👀 Anthro Newsletter #016 | 🍟🍔 US Election Special, Calm Trolling & The Best Negronis in NYC
Your weekly newsletter on brands, campaigns, culture and insights.
Welcome to Anthro, a weekly community newsletter featuring must read content about the best and most exciting movements by brands, with a heavy focus on culture, actionable insights and brand’s relationship to business success. Whether you’re the founder of a company, at a start-up, in an agency or in-house - this is the place for your dose of industry news. I’m trying to make this one of the most valuable emails you receive each week. If you’ve enjoyed this issue, please like it above 💗 and leave me a comment 💬
Morning friends,
Can you believe it!?? YESSS BIDEN, and an even bigger YES for the first female, and HALF INDIAN (hey homegirl!), half Jamaican VP, Kamala Aunty! 💙🤍❤️ We can all sigh with relief, and raise a glass to a new era in US history. The future is bright.
Okay, so while you’re nursing your election hangover, here’s a little informative distraction - an interview with the legend that is my former boss, her tips and recommendations for NYC, and then Calm App’s hilarious trolling on CNN’s election coverage.
Enjoy!
Here’s what you’ll learn today:
Personal branding and NYC’s best Italian spots
How to troll like a champ. Calm sets a prime example on CNN
Mental health care for social media folk & the best Xmas ads
Tell a good story, embrace mistakes, and the beauty of shared success
I interview Vikki Chowney, the Global Head of Content & Publishing at Hill + Knowlton Strategies. She’s been listed in numerous industry leader lists, most recently PR Week’s 40 Under 40. A fantastic leader and negroni connoisseur, Vikki talks to us about personal branding, learning from mistakes, tips for startups and the best Italian spots in New York City. Key takeaways below 👀 Read the full interview with Vikki Chowney
Personal branding: Ask yourself what you stand for and go with that. People gravitate towards genuine passion & excitement 😻
Startups: Focus on your founder story, tell people about your origins - keep it real ✌🏽
All brands: Focus on the right channels for your brand to tell your story 📘
Trolling like a pro during CNN’s US election coverage
Elections are tense at the best of times, but this US election has been *more tense than any other election EVER*!? Am I right?! US readers - what do you think? And UK folks - you’ve all felt the ripples here in Britain right? I mean we all know why, but I’m pretty sure this election is going down in history as the most tense. Calm (my fave chill app!) absolutely smashed their advertising during a time where most brands have been advised to STFU 🤐 It could easily come across as insensitive and tone deaf to promote your brand during these stressful times, but Calm managed to seize the moment and do it with grace and LOLz. They bought an ad spot during CNN’s election coverage. 👀 Calm displayed rain pouring down on leaves. Classique. On top of that. CNN’s “Key Race Alert” updates are also sponsored by the stress-busting app. Trolling on point! Read 3 key reasons why Calm got away with this cheeky spot below 👀 And read this funny Twitter thread about it
Brands are best promoted only when they can add value to the situation. Calm’s purpose is to de-stress people. News is stressing us all out, so Calm seized the moment and promoted itself as the antidote. Trolling but EXCELLENT timing 👹
Calm provided free value to viewers in the moment, with calming rain fall in the forest. Free value gives people a taste for what else the brand can provide 💸
A cheeky little logo placement, sponsoring the “Key Race Alerts”, was suitably ironic. Again, only okay because of the serenity the Calm app can help create, during a stressful time ✨
Other interesting things:
Adweek’s take on the Calm ad on CNN - Paul Hiebert, Adweek
Christmas ads so far, ahead of John Lewis’ release - Sabrina Barr, Metro
Social media managers on mental health - Ellen Omesher, The Drum
H+K Strategies London is hiring a social/influencer expert - H+K London
And in case you missed it:
👀 Anthro Free Guide #1: Brand Strategy 101
👀 Hyper-Local: Coke’s Ad Campaign in Edinburgh
👀 Twitch & London Fashion Week
👀 Brand Experience: What a Non-Whisky Lover can learn from Macallan
👀 Part I interview with Mark Carroll, Creative Strategist at Pinterest
👀 Emily In Paris: The basis of market research & cultural sensitivity
👀 Part II interview with Mark Carroll
👀 The power of partnership: North Face x Gucci
Alrighttt, we’re done. Have a wonderful week ahead and see you here on Anthro at the same time next week. As per, email me at hello@anthro.global to say hi and tell me what you’d like to see in future issues.
Or leave me a cheeky comment saying how much you loved this week’s Election Special issue? 😉😘
Sanya 😊
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Written by Sanya-Jeet Thandi, a brand strategist & consultant with a love for culture, start-ups and good karma. British Indian currently in Kent & London, and soon to be US ex-pat. You can connect with me on Twitter & Instagram.