ShortTake is your weekly FYP from The Shorty Awards for quick, new and thought-challenging takes on culture, creativity and TLDR. Things that need a closer look and things that need a completely different perspective. By Jeff Barrett, Chief Evangelist, Shorty Awards.
Live Mas Live
It was only a matter of a time before a brand expertly spoofed the tried and true art of the Silicon Valley product announcement event. Chef’s kiss. No notes. If you missed it you can catch up on all 25 new menu items. But there are two greater takeaways to this event. The first is that there is something very human, very connecting about not taking things too seriously. It can flop too but when the ingredients are all there, it can also be delicious. Second, it’s evidence that in a time of short form content and less risky ideas – the big risk can still be worth it. This took an intense level of playing and many long nights over a fourth meal to get done.
Don’t copy it verbatim, obviously. This specific joke won’t work again but there are plenty of other moments and events in culture to use.
Can Marketplace keep people on Facebook
Some of the best thoughts, ideas and contemplations in the industry come from Jasmine Enberg (read it here). This one is especially interesting because it shows there are multiple roads to keeping people engaged on social platforms. And to add to a point highlighted in this newsletter last week, it very much feels like most of the roads lead to retail.
Right now Marketplace is like prescriptions for a Walgreens or fuel for a convenience store – it’s getting people in the door. Does it have limitations? Clearly Meta won’t spin it off as its own entity if it’s not profitable but there needs to be – may already be – something in the works to convert traffic into long term growth.
Is it too late to jump on Substack?
Never. 2023 might have been even better but that’s like asking if it was still good to get on TikTok in 2021. Obviously, yes. It’s easy if you are very immersed in the industry to think you miss a trend. But honestly there are still plenty of people and consumers out there that are unaware of the true power of Substack or Reddit or others. There is still room for growth even if you didn’t get in at the ground floor.
Yes, Substack users can livestream now.
There’s a term I absolutely love to use called second mover advantage. You missed out on being an early adopter but you have the knowledge and feedback of what you have seen work and not work before you while still being able to ride upward momentum. It’s not too late. And it won’t be too late in June either. But there’s no time like the present.
How to experience SXSW
Ian Shepherd created an amazing and incredibly useful guide on what to follow and where to be during SXSW if you care about the creator economy. Vital – especially when there are so many places you could be that it feels overwhelming. Like early 2000s Warped Tour and suddenly you have missed five of your top ten favorite bands. Not a relatable reference? No one remembers the Myspace tent? It was a vibe.
The deeper lesson here is utility. There is so much untapped value in curation for large events so people feel like they have a travel guide. Curate a list of the top people to follow during SXSW or recap the most important takeaways. It’s the small investment in time that can really increase your value and connectivity in an industry. And it’s how you can show (rather than tell) your deep expertise.
