On The Menu For This Week’s Tapas:

• [BOOK] 📚 The Pumpkin Spice Café
• [TIP] ✍️ Just Run the Same Plays for BFCM
• [RECIPE] 🥘 I might as well call this 'Charcuterie Candy'

Does anyone else read seasonally?

Not in a “once-per-season” way. Do you curate your media based on the season of life?

I'm quite literally reading for autumn. 🍂

This week, I finished "The Pumpkin Spice Café" by Laurie Gilmore.

My friend Maria said it had a "Hallmark-ahh storyline"... Yeah, that's exactly why I'm reading it.

Here's the synopsis to paint the picture for you:

Hmm, what could've given me a clue that this was the storyline?

• The title?
• The cover?
• The author's pen name?

It's very true-to-form. But here's the thing: I love Hallmark movies.

In every Hallmark movie you can guarantee there's going to be:

1. poor acting
2. predictable tropes
3. people falling madly in love over the course of a single day

This book was no different.

But I’m not here just to talk about my seasonal read. I also want to share why sometimes the most obvious choice is the best one.

Marketers and creatives love to forget this simple truth:

Sometimes, the people just want predictability.

We don't have to reinvent the wheel.

We don't need a new framework.

We don't need another "innovation to create shareholder value through record-breaking synergies".

We’re 7 days out from what is, for many marketers, the biggest time of the year: BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY (BFCM)

This is our (other) Super Bowl.

So if you're feeling underwater or overwhelmed by how you're going to achieve YoY and QoQ growth...

Sometimes it's best just to run the same play as you did last year.

Here's why running the predictable play wins:

1. People expect it.
2. People know you for it.
3. People return for it.

Together, these three mean you have created a shortcut in your buyer's brain from A ➡ B.

If I want an easy feel-good dopamine hit?

I watch a Hallmark movie (or read a book that's very Hallmark-coded).

If I want a great pair of workout leggings?

I go to Fabletics.

If I want a delicious gourmet snack?

I buy Sweet Picante Peppers and stuff them with Goat Cheese (you're welcome).

​

Some people act like predictability is the death of creativity. Yet meeting people's expectations can be a good thing, right?

This year, don't be afraid to go for the obvious marketing choice.

Then, have a slice of pecan pie with your family and watch a Hallmark movie.

Can you guess what I'll be doing?

​

Don't forget your eating pants next week! 🦃 🥧