The Age of “being human” Branding
I’ve got a golden ticket for you if you can give me the name of a global brand that doesn’t wrap its head around creating social media content.
I know it’s not easy to stand out nowadays, but there is a major point here: why even try it?
In the Era of Social Media, things change very quickly, and a long-term strategy is about constantly creating short-living impacts. What works for your brand today can be a disaster tomorrow.
A few decades ago, entertainment media — and its content — was ruled by a few monopolies. Back then, advertising meant guaranteed sales, and a TV commercial was something only a few brands could afford.
If in the ’60s Don Draper announced a random and even a bit odd idea to his next client, it was enough. Nowadays the super-duper unique content that took you months to produce only lives for a few hours on social media. Your audience is now too busy following their friend’s lives to pay attention to you and your important message.
Since social media has democratized access to entertainment, brands have to dispute this extinction species called “attention” amongst themselves. That’s why we face a daily competition of tempting pornfoods, CrossFit workouts, and tiny bikinis.
Wait! I am not saying you should delete your accounts and start making a TV commercial. It is perfectly ok to keep your branding on social media, but let’s start looking beyond, shall we?
It’s not rocket science; the new age of branding claims for a new approach. Brands need to stop barking up the wrong tree and start paying attention to what really matters: people.
A dime for your thoughts if you’re not anxious thinking of what your brand can do to be relevant, am I right?. That is a good start. \o/
The good news is that I have an answer for you: cultural branding. Also defined as Crowdculture by Douglas Holt, this strategy is about “online communities that connect around cultural ideologies, big issues, practices, art, and entertainment.”.
The crowd becomes the source of the brand content, so strategy also plays a different role on the conventional branded-content models that we are so used to.
Connecting with your brand’s crowd is essential to know which issues and ideologies really matter to them — and which definitely do not. By creating and managing your brand’s essence, you’ll harvest their trust and gain the relevancy you want so badly.
So let’s get started with these two simple steps:
- Position yourself and start saying things aloud.
- Take seriously the commitment of having your own voice and start talking to your crowd.
Let’s be more authentic, deal?
Like I always say: don’t be afraid of not being accepted by everyone. After all, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. 🍳
I mean, you don’t have to pretend your brand stands for protecting the environment if this is not a real thing. You gotta choose your own shots.
Remember: listen to the crowdculture and you’ll get the insights you need. If you tell a true and good story and do it well, people will like it without having to force the envelope.
You don’t wanna be another boring brand floating on the giant sea of social media, right?
Think about it: how many ads did you see in your Instagram feed in the last 24 hours? 10? 20? 30? Can you name one that actually caught your attention and was relevant to you? No? Not even one? Yeah, me neither.
The thing is, we all deserve — and want — to consume beautiful stuff, creative content, and interesting brands. We have this deep-rooted, visceral need for social dopamine. Human beings are the kind of species that like to be part of a community and feel connected.
So keep in mind that brands can become much more visible and likable just by being more human. We can never forget that, after all, everything we do is made by people and for people.
Remember, there is no need to be perfect. If you can respect my mind and be sweet to the soul, you’ve got my loyalty. I hope to see your brand being more authentic when I check my feed next time ;)
