Olympic fever is in full swing and, with it, comes a stage for brands to churn out more content – related or otherwise.
Since Oreo’s ‘Dunk in the Dark’ during the SuperBowl in 2013, brands have strived to be “viral” and “in the moment”. Consequently, we now see our timelines filled with more content than ever before, with brands throwing their hats in too, hoping for a bite. Shockingly unimaginative tweets such as Red Lobster’s response to Beyoncé, through to the ridiculously insensitive Homebase tweets around Prince’s death – all devised in short time windows – raise questions over whether being “always-on” is really the right approach.
Sticking with an always-on strategy, without the funds to support it, is essentially like playing the lottery. Granted, you might get lucky, but successful marketing isn’t built on luck – it’s rooted in insight and strategy. Many brands still seem to be willing to take the gamble, finding a tenuous link to justify jumping on the latest trending topic. I have a mental image of community managers of well-known cheese brands going into panic mode screaming “we must jump on this now” simply because a headline mentions the word “cheese” in the latest Google Alert – the response to which would be to bring out Michael Winner’s best-known “calm down dear” tagline.
It’s time to press pause on always-on and rethink, especially as it becomes harder than ever to achieve cut-through in the crowded social space.
During the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games, Virgin Media live-tweeted the 100m men’s sprint. As expected, the live tweeting was short lived. However the humour behind the idea and execution instigated a number of conversations. So how do you make a call on when it’s right to react?
First and foremost, we need to ask ourselves “is the conversation, moment or idea worth it?” You may find a brilliant topic or news story to jump on, but what’s the point if no one is paying attention to the story in the first place? Any post on the topic is similar to shouting loudly in an empty room and hoping someone will respond.
If it’s a topic of credible interest, the next thing to ask is whether the right audiences are talking about it. While it may seem “cool” and “hip” to engage in a younger audience’s conversation around Pokémon Go, selfies and the latest contouring trend, you’ll more than likely be ignored if your main audience is 50-plus. The last thing you want is to be the only old voice in a young conversation, or vice versa.
Now you have a relevant topic and an audience that won’t question why you’re there, the next thing to consider is what investment is needed to ensure cut through. Some conversations and moments, such as the SuperBowl, are easier to own than others. It’s all well and good getting involved in a relevant conversation, but if you’re up against a high number of competitors in your sector, you’ll either be drowned out or look like a carbon copy.
Lastly, and quite possibly, most importantly, with all this in mind we need to question “is it something that the brand can credibly own?” Is there a correlation to your brand DNA or will consumers simply adopt a quizzical expression? This is an often overlooked, yet integral factor.
A brilliant example of a brand forgetting its DNA through social media messaging is Cheerios’ tweet following Prince’s death. Sure, it was a huge topic online, but what relevance does adding an image of Prince’s name complete with purple background and singular Cheerio above the letter “I” add to the conversation? Nothing. Perhaps if Prince had been a huge Cheerios eater there would be some relevance. However, I’d hope that the content created would be a little more inventive than throwing something together for the sake of it.
The days of social media marketing defined by speed and volume are over. Next time you plan to jump on an announcement or moment, ensure you’re doing it for the right reason: to add something relevant to the conversation – not simply to throw more content into the already cluttered, unengaged, ether.
Aaron Child is social director at Exposure Digital
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