A resurrection of sorts
Marketing insight and curated news and cool projects for architects, developers, and community builders.
Well, well, well. It’s been a while (a year in fact).
I’ve let this lapse just a bit, and if my client had ghosted their newsletter as much as I did, I would’ve been screaming or having a panic attack. My goal is to produce one of these per month. Call me out if I don’t OK?
Anyhow, thanks for opening and reading. Here are some trends, thoughts, and tips for February.
Instagram Reels aren’t doing great
I remember the heady days of posting a Reel on Instagram, then sitting back and getting tons of views. Not anymore. Content that got 3k, 4k views is now barely cracking 100. Is it the algorithm? Is it the fact that Instagram posts EVERY video as a Reel (lame) now? I don’t have an answer. What is working? Carousels. Like, real good. Upload 3-5 pics, write a caption for each, and have one tell a story. See what happens.
AI assistance embedded in social platforms
I won’t say the name of the platform that I use for social posts but they recently unveiled an AI Assistant that can help users like me generate new posts. It works pretty well - and spits out posts that are, oh I dunno, 70% there. They don’t know the brand voices, tone, etc. and posts they create tend to be on the generic side (for now!) but it can be a great start if you’re staring at a blank screen.
Why do restaurant websites suck so bad?
Last week I wanted to go for ramen at a local place and hopped over to their website and lo and behold they had the info I needed. Real important stuff, you know, like hours, menus, specials, an address? I swear, 90% of restaurant websites have ancient info (I’m looking at you, local place with happy hour prices from 2019). Architects and developers take note (no, I’m not asking for your drink specials but I do see a ton of architect’s websites that are hard to navigate) and a lot of you could use some of the same lessons - like…don’t forget the simple info. PS: Here’s my favorite ramen place (and website).
And now my favorite part of each issue:
Curated building + design projects that I find interesting … and I hope you do, too.
Old Atlanta office building will feature office and retail
The City of Atlanta has purchased the 2 Peachtree Street office building from the State of Georgia for an adaptive reuse conversion. Once completed it’s expected to feature offices and retail space. Source.
From an abandoned auto mechanic to serving beer and coffee
From the New School in Portland: This location is flooded with light from roll-up doors and has a more colorful design full of warm water blue, cherry red, and white ivory tones. Long tall standing-height beer tables fill the center of the room and a few more intimate low tables are against the west wall against curtain-draped windows and elegant prints of famous jazz musicians. Source.
Best Western rejuvenates legendary Arizona motor hotel
The newly resurrected Egyptian Motor Hotel is part of Best Western’s Signature Collection and they hope the retrofitted hotel will:
inspire the creative types, the foodies, and the music lovers who like to connect and surround themselves in originality. Downtown Phoenix's latest Econo-cool play station and overnight hub feature 49 retro modern rooms, a restaurant to delight locals with deliciously unfussy, but crave-worthy eats, and a 250-person outdoor entertainment venue.
Building of the issue: Design and Research, Cambridge, MA
If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to read Alexandra Lange’s latest for the New Yorker on the history of Dansk. It’s a fascinating look at the company’s background (they were an American company not Danish for starters). The piece mentions Design Research in Cambridge which took me down a wormhole where I found the above image (it appears in many places and articles). I remember the early 2000s of this building when it was Crate and Barrell and always found it fascinating. For good reason!
See you in March!
Good to see you back, John. We appreciate the tip on the Upright Beer Station, a cool bit of inspiration for what could happen to our demo threatened Route 66 Standard Oil Co. Station in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. https://esotouric.com/standard/