1) Content is being abused. Unless you’re Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift or Red Bull, the masses don’t care deeply about what you’re putting out there. However, many see content as marketing du jour and creativity has given way to volume. They just refuse to put Twitter down. As a result, there’s just too damn much stuff out there. There’s no way a clothing or detergent brand is going to compete with the Jimmy Fallons of the world. And yes, that’s who we’re competing with.
I like the DC Shoes approach. They drop one or two pieces every six months, because they know fans are not trolling their channels daily. And those pieces always blow well beyond the confines of their followers. No one watches Netflix all day – the same is true for social. But if the content is good enough it finds it’s way to us. And gets talked about on everyone else’s channels. This is what our industry means by surprise and delight. Make innovative and creative ideas, and results will follow.
2) We’ve rapidly grown our social offering. Not only have we bolstered our staff, won new pieces of social-specific business, but we’ve also invested in a local, socially-driven, digital company, Heavenspot. They primarily work with entertainment clients, which — being based in Los Angeles — is an industry we believe is important to be in. But even as we expand in this area, we are mindful of being strategic and not cluttering up channels with unwanted content. Plus, there are things we can learn from the entertainment arena that can and should be applied to other industries.
3) I’m proud of our UGG for Men work. When you combine tiny production and paid-media budgets with men’s aversion to anything UGG (AKA fluffy boots girls wear), it’s mind-boggling that UGG sold out of the shoes. Honestly, there are no stores that carry the shoe. So, this was a unique opportunity to gauge effectiveness. You simply don’t buy the product without seeing the work. Work that was simple, elevated, and perfectly choreographed with among all channels.
4) Live? Live TV has helped the thirty-second spot stay relevant. While Periscope & Twitter has given us the chance to share live content, it hasn’t changed the way our industry creates content. In order for this to change, the platforms and channels need to loosen their restrictions. Why can’t Twitter do their new television campaign in real time? Shouldn’t Budweiser be able make live adverts at NASCAR events? Can we not begin to make events out of our content too? I think we can, and will, in the very near future.
