What word other than “surreal” describes going to bed around 1 or 2am each night after checking Twitter to see what’s happening in Ukraine just as their day gets underway?
Then it’s time to wake up around 8am as I check Twitter to see what happened with the war while I slept.
For me, the Ukraine War feels like the Twitter War. This war may present the most pivotal shift for how we view wars since CNN became must-see TV for its round-the-clock coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
There are some emotional similarities, as these media properties bring viewers closer to a historic, violent, chaotic, global event from the comfort of home.
But the sources couldn’t be more different. Instead of one network’s correspondents, the whole world is corresponding with each other. And some of the correspondents are very, very good.
As I write this, I’m still laughing from a clip of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy in a TV show five years ago where he played a teacher who accidentally became president. I won’t spoil the punchline, but it’s probably the funniest bit you’ll ever see mentioning the European Union. Monty Python would be proud.
Can this possibly be President Volodymyr “I need ammunition, not a ride” Zelenskyy?
The same actor who voiced the titular character in Ukraine’s edition of Paddington Bear?
The Social Theater of War isn’t entertainment. People are dying and suffering. We may be hearing about war crime tribunals for decades as Russian officers are tracked down and captured.
The Social Theater describes how we experience the tragedy, along with the non-stop action, heroism, betrayal, horror, courage, and human decency. And yes, there are those rare moments of humor that don’t diminish the brutality of what is happening but make Ukrainians’ heroics even more surprising.
Some of the most reliable information I’ve found in the Social Theater is from the former ambassador to Russia under President Obama, Michael McFaul. He’s been warning the world about Putin for years. Whenever I see one of his tweets, I have to read everything he’s said before or since.
In 1991, we did not get 24/7 access to a former ambassador. And we didn’t get Ukrainian-dubbed stuffed animals either.
Nor did we get the images of dead Russian soldiers by their tanks (I’ll spare any links).
Nor did we get the analysis of certain journalists’ racism, comparing refugees from Ukraine to less ‘civilized’ or sympathetic refugees from Muslim nations and elsewhere. The Onion has been reminding us for years about how this works.
In the past, we also didn’t get all the good. So much good.
Like the 1K Project for Ukraine by Alex Iskold. Thanks Fred Wilson for sharing it.
Or Help Ukraine Win, a collection of links that rose to the top of Product Hunt.
Or these links via Razom for Ukraine, a collection of resources sent to me from my Ukraine activist friend Dora Chomiak (who I mentioned last week, in case her name sounds familiar).
I was curious to see if this felt like the Twitter War for my followers, so I asked them in two places.
On Twitter, I asked about where people are getting their Ukraine information. About 75% said Twitter (shocker), and then the rest mostly mentioned going to media sources directly.
More than 125 people voted on my similar LinkedIn poll about this. I included LinkedIn as an option, though it felt like a red herring. As I write this, 56% say ‘journalism/media sites/apps’ while 29% say Twitter; LinkedIn gets 2%, and ‘other social media’ gets 13%.
The most frequently mentioned source in that ‘other’ bucket is TikTok. Gen Z may remember the Ukraine War through TikTok’s lens just like I remember watching the smart bombs on CNN in ’91.
One theme that keeps coming up in my feeds is that there are so many good sources out there. The algorithms are amplifying them. Information is driving back misinformation. Maybe it’s possible?
I shouldn’t be so rosy. I’ve had the pleasure of bouncing around ideas with the team at MediaVax that’s seeking to blunt the spread of disinformation. I caught up with the founder, Barbara Buchanan, this past week, and if you’re working on this problem at all, please reach out to me for an intro. There are few startups I’m rooting for so wholeheartedly, both for the people and the tech.
Ukraine is up against the most dangerous disinformation foes — perhaps the most dangerous in the world. And Russia can also make the concept of “mutually assured destruction” pop on Google Trends.
Even as Russia redoubles its invasion forces, Ukraine’s stories are winning.
Ukraine’s information is winning.
Ukraine’s Paddington Bear is beating back the Russian bear.
As much as Ukraine will bear the heaviest of sacrifices through all of its losses, it is showing the world that truth, courage, and honor still matter.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s showing us all that if a Jewish comedian can rise to rally the people of his Eastern European homeland to defend their nation and be a light unto nations, then we all have that spark inside us to be a hero for those who need us most.
Thank you, Ukraine.
David
PS: Want to get inspired by other feats of courage and resilience? Join me at the TD Foundation gala 3/29 in NYC to support TDF’s work providing aid to children of wounded warriors and fallen heroes. I’m donating $500 in $CMO coins this year, and it’s also one of the best ways to meet ad and tech industry leaders.
PS 2: For an event that’s less a good cause and more a great excuse to bring some of the world’s brightest and most decent marketers together, join Serial Marketers at SXSW 3/12 at 2pm CST (pw: marketers). Thank you Mediaocean and Prohaska Consulting for generously co-hosting and making this event possible.
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- WhipKnits, founded by community member Allie Smith who was also this newsletter’s first editor, was approved for a new microloan with Kiva. Lend here.
- Apple Pauses Business in Russia by David Kaplan in Adweek (yes, I’m quoted)
- Larry David Doesn’t Get Crypto. That’s Why He’s the Perfect Pitchman. by Tiffany Hsu
- You must FALL and fail if you want to SCALE + Lets Review LinkedIn Posts by Joe Apfelbaum
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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
- 3/9: Serial Marketers Speedups on Upstream — connect with fellow marketers 1:1.
- 3/12: SXSW Marketer Social (password: marketers) — thanks Mediaocean and Prohaska Consulting!
- 3/16: Serial Marketers Community Salons, Co-hosted with Michael Bendit of Trusted Referral Network. We’ll feature Orli LeWinter, a long-time advisor to Serial Marketers. The theme will be what happened at SXSW that matters for marketers
- 4/6: First Wednesdays in-person NYC, Mason Jar on E 30th, 5-7pm. Hosted by our friends at Thece, thanks to our community advisor and advocate Zach Rozga. Come meet Zach while he’s in town, and enjoy a beverage or two of your choice.
BORRELL MIAMI 2022
March 6-8, Hilton Miami Downtown
“The event attracts a Who’s Who of local media, so you can expect to meet and mingle with c-suite executives from major media and marketing companies across the U.S. and Canada. You can also expect a professional, well-organized event. We run a tight ship. Presentations are rehearsed, speakers start on time, and information that flows from the stage is crisp and chock full of new data. Main-stage presentations are rarely longer than 30 minutes, and we will offer several tracks to offer even more great topics and sessions. Several of the panel sessions will give attendees the opportunity to ask questions and have audience interaction on important drill-down issues.”
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TV & VIDEO INSIDER SUMMIT
March 7-10,Virtual
“At the Spring 2022 TV & Video Insider Summit, video buyers and planners help us sort through the complexities. How are they building out and adapting their media strategies to fit this multiscreen landscape? How are they mapping consumer touchpoints? Which video formats are driving the best ROI and, given data restrictions, what are they doing from an audience targeting perspective?”
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AD AGE IN-DEPTH: UNLOCKING THE METAVERSE
March 10, Watch live
“How brands can play in virtual worlds. From virtual goods to augmented reality shopping experiences, the metaverse represents opportunities for brands to engage with consumers in new ways. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the metaverse will become a multi trillion dollar market and Facebook rebranded its entire company to focus on web 3.0 ventures. But navigating the nascent metaverse at this point is still the wild west. Join Ad Age on March 10, as we bring together the metaverse leaders who are reshaping marketing to discuss how to build virtual brands and better understand everything from NFTs to gaming platforms.”
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8TH ANNUAL LDV VISION SUMMIT
March 23, Free Online Event
“LDV Capital brings together top technologists, entrepreneurs and investors to discuss groundbreaking visual tech and business opportunities in synthetic content creation, computational biology, chemistry, healthcare, space, sensors and chips, and so much more! Speakers come from Openwater, NASA, Inception Prelude Fertility, Pachama, MAC Venture Capital, Breakout Ventures, Northzone, Axiom Space, Prime Movers Lab, Glass Imaging, Streetlogic, BurnerPage, and Earkick. Expect enlightening keynotes, inspiring panel discussions and heated fireside chats for free from the comfort of your couch.”
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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.
BOOST
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Boost HQ (NYC) or Remote
“As a Senior Product Marketing Manager, you’ll be responsible for strategically bringing Boost’s platform features and insurance products to the market to maximize growth. This is a high-impact, strategic role where you’ll have the opportunity to work cross-functionally with Product Management, Marketing, Sales and Partner Success. This position will report into the VP of Marketing.”
Apply
INSPIRO TEQUILA, LLC
Marketing Intern
Remote
Via Katlynn in the community
“We are looking for someone that can help support our marketing and social media efforts. This includes taking photos at events, creating reels, assisting with influencer boxes, and helping to plan live and virtual events. In addition, this position will involve working with a design agency to create merchandising materials and sales materials.”
Apply
WAVEMAKER
Group Director, Marketing & Communications
New York, New York
Via William in the community
“We’re looking for a results driven individual who can passionately represent Wavemaker in all activities to clients, the media, external audiences and key journalists within the U.S. In this role, you will be working closely with Wavemaker senior leadership. Based in New York, this role will involve some travel in the U.S to support local offices.”
Apply
THE SYNDICATE
Digital Marketing Manager
Weehawken, NJ
“Applicants should be results-based creatives and strategic thinkers who can manage a number of campaigns at once. They should be able to react and pivot quickly on campaigns as needed. They should have a successful track record of designing and implementing successful digital/social media campaigns and proven results of online growth, increased engagement and/or conversions. This individual must have strong writing skills and must have a passion for pop culture, especially music, comedy & crypto/web3.”
Apply
Also, check out the Serial Marketers job board.
Other job resources:
- 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.
- Braintrust: A 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.
- 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
- 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)
- Gently Ventures: Helps scale businesses by finding the right talent
- 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
- 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: 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?
- 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”
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.
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Markman Speaker Management: Get 15% off the half-day customized virtual training session “Get Speaking Engagements” for individuals or corporate staff through Dec. 31, 2022. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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