stephenstokes

Co-Founder / Planning partner at creative agency Dog Cat and Mouse.

[Josh Pugh @JoshPughComic]

UK Beer Festivals

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

#DogsAtPollingStations

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

Go see @JoshPughComic the funniest comedian in 2024. He had the whole room in stitches tonight. A huge career ahead for you Josh and it’ll be well deserved.

[Nicole Minét @mouvement33]

This is a masterclass in photobombing.

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

@MarkUrban01 Especially loved @BBCNewsnight when you were on Mark, knowing that there’d always be something interesting and insightful from you.

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

@davetrott Peep Show have the best definition of what they do: https://t.co/oWl1tu4Ig0

[Praveen Vaidyanathan @v_praveen]

TV advertising is more effective than digital ads at creating new brand customers, as even 4.5 seconds of ad exposure isn't enough time to persuade non-brand buyers or drive sales

via Karen Nelson-Field ft. Bill Harvey/FOX/Wharton Neuroscience Initiative

https://t.co/G5nX53ZvJZ

[Distinctive BAT @DistinctiveBAT]

Why are taglines so hard to embed as a distinctive asset, and what can you do to improve their performance?

Our latest research looks at the good and bad regarding taglines and the different roles they can play for your brand.

https://t.co/ej4PSdZTjw

[Stan/Lee @StanLeeTweets]

The UK digital bank Monzo has a lovely tone of voice guide. It's advice to add 'by monkeys' to any sentence is a great way to stop yourself from creating writing that feels passive. #ToneOfVoice

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

@asburyandasbury I’m just waiting for the spoof version with someone with the teeth of a medieval drunk at the end.

[Praveen Vaidyanathan @v_praveen]

Sometimes it's okay to be meaninglessly distinctive

via @markwschaefer ft. @ProfByron

[richard shotton @rshotton]

The But You Are Free principle suggests that if you stress to people their right to say no, it boosts compliance

Here it's applied by the subscription brand Blinkist. By being more overt about exactly how you cancel their free trial they boosted trial sign-up rates by 23%

From the great newsletter by @harrydry

[George Mack @george__mack]

How I fixed my smartphone addiction:

I have 2 phones - Cocaine Phone & Kale Phone

Here's how it works:

1. The Smartphone Paradox - Your phone is a gateway to the world's best knowledge -- and the world's best distractions.

It's like having the best teachers, strip clubs, and social clubs in your pocket 24-7.

2. Society's Solution - There are 2 paths people use to deal with the smartphone paradox:

• Phone addict - Glued to phone constantly.

• Phoneless luddite - No access to the best technology of this century so far.

You either burn out or miss out.

Instead, there's a 3rd door nobody in society is talking about: The Cocaine-Kale Phone protocol.

3. The Cocaine-Kale Protocol

I have 2 phones:

• Kale Phone - Full stack serotonin. Only notes, Kindle, Uber, Maps, and emergency number for 2-3 people to call.

• Cocaine Phone - Full stack dopamine. Twitter. Instagram. TikTok. WhatsApp. Anyone can contact.

4. How does the Kale Phone work?

I can check this 24-7 - but it's so damn vanilla I don't feel the need to.

If I want to procrastinate on it, I must read a book or generate ideas in my notes. (Win-Win)

I get 90% of the upsides of having a phone -- with none of the addiction.

5. How does the Cocaine Phone work?

I don't check it until ∼12pm on weekdays and ∼2pm on weekends.

I still get the optionality that smartphones and social media produce.

But I don't consume it 24-7 until my brain melts.

6. What are the impacts?

• The Kale Phone resets your baseline.

• Your Cocaine phone feels too intense after 60 minutes per day. You start to crave the Kale phone.

--------

I get countless DM's of people who have said this has fixed their smartphone addiction.

I've now been doing this for over 2 years -- and it's impossible to go back.

If you're struggling with smartphone addiction or negative externalities of using a smartphone too much -- give it a go.

-----

FAQ's

1. Why not just adjust the focus settings on iphone and limit app usage?

Whenever I tried this, I failed.

• I knew the password so would just unlock it

• More important point - Your brain still knows it is there. So it ticks away eating your subconscious RAM.

It's like having your cocaine dealer follow you around.

2. Could the cocaine phone not just be a tablet or iPad?

I often need the cocaine phone the most for messaging people on the way to social occasions.

Turning up to a dinner with a tablet isn't the most fashionable look -- even for me.

3. 2 sims or one?

2 sims.

Only emergency contacts have kale phone number.

4. Will this not be terrible for the enviroment if loads of people did this?

No.

There's now more smartphones than people -- and that number is growing everyday.

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

Genius!

[Bryan’s Gunn @bryansgunn]

Glad we finally settled that whole flag debate

[stephenstokes @stephenstokes]

@jawedak22660377 @EnglishIearning Ecstatic

[Ad Professor @The_AdProfessor]

10 creative anti-smoking ads I've collected:

1. Lung Pong

[Praveen Vaidyanathan @v_praveen]

Ad agencies may be more useful trying to solve problems rather than obsess over trying to be part of culture

via Lucas Rodríguez

[Mikhail Khodorkovsky @khodorkovsky_en]

"HAGUE"

How Russians are using spoiled ballots to fight back against Putin's facade of democracy 🧵

[Dr Grace Kite 🪁 @Grace_Kite]

What if people stopped searching your category?

It happens. And when it does, all of the performance marketing tools that previously seemed to control your sales disappear.

🧵

[Ad Professor @The_AdProfessor]

3. Huel - Daily Greens

Principle: Blurred Out Boxing Match

Side by side comparison against your competition... but blurry enough to get away with it.