Now is the time for brands to retake their role as cultural leaders.
In the 90’s, Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the hugely successful “Got Milk” campaign. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Anyone who was alive at that time remembers it. What we don’t ever think about are all the companies who copied it. Got Tires, Got Fish, Got Insurance, etc., etc.
Although some of the copycat ads were clever, we don’t remember or have any feelings about the brands that ran them because of a concept called, “borrowed interest”. When you “borrow” a well-known idea from someone else instead of sharing something unique about your brand, people tend to think more about the original message than yours.
Today, this is what’s happening as brands jump on social trends in an attempt to gain traction on TikTok and Instagram. We’re seeing endless POV, GRWM, and Demure videos from brands but are left with no real positive sentiment or compelling benefit. Plus, there’s no strong data indicating this strategy actually works.
As brands attempt to make on-trend creative, they’re also opening themselves up to some serious risks:
Not understanding the full meaning of a trend. Many trends get started to express an opinion of a community. When a brand joins the trend but doesn’t reference the context, it can come off a tone deaf.
Appearing out of step. Most brands have much longer production timelines than individual creators (who don’t have to work their way through layers of approval). By the time the brand actually gets content in feed, they can be behind the times.
Getting lost in the noise. By nature, brands can’t do the kind of things that creators can. We must consider factors like legal requirements, licensing and industry regulations. It’s hard to stand out against content without these restrictions.
How not following trends could be the next big trend
So where do we go from here? The best marketers have always been the ones who create the trends, not follow them. Nike chose the mantra “Just do it” not “Got Shoes”. It’s time we brought more of that kind of thinking to social media. We can study trends to understand the mindset and voice of our audience. But let’s move beyond copying and create something unique to culture and true to our brand. Sure, being original is risky. Sometimes content can fall flat. But these kinds of failures come with rich information about what our audience really prefers.
Getting back to a cultural leadership position will take a more robust investment in strategy and creative teams. It’s well worth the cost because the payoff is content that moves the meter for the brand in the long term, rather than just generating a few likes this week.
Daniel Quentin Zuber
Co-Founder of 2113 Labs and influencer in trance music and EDM culture on Instagram @therealquentinZ.
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