From sweeping floors to becoming the greatest moneymaker in modern finance
Imagine gathering all the over two thousand billionaires of the world in a large hall and asking them the same questions about their success. It is reasonable to assume they will all likely tell us the same thing. The irony, however, is the opposite. No two people are with the same story — not even twins, and certainly not strangers of different backgrounds, race, hustle culture, and distinct view of how everything works.
When it comes to comprehending concepts, say how one becomes a billionaire, for instance, we humans are used to believing in a version of a story we construe in our minds. We sieve out much of what others tell us. When they try to convince us contrary to what we perceive to be the truth, our subconscious comes to play, and boy does it play aggressively for what it stood for. …
How cute aggression works in marketing
In the American sitcom Friends, Phoebe might strike you as a weirdo. While holding another person’s baby, she mumbles phrases along the lines of munching off the ears of a baby. But she is not alone— at least not in this case. The reality is everyone has felt the need to tear apart something beautiful, some more times than others. This dog is so cute I want to hug and crush its bones! you’ve heard others say in a baby voice. It is more than OK. They are not predators.
Humans respond to cute.
“Show us just about any little critter with a big round head and a pair of large, blinking-in-the-headlights eyes and cooing will ensue.” wrote neuroscientists Ricky and Anna. …
How to avoid crossing the line
By the time today’s kids become adults, they’ll likely have to budget in deciding for what, where, and when to buy attention.
It’s already happening. For years, circumstances have forced marketers to step up and pay for our attention. The recorded changes in advertising are evident in the impact this has on how people consume media today. Hence, to remain competitive, all had to recognize and adapt to these changes, and the attention game has only gotten more expensive by the day.
What Is Prankvertising?
Prankvertising (a mash-up of the words prank and advertising) has been prevalent as far back as a decade ago. It is a marketing tactic that utilizes visuals to capture the reaction of the commoner in a particular occurrence (prank) to feed the online media. …
The rise to fame of the indie game is not by chance
Going viral may be a little more complicated than you think. The history of viral marketing is filled with odd stories of strange products achieving sudden fame. In some cases, it’s the result of some bold strategist miscalculating a key factor in marketing and resulting in an accidental marketing coup. Other times, it can just be the result of brilliant marketing.
Either way, to identify why a product went viral, understanding how people responded, in the way they do, and how the product was promoted can be paramount. …
One of the major problems in many industries is how employers treat their employees. In tech, the hot fluid has only begun bubbling.
There was a time when CD Projekt Red were a minor developer, translating major video-game releases into Polish. They went from collaborating with huge developers like Interplay Entertainment to becoming one of the biggest and most talked-about developers in the gaming industry. With The Witcher 3, they went from a small studio running out of money to one earning millions on each game.
A lot has changed since then. And just like those times when things were simpler for everyone, CD Projekt are now facing their past with dreaded eyes, looking down in shame. What happened? Cyberpunk 2077 happened.
Cyberpunk 2077, an action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt (and published just a few days back), has been in development for years and details on it were very few and far between. One thing everyone knew was that the game was set in the future and will star an ensemble cast, including the legendary Canadian actor Keanu Reeves. …
I bet you’ve received countless emails carrying things along the lines of “2020, what a year, huh?”
I mean is that really the best way to begin a new year. An even better question: Is there any right way to begin a year. Well, I know a lot of people that could argue being alive as a good start, but that’s not the point, is it?
I remember a meme I once saw (it was on Twitter, I guess) that featured aliens laughing at us (humans) as we celebrate a new year. …
Bring a guitar to our party; we’re rocking 2021!
Yesterday began a new year in a global era none had ever seen coming. And all things considered, it is such a great time to be alive.
Medium says that every idea needs a medium, and The Parables’ mission is to serve as a medium for storytellers to tell their unique stories. We began small with less than ten writers, and our community only kept growing since then.
When we launched a few months back — right when sitting at home hits the hardest — I had but one mission, and it is to have a community of people from different cultures and backgrounds, religions, nationalities, to share their life experiences with others. …
It is fascinating how much manually manipulating letters can affect how our brain works
The first article I ever published online took me more than two weeks to write, and it is only a thousand words. I had a newbie syndrome, sure, but what made the work linger that long wasn’t my quest to produce a masterpiece. What really happened was that I wrote, edit, re-edit, and rewrote the whole piece by hand, before committing to transfer it to my computer.
On the first of this year’s July, a long time after this notable episode, I came across a question on Quora asking whether I would prefer a paper (and a pen, of course) or a computer for writing. That was when I realized that I had since fled the tiresome process of writing by hand, committed to completely using my laptop, and as opposed to when I began my writing career. …
Marketing
In marketing, the only thing more compelling than stories is watching them in action. Here is how to create the magic.
In 2008 and around this time of the year, the Australian daredevil Robbie Maddison, in a publicity feat for Red Bull, dropped the ball to 2009 by flying his bike 120 feet through the air and landing on a hotel’s arch of 96-foot-high. It was spectacular!
More than a decade later today, and this outrageous performance still lived on as one of the greatest publicity stunts the world has ever seen — reaching far and wide in a way no local or digital advertisement ever could. Talk about new year’s good luck for Red Bull, huh?
In the following years, as YouTube and viral video grew in popularity and influence, so too did the number of these stunts. In fact, in the last few years alone, we’ve seen related performances of famous movie scenes, songs, plays, and dozens of others, both by known and unknown artists all around the world, in efforts to (mostly) elevate a product or strengthen a brand’s identity. …
Using mild confessions to get closer to your audience
Breaking the fourth wall in copywriting can be a risky venture, but it can lead to huge dividends, or hilarious failure if not done well. And while I certainly do not condone every single claim made by companies in advertising copy, I do believe that utilizing this little-used writing technique can make a huge impact on overall sales.
What does it mean to “break the fourth wall?” Strap on, and permit me to take you on a journey to four years back when the first Deadpool movie was released. …
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