Basic Content Creation

People have always loved the odd advert. We’ve all had someone shout ‘Wassup’ in our faces with great delight. But for the main part adverts have been an interruption and irritant in our daily lives. As with most things, advertising and marketing have evolved with the times. It has changed us and we have changed it. When William Claxton nailed the first ever advertisement poster to sell a book on a church door in 1472 there was no such thing as a brand and our association with advertising was purely informative. His advert simply had the words explaining what it was and where to get it. Not exactly social media friendly.

Don’t question the marketing man on the TV

Time rolled on and brands became our friends. establishing emotional connections to us, setting our dreams, aspirations, and our very identities. When you think of the reality around us and our perceptions what hasn’t been concocted in a marketing boardroom apart from the trees. They were the bosses in this one-way relationship, they set the agenda, and we followed unquestioningly. They sang songs and slogans and we sang along. While we disliked most of the adverts the messages still seeped in and we did what we were told. There was a time when you could never question anything the man on the TV said, he was God.

Thank Social Media

Those authoritarian days are over and we have the internet and social media to thank for that. The power has switched full circle and now we dictate the play.

So why did the tables turn?

1. Information: We can check anything so just because you say it doesn’t make it true.

2. History of Deception: Once figures of authority have now been exposed and dismissed as profiteering gangsters. They’ve been dishing us out yarns and horsemeat for long enough.

3. Our ability to time shift: Adverts can no longer interrupt us as we can move beyond them with the flick of a button.

So what we have now is people consuming content as they chose and you better not interrupt it if you dare. People become accustomed to interruption when they have no choice but as soon as they do you’ll be resented for even trying. It amazes me on websites when content is previewed with 30 second adverts designed for TV. Do these people not understand that 30 seconds waiting to watch a video on your laptop is like 3 days watching TV on a couch.

So lets start loving marketing

So if the consumer decides what they want to watch, then even adverts have to fit into this new reality. It seems to me the only way to achieve this is by producing marketing that people love. They are no longer interruptions but part of the entertainment. The rewards for this are even greater when you take social media into account. Not only can they get the viewer watching and loving it but all their friends too if they share their love. Just ask Old Spice about it.

To do this takes a change of mindset for marketers. Weather you’re a small, medium, or large business having a good content strategy is now a must. Businesses have to realize it’s no longer about them and brainwashing people with the repetition of their stupid slogans. ‘It’s all about them’ your potential customers so you better start being loved. Creating great content will decide the brands of the future. For us viewers out there, this is good news. It might mean plenty of free entertainment and engagement for us to enjoy and on which we can base our purchasing decisions on. For business it is also good news as great content will be rewarded with earned media through the social networks.

We might just start loving marketing yet.