Creative Collectives.
With the recent closures of gal-dem, Babyface and Marguerite to name but a few, you could be forgiven for assuming that the days of the creative collective were over…
With the recent closures of gal-dem, Babyface and Marguerite to name but a few, you could be forgiven for assuming that the days of the creative collective were over.
“The world was a very different place when Marguerite launched in 2015. Feminism, culture and the workplace look very different now”.
Marguerite ‘The End’.
Whilst strides have undoubtedly been made, findings from the Creative Majority Report published by Kings College London make it clear that Britain’s creative economy is still failing to adequately represent the diversity of voices and talents that exists on our shores. According to this report, women, racial minorities, those from a working-class background, people living with a disability, and those living outside of London and the South East, remain significantly under-represented in the creative and cultural industries, particularly in senior decision-making roles and key creative professions.
“Straight, able-bodied, white men living in London are only 3.5 per cent of the UK population. Nevertheless, this small minority still dominates the creative sector, and in particular occupy a vast number of the most senior creative roles”.
The Creative Majority Report.
Change is desperately needed and in banding together, creating new networks and promoting each other’s work, the collectives below are just some of those leading the charge.
Aurelia is an award-nominated independent publication, uplifting the first-person stories and opinions of marginalised genders. They commission freelance writers every month, covering topics such as identity, lifestyle, love and connection, and personal responses to news, politics and culture.
This London-based based radio station is on a mission to showcase the best emerging talent in the underground music scene. The station is led by a diverse group of women and members of the LGBTQI+ community with women always on the forefront of their agenda.
BRICKS is a London-based independent print publication and online platform exploring social-political issues within fashion, music, arts and culture. They connect the best emerging creatives in fashion and art with world-class talent, as well as amplifying the voices of the new generation of climate activists, BLM organisers and trans rights activists.
A London-based multidisciplinary collective and platform for artists of Asian heritage. Co-founder Roxy Farahmand states, “we couldn’t be a collective without this sense of kinship. I think art is a powerful tool for change, especially through communal action. The most impactful social change happens together and a lot of our work is event-based to create a space where we can connect and work together.”
AZEEMA is a print magazine, online platform, community and creative agency, exploring the strength and creativity of women and non-binary folk of the Global Majority with a focus on WANA+SA.
Onyx, a collective of disabled creatives who have lived experience of racism, publish Practising Unapologetics!, a zine looks at themes of survivorship, de-colonisation, homelessness, architecture, accessibility, identity, activism and more.
Newsletters We Should All Subscribe To.
Entertaining and informative email newsletters.
In an era awash with content, it is easy to overlook the value and delights of an email newsletter.
Providing welcome relief from the deluge of visual assets that is the modern social media feed, these written missives exist as a veritable pick ‘n’ mix of ideas, knowledge, current affairs, humour and empowerment, metaphorically wrapped up and festooned with balloons.
Below are some of the best that we have found so far.
The concept of this small yet perfectly formed newsletter is so simple yet so brilliantly clever that we’re mortified for never having thought of it ourselves. In the first section, creator Jessica Stanley includes a series of excerpts from books or articles that she has found interesting. In the second are listed some interesting things that she has seen and in the third, something (or several things) that have made her think. It is so simple, yet so thought provoking and informative, with links included to all discussed.
Subscribe here.
Essential reading at Pique HQ, strategy expert Jack Appleby’s weekly newsletter is a goldmine of information on social media, influencer marketing , creativity and more. An incredible resource for agencies, brands and content creators alike.
Subscribe here.
This pop-culture newsletter is perfect for those of us obsessed with celebrity culture (guilty) and the ripple effects in wider society . Creator Jessica Redd Kraus writes in away that is thoughtful, intelligent and highly entertaining. Sporadic dispatches are available free of charge while paying subscribers gain access to the official newsletter.
Subscribe here.
Insider Edinburgh
Managed by Pique, Insider Edinburgh is a monthly newsletter with news, reviews and recommendations for what’s happening in our own home city.
Subscribe here.
Content and the Attention Economy.
Content and the Attention Economy
Nobel Prize winning political scientist Herbert A. Simon coined the term “attention economy” to describe how the abundance of information creates a “poverty of attention” more than forty years ago. In other words, before social media supercharged our scrolling and changed how we process information forever.
According to Facebook, users spend an average of 1.7 seconds on piece of content when accessed from a mobile and an average of 2.5 seconds when accessed from a desktop. For Gen Z audiences, the combined average drops to 1.3 seconds. While these stats have left many wringing their hands, much can be processed in a short space of time. According to Nielson Research, impressions lasting 1-2 seconds amount to 38% of brand recall, 23% of brand awareness and 25% of purchase intent. The value is evident. The question is, how can we make our content as compelling and memorable as possible?
Grappling with Google Analytics 4.
GA4 has officially replaced Universal Analytics - what does this mean for you?
When Google officially replaced Universal Analytics with GA4 on July 1st 2023 many of us were left with the same question - what is the difference? According to Google, GA4 is designed to address evolving measurement standards and help businesses succeed. In short, GA4 responds to the growing importance of GDPR and online user privacy.
The change is part of a larger shift away from non-GDPR compliant third-party data and towards ethically collected first-party data.
While users may notice a change in segmentation reporting (an area very much reliant on third-party ‘cookie’ data), GA4 offers greater insight overall and signals a positive step-forward in terms of quality data analysis.