#38 Differentiation

Q3 2023

Hello and welcome to #38.

It has been a while since my last post. Things have been busy, mainly in work as I’m 4-5 months-ish into a new role where we are shipping a lot in the next months, and have been for the last 6 too, so finding time to sit and read between family life has been tricky. It’s no coincidence that I write this after having a minor operation (I am fine, bit sore, bit groggy - excuse the spelling mistakes) - but I have some time to read and try to absorb.

For new subscribers, hi. I got a batch of new ones recently, not 100% sure why - maybe Substack network effects or something impacting there? I’ve not had time to investigate, but hi. This used to be a weekly but now slightly more sporadic sharing of thoughts, links and well, stuff, that I used to Tweet (should that be Thread?) because 18 months ago I noticed I tweeted less and it felt less fun to do so. Generally, I share stuff around marketing, digital, some games stuff and well bits on what it means to be a leader - or my version of that I suppose, kinda cringe as I say that, but that’s it in a nutshell.

Now, on to the #content.

1. Threads is launching 6 July

Twitter is dead, long live Threads. Meta launching on the 6th of July. Now, it’s tricky to beat Twitter, because it’s legacy right now and people have built years of muscle memory of how it works for them including their audience. I suspect it will eventually be sold and I’m unsure how Threads can take away too much of what Twitter is, but unlike Bluesky etc, you’re already bringing a social graph with you to Threads. Yes privacy, but come on now, we know what we’re giving away by now. Not saying it’s right, but that’s not news. Meta are defo throwing a bit behind it, this little easter eggs has got people who work in social doing the thing they do best, talk about social…

🔎 search for ‘threads’ on Instagram
🎟️ tap the red ticket
🗓️ see your Threads countdown

2. Differentiation.

Long read here on the strategy of differentiation, which I took a lot from and enjoyed some of the lines e.g. key to success will be new concepts/being different to competitors +if you are following a playbook you’re already dead (context of being a creator).

Where I struggle with hyperbole though is that I think we live in conflicting times. On the one hand, we are always thinking of big fundamental change e.g. AI will take over, Twitter is dead, this brand is cancelled etc, etc and on the other, things take longer to happen e.g. No Twitter isn’t dead yet, AI wont take our jobs for maybe a decade in which there will be new jobs, brands return, but because of our digital diets, everything feels immediate and now, even when it’s not. One thing is for sure, it’s tiring.

3. Meta outlines how AI is impacting your feeds

Think this would be less of an AI story a year ago but here we are. Intrigued how Threads uses some of this.

Bonus, probably a bigger story, Meta opening an app store… Seems quite dev friendly, sure this won’t be the last app store to open in the EU. Should have probably been a story itself.

4. Niantic shutting down studio and focus on Pokemon Go

Never easy or nice to see this, but mobile games are a tough business and with Pokemon so big and really is it a software company or a game company? Think this is going to be harder and harder for new entrants, Monopoly Go apart? Hope people find roles quickly.

5. Fan-controlled American Football shuts down league

Sport is a funny thing, I’ve a lot of new entrants into sport try to change or adapt but sport is quite a unique proposition. Having worked at a start up trying to disrupt motor racing, trust me - this is not simple.

I’m unsure you can change the fabric of what makes the NFL, Premier League or whatever and make it better unless it’s top down at a governing body level, like the IPL or 20Twenty or similar but that’s fundamentally still the same product. Not every new idea with tech or community will win, I’m unsure fan controlled sport or crypto sport (hi Crawley how’s that going?) will ever, or should ever work.

6. JioCinema is beating Disney in India

Really interesting piece on India and the streaming wars there. Note, it’s about cricket. But such a large market and such a varied one too.

7. A book. Like a real book.

Imagine, a link to a book. But I really enjoyed this read, 24 concepts and I know some of it is management jargon but it’s actually quite thought provoking. Like any managementy/leadershipy books, take what’s good, dump what isn’t or what’s obvious. As someone who has worked in many a corporate blob (the book’s words) this is useful because it splits into essasy style chapters you can dip in and out of but also into sections that you can do alone, with teams or at a wider level.

8. Unity’s mobile report always worth a read.

Pretty dense but if you are interested in the future of games, it’s on mobile if you didn’t know… Download the full report at the bottom of the linked article.

A tweet

I used to put fun tweets here, but nah.

Bonus.

Watched Silo, loved it, bit baggy in the middle but the conceit kept me throughout. Enjoying HiJack on Apple TV, it is fun, stupid and kinda light, so worth a watch of an evening- kinda Die Hard x 24 with Idris. Secret Invasion is getting no buzz but I’m enjoying it 2 episodes in.

Ultimately just waiting for The Bear S2 and Dave S3. Mad that we have gone backwards to the 90s/2000s and having to wait for US shows to be released here in the UK vs simulcast.

All the spelling and grammatical mistakes in this Substack are on purpose to test you, actually. Well done. You got them all. No, I don’t need to know about them, you have that kudos. Also I had an operation this week FFS! Give me some slack.