Hey Must Readers, I hope you have all been well!
I’ve written today’s MR in the middle of Britain heatwave (33c currently thats 92f in an island not prepared for 23c+ weather).

Today I’m sharing a handful of must-reads, listens and more than usual must-watches.

Must Relax To: As the shows segment is continuing to be popular here are a couple of recommendations:
Scarpetta (Amazon Prime Video) it’s a crime based series with a number of interesting who done it plot lines & flashback episodes, Dutton Ranch (Paramount+) if you like yellowstone, you’ll love the Beth and Rip follow on (better than Marshall’s, the Kayce follow on).

My book recommendation is The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula by Jon McNeill, I shared his podcast interview in last month’s Must Reads and if you like mental models and frameworks this is for you.

If you’re into podcasts and ecom here is an excellent long form pod with the founder of David and RX bar

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Onto the must reads, listens and watches:

AI gets bashed a lot and mostly rightly so but away from the headlines and overhype we see AI detecting cancer years before other methods can. Mayo Clinic AI helps specialists detect pancreatic cancer up to 3 years before diagnosis in landmark validation study. When the pope drops a 41k word essay on disarming AI you know there is an issue.

There is an undertone to this months MR, it’s privacy and the ever increasing demand for more info and more training data. This is a great short video connected:

In my long read recommendation I’m offering up what makes art great. For me it’s the time, the passion and the connection art creates and the fresh headspace it can push you into. AI is rightly receiving backlash lately but this is nice and balanced.

As a big soccer/football fan still celebrating Arsenal’s premier league win, I always find it interesting the different perspectives on who and how brands can win being connected to a big tournament, especially when they are not the official sponsor. This year we have seen a huge spike in non official shirts/jersey’s going on sale, typically from historic large sporting brands like Umbro, we have also seen a large uptick in high street/retail stores leaning into nostalgic world cups.

Nike’s recovery needs a huge world cup and it doesn’t seem its going to happen. Meanwhile adidas have already won the advertising wars (alternative link).
Free Advice: If you want to eventjack, sporting events are highly competitive and ultra tribal so be careful, especially on social…

If you are into film or limited series you will know of A24, with huge successes like The Drama, How To Make A Killing, Marty Supreme & Margot Got Money Troubles (which I recommend to watch on Apple TV - if OF offends you, maybe don’t watch) they’re well known for content but also the creative marketing.
This is a good insiders look behind the studio and why they have been the powerhouse studio every actor wants to work with in recent times.

This hybrid interview/product walk through from videographer and video journalist Cleo (she is YouTube’s poster child / royalty known for her Huge if true* channel) and Ferrari has dominated social feeds for the last couple of days.

Right now without a clipping campaign behind it. It features Apple design legend Jony Ive who’s company (lovefrom) co-designed the car and Ferrari Chief Designer Flavio Manzoni - they talk through the first Ferrari EV (😮 with a rumoured $640k price tag) and the tremendous depth of thought behind the vehicle. Just listen to Jony talk about the need for real thought not just more digital and more touch screen just because its electric.

YouTube MKHD also got a glimpse and offers an interested and balanced t

In today’s landscape many companies are using a modernised leak first playbook, (i) leak pictures/videos (ii) following up with big, sometimes bold video of the product or service with long written statement full of jargon (iii) drip specs/details bit by bit then (iv) follow up with publications, well known expert reviews and (v) creator and podcast interviews.

Ferrari rightly followed a different playbook, they partnered with Cleo (who has 7.5m YouTube subscribers, 3m+ on Instagram, 2.4m+ on TikTok) who can help shape the narrative, ask interesting questions not just the PR fluff and industry jargon filled pieces, she can help to flood the zone with her blend of long and shorter form videos, not only to create a different view but dominate the news and commentary around it. It’s smart from the legendary brand and another way that brands are rethinking and approaching launches differently.
Ferrari could have launched classically and done fine but a new media tech style launch has much better richer results.

You’ll likely want to think again - if you struggle to listen or showing up as if you are listening and showing the people around you they’ve been heard, here are 10 recommendations from Vanessa Van Edwards. 

For me there is nothing better than listening to experts breakdown their skills, especially artists, songwriters and writers. The NYT managed to interview two very different song writers, Sean Carter aka Jay Z and Taylor Swift (her music isn’t for me, but her skills and the fandom she created is second to none and something you have to learn from) break down their skills and styles.

Legacy media will always have a place in the media mix when they can use their brand to interview experts in their field for a 1 of 1 interview.

I’m filing this under new national hero gives Scotland hope. It also shows how sports can shape culture, especially around spending (and global events like the upcoming football world cup) on collectables in the hope of increased value.

C-suite titles used to be almost impossible to achieve, however, for creators they are being given important titles to signal a shift inside of businesses.
I predict in the upcoming 18 months we might see let’s call them C-suite -1 level titles given out to signal a shift from traditional to new and pump internal narratives from stuck to creative. A title shouldn’t matter but in corporate it does, especially in larger established businesses and maturing startups.

There is a lot of behavioural science we see but don’t understand, charm pricing is one that works and oddly has worked for over 100 years, that is why there is 99c stores in almost every country.

A very good video from video journalist Christophe about the meta ray bans and why they are so easily tricked into recording all the time even with safety guards (legal stealth mode). Just like with the drone issues of a few years ago this is going to be a big tech problem.
On my AI Moment Podcast we discussed AI wearables being the next wave since last year. With Apple, Meta, Snap and Google (coming back) all playing in this space, ease of recording and recording everything generation this is going to be a nightmare.

» You will also see Meta push their products and services directly into your feeds like I did this morning

Be Kind, Always

Having pitched QR codes a number of times (and for investment 15+ years ago on offline products) and seeing the rise and downfall in Covid, we are about to see major supermarkets and brands switch to QR codes to add more information and insights on the products we are looking to buy.

“The frequent measurements serve as a constant, controlled feedback loop for the athlete and coach”

I love long reads like this, getting under the skin and uncovering patterns and formula’s to see how some nations are so powerful in creating athletes and others use more human vibes.

The best mix: entertaining & educational

Got any questions or comments on any of the Must Reads, or want to chat through Marketing, Growth or AI, get in touch [email protected] or hit reply

I am coaching CEOs, CMOs & Product leaders and consulting.
I also run AI workshops and AI hackathons, so get in touch