Creating a trustworthy brand presence…it’s not always as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Tomorrow we could all wake up and boom – leg warmers and shoulder-padded jackets have made a return and become the most sought-after fashion pieces for the foreseeable future.
Keeping up is key.
The same applies to us marketers; the digital world is adapting and changing just as fast, if not faster. It is important for us all to be at the top of our game and make sure we are constantly looking for the next ‘thing’. There is simply no time in this industry to fall behind in a world where the Vine app died before it had really got started. Ya feel.
Let’s take a look at Paid Social campaigns – it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in such a crowded ad space. It is all well and good to run an ad campaign that takes the mick out of Brexit and Trump and while yes, they’re both hot topics, if everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, they become far less impactful. Once you see the same thing over and over again it fails to convince you, no matter how important the cause may be. This results in a lack of trust from consumers who begin to find ads simply irritating. So how do you create content that’s a little bit different, hasn’t been shared before and engages users – all whilst increasing brand awareness and conversions?
Pull on people's heartstrings.
In order to win trust from consumers, you must win their hearts and minds. This means connecting with them on an emotional level, and we have already seen signs of this in advertising. We all remember the Iceland Christmas ad of 2018 that got banned as a result of rules regarding political advertising don’t we? That’s the vibe. Iceland focused on a cause that affects us all and is often at the forefront of public conversation. That, paired with an overly cute animation of a baby orangutan, was enough to tug on heartstrings across the country. Despite never being aired on television, the ad managed to draw an incredible amount of attention (30m online views, to be specific) towards the palm-oil cause and the effect this has on the Earth’s rainforests.
So basically, Iceland smashed it! They tore down the corporate front we are so used to seeing and revealed that behind it there are real humans who can be genuinely empathetic while offering a kick-ass service (cue the recent range of palm-oil free products now on sale at your local Iceland 😉).
You're a human being, so don't forget to act like one!
Brands must think outside the box in order to not only get noticed, but to make an impact. To do this, brands cannot simply advertise a product or service anymore – they must be connecting with their consumers on an emotional level. I don’t mean just a sad story either. Brands need to (and many are beginning to) provoke a reaction and create a discussion. It’s all about highlighting the humans behind these ads. Humans that want to show that they can be genuinely empathetic and promote their brands, all while offering an outstanding service.
