This was one of the most impactful books I've read in years. It’s on the psychology of personal progress. Don’t let the grandeur of the title deter you.

A quote: “The ultimate sign that we have accepted our own agency is when we see ourselves as creators, not just consumers.”

Apple generated $300 million in ad revenue in 2017 and $4 billion in ad revenue in 2021. That’s a bit faster than Facebook’s growth to $4 billion between 2009 and 2012.

The legendary stand up comedian didn't do the research on the subject just one time and this happens. Jada P. Smith suffers from hair loss and Will was clearly overzealous in her defense.

Just so sad about it all.

Today was a first. A few of my ideas on targeting psychographics and managing the diversity of community made their way to a sermon.

Some marketing ideas are universal.

Newsletters are visual.

Yes, even the most text-heavy ones.

Your content needs to be good — but good doesn't matter if no one reads it.

Here's how I think about it:

An exercise to try when you want to put your life into proper perspective. Write a 400 word recap of your life as if you've worked your last day.

I was surprised by how wrong manynof my priorities were and how little the 'wins' I cared about mattered in the scheme of things.

The beauty of earned marketing.

This was the homepage of the 2,600 student Saint Peter’s College moments after their win. We haven’t seen this since that one Super Bowl QR code.

TIL the super market was a post-war innovation that made use of abandoned warehouses and factories.

Before the WWI, all products were behind the counter and measured by the staff. By the 1940s, that was forgone.

Self-service was the key retail innovation of the 20th century.

Spent some time studying Austrian polymath and hero Viktor Frankl’s ideas on the psychology of meaning (logotherapy), a method used to treat anxiety, depression, neurosis and so on.

Best-selling business author Donald Miller summarized it best.

The web3 trade is pre-regulation but no one knows for how long the wild west will last.

The success or failure of this high profile DAO will set the mark for the entire industry. This essay on ApeCoin was inspired by a recent convo with an SEC official.

2pml.com/2022/03/23/ape…

Of all the kinds of people that I admire, it’s the ones who’ve been in any sort of fight and elect to endure it again with a positive mind. Those are the ones whose spirits I envy.

The interconnected retail world:

Apple’s privacy changes hurt Facebook’s advertising business. This hurt many of the brands reliant on Facebook for performance marketing.

These brands are now investing in real estate in Class A retail developments (nearby Apple stores).

C.S. Lewis remains one of the most fascinating historical figures, to me. Here’s the best way to describe his body of work:

When you’re a child, he’s the author of important works of fantasy.

When you’re an adult, he’s the author of important works of reality.

America's new and well-deserved obsession with Formula 1 is probably what it felt like to watch The Beatles overtake popular American bands in the 1960s.

Its growing interest also seems to reflect a unique economic moment in America (a boom in luxury consumption).

News: Shopify launches Linkpop, a link-in-bio service with shoppable links to compete with Linktree.

Ralph Lauren may be the only label that spans nearly every social class.

Two people can buy two versions of the same shirt, one is $40 and the other is $400. One is from a mid-west outlet store and one from a Tokyo flagship. And they will believe that they bought the same thing.

We live in a time when forgiveness is rare. We root against redemption and recovery. Instead, we hope that we will never need any of the three.

— From “Letters'

Marketing is known as a tool to sell products but it began as a means of selling ideas.

Here are four products that Edward Bernays’ (the father of spin) sold by selling ideas:

— women's cigarettes
— bacon for breakfast
— P&G’s ivory soap
— pancake batter

Here’s an example:

With the recent acquisition of MGM, Amazon has the second highest tally in Golden Globes nominations behind Netflix.

It’s a new (streaming) world.

The Latest: move over Netflix and the rest, @Amazon now owns Hollywood.

Our take on the acquisition and what it means for the streaming economy and traditional retailers.

2pml.com/2022/03/18/hol…