Thursday, November 10, 2016

It’s not advertising or content; advertising IS content (and other musings)

Photo credit: Thinglink.com
It always happens.

Something new and different comes along and two groups quickly form.

There are the bandwagoners, who were just looking for something new to get behind. And the don’t-move-my-cheesers, who don’t know why people have to mess with things when they’re working just fine.

In the advertising/marketing space, there’s been a lot of talk lately about content marketing. So much talk, in fact, that people can’t decide what content marketing is and what it isn’t. People also have to decide which group they are in.

And, in the ad world specifically, this comes at a bad time. People are tuning out all of those TV commercials agencies and brands spend so much time and money creating. The world is changing and people have more control over what they see — and it turns out they don’t want to see commercials.

So the ad agencies and their clients are understandably on edge, when along comes this new and different thing called content marketing.

The bandwagoners, of course, were all over it. This is going to be great, they think. We’ll create our own content and push it out to the world through our own (almost free) channels and win the day! We don’t need to pay to create or distribute ads anymore. Ha, they say.

But…if everyone does that at once, it might not be as effective (and not everyone is good at it).

On the other side, the don’t-move-my-cheesers have seen this all before. Didn’t we all get into a tizzy a few years ago about social media? Wasn’t that going to save the day? Yeah, well, brands still need to promote themselves and, anyway, we’ve been doing this storytelling thing for more than 100 years — really well. Don’t worry about us, they say, we’ll be fine.

So who’s right? Well, they both are.

The bandwagoners are right that this is different and technology is somewhat responsible/to blame. It’s true that brands can now create and distribute their own content, but that doesn’t mean they will all do it well. And when they all do it at the same time, things get really noisy (and consumers tune out).

The don’t-move-my-cheesers are right that storytelling is one of the most important pieces here, and many agencies do that really well. But not all of them. And agencies need to open their eyes to the fact that people’s preferences are more sophisticated; the old campaign model is broken and funding research that says TV is still the most effective medium is not only wasteful, but a little desperate.

So, where do we go from here? As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between. Here are a few bottom-line outcomes to keep in mind from someone with a foot in each camp:

• Advertising is still useful, especially if you’re trying to build awareness for a brand
• Advertising isn’t a cure-all, nor is it the only solution

• Content Marketing is a philosophical change in the way messages are created
• Content Marketing isn’t just digital, nor is it the Holy Grail (or new, for that matter)

• Progressive brands employ a variety of strategies to grow their audience
• Not-as-progressive brands are just trying to sell products and services the same old way

• It turns out, people don’t want to buy stuff, they want to experience things
• Sometimes, that may mean buying stuff

• Consumers don’t want a TV show, they want to be told a story
• Sometimes, the story is a TV show, but it’s not limited to the big TV networks anymore (see: Walking Dead, Orange is the New Black, Making a Murderer, etc.)
• And, sometimes, it’s not TV at all (see: The Lego Movie, Share a Coke)

Successful brands know their audience; they understand their wants and needs and know their preferences. They don’t just jump on any old bandwagon, yet they are willing to try new things as long as it allows them to serve their audience.

By employing the best practices of content marketing, you can avoid being either a bandwagoner or a don’t-move-my-cheeser by simply telling your audience a great story that solves a problem in their lives.

And, if you’re patient enough, they just might invite you in.

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