We currently live in the wild-wild west of advertising. Older media of engagement, whether it’s traditional print ads or TV spots, are less relevant. Audiences are fragmented, attention is limited, effectiveness is hard to measure.
Agency and client attention gravitates towards digital media. However, dollars are spent on ineffective means of engagement, such as banner ads and spending big bucks on a website no one will visit. Every company wants a social media presence, but most posts are uninspired and desperate.
Businesses from podiatry offices to law firms try to build a loyal following by posting about boring subjects with a phony tone–– “Hey, so you have a problem, haha, no problem, we’re here to help!”
Digital and traditional advertising are both treading water, stuck in their pomposity. Most of the top dogs approving marketing campaigns and creating them are out of the loop in knowing how growing generations find content, and more importantly, what messages speak to them.
Most industry “experts” have lost touch, but it’s not their fault. I don’t expect 50-year-old executives to Snapchat or know where to find dank memes. They are still reading newspapers, and are caught up in their old ways.
We live in an exciting time of great chaos. Everyone is trying to figure it all out. I don’t have all the answers, but I have a good idea on the direction this ship will sail.
Lost in a Different Time
Most senior members at agencies developed their knowledge and skills before the internet age. They’re trying to bring back the Walkman and disco music, but the younger audience is vaping clouds of nicotine and listening to rap with a washy, auto-tuned flow.
Not only are the leaders of the industry stuck, but emerging advertisers are following their direction. The influencers are instilling a sense of what’s right and wrong, what will sell and what won’t, anticipating what the client will and won’t like. The young marketers have a voice but are forced to adopt an outdated one if they want a job.
The Young Blood
Young marketers attend ad schools to learn the secrets of the trade. However, these institutions focus primarily on mock print and television advertisements, even though an agency or client would never approve a big television spot from a recent, twenty-something grad.
Television spots are big business that senior creatives typically handle. And print? Subscribers are dwindling; it’s not the most relevant form of communikay. The ad school isn’t preparing students for what most modern agencies do today: digital marketing.
The Problems with Digital Marketing
I’ve spent the first two years of post-graduation in digital marketing, working mostly on content and social media marketing. I’ve written hundreds of blogs and posted hundreds of Facebook messages and tweets that reach a minuscule audience. Blogs with buried CTAs to request a free consultation or a desperate plea to visit them. The medium is saturated with content, so it’s hard to grow a following.
Who follows law firms, dealerships, or most other businesses on social media, or Googles them for answers to questions? Most of the content is a hodgepodge of searchable phrases focused on targeting areas. The material is often clogged with phoniness that comes off as desperate. It’s like a nonchalant salesman trying to “lend you a hand.”
Even worse, many articles only have a click-worthy title, something juicy or gossipy to get web travelers to take a detour from their journey. The articles are void of any substance and are filler. Many are 50-page slide shows forcing the user to click to a new page for every inane, pointless slide. I’m sure agencies or writers brag about the high organic activity for their articles, but it’s a farce.
Agencies and clients want to play it safe, and there’s little effort for boldness. However, successful online content and social media channels must be GOOD. They can’t be a collection of frantic pleas seeking business. Companies must allow their voices to be authentic, and they must say something worthwhile.
Say Something and People Will Share
Whenever Wendy’s roasts someone on social media, people share it. If you produce good content, people will want to share it. Many companies pay thousands on paid ads that sneak into people’s feeds. Audiences are attacked with soft-sell messages and resent it. However, if something is so good a person wants to share it, the person listening will have a genuine experience with your brand.
Most content created for businesses is intended to be maximized for an individual’s search. Hopefully, the piece is optimized with great keyword phrases, but it’s only intended for a single landing. The user finds the pieces, scans it, finds what they were looking for, and bounces. If you want successful content, the conversation can’t end there. Publish content that is bold, funny, and authentic, and your audience will spread your message.
KFC has brilliantly adapted to social media. They post hilarious images on their channels suitable to Instagram and Facebook. Their television ads feature a revolving wheel of funny Coronal Sanders. They redefined their brand for a modern time, and people came back to the 20-piece bucket.
The Hangout
Younger generations spend countless hours on their favorite social media apps. Therefore, they are much more approachable if you give them something entertaining. However, being entertaining comes with consequences. You may offend. Some people will dislike your brand. But, everyone doesn’t have to like your brand. The important thing is they are paying attention and will talk about you.
Donald Trump is the president of the United States (still so weird to write that), and the people who hate him talk about him more than the people who like him. The result: everyone constantly talks about him. Good, bad, and somewhere in the middle, the people are talking, and his brand continues to spread like California wildfire.
Take a Joke
Brands must learn to take a joke. Many companies want to show a stupendous image of what their company represents. They will present themselves as the kindest and most hardworking team, here to help you. However, whenever they get caught for their disingenuous portrayal, people will ignore their message out of deceit and mistrust. (Think airlines.)
Allow yourself to show a more authentic image. Share some controversy. Share an honest opinion. Let yourself get hit with a few zingers. Bill Burr is a top comedian who personally advertises on his podcast. Normally I skip commercials, but some of the cool advertisers allow Burr to trash their product or service. Instead of sticking to a phony script, Burr riffs on their message and the phoniness of it. Coincidently, I am very familiar with their business since I listen, and I like the brands for taking a joke.
Ignoring Ads is an Evolved Skill
We’re all very good at ignoring advisements. We are immersed in a world of corporate screams, and we’ve learned how to ignore them with efficiency. However, sometimes we actively pay attention to an ad we want to hear.
That’s your audience. Don’t focus on catching every person. Cater to a few, and they will pay you enough to grow your business. They will be the soldiers in the field spreading your guerilla message. More importantly, your reputation with your audience is golden from the get-go.
The Problem Will Continue
Clients will continue to play it safe. Change is tough. They most likely won’t let any of your good ideas get produced. Nervous account people and project managers will advise you to tone it down, lobotomize your work. You’ll do it because your work will continue to be edited or rejected, and you won’t have the energy or time to fight back. You’ll look bad, and you don’t want to look bad. All they want is content, regardless if it’s any good.
Businesses will continue to spend thousands on boring content and irrelevant throws to an audience, any audience. They will spend money on your agency for about a year and then call it quits because the return on investment is just not there. It’s too much time and money. They got their website, they got some social media out there, and that’s good enough.
In a few months, they’ll start auditioning other agencies in hopes of striking the marketing jackpot–– and the beautiful cycle starts all over again.
Well, That’s It
