TA #96: 👟 Brilliant Creative on a Shoestring Budget; the World's Most Hilarious Press Release

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Welcome to the 96th issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly newsletter by me, Ann Handley, with a focus on writing, marketing, living your best life. THANK YOU for being here! I appreciate you.

Boston, Sunday, September 26, 2021

Hi there, Apple Cider!

Has the pandemic made us more creative?

I've been wondering this lately... Have the uncertainty and randomness of the past 18 months made us more resilient—determined to get through the insanity, to roll with the punches?

And does newfound resiliency make us more comfortable taking a risk here and there?

And doesn't creativity require an element of risk?

(^^ actual transcript from 3 AM Brain, lying supine and actively ignoring Right Shoulder, who since rotator cuff surgery acts like a real jerk at night—keeping everyone awake)

* * *

I checked to see what the Google Gods might say on it. From Dr. Michael Bloomfield, a creativity expert and researcher:

If you look upon uncertainty as an opportunity for discovery of novel things or ways of looking at things, as a driver of randomized divergence, you can reframe uncertainty as a positive and constructive form of fuel for creativity. (via DigiDay)

I *think* he's saying yes?

(Sweet Cheezits, do academics get paid by the number of words in a sentence...? Or are periods really expensive in University bookstores?)

* * *

You might think that the place to go to answer this "is Marketing more creative now" question would be the go-to big brands. The ones with big teams and big budgets that kill it at everything digital.

Like Zappos.
American Express.
Every single pixel Ryan Reynolds has ever exhaled into digital glory.

Or not.

Lately I've been more impressed with post-pandemic, Covid-fueled creativity from a very unlikely category: your local public library.

The ones with a part-time person who handles marketing in between running the reference desk. The ones with a budget of 15 cents.

Let's take a look.

The Curbside Larry Series
Harris County Public Library's Barbara Bush Branch (Spring, TX)

Curbside Larry is here to sell you books and DVDs for the all-time low price of FREE FREE FREE...!!!

Mild-mannered library staffer John Schaffer transforms into the hat-wearin', book-totin' Larry—a parody of a fast-talking huckster who looks like he moonlights as a used-car salesman, instead of being the unassuming, well-spoken librarian he actually is.

John debuted Larry in the spring of 2020 to explain Covid-19 protocols. Since then, he's become a fixture on the social channels as well as a viral phenomenon outside the library. His Twitter debut video has 1.2 million views. He's appeared on Good Morning America. And Texas Monthly ranked Curbside Larry as one of the Most Iconic Local Legends.

Curb Side, Baby
Nashville Public Library (Nashville, TN)

Give us another viral hit, but make it '90s style. Curb Side Baby transforms Vanilla Ice's iconic song while also sharing important Covid updates. Also there are rapping mice puppets (Vanilla Mice, Mice baby?).

If These Books Had Kids
Dover Public Library (Dover, NH)

This one is truly inspired: The Dover Public Library takes the TikTok sound I'm at the Pizza Hut I'm at the Taco Bell to answer the important question: What would happen if these classic book titles hooked up and had a baby...? Like: Who would be the lovechild of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Star Wars?

ASMR Library Sounds
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Not exactly plot-driven. Instead, an hour's worth of background library sounds produced for people who missed the vibe of working or studying in a public space. It's one of the most viewed videos on the library's channel.

Ask Us Anything
Maricopa Library & Cultural Center (Maricopa, AZ)

This entire library TikTok is so much fun. This example uses Ursula from the Little Mermaid to make reference desk librarians approachable and relatable and kinda cool.

* * *

Video is time-consuming. Scary. Hard. Or so libraries (and a lot of us) think.

But then, closed or much-quieter libraries found themselves trying to reach their audiences digitally.

"Out of all that, a whole new world of library video was born.... Now that they've seen it's doable, successful, and fun, I think library video marketing is here to stay!" says Angela Hursh, a former library staffer who now runs a library marketing consultancy.

* * *

But you're not in charge of the reference desk. Your budget is more than 3 nickels. What's the takeaway for you?

I don't want to get too prescriptive. (Readers like Andrew will stop reading.) But I want to leave you with 4 thoughts:

> Riff on what already exists (song, audio, ASMR, TikTok sounds). None of these libraries started from scratch.

> Who has your back? Great content is more about brains and risk than budget—sure. And it ALSO requires someone to have your back. Would I have liked to be a fly on the wall in the library director's office when John proposed Curbside Larry? Yes. Yes, I would have.

> Start with audience questions (what does your audience need to know?) Layer on fun. Not the opposite.

> Debunk myths. Librarians take themselves seriously. Libraries are quiet, buttoned-up places. "Nay-nay, friends," Larry and the Vanilla Mice sing in harmony. JUST COME ON DOWN. So: What's the myth in your industry?

* * *

Massive thanks to Angela Hursh from Super Library Marketing and Christian Boivin from the Jacksonville Public Library and for generously sharing their insights and examples.

* * *

EVERYBODY WRITES WRITING TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT

No great writing is ever produced at knifepoint. Limber up your fingers; loosen up your heart.

A great example of that from an unlikely place: the boilerplate on a press release my colleague Jen Smith forwarded to me last week.

A boilerplate is a one-paragraph description of a company that lives at the bottom of a press release. Most of the time it is unoriginal, boring, uninspired.

But lookee at this one... from convenience-store chain 7-Eleven. Here's the boilerplate at the bottom of a press release it issued last week about its collaboration with Froggy, the riot grrrl punk rock band out of Doylestown, PA, who wrote the song "7-Eleven Nachos."

Boilerplate:

Are you still reading this? Awesome. Most people stop when they get to the small print. But not you! You get to read the cool stuff. 7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. They don't like to brag, but they invented convenience stores. For real. Google it. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 77,000 stores in 17 countries and regions, including nearly 16,000 in North America.... Also, they trademarked the word 'Brainfreeze.' No lie. Thanks for sticking with this. You're unstoppable.

There's more; I condensed it. I also called 7-Eleven headquarters because I HAVE QUESTIONS! (How did this glorious piece of writing get approved? Can I hire the writer? A song about nachos? Waiting for a call back.)

Anyhoo.... You can see the full glorious paragraph here.

40+ CREATIVE IDEAS TO TRANSFORM YOUR MARKETING [SPONSORED]

Need to brainstorm new messaging and find innovative ways to meet your business goals? Have an existing campaign that you want to take to greater heights? Well... have I got a resource for you.

This Braze Inspiration Guide delivers an inspiring collection of over 40 (!) customizable campaigns that have been leveraged by the world's savviest brands to engage and retain their consumers. There's lots of inspiration here for almost every business goal. Download it for free. [Registration required.]

SPECIAL EVENTS

📅 Wonderfully Weird Ideas: How to Catch, Train, and Tame Them—with Puppets [ON DEMAND] Solid ideas here by MarketingProfs speakers Cliff Lewis and Scott Trobaugh. But also, a great example of how crisis fertilizes creativity. [I just watched this again, and wow I love it so much.]

📅CopyCon: The International Festival of Copywriting [October 8] It's a FESTIVAL! About WRITING! Freelance copywriters, agency writers, account managers and creatives, in-house marketers who write... this one is for you. You can attend for 25% off with code SHARE-25-SPEAK. (But hurry. It's good only through 9/30/21.)

P.S. Want to attend CopyCon but can't swing the price? Drop me a line. I have free tickets for the first 5 people who email me (and ask nicely).

REMARKABLE WRITING: WIN $WORD!

This letter is all about creative wins in surprising places. So let's celebrate Remarkable Marketing Writing!

Share a piece of marketing that surprised you because of its creativity, its writing, or its flat-out unexpected expression. Microcopy, boilerplates, videos, TikToks... it's all fair game!

>> Submit your responses here. <<

The best 10 submissions will win $25 in $WORD.

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS

The best customer service email ever.

AND FINALLY

P.S. After my previous letter, lots of you asked to see my drawings.

Fine. Here you go!

LOVE LETTERS will be back next time.

* * *

Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your kindness and generosity.

Stay safe. Stay sane. You're doing great.

I'll be back on October 10.

P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, you can:

1) buy a book.
2) Get yourself some $WORD coin. (Read more about creator coins here.)
3) Simply forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here: www.annhandley.com/newsletter.

SPECIAL THANKS to AWeber for being the provider of choice for Total Annarchy. If you are looking to up your email game, give them a shout.

Ann Handley is the author of Everybody Writes and other books.
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Ann Handley

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TA #96: 👟 Brilliant Creative on a Shoestring Budget; the World's Most Hilarious Press Release

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TA #95: 💪 Brave Enough to Suck at Something New; Is Memorable Copy More Shoppy?

TA #94:☀️ When you need to let go of goals; Pumpkin Spice brake pads are back!

TA #93: 💪 How to Build a Daily Writing Habit [Template]; Seeking Forgiveness

TA #92: 🍫 The most powerful word in writing; Junior Mintapalooza

TA #91: 🚀 How to do a content launch right. Plus: the hottest meme of the week... but make it marketing.

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