Thank you one and all for subscribing and reading The Soup is Getting Cold throughout 2021.
I conceived and launched this newsletter as a fun project in the depths of the winter lockdown 2020/21.
I was always aiming for quality over quantity, and I am not going to share specific subscriber numbers, but they have quadrupled from my initial mailing list in April. I can count some very influential industry names from the UK, US, Europe and Australia as subscribers. You know who you are!
Average open rates hover at around 58% - up from 30% at launch, which I’ve been told is very good. I’ve had very few unsubscribes.
The interview posts have received respectable 5-figure unique visitor numbers, too, garnered via the newsletter, shares and social media. But more importantly with each issue it grows.
I’ve had some good feedback recently, too, which is always encouraging. Quite a few say I should include a bit more about myself.
Now I deliberately chose to interview people – and share their expertise - rather than inflict my stream-of-consciousness ramblings on random topics to subscribers, but I can also see why some readers might want to know a bit more about me.
So I’ve written this, outlining my career start in digital, 20 years ago.
You may have noticed a new logo recently, too. Substack doesn’t give you much room to play with in terms of sizing and branding, plus I conveniently chose the longest name in Substack history for my newsletter too! But a big, big thank you to Holly Hudson for the logo. I love it.
It means I can now order some subscriber swag for 2022, too.
I’m pleased with this progress: in 2022 I intend pushing forward with some additional ideas, bigger interviews and more content – watch this space.
If you have any suggestions or ideas, do let me know.
Many thanks and Merry Christmas All,
Dale
7 Highlights from 2021
1). Who is Best Placed to Look After Our Data?
I kicked off the newsletter in April with Martin Lindstrom – a world visionary on data and marketing. With big tech losing our trust, we discussed, who do you trust with your data?
“Who would be the best player? Probably banks. It won’t be banks, so it could probably be countries. I mean what if Switzerland was to launch it? And what if Switzerland was to say we are launching a whole new internet people-first privacy led walled-garden right here. I think the reputation of Switzerland would be enough for people to say “we'll do it, we trust that.”
Read more of my conversation with Martin Lindstrom
2). Ads are coming (back) to your TV
My conversation with studio head Alon Shtruzman inevitably touched upon ad revenue and streaming.
“There is so much paid-for-subscription services that there is increasingly nowhere for advertisers to advertise. So, the AVOD (Advertising-based Video on Demand) model is going to grow, because there are subscribers who can’t afford more SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) payments. For many households, introducing ads is a bargain. It’s happening already - and I think it’ll grow over the next few years, cannibalising the subscription streamers. Creating new business models.”
Read more of my conversation with Alon Shtruzman
3). Diversity makes business sense
One of my favourite and most interesting interviews in 2021 was with Sheree Atcheson on the topic of diversity and inclusion. One key takeaway is that while many businesses are successful – they could be more successful.
“We know that businesses in the top quartile for gender diversity are outperforming competitors by 15% and those in the top quartile for ethnic diversity are outperforming by 35%.
Read more of my conversation with Sheree Atcheson
4). How can agencies be good to clients?
When it comes to the day to day of working in media and marketing, nothing is more important than the relationship between agency and clients. When they align, the results can be outstanding. So I asked Nick Entwistle, founder of the amazing One Minute Briefs community how can agencies be good to clients?
“By being reactive. The world goes at such a fast pace right now, that you must be able to adapt and work quickly when things change. They should be constantly learning across all channels as tech is changing every single day. They should be creating an emotion in their work, whether making them laugh, smile or cry in order to make the customer feel compelled to act.”
Read more of my conversation with Nick Entwistle
5). Be you, always
My conversation with Angelica Malin reinforced the idea that you should try to create a social media version of yourself that is as close to the real version, always.
“Social media becomes really draining when you're trying to create a brand that feels like an exaggerated over-the-top version of yourself. Over time that becomes really exhausting to keep up with and that's why people lack the consistency with social media. That’s when they find the content creation, a bit draining, because you can't constantly be like a shouty over expressive version of yourself.”
Read more of my conversation with Angelica Malin
6). Journalists make good content marketers
My September interview with Justin Calderón confirmed what I already knew: journalistic backgrounds can help you as a marketer, particularly when a lot of marketing creative is ‘content’ these days.
“Great content is unique in subject and appeal. A veteran journalist knows this instinctively. A stand-out report lives and dies by the quality of its unique sources of experts and observations.”
Read more of my conversation with Justin Calderón
7). Your origin story gives you purpose
As Jeff Fromm shared with me in November, the importance of origin stories for brands (and people), helps when creating purpose to your organisation. As us history graduates enjoy telling anyone who will listen: if you know where you come from, you have a clearer direction of where you are going.
“The ideal scenario is that you connect your origin story to your future aspirations. And when you do attach your origin story to your future aspirations, then you can have a pretty strong purpose….. “You have more probability of attracting employees who are like minded, more probability of being able to sustain your growth...”