I was at Upstream’s NFT Week mixer last night, which I sponsored through the $CMO coin brand, and I spent most of the event talking about crypto with a pastor from Memphis who was in town for the week.
This has the makings of a great column, but it turns out there was a little less conversation to go on than I remember, and writing about it left me all shook up.
Instead, I’ll go back to the topic I can’t help falling in love with, and don’t be cruel if I tell you my burning love — a big hunk o’ love, really — is for writing about Meta. If you can’t take reading about it, well, I forgot to remember to forget it.
Too much? It’s now or never. Treat me nice.
As for Meta, I wrote a very meta column about it a month ago.
The theme of that edition, “The Curse of the Metaverse,” was how fiction such as Ready Player One inspired Mark Zuckerberg, and Zuckerberg seems to overlook how such fiction always takes place in a dystopia.
Such stories follow a similar arc. Reality is so messed up that people flee to a digital fantasy, and the fantasy devolves in turn. I neglected to cite Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash which coined the term “metaverse,” but Ernest Cline’s RP1 was said to be required reading at Facebook.
Kenneth Hein included a quote of mine in The Drum in his story, “Facebook beware? Study shows most Americans don’t care about the metaverse.” That includes many other thoughts from a humbling array of executives who are way more eloquent than me.
Here is what I wrote Hein in full though, with some minor edits and updates:
Facebook is overhyping the metaverse. Oculus Quest 2 is terrific hardware, but even the best such devices still wind up in a junk drawer within months or days after use. Consumers show little appetite for buying extra hardware to interact with a more immersive experience.
Some digital experiences, ranging from multiplayer games to virtual meetings, will become more immersive. You’ll be able to see the world through others’ eyes, and there will be greater feelings of connecting with people on a deeper, more human level. As a community organizer, I’m looking forward to that.
But most interactions will still take place in the ‘flat,’ non-immersive internet. Consumers have shown a healthy appetite for devouring content in lightweight, fast, low-tech text, image, and video feeds spanning Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and elsewhere. Casual game use, in terms of time spent with media, dwarfs that of hardcore gaming. Now, much of the time spent with gaming itself is spent watching others stream games through platforms like Twitch.
Virtual reality technology will still get better. We’re just now getting close to what was envisioned by Michael Crichton and popularized by the Michael Douglas and Demi Moore film Disclosure. That movie came out in 1994 when Mark Zuckerberg was 10. He had plenty of other potential influences by then like Snow Crash (1992). And now he seems obsessed with Ready Player One without realizing that by Ready Player Two, the dystopia has consumed both the real world and VR.
Blockchain applications will continue to grow. Tokenization of media will become more important. Virtual reality will win over more fans, gradually, though most of the applications of VR will still be used most as more subtle enhancements to the 2D internet.
It’s like how one of the great applications of augmented reality is the first down yardage marker in televised American football games. For casual fans, it’s hard to watch the sport without those digital enhancements, and it is literally AR. The ‘yardage marker’ applications for VR and the metaverse remain to be seen.
—
Going deeper here, often 2D is better than 3D. We’ve had 360-degree video for years, and that was briefly popular in YouTube and Facebook feeds. 3D Television was once the favorite Consumer Electronics Show (CES) technology, but after a couple of years, all of those exhibits disappeared.
A similar experience comes to mind when Google was beta testing AR navigation features in Maps. The added layers made the maps harder to read. Similarly, the New York City subway map is proportionally a mess, but maximizing clarity by skewing a 2D rendition is more useful than an accurate, 3D model drawn to scale.
By favoring subpar 2D digital experiences, it may also be our way of relishing the superior real world which is immersive even if we never need to say we are immersed in it.
—
I can’t resist one more Meta theme. One of my favorite tropes, which also popped up in Serial Marketers, is how “Meta” means “death” in Hebrew. First off, that’s only true for the feminine case; otherwise, it would be “Met.”
Despite all the issues I have with Meta and the metaverse, you have to reach pretty far to mock a phrase by digging into Hebrew, a language spoken by about 0.1% of people on the planet.
Then look at the term “Met.” Do you ever see people mock “The Death Gala”? What about “When Harry Death Sally”? Sure, that makes no sense, but neither does it to use one of the world’s most nominally spoken national languages to make fun of a name change of a company whose products reach billions of people.
Still, I love Jewish linguistics nerds, so while I think they’re a few chocolate coins shy of a bag of gelt in this case, they are still very much my people.
—
Epilogue: I wrote Hein about the Oculus Quest 2 from personal experience. When I got mine earlier this year, I loved the virtual reality boxing apps, including one based on the new Creed movies. That led me to spend months researching boxing equipment, and I later bought a heavy bag for my apartment. One of my favorite birthday gifts ever is the pair of Hayabusa boxing gloves I received two weeks ago.
What happened to the Quest? It is in my junk drawer. I’m not sure when I’ll see it again. if I have the urge to get in a three-minute round, I put on wraps and gloves, and I feel the impact of fist on bag.
I know VR will simulate all of those sensations. All the optics and haptics and synaptics and nootropics and hottopics are coming. But I think it’s just going to make us value the real world more, get us to unplug, and do the kinds of mundane, low-tech activities that we don’t even need to talk about in social media.
See you IRL, soon I hope, or at least in your 2D best.
David
PS: Our latest NFT is out. Grab one of the limited edition gold $CMO coin NFTs available via Rally. We have a special coin drop to celebrate NFT Week that $CMO is sponsoring. Claim your 3 $CMO (worth about $20 today); it takes a few seconds if you have a Rally account already. You can even use a few of those coins to pick up an NFT.
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- It’s Healthy to Take Breaks When You’re Exhausted. Here’s How to Pause by Leslie Forde
- Learning From Loss and the Importance of Community by Beth Granger
- A Con in Context by Marc Goldberg
- Rite Aid Chooses Within as Digital Media Agency of Record by Bridget Goldschmidt
- Back To School: The Business of Teachers as Influencers by Kielo
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EVENTS
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Please submit any events you’re hosting to our calendar at https://serialmarketers.net/
UPCOMING SERIAL MARKETERS EVENTS
- 11/3: First Wednesdays Meetup (in-person NYC), 5-7pm
- 11/17: Serial Marketers Salons, 6pm (sneak preview: it’ll feature guest speaker YieldStreet CMO Wittney Rachlin)
- 12/15: Serial Marketers Holiday Spectacular (virtual), 6pm
FIRST WEDNESDAYS MEETUP
November 3, 5-7pm
NYC
First Wednesday is back in person! Note that the venue may change as the weather gets colder.
RSVP
CLIMATE CON 2021
November 9-11
Online
Via Merrill Feather in the community
“Climate Con is an online gathering for us regular people to discuss what the heck we’re going to do about climate change. There’s something for everyone and anyone who wants to know more about the roles they can play—from entrepreneurs to designers, parents to employees, citizens to educators, storytellers, and even your mom. During three doom-free days, hear the stories of others who have already charted their climate journeys. They’ll retrace their steps and share exactly how they took each one.”
Register
DREAMVERSE
November 4, 8pm
Terminal 5, NYC
Via Amy Tremmel in the community:
“For anyone interested in NFTs – here’s a chance to own one from a notable NFT artist AND hang out with tons of NFT artists + the crypto community IRL! The NFT actually changes after check in at the event too. Dreamverse is produced by Metapurse – the team that bought the most expensive NFT (Beeple’s First 5000 days) and they’ll be unveiling the B5K monument at the party.”
More info + Tickets
CREATE AN ABOUT PAGE THAT KICKS ASS
November 10, 9am
Via Danielle Hughes in the community:
“We have all heard the expression, ‘you are your biggest asset.’ So why do so many of us feel reluctant to let our personality shine in business? Maybe it’s because we don’t know how. Or worse, we fear showing too much of ourselves will alienate potential clients or employers. Surprise! It’s actually the opposite. People are hungry for personality. That’s what drives connection. In this field trip, I’ll help people learn how to put more of themselves into their bios and use what they love doing outside of work to showcase what makes them great inside of work.”
Register
SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING WORKSHOP
November 10, 12pm
Via Nancy Ruzow in the community
“With marketing strategies evolving rapidly, join us to learn how you can best position yourself and scale your business! Marketing strategies are ever-evolving, with new platform updates storming your in-box and feeds weekly. In this ON THE FLY Workshop, social media strategist Laura Cheek, founder of Insperience It, will help you take advantage of these changes to best position yourself and scale your business.”
Register
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON STARTUPS
November 17
“Ascent’s Spotlight on Startups event will convene ~150 founders and C-level executives of seed round and Series A startups, as well as 100 investors. This event will also be invite-only with the content and agenda aligned to address the unique challenges faced by startups.”
Regsiter
WIN BACK MORE ABANDONED CARTS
November 18, 1pm
Via Randy Levy in the community:
“This one is for the eCommerce Serial Marketers and those who wish to improve upon their abandoned cart:
– Strategies that go above and beyond your average abandoned cart email
– Ways to optimize your abandoned cart content with personalization and animations”
Register
ASCENT SAAS: SPOTLIGHT ON MARKETING
January 19
“An all-virtual, intimate and exclusive gathering of the nation’s senior marketing leaders in SaaS. 150+ Senior CMOs & VPs of Marketing, 10 sessions, 3 industry keynotes, 3 interactive panels, endless networking…”
Register
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JOBS
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Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Better yet, subscribe to get updates from our job listing board. Here are some great opportunities shared in these places or sent to me directly.
CODE CLIMATE
Director of Product Marketing
New York
Via Dave Weinberg in the community
“We’re looking for a “customer first” focused leader who’s excited about growing business-critical product lines. In this role, you will develop strategic partnerships with your Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Product, and Engineering peers, go deep in a problem space or domain, and translate your vision into a comprehensive go-to-market strategy. You will be expected to foster future leaders while building diverse and inclusive teams. This role will be a high-impact leadership position that will collaborate closely and strategically with other leaders across the company.”
Apply
AMRESORTS
Sr. Digital Marketing Associate
Newtown Square Office, PA
Via Miguel Oliveira in the community
“Grow your career as a Senior Digital Marketing Associate within AMResorts, one of our 14 industry-leading brands. As a crucial member of the AMResorts Direct & E-Commerce team, the Senior Digital Marketing Associate is chiefly responsible for overseeing the execution of the digital marketing strategy for 6 unique resort brands. The ideal candidate will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to create innovative digital initiatives that align with brand identity and meet brand standards.”
Apply
EMPATHY
Social Media Manager
NYC
Via Lia Zneimer in the community
“In this role, you will:
* Own all of our social media channels.
* Plan and manage campaign executions, on time, on budget, to scope
* Create engaging content and maintain the cadence and voice of each of our channels.
* Source content from teams across the company, communicating new ideas and initiatives across channels.
* Lead the development of a wide range of content forms, including video, text, still imagery, animation, live action and other content forms that best utilize the technology available on any given social media/digital platform.”
Apply
PRODUCTIVE FLOURISHING
Marketing Assistant (Technical)
Portland, Oregon or remote
Via Cory Huff in the community
“Productive Flourishing helps people finish their most important projects by publishing some of the best articles, books, and courses on productivity and leadership. We are a Black-, veteran-, and woman-owned small business that intentionally cultivates diversity on our team and in the work we do. We encourage BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, people with disabilities, and veterans to apply. We’re looking for a Marketing Assistant (Technical) with experience providing technical support for a fast-paced online marketing team.”
Apply
LOCALS
Creator Acquisition Manager
Miami, Florida
Via Weston Armstrong Woodward in the community
“We are looking for a Creator Acquisition Manager to join our Community Success Team to support creator acquisition and onboarding to the Locals platform. The Creator Acquisition Manager will constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities to bring on new creators based on real-time events. It’s critical to understand the many social media platforms and how content creators distribute and monetize their content and their brand.”
Apply
WESTROCK
Director, Campaign Content Strategy
Remote US
“The Director, Campaign Content Strategy is responsible for developing content strategy and overseeing content execution for WRK’s content marketing team. You are responsible for managing and advancing our content marketing programs and projects. In addition to your extensive experience in content marketing, you should also be a creative and strategic thinker and have a keen eye for process. The services you will be overseeing range from written editorial work, creative visual assets across both traditional and digital media, creative briefs to strategy deliverables – and beyond!”
Apply
METAPROP
Head of Marketing
Via Chris Gorges in the community
“The Marketing Director will create a new marketing strategy and enjoy full accountability while leveraging a strong global brand and robust set of existing assets. The Marketing Director will own the entire marketing function, reporting to the MetaProp partnership.”
Apply
AKOYA
Associate Technical Writer
Boston, MA – remote
Via Danielle Hughes in the community
“We are looking for a technical writer to join our growing design team to help build our API-based network. This is a great opportunity for someone with experience in technical writing or content strategy. A portfolio of writing samples should be uploaded for review with application.”
Apply
TROPIC
VP of Marketing
NYC
“Our VP of Marketing will define the new space we are creating and craft a strategy for making us a household name with finance and procurement leaders the world over. This includes end-to-end marketing initiatives in brand, product, content, and even performance marketing over time. You will also measure and communicate performance in a way that is digestible at the IC, executive, and board level. You will report directly to the CEO, and you will have lots of empowerment and autonomy to bring your vision to market.”
Apply
DO SOMETHING
Director of Marketing
NYC hybrid preferred
Via Kyle Hoedl in the community
“Reporting to the VP, Marketing & Communications, the Director of Marketing contributes to the mission and vision of DoSomething.org by creating and overseeing the strategy for all facets of DoSomething’s social impact marketing campaigns and programming to ensure that we exceed expectations of our corporate partnerships, activate youth for systemic social impact, and elevate the DoSomething brand. This role also oversees talent management and supports our scholarships programs.”
Apply
Other roles: Manager, Digital Marketing, Social Media Manager
GTB
Director, Global SEO
Via William Álvarez in the community
“GTB is looking for a smart, search engine optimization veteran to pick up SEO strategy for a major client brand. This person will operate at a Global level with a heavy focus on helping promote and advance organic search optimization in North America. They will manage a team, work collaboratively with other client and agency teams to create and implement SEO strategy and tactics. This person should be a strong individual contributor that can take an already very strong SEO practice to the next level and beyond.”
Apply
ARRAY
Acquisition Growth Marketer
Remote US
Via Dave Weinberg in the community
“Array is revolutionizing how businesses leverage and enhance consumer data. Our platform enables innovative companies and developers to seamlessly integrate credit and identity data into their apps, websites or workflows. As a remote-first company, we’re focused on providing opportunities for autonomous individuals to have high levels of impact at the forefront of the fintech space. If you’re looking for autonomy, impact, and cutting-edge FinTech, we’d love to hear from you.”
Apply
CHIEF MEDIA
Digital Media Manager
NYC hybrid
“The Digital Media Manager is responsible for creating digital campaigns that drive results. They are an expert in search, paid social, programmatic display, and video OTT, among other channels, with strong hands-on platform experience. They have an analytical mind, can generate key insights, and don’t accept the status quo. The Digital Media Manager wants to do things a better way, always testing and pushing boundaries.”
Apply
MADE IN
Vice President of Growth
Austin, TX, open to remote
“Data-driven, organized, focused individual with an entrepreneurial spirit, the future Vice President of Growth has:
* Approximately 8 years of experience in digital marketing, demand gen, or performance marketing for a DNVB
* Managed and owned budgets between $25MM and $50MM+
* Experience with longer sales cycles and click-to-purchase brands
* International Experience with Cross-Border Marketing“
Apply
AZUL
Director of Content Marketing
“Team player that loves the journey, rolling up their sleeves, and winning as a team, the future Director of Content Marketing has:
* 5+ years of experience writing content for a spectrum of audiences working at a high-growth SaaS company
* Prior experience developing robust content marketing playbooks leveraging a variety of assets (books, savers, blogs, thought-leadership, white papers, expert interviews, etc.) – data-driven with a strong focus on measurement
* Ability to mentor and motivate those around him/her to help drive success
* Proven ability to excel in a high-growth, collaborative, and global environment
* Creative and strategic – excellent writer with strong ability to put pen to paper“
Apply
OFFICE HOURS
Market Manager, Startups (CSM)
Remote US Pacific time
“As a Market Manager for the startups segment you will own Office Hours growing book of business of startup customers from onboarding through renewal. You will be responsible for partnering with high-growth startups to drive product adoption, engagement, retention, and expansion. You will partner with our product and engineering team to continually improve the value of our marketplace. You will also partner closely with business develop to quickly expand our fast-growing demand-side.”
Apply
BIG VISION
Senior Account Manager
Orlando, FL (Remote OK)
Via Sally Word in the community
“Account Managers are on the front lines of Big Vision’s client experience. As part of the Big Vision Operations Team, Account Managers work with Clients, Directors, Project Managers, and Big Vision’s Leadership to own the successful fulfillment of client engagements. The mission is to ensure Big Vision is giving our clients a smooth experience by being the central hub of all knowledge related to your assigned clients.”
https://bgvsn.bamboohr.com/
STRATA
Director of Communications (part-time)
NYC or remote
Via Mike Fishbein in the community
“The ideal Director of Communications is a strong networker who can hustle to land press coverage, effective at crafting messaging and communications strategies, social media savvy, and can find creative opportunities to get Strata in front of its target users.”
https://angel.co/company/
Find more open roles via Candidate.co. Refer yourself or your friends, and get rewarded for supporting your network.
Also, check out the Serial Marketers job board.
Other job resources:
- Advisable: Get instant access to top marketing freelancers
- AMA Job Board: Listings from the American Marketing Association (maybe you can also ask them anything)
- Beeler.Tech: Job listings for ad operations, programmatic account management, sales operations, and more.
- Before: A talent matching platform with the mission to end bias in the hiring process.
- Braintrust: A new freelance platform where you are the owner and where freelance talent keeps 100% of the bill rate.
- Built in NYC: Jobs at a range of levels and functions, as long as you’re okay working in this quaint, backwater hamlet.
- CareerList: Here’s a form for companies hiring and a form for job seekers; here’s the public list with tabs for both
- Content Writing Jobs: Content marketers, enjoy
- Creative Women of Color: List yourself in the database and find talent, via Women Who Create
- Demand Curve: Growth and marketing jobs
- DiscoverTheTalent: An initiative designed to build partnerships with businesses to advocate, train, and hire military spouses
- ExecThread: Senior roles spanning a range of verticals and cities; membership is free but fully vetted (this uses my referral ID to get you in faster)
- Ex-Equinox Media Talent: A spreadsheet of available talent (permission given by those listed) who are recent ex-Equinox media folks.
- Gently Ventures: Helps scale businesses by finding the right talent
- GLG: Get paid to share your topical expertise; it can lead to some interesting conversations at a potentially decent hourly rate
- Growth Collective: Apply to join this network of notable freelance marketers
- Grace Blue Transitions: A portal for hirers and seekers with resources from this exec recruiting firm
- The Hired Guns: An array of jobs in marketing and related fields at brands, agencies, and media companies
- Hue: Amplifying voices of people in color working in marketing
- Hunterz: A way for connectors to get paid to introduce startups to large enterprises
- Lead5: A paid service for executive roles, plus intel on changes with companies and PE investments; you can try a risk-free weeklong trial to see if it’s any good for your needs
- Lunch Club: Match 1:1 around predetermined goals with accomplished professionals (free)
- NYC Ad Jobs & Networking: A popular Facebook group
- One Club for Creativity: COVID-19 jobs Board
- #OpenToWork: There’s a channel in Serial Marketers where you can share what you’re looking for
- Pangea: Where you can hire college freelancers (and college students can get gigs)
- Pocit: A platform connecting people of color with jobs in the tech industry
- Questions to Ask for a Marketing Role: What questions should you ask when starting a new marketing role or job?
- Remotists: Remote startup jobs, chronicled weekly
- Sales Hustle Stack: Find platform-based gigs and other creative ways to earn some extra cash
- Serial Marketers Job Board: Post regular and featured listings and subscribe for updates.
- Startup.Jobs: There’s a section for marketing jobs
- Teal: One place to organize and manage your job search.
- TechNY Daily: While more technical, there are also some sales and marketing jobs at NY startups.
- VC Job Boards: Aleph, Eniac Ventures, Pear, Sequoia, Union Square Ventures
- VentureLoop: Free startup job listings; their paid option is $15/month and might surface more leads (but it might not).
- Venwise: Submit your job interests here and get in front of their roster of hiring leads; select “Serial Marketers” under “How did you find us”
- Wanted: Wanted helps top talent in tech and marketing find a job at your desired pay.
Do you run or enjoy other job listing sites? Let me know, and I’ll share them.
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OFFERS
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Below are offers extended to the Serial Marketers community. To share your own or access the Premium member discounts, review membership options here.
GPO: Generate at least 20% more organic traffic. Doing a strong job in SEO but wonder if more traffic can be had? GPO will custom-build an AWS instance that will become a subdomain of your site, and generate at least 20% more traffic the first year. Contact Cory Cox in the community to redeem.
ContactSmarter: ContactSmarter is an AI tool that generates over 40% call booking rates without requiring human intervention. More details.
Markman Speaker Management: Get 15% off the half-day customized virtual training session “Get Speaking Engagements” for individuals or corporate staff through Sept. 30, 2021. Contact Steve Markman to redeem.
Thece: Get 10% off their Getting Started Kit — just let them know Serial Marketers sent you.
FocusedFounder
Get 5% back on any bookings of the Focus, Growth, and ReFocus plan. To receive your rebate, please contact me after you book the course.
My Software Tutor
My Software Tutor is offering all Excel and PPT courses through December 2021 at 50% off listed price. Learn the practical skills you need to succeed. Use promo code: SERIAL50. This code can be shared with friends and family. Register today on the MST website.
ReverseAds
Get 10% discounts on campaigns. ReverseAds reverses the search ad process, outperforming Google at a fraction of the cost. To redeem, contact Thom Feltz by email.
Northarc Media
Marc Lefton is offering brands a free one-hour consultation on your media mix to show how you can integrate programmatic. For agencies, you can get a free one-hour consultation on how to add programmatic to your service offerings. To redeem, contact Marc by email.
Secret
Sign up and use the promo code SERIALMARKETERS to get 20% off on any membership plan. Membership enables you to access all deals with unlimited usage. One deal should more than pay for itself.
Marpipe
Create an account and start a 7-day free trial for $125 in ad spend credit toward your first experiment with this multivariate testing platform. Redeem here. (Premium members get $175 in credit with a custom code)
Copysmith
Following a 7-day trial of this AI-powered marketing tool to generate ads, product descriptions, and more, use code SERIALMARKETERS for 35% off any plan for 3 months (premium subscribers get 50% off for 4 months).
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