The Content Marketing Review (TCMR): Our food, your questions

Brand

McDonald’s of Canada

Creator

Tribal DDB (agency)

Title

Our food, your questions

CM Score (out of 100): 90 (quite successful)

Scale: 0-50 (unsuccessful); 51-70 (moderately successful); 71-90 (quite successful); 91-100 (superior).

Description

The world’s largest fast food restaurant chain was taking some flak for its food and not all of the rumors were true. What’s a brand to do?

Enter content marketing.

To combat this situation, McDonald’s Canada created a website giving people the chance to ask any question they want about McDonald’s food (cleverly, this also gives the company the ability to answer these questions in public, where they can be shared).

Why it works

It’s upfront, honest and allows the fast food giant the ability to put some nasty rumors about its food to rest while showing more of its human side.

Why it works as content marketing

This would not have worked as an ad campaign or a press release. That would have come off as defensive and one-sided (mainly because it would have been). By allowing, even encouraging, people to ask the questions they want, Mickey Ds gets the opportunity to dispel some of those almost-out-of-control rumors, like the one about ‘pink slime’ in its chicken nuggets or that they don’t use real eggs in its Egg McMuffins. 

Turns out, both are not true.

And they’re smart about how they answer, too. Some easier questions can be handled directly on the website (Q: “Is your ice cream real dairy?” A: “Not only is our soft serve made with real dairy – it’s made with fresh, delicious, Canadian milk and cream.”).

But, for the more involved answers, they’re willing to invest in engaging videos that answer the question and also showed that human side of the brand. Hey, those are real people making those fries…and almost everyone knows someone who has worked there. Heck, it couldn’t be THAT bad a place, right?

Exactly.

What can we learn?

There are a couple of key things. First, the brand (at least the Canadian branch of the brand) is showing that it listens to its customers and demonstrates, in answer after answer, how it supports Canadian farmers and local businesses. Smart.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for their American cousins. When they grabbed onto this idea, they enlisted a B-list celeb from the cable series Mythbusters (couldn’t afford either of the show’s stars, guys?) and some of the authenticity was immediately lost. The American version had a pre-programmed feel to it, which took away some of what was working. Okay, a lot of what was working. These were no longer real people, but actors talking to people. I think the trust factor just went out the drive through window!

But back to Canada.

The other reason this worked so well (and continues to work) in the great white north is the company’s commitment to answering a significant number of questions. To date, the company has answered more than 20,000 questions — and they won’t avoid the difficult questions, either.

For example, they tackle one of the toughest questions (“Is ‘100% Canadian beef’ just a company that McDonald’s buys from?”) by visiting the Canadian company where they do buy their beef, Cargill, and allowing a proud Cargill employee to take the viewers on a video tour.

It’s this commitment to consistently doing what you say you’re going to do that wins people over. And it’s also a hallmark of content marketing.

Skeptics beware, McDonalds of Canada means what they say… and, all of a sudden, we don’t feel so badly about stopping by for some of those world famous fries.

The Content Marketing Review (TCMR): The story of Sarah and Juan

Brand

Extra gum

Creator

Energy BBDO (agency)

Title

The story of Sarah and Juan

TCMR Score (out of 100): 95 (superior)

Scale: 0-50 (unsuccessful); 51-70 (moderately successful); 71-90 (quite successful); 91-100 (superior).

Description

A video that tells the story of a young couple’s life together and how a man uses gum wrappers, of all things, to propose to his girlfriend in a well thought out, romantic way.

Why it works

It’s a great, emotional story told in a compelling way.

Why it works as content marketing

While well crafted, it does take quite a bit more than 30 seconds to tell this story, so it wouldn’t work well (or be cost-effective) in the typical TV spot format. Also, it’s important to note that the message says nothing about the product at all, choosing to integrate it as part of the story; striking a beautiful balance that’s more than simple product placement, but much less than an endorsement.

What can we learn?

I would love to say we can point to a sales increase (or lack thereof) as a result of this content marketing tactic. But, while I looked, it turns out that Mars Corp. (owners of Wrigley and the Extra brand) is very private about financial matters.

What we can learn is that people love a romantic story and will give a brand credit for creating one. They will also share a great story prolifically with their personal networks (as of December 2015 – not yet three months old – the video on YouTube had been viewed nearly 17 million times and shared 59,000 times). But why?

Like its predecessor video, called Origami, Sarah and Juan pulls the viewer in with an intriguing story, while keeping the product mentions infrequent enough to avoid it feeling like an ad.

Because — are you ready for this – it’s not an ad.

Ads, in the purest sense, promote products or services. They talk about features and benefits and they tell people where they can go to buy the product or service. This video does none of that.

I’m sure there are those who will disagree with me on this point, perhaps even some of the people working to promote the brand itself. To me, an ad is more than just getting attention. It’s that, for sure. But then it moves (or tries to move) the audience toward a purchase. This video never attempts that…and, perhaps above all else, that’s what makes it more content marketing than advertising.

The seamless connection to the brand itself, given to the audience as a head-nodding moment that’s woven indelibly into the story, can easily be simultaneously appreciated and forgiven by the viewer all at the same time.

Here’s the bottom line: the Extra team understands their station in life. They are promoting a brand of chewing gum, not something complex like a car or a life insurance policy.

Theirs is an impulse purchase and the hope here is simply that, the next time the viewer is in a store or at the gas station near a chewing gum display, perhaps they will give Extra a try. That’s it.

And that is the very essence of content marketing.

Well played, Extra. Well played.

Content is beginning to bifurcate

Photo credit: thenationalherald.com

Being a writer, I try not to use big, potentially confusing terms as best I can. But, sometimes, they just fit.

That’s the case with our old friend bifurcation. As you may know, the term itself means to divide into two branches or forks, and I believe that’s exactly what’s happening to the content being created by marketers these days.

Some content (AKA the messages created by brands) is getting very good. These brands, like Oreo and Lego, are investing in the creation of quality content and it shows. On the other hand, there are brands who are not investing in the quality piece, rather focusing on the quantity of the content they are creating. This also shows.

My guess is that marketers on team quantity believe if they create enough content, it will bring people to their door (website, etc.).

Whether that’s true or not is a subject for another day. My point here is that content, specifically what I’ll call marketing content (to distinguish from more transactional content) is beginning to break into two camps, two kinds, two areas…oh, it’s bifurcating…alright?

I believe this content bifurcation will continue in 2016 and will further separate the brands who do this content creation thing well from those who do not, creating a haves-vs-haves-not situation.

My urging to you, dear brand marketers, is to get on board with the quality team.

Gone are the days when, if you got enough ‘stuff’ out there, you could get the attention of the search engines and win. The Googles and the Bings of the world and others are far too smart for old school things like key word stuffing…and that should tell us something. It should tell us more than, “Well, I guess we’ll have to try some other trick now.”

There are no more tricks. Your messages have to be relevant, helpful and meaningful for your audience or they will be ignored. That’s it. End of story.

No matter what business you are in or how you sell — B2B, B2C, B2B2C — there are no consumers begging you to send them more messages. And don’t even get me started on those who haven’t decided on a target audience on which to focus (how on earth can you be relevant, helpful and meaningful to someone if you don’t know who that someone is? Ugh.).

Anyway, as 2016 develops, I believe this bifurcation of content will continue and become even more pronounced. Now is the time, brand marketers, to decide which team you’re on…team quality or team quantity.

I’m sure there are those who are thinking, “What about both?” And it is true, to an extent, that brands need to create good quality content and create an ample amount of it, as well. But at some point, one has to take precedence.

There will come a day/project/meeting where you’ll be asked, “Do we want to make several of these or do we want to make one of them really well?”

As content continues to bifurcate, you will have to choose.

Please, I implore you, choose quality.

My favorite answer to almost any marketing question? It depends.

Photo credit: inc.com

No, really, that’s it.

I don’t mean my answer depends, I mean that’s literally what I say:

It depends.

Why? Despite the rumors you may have heard, I don’t do it just to be annoying —I swear. It’s simply because there’s usually not enough information to be able to provide a meaningful answer.

For example, as soon as I hear people ask things like, “What content marketing tactic works best?” I just have to cringe. It’s not the fault of the person asking, of course, they’re just trying to learn. But the question tells me they don’t quite understand content marketing (or marketing in general), because the answer to that kind of question will always be — brace yourselves — it depends.

When these kinds of questions are asked with very little specifics provided, like what you’re selling, how or to whom (when, where, etc.), it simply doesn’t make sense to give an answer.

Unfortunately, many still do. “Infographics!” they say. Ugh.

This problem only exists in marketing

Think about it, would you ask your auto mechanic, without giving him any other information, “What’s the best way to fix my car?” Or a doctor, who hasn’t examined the situation (or you), “What’s the best way for me to get healthier?” Of course you wouldn’t, because it depends. Right?

People, it’s the same with marketing a product or service.

Before you can recommend anything tactical, you need to know much more about a brand/product/company’s situation. Are they an established brand in a niche market (they may want to promote the category) or are they an up-and-comer in a crowded field (they will want to look for ways to stand out)? Are they a value brand (Wal-Mart) or a premium brand (Saks)? Big difference.

There are two things of importance here: the message and the delivery. And one of the best ways to start looking for both is by focusing on your audience. Deciding whom you’re trying to attract will tell you a lot about what/how you should say and when/where you should say it.

Let’s start with the delivery

If you’re trying to reach senior citizens, that’s very different from trying to reach families with small children…these people do different things, get news and information from different sources — heck, they’re even awake at different times of the day!

Back to the auto mechanic; if your car won’t start, that’s a very different problem (with a different solution) than if your car gets you from point A to point B, but has been making a funny noise since it’s gotten colder outside.

This is why sophisticated brands choose target audience segments — some even develop specific types of targeted consumers, called personas — so they can best reach the folks who may be interested in what they have to offer. And it’s not just about how to reach people; it’s what you say to them, as well.

The message also matters

Let’s go back to the senior citizens and families with small children, but now let’s say we’re trying to convince them both to do the same thing…we wouldn’t be very successful to do it with the same message, right?

Because, say it with me now, it depends!

If we’re promoting Disney World our message should be very different, depending on which group we’re trying to attract, right?

For the senior citizen group, it may be something like: Create a trip your grandkids will never forget; while, for the family with small kids, it may be something more like: Start a family tradition.

[Of course, there are those few great messages that somehow magically work for all, like: We’ve got fun for all ages. But that doesn’t make my point, so let’s not talk about that here, okay?]

The bottom line is this: focus on your audience at the beginning can help you hone both your message and how it gets delivered, making them both more effective.

That, my friends, is why it depends.

What bananas can teach us about content marketing

Photo credit: livescience.com

In case you haven’t heard, the world’s supply of bananas is under attack. According to The Washington Post, bananas may be going bye bye altogether because of a disease called Tropical Race 4.

But fruits and vegetables face diseases everyday, right? Is this simply a case of the media hyping a story for the sake of attention?

This time, I’m afraid not.

The disease is a problem because almost all of the world’s bananas are not only grown in a relatively small geographical area (most of them are grown in Latin America), but they are almost all the same variety.

The same thing that makes our bananas reliably healthy and abundant — that they are essentially all clones of each other, according to The Post — is the same thing that makes them all vulnerable to the same disease.

What’s happening with bananas is that growers removed variations to simplify things for themselves, reduce inconsistencies and make more money. But, those variations were the very thing that protected their crop — their livelihood — from disease.

How on earth does this relate to content marketing?

While this is very sad news for those of us who love bananas, those of us in marketing should take a lesson from this pending disaster and try to learn from it. That’s what marketing is all about, right?

Even though brands today have access to tools that enable them to create and publish their own messages, many of us are still doing the same things. It’s not quite as bad as the banana issue (yet), but as marketers continue to follow each other with the same messages, the same infographics, the same videos and the same blog posts, they risk extinction.

Why?

Because consumers like solutions. They already know what the problems are and they really don’t have the time or patience to connect the dots between what they need and what you’re offering. They want someone to help solve their problems so they can get back to living their lives.

So stop talking about what you do and talk more about how you can help people. In other words: use more #contentmarketing!

Brands like Blendtec are a great example. Could they have done the standard product promotions about how fast their blenders spin and how much torque they can deliver and all of that? Sure.

Would anyone care? Nope.

Instead, they chose to show how they can help by blending just about anything they could get their hands on. Do most folks really need to blend a cell phone down to a pulp? Of course not. But when you do need to blend something, aren’t you going to consider the one that can? You bet you are.

There are many other great examples of content marketing, too. I'm sure you've seen many of them.

The point here is that, while most brands can’t rely solely on content marketing, the vast majority of brands can benefit from using content marketing more as part of their overall marketing mix.

This is the point of the banana analogy…content marketing can help by providing your brand with needed variety.

And we all know people like variety in their lives. And bananas.

On how content marketing helps with diversification

Photo credit: pngimg.com

Or, why you can't just pound your way to success

You’ve heard it said that diversifying your investment portfolio is a smart way to lower your investment risk, right?

I’m here to tell you that adding content marketing to your mix can do the same thing for your marketing messages.

I am obliged at this point to define what I mean by content marketing, because everyone uses this term differently.

When I say content marketing, I’m talking about useful messages that create a positive brand impression by helping people in their daily lives. It’s not advertising. It’s not inbound marketing. It’s simply being useful and gaining trust/appreciation for your brand.

With me?

Okay, so let’s think about this notion of diversification.

Of course, most brands can’t live on content marketing alone, but I would argue that this kind of messaging is under utilized and, as a result, your marketing mix may be out of balance.

First, brands need to come to grips with this: people who want to buy what you have don’t always need what you have. Let’s say you sell hammers. You know, the kind that drive nails. Unless you’re a carpenter, once you have a hammer you probably don’t need another one for a while.

But when you do need one — whether yours recently broke or you’re just starting out with the whole nail-pounding thing — you want to get one and move on with your life. Please understand, dear brands, that this is the way consumers look at buying most things. And yes, even though your company’s Super Hammer 2000 is the best hammer on the market for under $50, no one cares but you.

Let me repeat that: no one cares but you.

But, hey, you’re a savvy marketer, aren’t you? You know you need to stay top-of-mind with your target audience so that, when that hammer handle does break, you’re the first hammer they think of (hopefully the only one, right?). This is where content marketing comes in.

By investing in content marketing you are building assets, in the form of helpful messages, that can be leveraged over and over again. Unlike advertising and other campaigns that are typically designed to create interest or awareness and tend to run their course, useful content assets that are created simply to help people can live on.

Whether it’s a blog post about what kind of hammer handle is best for certain uses or a fun video about how most hammer handles are broken, content marketing allows you to create an experience over time, building credibility and trust.

Perhaps most importantly, people will invite these useful messages in and share them with others. In a time when most advertising can easily be blocked, content marketing done well (helpful messages that are entertaining and not about you) earns your brand a seat at the table and your message is often shared with others, gaining an endorsement you simply can’t buy.

Of course, many people smarter than me have extolled the virtues of creating helpful messages to gain positive sentiment for a brand. What I’m suggesting here is that marketers need to look at their overall messaging portfolio like one does his or her retirement accounts and seek balance.

Don’t put all of your messaging in any one area, including content marketing, but look for a balance that meets your audiences’ needs over time.

Then, when they finally do break that hammer handle, they will seek you out…and hopefully recommend you to others who have broken their own hammer handles, too!

CMWorld 2015: Content marketing grows up

At the fifth Content Marketing World conference this year in Cleveland, 3,500 marketers got together to listen, learn and commiserate about the challenges we all face back home.

But this year felt a little different to me.

It was my third conference and I truly love it. Someone attending with me for the first time this year told me it was like I had found my people…and I have. The best part about attending #CMWorld, as we like to call it, is the people. We often see each other online, but it’s rare that we get to meet face-to-face. When that happens, as it typically does every September in Cleveland, it’s simply a joy.

But there was a nagging difference for me this year. Sure, I learned a lot; and I had the chance to meet many great people I had only known previously in cyberspace, which I wouldn’t trade for anything. But there was something.

I think CMWorld, and Content Marketing as an industry, is growing up.

We're talking more about grown up things, like measurement and ROI and audience development. And we're acting more like grown ups, with more sessions that went beyond the basics of simple content creation than ever before.

And the sponsors have grown with us. What was once a room filled with very similar tools has expanded to include a variety of experts who are truly practitioners in the space themselves.

But it's still there, that feeling.

Parents reading this may understand best, but there’s a bittersweet element to having your child grow up. There’s a sense of accomplishment, for sure, but there are other feelings, too. Feelings like a loss of control and knowing that you will at some point have to let go.

I wonder if this is how the folks at Content Marketing Institute feel. Joe Pulizzi and his team have created this event from nothing in just five short years and, in the time most of us have just paid off our latest cars, it has blossomed into the premier event in the world for Content Marketing.

My guess is that, as the parents of a five year old, they may be too busy raising their child to have time to see it. Or feel it.

Oh don’t worry, I’m not ready to let go of Content Marketing just yet. But I can start to see a time when it’s not just us anymore, if you know what I mean. Others have said this and I believe it to be true: Content Marketing will just be marketing at some point in the future. And that gives me pause.

It’s not that I don’t want to share Content Marketing (well, okay, maybe there's a little of that). But after trying hard to share the practice of Content Marketing with the world -- as so many who attend CMWorld have done these last five years -- the scary reality is that we might actually be successful.

Then we will have to watch our baby walk out into the world all by herself and hope she comes back to visit every once in a while.

Enjoy Content Marketing while you can, CMWorld peeps, she's only ours for a little bit longer.