Getting smarter & finding wisdom
Product experience, advertising trade, the economy, & adulting trends | Vol. 16
Hello Family - Welcome to v16 of Move Fast, Think Slow. I started this newsletter to write more with a focus on cultural/business trends and meditations. Each and every newsletter has been an attempt to make this thing better. What better actually means I’m not quite sure but I do believe in that fundamental pursuit. The pursuit of getting better over time. After all, what is life if we’re not trying to improve as we go?
In business, the Japanese famously coin this as Kaizen. A way of seeing business orientation and optimizing the entire process for the end-user continuously.
Another famous model for identifying how to make a great user experience is the Kano Model. If people are not more satisfied with your product over time, you will lose them.
I’m coming in hot this week with the Eastern MBA philosophy because I am always trying to improve this product for you the reader. And that’s where the Newsletter GOATS Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz from Axios (and previously POLITICO) come in. After reading their new hit book SMART BREVITY I realize how I don’t make the UX of my reading experience all that helpful. I have full paragraphs and write a few too many words.
We are living in the era of GET. TO. THE. POINT.
So below is a test on a new Axios-style type of format in the spirit of making this newsletter that much more crispy if you will.
The Advertising trade, the economy, and ways of living 💼 📉 🧘
Shout out to the advertising GOAT: A founder (Dan Wieden) of the great ad agency Wieden +Kennedy pass away a few weeks ago.
Why it matters: Whether you know it or not you’ve been inspired by the work Dan did in advertising and the creative ads his shop produces and the people he influenced. Not only is he a legend, but he deepy influenced my life from a distance.
Dive deeper to see my hommage to a total mensch.
Clarity wins the (ad creative) day: This manifesto via Dave Trott on the kind of creativity that moves humans in advertising (and entertainment and storytelling and…) is simple and brilliant.
Why this matters: If you’re wanting to achieve creative success. Stand. Out. For example, this new Ocean Spray spot by Orchard Creative & film Director Jeff Low has been making waves lately because it harnesses the wisdom Trott lays out above.
Smart thinking | Strategic brand + biz clarity: Brands are either large and not quite special or small and very special per Paul Worthington and that kind of clarity is helpful to anyone who consults businesses for a living.
Key insight: While smaller brands often look toward what makes them special as a stepping stone toward greater scale, we see the reverse from large brands that already have the scale and now seek greater specialness.”
WTF is the Fed doing | Economic analysis: The financial marketplace is spooked because the Fed is using all of its primary tools to combat the state of affairs via Kyla Scanton. For those who don’t understand the Fed and how it affects perception, fears, and the such, Kyla is the go-to in distilling WTF is happening. Per Kyla:
The Fed’s main tools are
Raising rates
Shrinking the balance sheet
Talking
Right now, they are doing all three. They have raised rates substantially over the past several months, they are shrinking the balance sheet (at a quick clip, however, they have no plans to sell soon, which is slightly dovish) and they are communicating *heavily*.
Life Pro-trip | Don’t over-optimize yourself: Due to living in a competitive, capitalistic society, folks can bring that hyper-efficiency-make-my-life-perfect to their personal lives. And guess what, it doesn’t do much to make someone happy. This post below sums that up excellently.
Why hyper-optimization is a life fail: “What some is kept at bay, in a fish-not-having-a-word-for-water-way, is that you identify with your job of optimizing processes to maximum efficiency to a degree that you treat yourself like a work projects. What I am getting at here is: Watch out. It may be easier and more worth it to develop an interest in cooking or join a sports club.”
I Don’t Need My Life to Be Remarkable: A wonderful Op-Ed by Sarah Wildman is vulnerable and incredibly enlightening. So many of us are out there running to strive for some kind of version of perfection when the truth is, does it even exist? Does it even matter?
“It is remarkable. I am weary of her having to be remarkable. It turns out I really don’t need life to always be a 10. A nice, solid six would be nice. Tonight I’d even go with a four. We’d be very happy to rest here, at four.”
Men (and humans) need community to thrive: Some suburban dudes started a no-thrills workout network called F3 (that’s for fitness, fellowship, and faith). This is the feel good story that counters (and offers wisdom) some not-so-great trends in the Western world.
The trends: Happiness tends to go down at age 40 and upticks again around age 60. You mix that with this trend that folks who turn 40 trend towards spending more and more time alone as they age. Not great.
The wisdom of 3Fs: Working out with other dudes, having spirituality and a routine? That’s pretty brilliant if you ask me. Especially if you’re trying to live a life with love and happiness - research shows this.
Before we go…Laugh Out Loud 🤣
Dude in a grey beared getting really vibey with a savage on guitar? Here for it! Give this a watch and then share it (along with this newsletter) with your friends.
Zach Galifianakis is a comedic genius and he crushes the BETWEEN TWO FERNS interview format. And the bloopers might be even funnier than the show itself.
Stay safe out there.
-Mitch
P.S. If you’re new - subscribe!
And dive deeper into some recent dispatches:
Revolt of the public (my most read post, prob b/c I mentioned Crypto in the title)