Content, Social, Brands and Culture: wrapping 2024 and looking ahead to 2025
Hey, Victoria here, writing up my thoughts, ruminations and ideas following a great few days at events recently, as it’s Conferenceageddon 2024, it’s that time where I want to be in all places, at all times, but also want to be choosy about the rooms I show up in.
I went along to the inaugural Frankly! Speaking and also popped along to Brands & Culture 2024 in the same week, and it was one of those weeks where, to be honest, I rather smugly sat there going “see… I do know it”.
It was GREAT to hear the stories, but also great to feel selfishly like all the rooms of smart people I was in, were aligned in my approach, and how we view how brands should be showing up in 2024.. so.. to the takeaways>>>
A strong brand strategy is tantamount to fostering the right environment for experimentation, but need buy in across the decision making ladder to land ideas that are bold, brave and out there. Laddering back ideas to core brand strategic values and tone should give you the freedom to play, not lock you down to whether something is ‘on or off’ brand.
The example of Channel 4’s skidmarks campaign - and seeing Alex Mahon fight her incredibly articulate corner in a select commitee about the validity of the idea was heartening to see, mostly as learnings for how ‘big brands’ - yes ok, broadcast media a little different to a lot of brands, but ultimately, go boldly and carry the idea through to it’s absolute brilliant best.Go all in on an idea, and think about all the details that make it magic:
Oatly’s Whatsapp to get a tea mug as part of the ‘it works in tea’ campaign (Paddy Power Bingo’s Husband removal service had an actual phone number you could call - in 2013).
EE’s We See You - making this in partnership with Chelsea a living, breathing community initiative supporting and encouraging others to elevate other women in their industry.All ideas are more effective when you break the fourth wall and actually take ideas to IRL
Social stunts into brand activations
Community in action - and actually make a community
Delivery of real products and activations to real customers - and not just shiny influencer send out boxes
Universal truths that Marketing Leadership need to remember
If your content tanks, no one sees it, cull it, move on
View everything as an experiment, it’s not that deep
It IS possible to get reach as a brand (without paid), if you’re thinking about audiences first
The algorithm isn’t there to be gamed, it’s about what PEOPLE, yes, yes, real people respond to
It’s not about you - and no you don’t always need a clear packshot, and no, you don’t need a logo on it
Stop using social content to sell products - entertain, distract, talk about your business and your products, sure, but not in a box-ticking way
Stop peering over the digital fence at your competition, or brand stablemates. If they did it, let them do it… not everything is replicable, and not everything is appropriate
Continually second guessing points to a gappy brand strategy
Avoid the temptation to do category generic content - give yourselves the logo test
Channels
YouTube under explored as a whole by brands, BUT it’s not worth doing if you can’t hit consistency with it - it’s about cadence, episodic content. The Waitrose ads this Christmas are a great example of how you could do YouTube content, actually. And with more and more users watching YouTube on smart TVs, the fidelity of the content can be more ‘like tv’ but a shitload cheaper to produce.
TikTok is an entertainment channel first, SO BE ENTERTAINING
Instagram - with the proliferation of reels, think about entertainment first too, but it’s still more social leaning (must refresh my reading of Adam Mosseri’s blog actually to flesh this thought out more fully, but also I’m not so in the weeds anymore, and shouldn’t be)
Social first is about the idea - not the format or channel
On building out creators as part of your content and social team
Their ability to create ideas and hooks for their audience and look at how they weave in the brand will far outstrip yours, let them create the ideas
Don’t obsess over deliverables - 7 videos vs 1 banger of an idea you can play with, 1 is better than 7
For the love of god stop writing scripts and second guessing a creator’s ability to deliver
Creators can create Netflix level docuseries if you have the time and budget for it, you need to give them the freedom (and trust) to deliver the brief - for actual positive relationships with them, back off
Trends (and tactical activation)
You have to execute at breakneck speed to even be part of the conversation - if appropriate
The risk is people remember the trend, not the brand - thanks to the brilliant brains at Frankly! for ‘Cultural Flattening’ - aka, everything looks the same, sounds the same, becomes the same
Don’t try to emulate others as it could be that your content helps reinforce their brand, not yours
Likewise tearing down incumbents
The social teams percieved to be ‘killing it’
Aren’t just the intern, an iPhone and a ring light…
Or a single social media manager…
Have outside help in some guise
Are focussed on building the operations of social (or outsource that thinking to then put the discipline into the business)
Encouraging reminders that independent marketing pros need to hear
So many of the social media bros you see online are JUST in it to sell you their course
Anyone that talks in absolutes is talking shit (my imposter syndrome is very grateful for this one)
My spicier personal thoughts
The perception that it’s impossible to get reach on platforms as a brand without spend is often a signifier as an unclear strategy
Brand strategy should then waterfall into content strategy - and then distribution strategy should fall from there
If you’re an emerging or challenger brand, better to spend time, effort and budget on building the content and community machine than being inconsistent and scraping your pennies together to ‘just about’ afford a single brand campaign.