Matt’s Mix Tape, Vol. 106
Hi, I’m Matt Tillotson and this is Matt’s Mix Tape, a weekly Mix of ideas on writing and content strategy for the Creator Age.
This week’s Mix:
Twitter brands as buddies
Fitness conundrum
Quick mix
This week’s Florida photo
This week’s Mix Tape logo
I didn’t feel like drawing something fun this week.
I’m dismayed by the events in Afghanistan. By leadership failures, passed off on others. By what it means for those stranded there. By the avoidable loss of life. And by the emotional impact on all who bravely served there, and may now be wondering what it was all for.
Twitter brands as buddies
Kushaan Shah on why processed and fast food brands create distinct voices on Twitter:
Wendy’s, Denny’s, Steak-umm, MoonPie, Boston Market, DiGiornio, Oreo, and Arby’s are among the many brands using their Twitter not just as a channel for their brand awareness, but as a sociological exploration into just how people interact.
Wendy’s Twitter account roasts competitors and fans alike:
(Nearly 1M likes on this roast.)
Steak-Umm’s account has become a stand-up comedian, mixing humor with thoughtful and self-aware takes on life, business, and the human experience:
Shah argues there’s little “experience” to reinforce purchase decisions with these brands. The Wendy’s drive-thru doesn’t leave a lasting dopamine trail. So the Twitter accounts at Wendy’s and other commodity brands try to build bonds in other ways:
If you see snark brand twitter, weird brand twitter, angsty brand twitter, or whatever permutation of unusual brand twitter exists out there, forget about the bottom line for a minute.
Just ask yourself exactly what void they might be filling in a world that’s full of them.
There’s another reason: These brands create emotional bonds to paper over the fact they shovel processed garbage at a populace that is chronically—catastrophically—overweight and sick.
Fitness Conundrum
On Twitter, I get the most engagement when I Tweet about health and fitness.
The problem is, I don’t really have that much to say about it. My personal program is simple:
I just do that stuff over and over. It’s not complicated.
Simple, not easy: I’m uncomfortable giving fitness “advice.” I’m not a trainer. Lord knows science was never my thing, so I have no credentials there.
My one advantage: I can see 50 years old in my windshield (still down the road a bit, though!), and I’ve stayed in good shape.
The best shape of my life, probably.
I do feel a pull to help our society get healthier. With COVID, we fight about masks and vaccines and ignore the role our own health plays in surviving the virus:
Our culture encourages bad habits. Bad habits are profitable.
Not sure what to do with all that—or if it can be any kind of sustainable content advantage at all—as I consider my content strategy. Kinda thinking out loud here. Your thoughts are welcome.
Quick Mix
Some things I found interesting this week:
A new study finds sugar increases fat absorption in the gut. Minimize sugar! (From Cynthia Thurlow.)
I’ve abandoned ship on a lot of books lately. But “Project Hail Mary,” by Andy Weir, has me hooked. He also wrote “The Martian,” which became a movie starring Matt Damon. Apparently this book will follow a similar path and star Ryan Gosling.
And, finally, I liked this reminder:
This week’s Florida photo
The wind currents that steer hurricanes from Africa to North America can also sweep Saharan dust into Florida. The dust amplifies our already spectacular sunsets:
My wife captured this shot earlier this week.
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