The stupid idea that most people believe in

Our reading notes on Gary Vaynerchuk

• The Most Expensive 30 Seconds in Advertising

  At his Super Bowl roundtable with Jim Stengel and brand leaders, Vaynerchuk describes the event as a day to produce material. A participant trying a product, a creator explaining it and a broadcast spot serve different purposes. Planning those encounters ahead of time helps a team leave with something more specific than a highlight reel.

• Document, Don’t Create: Creating Content That Builds Your Personal Brand

  Vaynerchuk proposes documenting work in progress as an alternative starting point for someone stuck trying to invent a polished persona. The useful material is a decision or lesson that really occurred. An ordinary workday also contains private details and unfinished judgments that an editor should leave out.

• Why You Need to Forget Your “Mistakes” and Focus on Your Next Thing

  The episode listing describes Vaynerchuk’s conversation with CRWD founder Ryan Chen about paying people to try products, visit a store and give feedback. For someone planning a sampling day, that raises two separate questions. Did someone take the free sample, and did the experience give them a reason to look for the product again?