You're Talking All The Time But Don't Even Know It
Communication is (almost) everything: Context Collapse #157
So I’ve been thinking about communications a lot lately. Part of this is because I run a marketing and PR consulting firm and another part of it is, well… I’m a human being existing in the year 2022. Existing in the year 2022 means being in the middle of the biggest communications transformation since ol’ Gutenberg messed around with a printing press and set the stage for the 100 Years War and massive religious and cultural upheaval.
Interesting times for sure.
Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of communications in my worldview: Intentional communications and unintentional communications.
Intentional communications are just that—it’s what you say out loud to your friends, family and coworkers. It’s what you type in an email or a newsletter (Yo!). It’s what you turn into a video on TikTok or write in a text message. Those are intentional, the lot of them.
Then there are unintentional communications. Your body language can tip off other people to your emotions, unspoken concerns and even class, ethnic and geographic background. The type of car you drive (or don’t drive) is a communications signal. Your choice to buy coffee from Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, a local coffee shop or just to make it home is a signal. The clothes you wear are a form of communication. Your choice in leisure activities are a form of communication. I could go on and on.
Working in this tricky communications business, it still surprises me how many people don’t understand that communication is literally almost everything. Understand that, and you have a magic key that can make achieving your personal and professional goals easier.
Onwards and upwards.
News
We just got a nice shoutout from friend-of-the-newsletter Sarah Segal at Segal Communications:
The Hustle, Protocol Source, and Techmeme are staples for business and tech. I turn to Context Collapse! and O’Dwyers Monday newsletter for journalism and PR. For advice on affiliate relationships and lifestyle placement opportunities, I go to Aly’s Newsletter, Bryce Gruber, Alice Dublin, Zlata Thoug#ts, and Nicole’s Newsletter.
Good company all! Thank you Sarah.
I'm also honored to join Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator as a mentor for the second(!) year in a row.
I've met with some great companies and am working with founders on messaging, storytelling and media outreach while helping them figure out which media communications will get them the best employees, customers and partners.
Sponsor Break!
This post is sponsored by Ungerleider Works.
I run Ungerleider Works. We work with clients on things like editorial strategy, scriptwriting, ebooks, research and podcast/newsletter launches.
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Speaking of all that, I just listened to Darrell Hammond of SNL fame’s appearance on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast.
Most of it is three veteran SNL cast members and stand-up comedians talking shop, gossiping about cast members and guest hosts and riffing on each others’ jokes. Which is good.
But the part that fascinated me was when Hammond (who played Donald Trump, Al Gore, John McCain, Dick Cheney and many others) and Carvey (who played George HW Bush and Ross Perot) discussed impersonating high-profile politcians on SNL. They’re primarily actors on a live sketch comedy show responsible for getting a laugh from their audience. But they’re also very aware that their impersonations heavily influence how their audiences view the actual politicians they’re impersonating. At the end of the day, both of them agreed, you just have to go for the laughs because otherwise you’ll choke onstage.
Enjoyed that one.
I’ve also been thinking a little bit on the behind the scenes drama with the new NBA app. Per Ina Fried at Axios:
The NBA's newly refreshed free mobile app include new videos and other features that aim to increase its engagement with fans while not angering the companies that pay billions to broadcast live games.
Basically a classic case of the law and contract structures not catching up with the way people actually consume sports and video in 2022. It’s a triangle with the fans on one side, the NBA on another side and networks like ESPN on the other side. The NBA and networks can afford fancy lawyers, but the fans can’t. Bit of a power imbalance there that indicates who will actually win…
Other stuff I’m thinking about: The crazy A/B experiments LinkedIn is running on users. North Korean IT experts moonlighting on Upwork. The US does psyops on social media just like every other country. Costco says FU inflation and isn’t raising membership fees. Data-driven deep dive on Lookism in TikTok. This NYT profile of Israeli-Palestinian social media star Nuseir Yassin/Nas Daily. Chipotle testing robot line cooks. Vidcon launching east coast edition. Lizzo’s Library of Congress flute awesomeness. New study says coronavirus vaccines temporarily disrupted menstural cycles. Katie Couric diagnosed with breast cancer. Google overhauling Google Search algorithms again. Google apparently shutting down Stadia. The ongoing mess of the Fast Company hack.
And there we go! Thank you for reading this far.
One humble ask: If you could help us please the fickle algorithm gods by liking this post or leaving a comment, that would be wonderful. Thank you.
Always enjoy an issue of Context Collapse! And yep, agree with you on Everything is Communication.