We can’t break through the clutter by adding to it.
TrackMaven analyzed 50 million pieces of content in 2015 and reported that output of content per brand increased 35 percent per channel in 2015, but content engagement decreased by 17 percent. As they summarized:
“This is content overload, quantified. As more content floods social networks, the slice of engagement for the average brand shrinks. With a limit to how much content can be consumed, liked, or shared, brands must create their own competitive advantages with distinguishing content.”
As the concept of content marketing took hold over the past few years, much of the emphasis has been on output. The word “content” denotes something that fills a container. With lots of containers from new social channels, many brands have taken a factory approach to content. I’ve heard marketers describe content marketing as feeding the beast.
Here’s how P&G’s chief brand officer, Marc Pritchard, recently put it at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference:
“We fell into a content crap trap…
“In our quest to do dynamic, real-time marketing in the digital age, we were producing thousands of new ads, posts, and tweets because we thought the best way to cut through the clutter was to create more ads.
“Advertising has a bad reputation, which is why people are trying to rename it ‘content.’ It makes sense, because much of what we express as content belongs in a box and should never be opened again…
“We eventually decided to stop the noise, step up our game, and give consumers the experience they deserve. We made a choice to raise the bar on creativity, and that’s the key to our market growth…
“Creativity drives growth. We are continually striving to raise the bar; to do the undisputed best. All of us have a choice to set standards for the industry. Will we allow the vast technology to erode the work or bring out the best in each other? Will we raise the creative bar? Yes and together we will leap over it…”
Marc went on to set up the creative dichotomy as a choice between “Craft” versus “Crap”. I love that distinction and agree that this is a time for renewed emphasis on Craft. We can’t drive engagement without being engaging.
Here’s a related cartoon I drew last year on the commoditization of content.
William Ratcliffe says
October 31, 2016 at 6:59 amLove your content toilet paper cartoon. The irony is that some eager marketers will see it as the media plan.
Dave McCaughan says
November 1, 2016 at 7:20 amactually a proven and effective medium within the world’s oldest and still most important social media environment
ASIT GUPTA says
October 31, 2016 at 7:14 amI think the choice is not between CRAFT & CRAP. Even CRAFT on undifferentiated products is ultimately “crafty” and consumers can see through that. The reality of today’s connected world is that brands with average products cannot hide and so instead of putting more money on CRAFT /CREATIVITY , a CMO should be doubling down on R&D spend to offer consumers something really vow. Hoping that CRAFT & CREATIVITY will continue to seduce consumers to buy a brand is a recipe for low ROI.
Larry Burns says
October 31, 2016 at 3:47 pmSo … if I understand it … one needs to create an actual product worth marketing? Then, when we have such a desired product, we ought to create content and messaging of actual value to the prospective buyer? Oh my, such a last century notion.
The new tools and channels for message delivery are quite amazing but if all they do is increase the clutter and make we humans (not really “consumers” by the way) feel so ‘marketed at’ that we cease believing anything – then what have we wrought?
Oh wait … we seem to already be here now. Is it any wonder that “getting through” to get noticed is harder than ever.
How to repair the industry? Thinking “CPG centric” … we could invest and create products that can speak for themselves and let people talk to people about them. P&G’s CFO said it well recently: Sampling … “is the area of spending that should be the last that we cut, because of its importance in building users for potentially a lifetime of consumption.“
Make products people desire / need. Get them into the hands of people who might need them and magic can in fact happen … Yes, CRAFT is essential but well before marketing we ought CRAFT products that matter. Then yes, hire craftspeople to help develop ways to let folks discover them.
Last …perhaps we really ought to stop trying to have marketing sell crappy products … but that’s just a dream some of us have….