Spring into LinkedIn

Welcome to Spark, a newsletter from Vivace. We curate and publish the most interesting thinking and ideas from our community on themes ranging from business and finance to culture and creativity. Send pitches and feedback to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.

Hello Spark reader,

Joel is taking some time off this week so I’m very happy to get a chance to deliver Spark to your inboxes in his stead. We haven’t done a content roundup in a while, and though we might have dropped it from our name, we are very much still in the content game…

So if your LinkedIn feed has been looking a little lacklustre lately, we’ve got the answer to spark it up a bit! Read on to discover our editor Mimi’s roundup of some of the most thought-provoking thought-leaders and snappy posts from around the world that have popped onto our feeds lately.

In some exciting Vivace HQ news, next week we will be making our first big presentation to clients in our Minnesota office. It’s a watershed moment for us. Pictures to follow!

-Ryan

5 inspiring LinkedIn follows + 5 posts to ponder

For inclusive foundational AI skills

Hannah Maude
Digital Transformation & AI Consultant, Founder of Fire Up Skills

“I’m dedicated to ensuring women are not left behind and thrive in the future of AI: I launched Fire Up Skills in July 2023 to help achieve this 🚀 

I work with companies to unlock the potential of people and digital to drive business outcomes, and I run events around the world to educate and inspire more women and teams to adopt AI, and workshops and webinars that build foundational AI literacy.”

Start with this post about the AI skills gap and the trends driving the need for skills accelerators.

To become a smarter strategist in seconds

Alex H Smith
Founder of Basic Arts & Author of No Bullsh*t Strategy

“Focus, bravery, passion. And a sense of mischief. These are what create brands that are so remarkable that they have no competitors, and make outsized profits. But why are some able to act this way, and others aren’t?

It’s simple. Strategic clarity.”

Start with this post about what separates great strategists from the rest.

How to build a global investing community

Simran Kaur
Founder of Girls That Invest, Young New Zealander of the Year 2024 & Forbes 30 under 30 2022

“Simran is a Stock Market Columnist, Keynote Speaker & Founder and co-host of the world's biggest stock market podcast 'Girls That Invest' - ranked the #1 Business Podcasts in the United States, Canada & New Zealand and #2 in the United Kingdom (Nov 2021). Girls That Invest has become a hallmark in the investing learning space & has helped tens of thousands of women & minorities navigate the world of investing.”

Start with this post to hear the origins of Simran’s founder story.

For smart, funny, on-trend creative strategy

Joe Burns
Strategy lead at Quality Meats Creative

“I've done lots of strategy. Including but not limited to brand strategy, creative strategy, communications strategy, head of strategy, and design strategy. In that sense i'm sort of a specialist at being a generalist. Most of all I like to do lots of stuff, and I like to do it fast.”

(And easily has one of the best LinkedIn headlines ever: “Serving up strategic cold-cuts in a world of lukewarm hot-takes”)

Start with this post which includes a handy guide to the looming AI apocalypse (or why AI isn’t coming for your job if you’re a creative).

Learn about social media as a force for good

Eleshea Williams
Social Media Officer at Amnesty International 

“I'm Eleshea (el-ee-she-a), a human rights enthusiast with 5+ years of experience in social media and community management. I'm proud to currently be working at the world's largest grassroots human right's organization, using the power of social media to highlight human rights issues across the globe.”

Start with this post about how Eleshea has helped grow Amnesty International’s LinkedIn by 50,000 followers in 6 months.

For some marcomms comic relief

How to shift from the attention to the intention economy

Women in Brand launch their new podcast

Discover the book that Meta doesn’t want you to read

Permission to slow down and do less

Thanks for joining us this week. Anything we missed? Something we should include next week? Send us your shout-outs and strong opinions to include in next week’s edition at [email protected]. 

Spark is a production of Vivace, a global B2B creative studio and consultancy that helps businesses drive meaningful brand and commercial impact. Get in touch if you’d like to chat with any of the team. Have a great week ahead.