An old joke from Woody Allen’s 1977 film, Annie Hall opens: Two women are at a restaurant. One says, “The food here is terrible”; The other replies, “yeah, and in such small portions.”
Like the terrible food, there’s too much ‘content’ in our world and much of it isn’t feeding us properly.
I’ve recently been on holiday in Europe, and I didn’t hear the word ‘content’ once. Some great words I did hear: art, film, radio, podcast, TV, newspaper, music, sculpture, Aperol Spritz, pasta and gelato.
Why didn’t I hear the word ‘content?’ Because outside of the context of media/marketing/advertising the word content on its own is completely meaningless.
A company’s marketing should ultimately sell products, promote the brand, inspire loyalty, spark interest. So, if you’re making content, you need to define what it is, and its reason for being.
With so much talk about personalisation, ad blockers, in-program, in-feed and programmatic, I’d like to revisit some classic content rules of engagement. These oldies but goodies may hark back to ‘the golden age’ of radio and TV, but remain as good as ever as we look towards 2018.
1. Does your audience want / need that content you’re making?
Before you brief in that video, blog, podcast or influencer, stop and consider your audience and what you’re trying to achieve – does it actually call for more content?
- What’s your business goal?
- What are your marketing objectives?
- What’s working / not working to date?
- What are your customers’ / clients’ needs?
- What do you need to communicate to your clients / customers?
- What existing resources do you have that you can leverage? (e.g. partnerships, owned assets)
If you’re making content without a full media strategy, then you’re not going to generate the outcomes you desire.
Action for 2018: Is it time for you to tell your client that what they want to do is a bad idea? Or, marketers, are average ideas being realised at the expense of your agencies’ great ones because they’re easier to get approved? Safe ideas don’t get your brand quoted in the kitchen…
2. Entertain to inform
How many of you say, “Not happy Jan” every once in a while – and are transported back to the pre-Google Yellow Pages days? Or “Happy Little Vegemite?” It’s more complicated to get into the public’s consciousness these days. Time for some old tricks.
Wes Anderson is one of the few film directors who moves between commercial and art seamlessly. Let’s review some of his work:
American Express – A brilliant commercial. Memorable, impactful and knows its media. Mr Anderson is a great ambassador so to extend to different channels and lengths (i.e. 30/60 second TVC or a cinema ad, billboard, gif) is easy and works.
Prada’s “Castello Cavalcanti” – This short film is stylish, charming and Prada – and it knows its audience’s media habits. Released at the Rome Film Festival, it’s a perfect short before a movie but also perfect train/bus viewing.
The Darjeeling Limited – traditional feature film product placement with a Louis Vuitton bag. Works perfectly in the context of the movie. When I think of bags, I think of Louis Vuitton.
Action for 2018: All of these take time to make. So if you are being pitched ‘proactives’ perhaps they’re exactly what you’re not looking for.
3. Why aren’t more brands in Aussie films?
Aussie brands are fantastic at getting involved in TV (The Block, Masterchef, Air Rescue, Offspring). So why aren’t we getting more involved in the film industry? Here are some benefits other than buttered popcorn:
- Box office is up year on year;
- There are more distribution options;
- Any investment in a film could be a great sponsorship opportunity where you can create a perfect content ecosystem of video, audio, articles, on-pack promos – wouldn’t it be great to see the Top of the Lake Burger Meal Deal at Oporto?
Partnerships with film actors can work. Tourism Australia have been doing it for 30 years:
Paul Hogan (1984) promoting Australia
Chris Hemsworth promoting Australia
Action for 2018: Creative agencies, media agencies, film producers, distributors, PR people and agents – please start collaborating and pushing bolder ideas.
4. Podcasts are cool.
Podcasts have had a resurgance in the last 18 months.
- If your brand can share awesome stories, create your own podcast - see Ebay’s Open for Business, GE’s Decoding Genius or Genea’s Modern Babies.
- If not, support a show with an audience base and share your story as an ad (Ford’s Move Freely campaign is pretty interesting – featured in Gimlet’s shows).
- Geo-targeting or demographic targeting means your ads can be personal and not intrusive.
- Working with radio stations and distribution platforms is essential as they know their audience, and can create a radio campaign to support the podcast.
Action for 2018: Advertising the podcast is just as important as making it.
In 2018 we’ll be making more content than ever. Let’s make sure it’s feeding our audience so they’re entertained and informed – and not left hungry.
By Josh Butt, head of program formats and development at The Story Lab