Hi Reader,
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It’s the end of another month, and I’m happy to report – July’s been good! I’ve signed on a few new clients and will be working on some exciting big projects through the summer and fall.

But the most exciting part?

We are now a community of over 1,500 readers! 🥳

When I started Marketing Macarons in June, I thought it would take about 6 months to hit 1,000 readers. So I’m really grateful to have surpassed my target in just 6.5 weeks!

Today’s letter is slightly longer, but it has some of the best marketing insights – from a public rebrand of a $41M company to how an unconventional word became a cultural phenomenon and movement.

Plus, a productivity strategy that sounds counterintuitive at first and an AI prompt to make your summer travels just a little bit easier.

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​Read time: ~ 7 minutes

Kitted Out for Success: Convertkit's Bold Rebrand

A lot of companies talk about building in public. But Convertkit is literally walking the talk, with the massive public rebrand of its $41M company.

In 2013, Nathan Barry built Convertkit to solve a problem he and other bloggers and creators faced. He needed to find a way to reach his audiences to amplify his content and sell his books and courses through email.

Barry’s always been a big believer of building in public. This explains Convertkit’s core values: “work in public” and “teach everything you know”.

Right from building the product in public 11 years ago, to rebuilding from the ground up again in 2017 by adding advanced features, Convertkit’s entire journey has been out in the open.

What's the vision?

Convertkit has grown from just an email marketing platform, initially serving its key demographic audience of bloggers, to a larger, multi-pronged integrated marketing platform that serves all creators – writers, podcasters, YouTubers, TikTokers, etc.

And now they’re attempting their biggest feat yet. They aim to build the definitive “operating system for the creator economy”.

As the creator economy evolves, Convertkit is evolving right with it.

Their huge public rebrand is a masterclass in transparency and customer engagement in tech.

What does a public rebrand even mean?

Convertkit – which will soon be just “Kit” in September – is conducting its entire rebrand in public.

This means they’re doing everything in front of an audience.

From live-streaming design workshops and feedback sessions to documenting internal meetings between the Convertkit team and their branding agency, Koto, Convertkit is committed to this public rebrand.

They’re bringing their community along with them on the journey, by showcasing the behind-the-scenes decision-making process, unveiling logo iterations and brand assets live, and publicly announcing timelines and key milestones.

They’re also pulling back all the stops to dive deep into strategic decisions – the why behind the name, logo, brand ethos, etc.

Why is this so incredible?

When you think about rebrands of large tech companies, what we usually get to see is always – and only – the finished product. The new name, the altered logo, the revised tagline.

And so, the results are often met with indifference from a customer standpoint. Like, ok, great – your company is called something else. Or your logo looks different. Or you’ve refreshed the look and feel of your website and social media pages. Big whoop.

Most rebrand projects are meh at best.

Barring the example of Twitter’s overnight rebrand to X, which was just plain disastrous.

Never before has a company of this size and scale pulled back the hood, and let us in on what goes on behind the scenes. And that’s why it’s so exciting (especially for those of us who work in Marketing and Branding)!

Why “Kit”?

Koto (the branding agency) came up with “Fit for purpose”, a concept that resonated deeply with the Convertkit team.

The idea was around Convertkit fostering deeper connections with its core audiences.

This then evolved into “Kit for purpose” – showcasing how the platform is a “kit” or a set of tools to achieve a specific purpose.

Tying into Convertkit’s mission to help creators earn a living, the new platform will have advanced marketing and monetization tools. The new features include an app store, enhanced reporting and data hubs, and a wider creator network for creator partnerships.

You can follow their entire journey on the brand's official YouTube channel and check out the story as it unfolds here.

(Not sponsored)

The Most Unconventional Productivity Strategy

This productivity hack sounds counterintuitive – but it really works.

Picture this. It’s a Monday morning. You’ve just sat down at your desk, with a steaming hot cup of coffee. You open your email inbox, hoping it’s going to be a calm morning.

You read an email from your boss asking you to take the lead on a new project. The deadline is awfully tight.

Immediately, you panic.

Your heart starts racing. You feel the anxiety surge because you already have a lot on your plate. But you can’t say no to your boss either.

Grudgingly, you reply to the email, accepting their request.

And your week just got worse.

You struggle to keep up with your existing projects while working round the clock to meet the demands of the new one.

Your performance dips. Your boss notices. Your next 1-1 goes badly. They’re disappointed in you. You try to explain it’s because you have too many irons in the fire, and you’re getting burnt (out). But the words get stuck in your throat. You leave the meeting feeling upset, angry, and tired.

Over the next two weeks, you’re spread so thin that you start to dread work. You can’t wait to take a day off once this new project ends. Just as it starts to wind down, another urgent request comes through. Another business critical project. And they need you.

What do you do?

You can do it the old way, or you can apply the principle of Essentialism.

What is Essentialism, and why is it one of the most unconventional productivity strategies ever?

Essentialism is a concept that helps you lead a more guaranteed, focused life.

I recently came across this strategy in Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, and I highly recommend it as a great summer read.

Take it with you to the beach or the mountains (we don’t judge!) and discover how focusing on less can actually help you accomplish more.

• The Core Mindset of Essentialism: Essentialism is not about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It requires a disciplined effort to identify what is most important, to prioritize it, and to let go of the rest.
• The Power of Choice: McKeown reminds us that we have the power to choose. We don’t have to say “yes” to everything. By saying “no” to the things that aren’t essential, we can say “yes” to the things that are truly important.
• The Importance of Trade-offs: This book is all about understanding trade-offs. It’s okay to let go of non-essential tasks and obligations so we can focus on our top priorities.
• A New Approach: Essentialism encourages us to explore all our options before committing, eliminate the non-essentials, and execute our plans with intention and focus. It’s about creating routines and habits that support what’s truly important to us.

Even without reading the book, you can apply Essentialism to your daily life. The approach is simple:

• Explore: Spend time exploring and evaluating options before committing.
• Eliminate: Cut out the trivial and focus on the vital few.
• Execute: Implement a system to make execution effortless, allowing for sustained focus on essential tasks.

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Test it out for a few weeks, and watch your focus and productivity soar.

Simplify Your Summer with AI

I’d initially planned to write about an AI prompt to help you translate your conversations into local languages for your summer travels.

But last night, I found an even better AI prompt that solves the most stressful part of going on vacation in the summer.

Yes, I’m talking about the mountain of emails most of us have to face when returning from a 2-week break.

It almost takes the fun right out of going on a trip in the first place.

That’s why I was thrilled when my friend and AI educator Marcelina Dutkiewicz shared an amazing prompt to solve this problem!

Go ahead, and give this prompt a spin:

“I was on vacation from 8-27 July. Summarize my emails, Teams messages, and channel messages from that period. List action items in a dedicated column.

Suggest follow-ups in a dedicated column. Prioritize everything that references: project X and person X.

Present results in a table with the following format: Type (Mail/Teams/Channel)TopicSummarizationAction itemFollow-up. If I have been directly mentioned, make the font of the topic bold.”

And if you’re worried about it not covering the full range of emails, team messages, and other conversations – prompt it again.

This is super useful to know what’s coming ahead of time (for example, the night before you go back to work) or if you’re expected to jump right into meetings on your first day back.