Weekend Media - The Neal Ungerleider Newsletter
The importance of lifelong castatrophism + influencer press kits + Baby Shark victory + more!
Hey there. I hope your day is going great. Welcome to a special, link-centric special weekend edition.
Here in Chicago, winter is here and the temperature dropped 30 degrees or so this week.
That’s annoying. You see, all I really want in this world is:
To spend a few hours catching up with friends inside a bar with a solid jukebox, real ale UK-style (Or at least good beers that aren’t IPAs. Anything but damned IPAs), and—ideally—a cozy fireplace.
Following up said night at that bar with 1am greasy diner food and watching the late night crowd WTFery.
But it’s 2020 and that’s not happening for obvious reasons. I’m gonna settle for hoping noone I know is hospitalized this winter instead.
We’re headed into a very bad winter as far as these things go. But we know that already.
Anyway! On to the links.
New Futures:
Justin Cronin, author of vampire epic The Passage, explains how he became a lifelong catatrophist:
I began to notice other things, other shadows that lay over my life—over everyone’s life. The dark specter of the nuclear arms race. The proliferation of biological and chemical weapons. Environmental destruction. Human civilization’s thin veneer of goods and services and social restraint. I discovered no shortage of literature to satisfy my obsession; people who say the recent wave of apocalyptic literature is a new phenomenon didn’t have my Cold War childhood, when such books filled the shelves.
How limited privacy protections on Untappd, a popular craft beer-hunting app, can be used to track military and intelligence personnel.
It looks like JC Penney will survive for now. A bankruptcy court has approved a proposed acquisition.
Mental health rewards like days off and reduced workloads are becoming more commonplace at companies transitioning to remote work. We shouldn’t be talking about time away from work as a “reward,” but here we are.
Good news in our COVID world: It’s now safe enough for United Airlines and Alaska Airlines to resume serving in-flight meals in economy with modifications (Contactless payment, limited passenger interaction, you know the score…)
Bad news in our COVID world: Chicago is tracking for COVID cases to overwhelm local hospitals this winter thanks to skyrocketing positive rates.
Advertising/Marketing/PR:
I’m still unpacking Tubefilter’s look at how an entrepreneur named Brent Underwood turned the California ghost town of Cerro Gordo into an influencer hotspot through strategic self-promotion.
Business Insider reverse engineering the press kit of 19-year-old influencer Laur DeMartino.
Disney going all out with a three-minute Christmas ad telling the story of a grandmother, her granddaughter and the family traditions that connect them through the years. Hint: Mickey’s involved.
VF Corp is buying streetwear brand Supreme for more than $2 billion.
Olivia Spring, EIC of Sick magazine, writes about working in creative industries while living with chronic illness for It’s Nice That.
Apple’s bringing back John Hodgman as the PC Guy because pandemic times mean advertising comfort food.
What it’s like to be in the Trump merch business when your candidate loses the election.
McDonald’s is launching a loyalty program.
Everyone hail the genius of Calm’s Election Night ad campaign.
Media:
YouTube’s most watched video of all time = Baby Shark. Doop doop doop.
Netflix is testing a regular programmed linear channel called Netflix Direct that plays the same content for everyone that watches it. You know, just like regular television.
Mass layoffs at The Ellen Show, even more TK layoffs at Ellen Show parent WarnerMedia and Disney’s ESPN is shutting down esports coverage.
Jane Friedman explains common reasons why non-fiction books don’t sell.
Spotify is spending $235 million to acquire Megaphone, a podcast hosting firm, in a move designed to boost Spotify’s ability to make $$ from podcast ad revenue.
Historian and presidential biographer Jon Meacham’s new job: Speechwriter for Joe Biden.
Podcast firm Wondery CEO Hernan Lopez is in quite a bit of legal trouble.
Right-wing news brand Newsmax sees the path to audience growth through out-right-winging Fox News.
Ex-TikTok CEO Jason Mayer is joining Access Industries, a high-profile investment group, where he’ll advise in entertainment investments.
Inside the zombie entertainer nightmare world of deepfake music.
Tech:
In the latest iteration of the gamification of contractor work, Amazon’s introducing a rewards program for Amazon drivers. Meanwhile, Amazon wants to expand their delivery presence in rural areas.
The Wall Street Journal looks at industrial applications for 5G.
Walmart and GM are partnering on a pilot for store deliveries via self-driving car.
All you need to know about Apple’s new product announcements.
Fun:
Uncovering the art cultures of ancient Europe.
Visiting Bunnyhenge.
If you’re going to get kicked out of Yellowstone, do it cooking chicken in a hot spring.
Things I’ve Enjoyed Lately:
This Hacker News thread on how to become a consultant. Even though I’ve been consulting for years, there are some gems here.
Considering the possibilities that electrons may be conscious.
Baratunde Thurstson’s podcast with Tonkia Johnson on the Folded Map Project, which visually connects residents who live at corresponding addresses on the (mostly white) north and (mostly black) south sides of Chicago.
This for-sale ad for Eric Clapton’s yacht.
David Rowan on radical ideas from the world’s smartest minds.
Last but not least, a superloop of Alex Trebek cursing. RIP.
That’s it for this issue. Email me here and please don’t hesitate to contact if I can be of assistance. Thank you for taking the time to read this damned thing. And send a few $$ to help out the hardworking staff at Longman & Eagle.
Love and coffee,
Neal
About This Newsletter: My name is Neal Ungerleider, and I’m a strategic communications consultant working with brands and agencies on marketing/advertising/PR projects. I worked as a journalist in a previous life and now write this weekly newsletter about the comms industry and adjacent things. Thanks for taking the time to read it. For more, here's my bio, my portfolio, and current projects.
Connect on Twitter or LinkedIn and learn more about my services at nealungerleider.com. Contact me by replying to this newsletter or emailing neal@nealungerleider.com.