Read Like A [Marketer at the World’s Fastest Growing Startup]
Or, How My Daily Distractions Power My Marketing Ideas
Russell’s Note: This week’s guest blogger is none other than my brother, Lucas Samuels (@lucsamuels). Lucas is currently a Senior Marketing Manager at Uber (where he has worked since February 2012). Prior to Uber, Lucas interned and worked at a number of startups including Pushlife & Guardly. He has also worked at a number of media companies: BlogTO, Relix, Post City Magazines.
When I think about being a marketing manager, often, my goal is to create something with mass appeal, but with a hyper-local lens. I read a lot, less so websites and more so books. I listen a lot, less so to TED Talks and more so to music. I try to be a human sponge for pop culture and local culture. Then, when it comes time to spin up a marketing campaign, I dig into my internal archive and try to find a reference point to make the campaign click for the audience at hand.
So, with that said, here are the websites that I make sure I visit everyday:
(1) Pitchfork (P4K)
Take everything you read on Pitchfork with a grain of salt. It’s often music snobbery at its worst, but on the flip side, P4K has the uncanny ability to spot stardom (however you define it) well before the general public. And keep in mind that music is totally subjective. That song or entire album that resonates with you might be given a devastatingly low rating by them. But who really gives a shit? It’s music. If it makes you feel good, or bad, or just makes you feel something, that’s meaningful. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. So, if you’re into music discovery, Pitchfork is definitely a strong starting point.
(2) Exclaim
As a proud Torontonian, I can’t help but read Exclaim every day. Less long-form focused, and more review and news focused, think of Exclaim as P4K’s little Canadian brother. It’s another great music website devoted largely to the talent in the Great White North. If you’re looking to keep it hyper-local, it’s a bit of a one-stop-shop for Canadian music.
(3) Toronto Life / BlogTO / Post City / Now Magazine
Notice a theme here? Again, I’m keeping it local with these sites, but to ignore the cultural renaissance that’s happening in Toronto right now would be downright blasphemous. Toronto Life expertly focuses on characters that deserve attention — chefs, musicians, club owners, lawyers, activists, or otherwise. If you want to get a sense of what’s going on in our city, read Toronto Life. Maybe even buy the magazine too and throw it on your coffee table.
BlogTO, Post City, and Now Magazine focus on the same subject matter as Toronto Life, they just don’t do it with the same attention to quality. That said, this is the holy quartet of Toronto culture. Visit these websites on a daily basis, and you’ll be the first-to-know of all things hot up in the 6ix.
(4) Munchies
One of the most exciting things about living in Canada today is our blossoming food scene. While our chefs haven’t yet become hyper-celebritized like those in the States, there’s a crazy amount of young talent taking risks in our food scene. Munchies gives you a taste of chef culture, but keeps it really humble. Their marquee show Chef’s Night Out gives you a sneak peak into the hidden gems of cities, in Canada and beyond, without subjecting you to spiky blonde hair, bowling shirts and gut-busting gluttony.
To be completely honest, I never really thought I’d end up in marketing. My goal was to be a music journalist, or a music supervisor, but the beauty of marketing is I can apply my outside interests to my work. The above URLs have proven to be extremely helpful along the way!
If you want to chat marketing, books, music, food or otherwise, shoot me a note on Twitter (@lucsamuels).
Or, learn more about our venture fund at WhitecapVP.com
