Each week, TP1 shares the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of April 4.
Is social media reinforcing your brand?
Are we right to put so much emphasis on social media in our communications strategies? Do these strategies truly help brands move beyond traditional media and build real relationships with consumers? In recent years, companies have invested millions of dollars in social platforms, but few brands have successfully leveraged this new media to change consumer perceptions. What’s up with that?
→ Read it on Harvard Business Review Pocket
Design for real life
A form that doesn’t send, a mobile app with wonky display, a beautiful website with content that’s impossible to find… Why are some digital platforms and tools, however aesthetically appealing, so flawed? Sara Wachter-Boettcher, a content strategist and co-author of the book, Design for Real Life, explains why designers have such a hard time keeping motivated when the needs of users keep cramping their creative process. Does real life block creativity?
→ Read it on A List Apart Pocket
How to hold on to talent
Once upon a time, agencies offered a stimulating work environment brimming with creativity and backed by competitive salaries. But then came the new tech companies, wooing the best talent with equally creative environments, but offering better employee benefits AND cultural perks. How are agencies fighting back against talent raids by tech firms?
→ Read it on Adweek Pocket
Build your brand with content
It’s a truth now universally acknowledged—users don’t want advertising, they want content. But what does that mean in concrete terms? Content marketing specialist Alenna Gatti takes an in-depth look at the Hello J. Crew blog to demonstrate how the fashion giant is bringing its brand to life through a diversity of interesting stories about the product, impeccable artistic direction, compelling collaborations with tastemakers and consistent editorial.
→ Read it on News Cred Pocket
The world according to Oculus Rift
Whether you want to skydive without a parachute, see the world through the eyes of another or jump into a robot war, virtual reality is now more accessible than you think. Discover more about Oculus Rift and its co-founder Palmer Luckey in this article by journalist Adi Robertson.
→ Read it on The Verge Pocket
This week’s favourite thing: Faking It
Does the sound of a hairsprayed ham or ice cream made from instant mashed potato make your mouth water? Advertising photography is not as glamorous as it sounds, especially when the subject matter is food. To make things look delicious, photographers and food stylists use a variety of crazy-sounding tricks. Artistic director and set designer Sandy Suffield has created Faking It, a series of behind-the-scenes images about food photography.
In your earbuds: Adventures in Design
Are you all-design, all-the-time? Then dive into Adventures in Design, a podcast that showcases the creative process and inspirations of passionate and compelling designers.
→ Listen to it on Adventures in Design
