Spring is in the air, Covid droplets are disappearing, and it may finally be safe to go outside. There is pent-up demand; everyone is dusting off their to-do lists from 2020 and searching for their passports. (Well, that may be an exaggeration.) In addition to the real and serious post-pandemic impact on our waistline, wallets and wellness, there are real changes to how we view the world.
Muted colors are de rigeur and Urbane Bronze is the Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year.
I love words, and I love how Architectural Digest described it.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/urbane-bronze-is-the-sherwin-williams-color-of-the-year-for-2021 Urban Bronze “sits at the intersection between technology and humanity, and our relationship with nostalgia—a particularly potent force at a time when we’d all like to escape the present.”
But, if you work in any realm of marketing and communications, Pantone has written something equally as articulate as they announce their 2 colors of the year for 2021.
PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating
https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2021
“A marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.
Emboldening the spirit, the pairing of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 highlights our innate need to be seen, to be visible, to be recognized, to have our voices heard. A combination of color whose ties to insight, innovation and intuition, and respect for wisdom, experience, and intelligence inspires regeneration, pressing us forward toward new ways of thinking and concepts.”
“The union of an enduring Ultimate Gray with the vibrant yellow Illuminating expresses a message of positivity supported by fortitude. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, this is a color combination that gives us resilience and hope. We need to feel encouraged and uplifted; this is essential to the human spirit.”
-LEATRICE EISEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PANTONE COLOR INSTITUTE
There are changes to how we create, consume/share content as well.
You would think that people have content fatigue and would rather read/share shorter articles and blog posts but according to recent data from SEMrush just the opposite is true.
https://www.semrush.com/blog/anatomy-of-top-performing-articles/
“Content with more than 7,000 words received an average of 302 unique page views/30 shares vs shorter content with 300-600 words (59 unique page views/20 shares).
But before you get too excited remember that it still has to be good. “Long reads likely perform better because they provide users with in-depth information on the topic – not just because they contain more words.”
And, as the author of The Talent Brand, I know it would take me 5 times as long to research and write 7,000 words vs this blog post of 400.
And, I’d rather find my passport!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
