APG Sideways
About our guest: Anya Petrova
Anya is a freelance senior strategist that has been working in advertising for the last 4 years across industries as diverse as automotive, banking, IT, travel tech, sport and food, as well as brands such as Bonduelle, Audi Service Russia, Adidas, and Yandex.
Prior to moving to Toronto, a couple of months ago, she worked at Friends Moscow, an independent agency in Russia .On the weekend, she loves shutting off her phone and exploring Toronto with no goal in particular.
Previous Posts
Brilliant Weird Best
Planners are curious folks so we asked Anya to tell us the most brilliant, weirdest and best thing she’s come across recently.
Brilliant; Spiritual Gangsta
I first came across this brand called “Spiritual Gangsta” through my yoga instructor. I thought it was brilliant because if you saw my instructor, you’d know that nothing could possibly top this description of her. It also demonstrated to me that words alone have the power to excite consumers.
As it turns out, there’s a whole brand of yoga apparel called “Spiritual Gangster.” And even though I don’t think I deserve to be part of this clique, I still bought a plain hoodie from them. If you know who was responsible for their name, DM please. I’m so eager to learn how they came up with it.
Weird: Mammalian Diving Reflex
Humans, like all mammals, have a mammalian diving reflex that basically slows down your entire body activity as soon as you put your face in the water. Your heart rate drops. Blood is redirected from limbs to vital organs. More red blood cells which are responsible for conserving oxygen are produced. All of this happens simultaneously and with no effort from you whatsoever!
If you’ve ever wondered why 6 month old babies can snorkel or why washing your face helps you calm down, here’s the answer. I found this exciting and weird because humans, and what we are unconsciously capable of, are just magical if you really think about it.
Best: Nike's Dream Crazier
If we’re talking about advertising, it’s “Nike – Dream Crazier” with Serena Williams. In my opinion, this is a masterpiece. I won’t waste your time explaining why it’s particularly moving for women, I’ll just say that whenever I feel like it’s “me against the world,” there’s Serena in my head saying, “Show them what crazy can do.” And if I ever pulled off something like that via advertising, I’d probably wear a “spiritual gangsta” tank top proudly.
Top Guilty Pleasurees
Not all of our consumption habits can be academic. In fact, sometimes the most random things can spur our thinking. So we asked Anya to give us the sources to her creativity.
Magazine: Vogue
I love fashion and how people express themselves through it.
Vogue attracts top talent from all over the world so I find its material captivating: the nuances, details and accents created by true pros gives me a lot to think about.
Podcast: Philosophize This
“Philosophize this!” includes a lot of great thinking around the times humanity has lived through.
My recent favourite episode is #188 about the Achievement Society. There’s a part about the freedom we have to choose who we want to come on our mental health journey with us which I found particularly intriguing and provocative.
TV Shows: The Boys and Desperate Housewives
If I’m being honest but trendy, I love “The Boys.” Everything about the series is just fantastic: cast, script, dialogues, art direction, character development, and humour. Their Pepsi commercial Easter egg is hilarious. If I’m being just honest, then “Desperate Housewives” season 1, because the narrative and dialogues are just music to my ears.
This month on Slack
In case you haven’t been following us on slack lately, here are some of our most recent and popular links.
Mark Zuckerburg - first interview in the metaverse
Contributor: Spencer MacEachern
Mark Zuckerberg recently joined MIT research scientist Lex Fridman for a virtual chat in the metaverse using stunning photorealistic avatars of themselves to show how far VR has progressed.
On Barbie, Mattel, and Brave Brands
Contributor: Deepshikha Narang
What does it mean to be a brave brand in 2023? How did Mattel succeed and Gillette fall short? Megan Averell from Insights Inn shares a strong perspective on the topic.
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/barbie-mattel-brave-brands-megan-averell
Filter. Your. Newsletters.
Contributor: Ben Percifield
Stemming from an in-person discussion at our APG Summer Social, Ben shared a life hack to help clean up your inbox and sort your newsletters with a secret gmail feature.
Link: https://apgcanadagroup.slack.com/archives/C01QFJ7TTMW/p1694785948381529
In order to take advantage of the tip, the APG also discussed some of our favourite newsletters:
- Digital Native: Weekly writing about how technology shapes humanity
- Link in Bio: a newsletter about working in social media, creating clever content, and making sure your boss never asks you to “go viral”.
- Brand New: Opinions on corporate and brand identity work.