Somehow it’s already mid December, and you may have already noticed an influx of out of offices in response to your festive campaign pitches. It’s a tricky time of year for content as teams debate whether to ride the tinsel and bauble filled wave of ‘spot the Santa in the North Pole’ type pieces, or whether to just wind down until the new year.
There’s been a noticeable dip in content over the last few weeks, and it’s been tough to dig them out, however there’s still been some great pieces produced.
Made something you’re proud of? I’d love to see it! Send it over to markprtr[@]gmail.com 💌
Must-see Content 👀
Highest Grossing Box Office Bald Actors of Hollywood 🥚
Ever wondered which follicly challenged actor has made the most money? No, me neither, but someone at Reddit did and has subsequently crunched the data. Fun fact gleaned from the comments: 3 of them starred in Pulp Fiction.
Hi-Vis Test 🚦
Those of you who have been in the content game for a while may remember the iconic ‘reaction time’ piece by Distilled.net for Just Park. This piece by Leasing Options gives me similar vibes, and I think it’s simply but really effective. It highlights (lol) the difference hi-vis can make when it comes to spotting cyclists, pedestrians etc.
Find your Place in the Vaccine Line 💉
This is more geared toward the US but still super interesting. It allows you to plug in your age, location, profession and health risks to gauge where in the vaccine line you sit. Lots of juicy data and straight forward but effective illustrations.
The Top 100 Websites in the World 🕸️
These have been done many times before but it’s always enlightening to see how big companies have their fingers in many pies. They’re ranked by number of monthly visits, and I was quite stunned to see that P*ornhub has more than Amazon.com.
The Highest-Paid Twitch Streamers in the World 🎮
I always find it nauseating interesting reading about the financials of Twitch streamers, and this piece does a good job of highlighting the top earners. It’s even more mind-boggling when you realise they also earn a wedge on top of this from sponsorship deals.
Discovered via Gisele Navarro 🕵️
A Map Made With the First Image Result for Each Country 🌍
I thought this was a pretty interesting idea. The above map is made by taking the first image that appears when you Google each country (excluding flags). Pretty simple but Reddit gobbled it up.
Who’s in the Crossword? 🧩
I’m not much of a crossword fan, but apparently they’re often criticised for being ‘too old, too white, and too male’. The Pudding’s latest piece crunches the data behind them to work out the ratio of men vs women, and non-Hispanic whites vs. minoritized racial groups and more. As always with The Pudding, it’s beautifully presented.
2020 Year in Search 📊
Google’s Year in Search is always enlightening, and the 2020 data highlights how arduous this year has been. At least the final one on the list fills us with some optimism for 2021! 💉
Solar System Planets Size 🪐
Visualising the planets to scale has been done many times before, however this latest iteration is really well presented. It also shows the rotation of the planets, which is a nice touch.
What Does COVID-19 Look Like In A Kids Mind 🦠
These types of ‘kids imagine’ pieces always seem to do well, and they always result in some pretty adorable drawings. This one by Great Bean bags asked children to draw what they thought COVID-19 looked like.
Blob Opera 🎤
A little bit of fun to round this off, one of Google’s most recent experiments allows you to create your own weird blob opera. Be careful, it’s way too easy to waste an hour on this.
Discovered via Katheryn Rhian Watson 🕵️
More Great Content…
- If 7 Film Directors Designed Your Home Office 🏢
- Most Festive Street Names 🎄
- 50 Years of Gaming History 🎮
- Most Intelligent Gamers 🕹️
- What Are the UK’s Top Travel Anxieties in 2021? 😨
- Any others? Send them over…!
PR Stunts
The below campaigns may not have been intentional PR stunts, however they did attract substantial attention from the media.
Cat-Proof Christmas Tree 🐈
If you’re active within the Digital PR Twittersphere then you may have already spotted this piece by Mark Rofe (as in loaf). As he fulfils his destiny of selling the finest Christmas Trees online, he put together a cat-proof tree for those who struggle with feline intervention during this time of year.
Home Alone Security Kit 🧰
This is a fun piece for the festive season. You can be the proud owner of a toolkit inspired by Macaulay Culkin’s own arsenal. The main thing that’s missing is the Talk Boy.
Discovered via Will Hobson 🕵️
Must-read Articles ☕
Below are some articles that are absolutely worthy of a read during your coffee break:
- How to Write a Pitch 📣 by Surena Chande
- How We Get Creative and Make Campaign Ideas 🧠 by Laura Wilson
- Why Your Content Strategy Needs Both Rank-Worthy and Link-Worthy Content in the MIX 🔗 by Amanda Milligan
Must-follow Marketer 👑
Who: Neal Agarwal, Creative coder at Neal.fun
Why: This one is more for the designers and developers who think Digital PR’s get all the fun. You’ve most definitely seen some of Neal’s work before without realising it, as it often surfaces on the front page of Reddit. Neal is a ‘creative coder’ and regular shares fun snippets or mind-blowing long form content. His site is rammed with fun content pieces so be sure to take a look.
To Conclude
That concludes issue 21 of Content, Curated. Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration or ideas for the new year ahead of us, and please do ensure you have a fun filled, revitalising but sensible festive period! Stay safe!
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Cheers,
Mark.