Brands have problems.
They wrestle with being authentic and real while trying to emulate those brands that have already blazed a trail.
Or they try to gain traction while ignoring cultural trends that show them a path to acceptance.
Or they try to be original by copying another brand “in an original way.” (Please don’t try to make sense of that last one. Just because people say it doesn’t mean it has to make sense.)
2 New Videos (The Sequel Was Inevitable)
So, Social marketing strategist Ted Rubin and I sat down to discuss these in our 120 Second video series.
Well, this required two videos since we cover these critical points that brands simply manage to keep missing.
Here are the facts:
- Cliches will kill your brands faster than a roomful of politicians.
- People sense and are attracted to authenticity and are repelled by superficial pretenses.
- Cultural trends are observable if you’re paying attention.
Using all three of the above intelligently will give you an unfair advantage in gaining traction for your brand.
New Video, Part 1
In the first video, Ted and I discuss authenticity and the fact that “cookie cutters are for baking, not branding.”
Now just imagine, that Venn diagram that walked into the bar…
And how it ends up in the alley because of saying the wrong thing thing to the wrong person (the local cookie maker)…
New Video Part 2
In part 2, we discuss how culture and authenticity work together to result in traction. Traction is one of those words which conveys the amount of “stickiness” your brand achieves or what percentage prospects convert to paying customers.
Remember: culture is what people agree upon.
It’s not “good culture” versus “bad culture”—it’s simply what the masses have adopted as part of “everyday life.”
For a visual representation on the 2nd video, here’s a brand new Venn diagram to sink your teeth into:
In short it’s about being real.
If it’s really real, then you resonate with your audience.
Done broadly enough, this finds its way into cultural activities and everyday conversation, like the Netflix example I discuss in the video.
Other examples include “I’ll Google that” or “Let’s Uber” or “Friend me.”
If you apply this equation below to your brand, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition:
Traction = Stickiness = Conversion
Final Note About Culture
Talking about culture, somebody once asked me, “You know the difference between yogurt and Los Angeles?”
I responded, “No, I don’t.”
His response, “Yogurt has live culture.”
Being a young upstart, I was amused.
