DRAMA dots . . .

Creating engaging, effective communications!

Check Out Past Newsletters

On September 25, 2020, an unlikely video went viral and has been viewed more than two billion times! Nathan Apodaca was on his way to work, and his truck broke down. So, he grabbed his skateboard and set off.

“It was honestly just me trying to get to work. I had less than 10 minutes to get there in order to get this little $25 bonus they offered every two weeks for being on time," Nathan shared with PEOPLE magazine. "The vibe was chill, kind of in a rush, though, because my car had just broken down.”

He uploaded a video of him rolling down the road on his longboard while lip-syncing to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac and drinking Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice.

The video immediately exploded, and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood even posted his own version of the video. The song “Dreams” reappeared in the top 12 of the Billboard Hot 100 and reached Number 1 on the iTunes song chart. While Ocean Spray never shared how much of a sales increase they received, they did gift Nathan a new truck filled with Ocean Spray juice!

​

Last week, we saw a new version of the video. Iowa Governor-Elect Rob Sands posted a video of himself skateboarding while wearing a Carhartt jacket, drinking cranberry juice, and singing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” As he raised his cranberry juice bottle, you saw a large sticker that said, “I VOTED Today.” The video has circulated widely on social media.

Social media played a HUGE part in the recent elections in the US. Whether it was clips from rallies or people stumping for their candidates.

My state’s governor race was just won by Cindy Holscher. Or, as TikTok likes to call her, “Maddie’s Mom.”

Cindy’s daughter, Maddie, has been posting TikToks encouraging people to vote for her mom. Cindy said that at almost every campaign stop, 20-25 people came up to her and said they learned about her from TikTok. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, it was. Those were likely young voters, which candidates have had a hard time reaching.

One reason Nathan’s original video went viral was that we were in the midst of the pandemic, staying home, and masking up. We loved seeing a video of a man outside vibing on his way to work. The realness of the moment connected with his audience.

People loved Rob’s recent version of the iconic video because it wasn’t over-produced. It was just a skateboard-loving candidate reminding people to vote! Maddie connected with people by creating simple, authentic videos about her mom.

In a world with too much AI slop and scripted reality TV, we crave real, authentic moments. Those are the ones that capture people’s attention. As a communicator, this reminds me that less is more. We want real reactions, words, and expressions. Sometimes the best messages are the least polished.

---

TO Capitalize or Not?

Do you ever wonder what should be capitalized in an email/letter greeting?

Good Morning,

OR

Good morning,

How about if it’s to a team? Dear Team OR Dear team?

Most style guides follow the practice of capitalizing the first word and all other nouns in a salutation/greeting. For example, you would say “To Whom It May Concern.”

This rule is only for the greeting/salutation. Closings in emails/letters follow different rules. (Side note: did you know the closing of an email is called a valediction? Valediction is defined as the act of bidding farewell.)

---

A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH!

---

INSPIRATION

When Maya Lin was an undergraduate at Yale University, she took an architecture class. The class challenged students to submit an entry into a national design competition for a memorial to be built in Washington, D.C.

More than 1,400 competitors entered the competition, mostly professional architects. The judging was done blindly by a jury – each piece only had a number associated with it. The committee selected Maya’s design, unaware she was a 21-year-old student with no professional design experience.

Maya’s design was controversial. She designed it as two slabs of black granite in a V-shape, starting low to the ground and gradually rising to meet in the middle. The names of all the Vietnam Veterans would be etched onto the granite in chronological order, commemorating the military personnel who died or were declared missing during the Vietnam War.

Incidentally, she had to submit this design for her class and got a B grade. Yet, her design was picked, even beating her professor’s submission.

Many criticized the design and were upset that it wasn’t more grandiose. Congressman Henry Hyde and other critics launched a campaign to add a statue of soldiers and change the wall to the color white. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts oversaw the final design and brokered a compromise. They kept Maya’s design and added a sculpture to the area. The public liked her design and donated $8.4 million to build the memorial.

Today, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is incredibly popular. Many people visit to rub an impression of the name of a loved one onto a piece of paper. Additionally, in 2010, a study found that visiting the wall multiple times helped Vietnam veterans better cope with post-traumatic stress.

Maya is now a highly respected architect. She is a member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

I was inspired by Maya’s story and how she weathered strong criticism at such a young age. It takes courage to put your ideas out into the world and subject yourself to criticism. Yet, I’m so thankful she had the bravery to do so.

I LOVE creating this newsletter. If you know someone who would enjoy it, please forward it to them with an invitation to subscribe here.