Monday Inspiration: (June 2023): Preparing for GA4, the importance of human connection and SmartLess

It took its time but spring finally showed up in May! The UK has been in full bloom over the last few weeks, a very welcome change from the rain we had at the beginning of the month (including the King of Britain’s big day!).

I had a very audio/ visual month in May, discovering and listening to some really interesting podcasts and watching YouTube content from some excellent thought-leaders. I also got the opportunity to participate in a podcast myself!?

Here are three things that inspired me in May:

GA4 thought-leadership | YouTube (various channels)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will become Google’s default analytics platform on the 1st July. Google has been signalling this change for over two years but in less than a month digital marketers will need to make the switch. Universal Analytics (UA) will stop collecting data at this point, although marketers will be able to access previously processed data in their UA property for at least six months.

I am running a series of GA4 training courses for the Chartered Institute of Marketing. The demand is high, so whilst you’re waiting to sign up I would recommend checking out any of these brilliant YouTube channels:

The ProfG Show | Airbnb’s Next Phase — with Brian Chesky

Scott Galloway always makes me think. He has an ability to sum up a business or marketing moment with a unique mix of wisdom and humour. Scott also brings a dose of realism to the conversation.?

This episode with Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky is very insightful. They talk about Airbnb’s expanding geographical reach, community-building, the impact of AI and Brian’s view on the importance of design and creativity. Yet it is Scott’s closing comments in his ‘Algebra of Happiness’ section that struck a chord. Speaking about the negative influence of social media on young people’s mental wellbeing he says that his job is to get his kids out of the house. Something that applies to all of us:

“If you’re a young person, don’t be in your house. Get out of your house. Sleep there and that is it. Say “yes” to anything that involves other people. I do think we are sequestering from each other, and nothing really wonderful is gonna happen to you, I mean really wonderful... an amazing promotion, you’re gonna meet someone that you’re just super in to, you’re gonna have one of those ridiculously joyous experiences on a trip, or an event... all of this involves one thing: human contact, and the serendipity of human contact”

SmartLess | Paul Thomas Anderson

Although this podcast has been around for over three years (with 10,000’s of subscribers and an $80m dollar deal with Amazon), it was a new discovery for me in May. Hosted by TV and movie stars Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, each episode starts with one of them introducing the others to a surprise guest. And those surprise guests tend to be the biggest names in show business, from Paul McCartney and Steven Spielberg, to Tom Hanks and Robert Downey Jr.

I enjoyed the episode with writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson (Punch Drunk Love, Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Licorice Pizza). The show is well-known for its jokes and banter, yet it’s best when they get under the skin of what makes the guest tick - in this case Paul Thomas Anderson’s family history, creative process and his scepticism of long-form storytelling.