Authenticity reigns supreme in creating connections with content marketing
Authenticity was highlighted as the most fundamental criteria for brands and their content marketing plans at the recent International Advertising Association (IAA) Australia Chapter Young Professionals (YP) Forum.
The dynamic panel consisted of Michael Branagh, director at Powered by Nine; Josh Gaudry, marketing manager innovation at Lion; Adam Carroll, director of business development at Outbrain Australia; and David Raitt sales director at Spotify (ANZ), and was expertly steered by moderator Aaron Michie, chief innovation officer for ZenithOptimedia, to tackle the topic of defining content marketing to connect with consumers in an increasingly ambiguous market. Marrying the, often competing objectives of the brand and the consumer is integral for the success of a content-based campaign.
Says Carroll: “It’s got to be authentic. I think consumers know when something was created to sell something. Red Bull create content not to sell drinks, but because they know what their audiences think about and like. A lot of brands make the mistake of half trying to do that, and half trying to sell their product, and in doing so, they lose authenticity and trust.”
Carroll said content is the most effective way of gaining trust for a brand:
“Content enables brands to provide value to their audience before they are necessarily customers. It creates brand affinity much earlier in the funnel.”
The success of content marketing can largely be attributed to its upheaval of the traditional one-way message of advertising. Audiences, accustomed to a plethora of information, heavily filter what they consume.
Says Carroll: “They’re finding ways to block-out our one way messages. You’ve got to be giving something to the audience that sparks their interest and sparks their passions.”
Says Branagh: “Without content, and the ability to create good content, brands don’t have an audience.”
He goes on to explain a thorough understanding of your audience is pivotal to creating a connection between the consumer and the brand:
“Make sure that content is accessible: however they want it, whenever they want it, and whatever device they have.”
Raitt touched on similar themes. He explored the notion of unobtrusive ads, integrated into a
consumer’s viewing experience on their mobile devices.
Says Raitt: “We are obsessed in offering Spotify users the best music experience – choice and access. In the future, the ability to target people in context is going to be worth an awful lot to brands.”
The biggest challenge brands face is the way to use content. There is a misconception that content should be pushed through a brand’s owned platforms, however in doing so it becomes solely about them.
Says Branagh: “Brands are resisting because of the need to make the brand front and
centre. Yet the reality is, an environment where the brand is baked into a story is the best way to create content around a brand and communicate a message.”
Says Gaudry: “There’s a temptation to try and get all the key messages across and be very hands on. But the beauty of content marketing is it has the scope to be a self-regulated community.
Gaudry believes user generated content is the holy grail of content marketing.
Says Gaudry: “It’s Nirvana when they (consumers) start creating content for me.”
The panel concluded the discussion, paying homage to creativity as the backbone of a good
campaign.
Says Branagh: “The thing that’s not going to go away, is that at the end of the day it’s all about the ideas. As long as we keep creating and generating ideas, people are going to keep engaging.”
Josh Gaudry firmly asserted that quality over quantity was the key to content marketing:
“Only the best stories and best content are going to make it to the consumer. You have to make a decision about what’s going to connect to your audience, and that comes back to the ideas.”