in two weeks!

(📚 За всичките ми български читатели - здравейте! Ако харесвате съдържанието ми, може да се запишете за коя книжен бюлетин БУК Клуб.)