How Leaders Can Optimize Teams’ Emotional Landscapes

MIT Sloan Management Review

Research suggests that suppressing emotions can erupt in counterproductive ways, which is why leaders must respond to their employees’ heightened emotions by either nurturing them, aligning them, acknowledging them or diversifying them.

Why it matters: The playbooks of emotional management—pep talks and sounding the alarm—that leaders employ today are outdated and can hinder their organization’s strategic objectives.

2021: The Year Of The Package

Forbes

Pandemic-induced behavior in 2020 led to a surge in the amount of plastic and non-sustainable packaging, one of society’s biggest environmental hazards.

Why it matters: Sustainable packaging communicates that a brand is acting responsibly, and that builds consumer trust. For that reason, many brands including Mars, Inc., H&M and Kimberly-Clark are switching to recyclable packaging in 2021.

Ford Appeals To Patriotic Duty With Campaign To Curb COVID-19

Marketing Dive

Ford launched a campaign and 30-second spot called #FinishStrong, urging people to protect themselves against COVID-19 this year as part of the brand’s patriotic duty to help the nation recover.

Why it matters: The initiative follows Ford’s earlier pandemic initiatives, which include producing 20 million face shields, 50,000 ventilators and 1.4 million washable gowns.

The 30 Best Creative Brand Moves Of 2020

Ad Age

Upon looking back on the past year, Ad Age’s creativity editors found that creative ideas flourished under all the turmoil of 2020, including those from brands like Michelob Ultra, Lego, Burberry, Epic Games and Jeep.

Why it matters: One digital campaign that stands out is Hellmann’s Animal Crossing Island, which let players drop off virtual turnips they were unable to sell at Hellmann’s Island and convert them into up to 50,000 real-life donated meals for Second Harvest Food Rescue.

Instagram Has Privately Advised Some Creators On How Often To Post, Offering A Rare Glimpse Into How Its Mysterious Algorithm Works

Bloomberg

Three Instagram creators told Business Insider that Instagram has contacted them in the last few months to share specific tips on how often and what kind of content to post to boost their audience and engagement.

Why it matters: According to the creators, Instagram recommended that they post a high volume of content, and use the entire suite of Instagram products—in-feed posts, Reels, Stories and IGTV videos. For one micro-influencer, the network suggested three in-feed posts per week (including in-feed Reels or IGTV posts), eight to ten Stories per week (and at least two per day), four to seven Reels per week and one to three IGTV per week (including Instagram Live).