I’ll get the apology out of the way early doors. July has been a hectic month due to moving house and subsequently being messed around by Virgin Media, which left me without internet for longer than I’d like. I thought a bit of a digital detox would do me good, but honestly, it’s awful and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Alas, I’m back and ready to share some great content examples. There’s no doubt I’ve missed some campaigns over the last month, so if you have any you’d like me to take a look at please do send them over.
Made something you’re proud of? I’d love to see it! Send it over to markprtr@gmail.com 💌
Must-see Content 👀
Blockbuster Video US Store Locations 📼
I have many fond memories of visiting Blockbusters as a kid, mostly on a Friday afternoon to rent out a Playstation game for the weekend. This animated visualisation maps out their rise and fall across the US, right up until just the last remaining store in Bend, Oregon.
You Know Karen 😠
This piece on ‘Karens’ by The Pudding is highly relevant, and very well put together. It looks at the popularity of the name and uses this data to predict what other names have the potential to become ‘Karens’.
Discovered via Abi Bennetts 🕵️
The Art of Playing Cards 🃏
The team behind this one really played their cards right. It imagines how different artists may have designed a deck of cards, and is really well presented.
Discovered via Shaun Hill 🕵️
The Butt Types 🍑
I don’t really know why I’m featuring this. I thought it was pretty funny, but then again I’ve been without the internet for a while. The Butt Types is a poster that’s being kickstarted, visualising different butts through typography. I don’t know how else to describe it, so just click through to see the animated version.
Smelliest Place in the UK 🦨
FOI requests are a tried and tested method for data-backed pieces, if you can get a timely response from them which may be a challenge these days. This piece looks at smell complaints from across the UK to work out where the smelliest is, breaking them down by agricultural, industrial, sewage and more.
Discovered via Pat Langridge 🕵️
How Much Cocoa Bean Farmers Get From a 1$ Chocolate Bar 🍫
Note: This is an animated piece so click through to see the full visulation. It looks at how much cocoa bean farmers get from a $1 chocolate bar, and where the rest of the money goes. It’s pretty eye-opening.
AI Predicts Top-selling Toys & Tech 🤖
This is an interesting idea with amusing and terrifying results. The folks behind this one dumped a load of top selling toys & tech from the past into an AI powered text generator, and designed whatever it spat out.
Discovered via Pete Bingham 🕵️
How Big Tech Makes Their Billions 💸
Most of us are already aware of the absolutely obscene amount of money the tech giants have, but you may be surprised about how they generate it. This piece by Visual Capitalist breaks down the big players and highlights their most profitable areas.
Discovered via Ben Fuller (from 5-a-side football fame) 🕵️
New Normal: How Far Is Safe Enough? 🧑🤝🧑
This is probably one the best pieces I’ve seen in a while, in both it’s content and the way it’s presented. It looks at how COVID-19 has impacted us, how it’s spread utilising data from specific outbreaks, and more. It’s incredibly well made.
Discovered via Danny Denhard 🕵️
PowerPoint Art 🤯
The above image really doesn’t do it justice, but the mind-blowing thing about it is that it was made using PowerPoint. Daphne Di has been creating art in PowerPoint for the last 10 years, and it’s seriously impressive.
Discovered via Joel Stein 🕵️
Sandtone 🏖️
Great idea, and great execution. This piece for Parkdean Resorts by the folks at Rise at Seven ranks every UK beach by its Pantone sand colour. I also recommend checking out Carrie’s thread on this campaign as she dives into some of the details and highlights other ways they’re supplementing the piece. I’ve been to a lot of these beaches, and there’s definitely a cigarette butt or two missing from these swatches though.
More Great Content…
- Hardest Golfing President 🏌️♂️
- The Dirtiest Restaurant Toilets in Post Lockdown Britain 🚽 discovered via Andy Chadwick 🕵️
- Gardenless Gardens 🌱 discovered via Jade Denby 🕵️
- Summer Wine Tester Job 🍷 discovered via Holly Barry🕵️
PR Stunts
The below campaigns may not have been intentional PR stunts, however they did attract substantial attention from the media.
IKEA Vacations in a Box 📦
We’ve seen a lot of travel without travelling pieces over the last few months. A couple of issues ago I featured Book a Trip, and this is IKEA’s take on things. Their ‘vacation in a box’ includes items you’ll need to spruce up your lounge and create a holiday destination, such as Tokyo, Paris and More.
KFC Hot Wing Flavoured Lipstick 💄
KFC have done some pretty cool products in the past that have drummed up lots of press, and they’ve hit the mark again with this one. Their spicy wing lipstick is in hot demand (heh.), and can only be obtained by signing up to their Colonel Club.
Discovered via Digital PR Examples 🕵️
Must-read Articles ☕
Below are some articles that are absolutely worthy of a read during your coffee break:
- A Celebration of Commercial Creativity in Lockdown 🎉by Hope And Glory
- What If Link Acquisition SAT at the Centre of Everything? 🔗 by Dave Endsor
- The Real Short-Term and Long-Term Results of Content Marketing and Digital PR 📈 by Amanda Milligan
- How to Ideate Content Marketing Campaigns 🤯 by Tom Jeffery
- An Honest Case Study of Some Content Campaigns We Recently Ran for Our Own Website 🔎 by Matt Seabridge
- How to Choose the Most Link-Worthy Data Source for Your Content 📊 by Domenica D’Ottavio
- Thinking Beyond the Link Building “Campaign” 🤔 by Paddy Moogan
Must-follow Marketer 👑
Who: Mark Johnstone, Founder of Content Hubble
Why: Mark has been in the content game for a long time, previously working as Head of Creative at Distilled, and now offering his consultancy and training services. You have most definitely seen some of his campaigns online at some point, even if you don’t realise it.
More recently he’s released an Ebook over at Content hubble that looks at the process behind 31 highly success content campaigns. Drop him a follow.
To Conclude
That rounds off the latest issue of Content, Curated. Once again apologies for the slightly later delivery, and as always thanks to those of you who sent over content.
If you’re not yet subscribed, feel free to do so in order to be notified of future issues, and follow me on Twitter.
Cheers,
Mark.