The Next Engine: Beyond Campaign Thinking

This article is why I love my old buddies Joe Pulizzi and Simon Kelly. Couldn’t agree more with it - although in typical fashion I can’t help but add a couple of points.

First off, branded storytelling isn’t just for packaged goods manufacturers (I know they’re not saying it is). I’d argue that the greater the level of consideration involved in a product purchase, the more impact a solid narrative (storytelling) content plan will have. The more expensive or risky a purchase is, the more consumers are using the web to research information, opinion and insight - whether from the company involved, its competitors, other consumers or the media. For that kind of product (a car, a washing machine, a mutual fund) a brand doesn’t need to rely on tangental entertainment to tell a story. The best approach is to go straight at the core consumer need and tell stories involving compelling, relevent and enjoyable consumer testimonials.

A fully formed digital content plan would likely include a robust branded narrative along those lines (distributed to all appropriate potential digital consumer touchpoints) that provides transparent product information and benefits, as well as a 360 degree social media strategy that leverages positive media and consumer-generated reviews, opinions, ratings and comparisons.

But what if consumer or media reviews of a brand or product are negative or outshone by a competitor? Answer: in todays world of hyper-amped digital networks you can’t market your way out of a bad brand proposition. Consumers will find the bad stuff wherever it is. Fix it.

Tags: innovation, marketing, Social Media, strategy