The White Rabbit
Follow us to satisfy your curiosity…?
November 2024
There’s no denying now that we’re hurtling towards the final throes of the year. The clocks have gone back, we’ve trick or treated which means the final barrier to Christmas-decorated shops has been removed, and our pets are strapping themselves in for the annual anxiety-inducing fireworks night. By now your diaries will be stuffed with Christmas lunches and nights out, and it’s all about the delicate negotiation on how much you should be home with family and how much you ‘need’ to be out with clients (it’s work darling... honestly!) I know we like to be cynical about Christmas, but I still love it!??
It's been a busy October at Sticky, and November promises to be the same, which is always good. It does feel like traditional industry seasonality rules are becoming less and less dependable. People seem to be taking longer to sign off business (not good) but that seems to be leading to briefs still coming through in the historically quieter period (which is better). We’ve been making a concerted effort to increase the number of face-to-face interactions we’re getting in the market and that’s seen us secure numerous speaking slots, which are not only fun but also fruitful.??
That brings us to this month’s newsletter and what we’ve been reading. There are plenty of contrasting opinions about whether you can build rapport and make an impression through a screen rather than ‘IRL’. I have my own thoughts on this, and having been doing this for nearly 25 years, you can probably guess my stance, but have a read and make up your own mind. As always, there are nuggets of insight and there’s also an invite to come and see us talking all things effective content at the end of the month – albeit not IRL...??
Enjoy the month, look after your pets on November 5th and good luck with those Christmas festivity negotiations.
Yours curiously?
Darren?
MD, Sticky
What we’re writing…?
How brands can overcome the cringe era?
Do we need another social post from a museum or stately home telling us how an exhibit ‘ate and left no crumbs’? Definitely not. Our resident cringe correspondent Maryam offers four questions every brand should ask before jumping on the latest trends.
What we’re reading…?
Are first impressions online the same as face-to-face??
Do people ‘get you’ over video calls? Are you better received IRL? It could come down to how well your personality translates over a screen. A new study suggests that virtual and face-to-face meetings lead to similar first impressions, save for a few unexpected exceptions.
What we’re debating…?
Is WhatsApp the perfect news platform??
51% of global consumers say it's easy to identify trustworthy news on WhatsApp Channels. Valued for its end-to-end encryption, traditional news publishers make up just under 50% of the app’s top 150 Channels. Is this the start of an algorithm-free news feed we can trust?
What we’re working on...??
2025 client plans?
The year is winding down and brands’ marketing plans are ramping up. We’ve been in countless conversations with clients about their priorities for the new year and look forward to having many more. For a fresh perspective on your 2025, why not get in touch?
Curious to meet us??
Join the content conversation
What does good content actually look like? Our MD is putting the all-important question to a panel including our Director of Editorial Content, Carla Dobson-Elliott, Director of Content at Compare the Market, Guy Anker, and behavioural science expert, Richard Shotton. We’d love to see you there.
Do you really know your audience??
Get to know your audiences better with the help of The Power of Curiosity?, our report that says goodbye to tired demographics and hello to Curiosity Cohorts. Join our Curiosity workshops designed to help brands implement a new and exciting way of segmenting audiences and sparking customers into action.