"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

While the deliciously organic and quicksilver unpredictability of social media influencers has only recently begun to receive reluctant attention from the highest levels of advertising professionals, the influencer universe may soon be disrupted. The grown-ups are getting involved, and their entry into a largely undisciplined native advertising arena threatens to change the way influencers reach, sell, and interact with consumers.

According to a 2017 survey by the Association of National Advertisers, 75 percent of advertisers are using influencer marketing, with 43% reporting they planned to spend more money on influencers the following year. Of the 25% not using influencer marketing, 27 percent said they intended to plunge in the coming year. Interestingly, these statistics do not reflect new or mom-and-pop agencies. The median age of the company surveyed was 20 years. 

Until recently, the task of finding the most appropriate influencers for a wildly diverse array of brands had fallen to emerging start-up agencies and small shops. Major advertising firms, habitually focused on high-priced and lucrative traditional platforms such as television and legacy print, largely ignored social media influencers. However, with the continued growth of social media applications such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, along with the opportunity influencers present by their ability to capture the attention of media-finicky Generation Z consumers, global agencies have heard the message, seen the light, and are moving to dominate the field.

Will influencers become even more influential with top professional guidance? Given the amateurish production values embraced by many influencers, the answer presumably is yes. However, what happens if audiences rebel from grown-up direction? In that case, the pros will create influencer spots that masquerade as home videos. Either way, the global agencies will have to tread carefully. The influencer space is vastly cheaper than legacy advertising, and the majors may find themselves undercutting their foundational revenue streams. What was once a $1 million invoice for a traditional campaign might be worth only $250,000 in the influencer space.

In addition to watching their percentage cuts and profit margins possibly decline, global agencies are encountering cultural challenges as they wade into the murky waters of social media influencers. While the rules of the game in traditional media advertising were established decades ago, the social media influencer space beckons with chaos; challenges include lack of standardization in pricing and accountability, sketchy analytics, fraud, and talent who may have never signed, much less honored, a contract. The undisciplined universe of influencer marketing will likely be smoothed out by the more professional approach of the big agencies, but the maturing process will require time.

The major advertising agencies claim they can force standardization of pricing and analytical validity that would lead to better returns on client investments. Indeed, the majors are better positioned to deal with issues of fraud that have begun to permeate the influencer space. However, the adults in the room still have a long and difficult road forward as they seek to nudge the Wild West of influencer marketing into the structured hub of a multi-billion dollar business model.

Association of National Advertisers (2018, April 3). Advertisers love influencer marketing: ANA study. Retrieved from https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/48437

Murphy, H. (2019, July 11). Advertising industry closes in on a new target: Influencers. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/3510eaf0-a3af-11e9-974c-ad1c6ab5efd1

Rivera, C. (n.d.). 9 of the biggest social media influencers on Instagram. Retrieved from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-us/blog/9-of-the-biggest-social-media-influencers-on-instagram

Social Report. (2018, September 28). Meet the Top 7 Instagram Micro-Influencers of 2018. Retrieved from https://www.socialreport.com/insights/article/360016455231-Meet-the-Top-7-Instagram-Micro-Influencers-of-2018

Children have a place in marketing, a very substantial one. They see a candy bar, burger or cereal box with their favorite sports hero and they begin to develop a deep need to have them. A toy at a friend’s house or in a magazine, a new ride at an amusement park, or the latest movie, concert, or adventure, stays in their mind until they acquire it, or something more desirable replaces it.

Marketing has an impact on all of us. It teases our senses and tries our tendencies and temptations. We can come to believe Coke is “the real thing.” Or we can have an education on the ingredients in a Big Mac with a catchy song that we sing endlessly, reminding memories and taste buds. A product to be recognized, needs additional help from marketing minds to promote it and to educate consumers on what it is and why we need it….now.

The idea of marketing is much like the minds of children. They see something and begin to imagine it as real in their lives. And they want it as soon as possible, but preferably, now. Marketing uses imagination and creates a sense in us of need and want, even though just moments before we saw the ad or heard about it by word of mouth, it stirs up the curious and desire for something just moments before we knew nothing about. 

Marketing and advertising study surveys, conduct interviews, focus groups, decide target segments and demographics, write and produce advertising and manipulate through imagination and creativity in ways that will draw us toward what we believe we have to have now.  Of course, there are times when a car or house or travel can wait, but if marketing is effective, it will find a home in our memories and taunt us until it is realized.

I’ve thought about the effect of social media when used to present oneself or share the activities and feelings about daily life. I’ve been thinking, marketing has its place, but when does it ever become real?

Last month, I read an article written by ESPN MLB insider, Jeff Passan. He tells the story of a young 7-year-old boy named Gavin Edelson who idolizes and knows everything about Angels’ superstar baseball player, Mike Trout.  Gavin takes on the challenge to answer any question about Mike Trout.  He also wears Mike Trout athletic wear every day to school.  His parents refer to Gavin’s wardrobe as “troutfits.” 

Gavin didn’t see a commercial.  He watches Trout, heard about him, saw him on baseball cards, and attends the Angels-Orioles game every year with his family.  He lives Mike Trout inside and out. I am including the story in a link here so you can read it in its entirety. Gavin lives in a world saturated with Mike Trout.  Why?

When we are young, we are discovering the realities and lessons of opposition, sorting out what is real and what is not, what is truth, and what is less than. Most of what we discover is through observation and asking, “why.” Sometimes, we learn through watching someone who isn’t an imaginative figure use what is real within them to live a long-awaited and earned dream. Mike Trout is living his dream far beyond expectation, and Gavin is observing him, beginning to form a dream of his own.  But, just recently, Gavin’s only dream was to meet Mike Trout.

And in a journey of events, and by holding up a sign that read, “Mike Trout’s #1 Fan,” catching the attention of Mike Trout’s teammates, Gavin’s dream became realized. Recently, Mike Trout made time for Gavin during batting practice. He didn’t just wave. He talked with him, spent time with him, because he knew what it meant to be a boy with a dream and a lot of outfits touting his favorite athlete.

As quoted in Mr. Passan’s article, Gavin describes the experience, “I remember it’s the best day of my life, because I got to hang out with Mike Trout.”

In the same article, Mike Trout shared, “He’s going to live with that forever, and he’s going to tell all his friends.  Any chance you get to make a kid’s day – you don’t know what they’re going through.  I didn’t even know him before that. Just interaction with the guys, bringing him on the field, watching BP (batting practice), I think it’s special for him.”

Mike Trout is known for being a great baseball player. Some experts are predicting he may become the greatest baseball player of all time. Many also say he doesn’t have much personality and wonder if he is marketable.  Oh, he’s marketable all right. As Mike Trout. The brand is Mike Trout. He hits long home runs, makes great plays and is making his history. His legend is becoming real, and he’s doing it all by himself with the help of young boys like Gavin, who have been observing his greatness and wearing his “troutfits” everywhere.

Mike Trout’s decision to spend time, not just wave, but spend real time with Gavin, made him very real to Gavin and to the rest of us. As Gavin’s father, Jason Edelman put it, “There’s no better way to market Mike Trout than to show what he did that day.”

Mike Trout, the best player in baseball isn’t just the best player in baseball, he’s been in Gavin’s shoes, and it is all coming back to him what it means to be a child with a wish for a dream to come true, now.  No taglines, target audiences or positioning statements. Real people make real dreams come true. And that is the real American dream.

Reference:

Passan, J. (2019). Passan: The inside story of the viral 7-year-old mike trout and his troutfits. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/id/26710156/the-story-viral-7-year-old-mike-trout-fan-troutfits

Photography: Joe Noyes

Link to story http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26710156/the-story-viral-7-year-old-mike-trout-fan-troutfits

Happy hour at the corner bar has long been a way to relax after a stressful work day, take clients out to close a deal, or just hang out with friends. This is just a small view of how alcohol is the center of socializing. However, what happens when you remove alcohol from your social norm? A relatively new trend of being sober-curious is helping to answer that question and promote a different attitude toward drinking alcohol.

Health and Safety

As is with most anything, in moderation, alcohol can have some advantages. Some medical organizations claim that red wine can help reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent some kinds of cancer and help stave off diabetes. But alcohol can also have its risks such as causing cardiovascular damage, increasing the risk of stroke and contributing to depression. Additionally, it is suffice to say that under the effects of alcohol judgement becomes impaired and poses a risk to one’s physical safety; and to the safety of others if they choose to get behind the wheel of a car.

In a 2010 study, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in the United States, approximately four million adults admitted to driving under the influence; which equated to 112 million occurrences and accidents. This results in injuries, deaths, and costs Americans billions of dollars annually. So with the health and safety risks and the high cost involved with irresponsible drinking, why hasn’t this created a “sober curious” trend before now?

A Sober Champion

Nancy Reagan was a prominent figure in encouraging children to say no to drugs and Betty Ford used her addiction and recovery to open up rehabilitation centers for drugs and alcohol. However, there is this cultural notion that drugs and alcoholism or problem drinking is a condition in which people cannot function or hold down a job. It is not the group you see at the bars who are able to get up the next morning and head into work. Albeit it with a hangover, they still get up and manage their responsibilities. Not a problem, right? But somebody sees it as an area of much needed improvement.

That somebody is Ruby Warrington, the British author of Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, Limitless Presence, and Deep Connection Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol.

She is definitely a voice perpetuating this trend of sobriety. Warrington is championing and forging a path to the platform on ‘social drinking’ and how it might be just as unhealthy as alcoholism or binge drinking. Her book has helped launch sober curious events called Club Soda in the United Kingdom and New York City. Sounds a little like AA? Nope, not your average alcoholics anonymous type of meeting. These events feature sponsorships from companies like Lululemon and SoulCycle and the goal is to encourage a healthier lifestyle body, soul and spirit.

But what does this do to the alcohol industry?

The Market Place

Earlier this year, Fortune magazine reported that Americans drank almost eight billion gallons of alcohol. While U.S. beer sales were down less than one percent, some liquor sales rose as much as over thirty percent. With an overall increase in liquor sales, one has to wonder: “Who are the sober curious? How will it affect the liquor market; and what products cater to this new social revolution?

Americans might not have reduced their alcohol intake last year, however, across the world, there has been a reduction of about 1.5% in the amount of alcohol consumed. It might not seem like a lot but there are companies waiting to assume that lost market share. Seedlip, in the UK, with the tagline “What to drink when you’re not drinking”, is creating floral and aromatic distilled non-alcoholic spirits using centuries old recipes. The company was featured in Food and Wine Magazine in 2017 and their products are available for purchase on the William Sonoma website.

A close competitor, Curious Elixirs, boasting its “hand-crafted adult beverages without alcohol” creates herbaceous, spiced botanical drinks that the company claims increases the body’s serotonin and helps with circulation. And it just might improve your sex life.

Another company Arkay, is producing non-alcoholic liquors. From Tennessee whiskey to tequila, the company makes a product that tastes like alcohol yet its zero proof and causes no buzz or inebriation (not sure what the point of that is).

Another company, Sparkling Sober in Scotland has come out with a “fizzy wine” made of elderflower, rhubarb and ginger. Also zero proof, it is a replacement for sparkling rose wines.

While it’s hard to say exactly when the popularity of non-alcoholic distilled spirits began to rise, with the increasing visibility, it’s easy to see where the trend is going. In the non-alcoholic drink category, sparkling water alone is an over $2 billion industry up $34 million in the last year. Nut milks, kombucha and tea accounts for several hundred millions more in growth. So the market is primed and ready for a shift toward healthier drinks that promote a sober approach to life. To loosely paraphrase Warrington, we’re all out there being health conscious with yoga classes, soul cycle, gluten free this and stevia that, but still binge drinking and suffering with hangovers. Perhaps, society did not see alternative options to the social norm of cocktails and wine parties. But there’s a new society brewing…or distilling…the Sober Society.

A television show I became pretty fond of just ended its series with its final episode recently. Life in Pieces on CBS is a show about a family. It tells four comedic short stories, all having to do with the Short family. Like many television shows and movies, product placement has become a norm, you see it with a simple Coke can placed (label facing camera) ever so lightly on a counter top or with a quick shot of the back of a vehicle, logo clearly center screen. However this recent episode of Life in Pieces titled “Cabana Hero Action Son”, uses the product to dictate the script.

The episode begins by discussing a trip that the family is hoping to book, enter a clear view of one of the characters booking a trip on Hotels.com. The dialogue proceeds to banter on how easy it is to book, any of the family members could do it. Fast forward to the next scene, the family on vacation, another member finds out that the only reason Hotels.com was used in the first place was so that they could get a tenth night free. This creates a quarrel between the two brothers and so continues the story. I found the use of product in this particular episode off putting. It felt derived and unnatural, even in context, where the story led to a family vacation.

Another reason this specific episode was uncomfortable to watch was that it was definitely unlike any of the previous episodes. Distasteful product placement can ruin good television and film, and in addition removes the audience from the entertainment aspect and into an advertisement. It’s so obvious that it makes you feel as if you’re being tricked into watching something.

Product placement is definitely not going away, and the more marketing integrates media platforms the more I believe we will see it happening. In fact product placement is often used to aid in meeting budgets of large productions like the $160 million in product placement that help fund the reboot of the Justice League franchise. Brands will often align themselves with film and television in order to get in front of their target audiences, or create a brand perception, as was the case with the Ford Mondeo in Casino Royale. Product placement has become a source of income to help produce some very entertaining film and television. It definitely has its benefits, especially when large production companies are working to produce large blockbuster films.

However, it is important that these partnerships not dilute the work that is being created. As we know, whether in television, social media or film, those “Coca-Cola cans” are going to keep making their way onto the screen. As product placement evolves, my hope is, that directors and writers fight to keep integrity when it comes to the craft of story telling and don’t let the products steal the spotlight.

I’ll admit it—I’m one of those people who takes a photo of my meal to share on Instagram. This isn’t anything new for me. This is a hobby of mine that pre-dates smartphones. I can remember using my digital camera to take a photo of a nice dinner while on vacation, or some other special meal, and posting it on Facebook for my friends and family to see. (Who am I kidding… It was probably MySpace.)

This fun little hobby has evolved into a full-fledged “foodie influencer” account that I run with my best friend. (I can already feel the eyerolls from behind my computer.) Back when we started, we weren’t trying to be influencers or make a business out of it, we simply wanted to merge our love of food and the diverse restaurant scene in our area with our marketing and photography talent. That’s still how we operate today. We’ll post about a great meal we had, a new restaurant opening or new menu, and the occasional giveaway or promotion in conjunction with a restaurant or business.

That’s now how all influencers run their accounts, though.

There are some accounts that only post sponsored or promotional content, whether it be a paid sponsorship or a comped meal. That’s pretty common, especially for those who have made “influencer” their job title and running an account their source of income. What I find to be more problematic are the accounts who post items that are made specifically for Instagram. That is to say, the meal didn’t necessarily taste good… it just looked good.

This Gizmodo article from 2016 sums it up nicely. “In the age of Instagram, the way food looks is more important than how it tastes.” Unfortunately, this statement is even more true now in 2019. Now that restaurants have caught on to how important social media is to their marketing mix, many create outlandish dishes specifically to capitalize on this Insta-fame, regardless of the flavor. In turn, influencers post these dishes for their many followers to see.

Here is where the problem arises. I’m also someone who is on the other side of these influencer accounts. How do I choose a restaurant? Usually, I’ll turn directly to Instagram—especially if I’m in a new city. The beauty of Instagram is that I can search a hashtag and find an array of options near me. The downside is that these don’t come with reviews. This isn’t Yelp, where users are leaving comments on their experiences with the food, service, and more. I’m picking based on a photo alone, perhaps a description in the caption, and hoping that the account who posted truly enjoyed the dish. Obviously, that’s not always the case.

I’ve even fallen victim to it in my own city. So many food accounts that I follow had posted photos of a new bubble tea location. The photos looked amazing, with the multi-colored layers of liquid instantly catching my eye. I made a trip to the place specifically to try the drinks I saw posted, only to be sorely disappointed. The flavors were bad when combined that way. It looked amazing, but tasted terrible. The location didn’t stay open for long.

All of this to ask: How do you choose a restaurant? If you scour hashtags on Instagram and stop at the most eye-catching image (as I am prone to do), beware. That beautiful, rainbow-colored, over-the-top dish before you may not be as tasty as it looks!

For a little over ten years garment, shoe and eye glass companies have experimented with an online and in store augmented reality (AR) shopping experience.  The technology was limited to revealing how someone would look wearing a product.  Nike has recently refined its AR capabilities with their new shoe sizing app. 

Shopping for shoes at the store gives us the opportunity to try them on before buying.  If the shoe fits and is comfortable, we make the purchase.  However, we still may have bought the wrong shoe for the shape and particular bone structure of our feet.  It is usually after developing problems like calluses, blisters, corns, bunions, and plantar fasciitis that we realize the shoes were not right for our feet.  The Nike Fit app promises to eliminate purchasing the wrong pair of shoes. 

Nike says that three out of five people are wearing the wrong shoe for their feet.  In store sizing instruments often give inaccurate measurements.  The shoe fit app according to Nike, “offers a new scanning solution that uses a proprietary combination of computer vision, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and recommended algorithms.”   This is done through the consumer using their smartphone camera.  Once data is recorded, the app will provide the customer with the best shore for their feet and correct size.  Foot information will be stored for later purchases. 

Nike and other retailers will most likely use consumer size data to notify them every time a product is released that matches the bone structure of their feet.  Augmented reality technology will only improve in the coming years. 

Nike. (2019.). What is Nike Fit? Retrieved from https://news.nike.com/news/nike-fit-digital-foot-measurement-tool

TextilWirtschaft. (2019, May 09). Nike Fit. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=LMXc_1qCa8E

Wehner, M. (2019, May 11). Nike’s app will use augmented reality to determine your shoe size. Retrieved from https://bgr.com/2019/05/11/nike-fit-app-shoe-size/

Denny’s is all about the warm and fuzzies lately. In an attempt to revitalize the brand it’s been on a mission to reconnect with America. I mean, when was the last time you went to a Denny’s? We’ve likely all been there at one time or another, either for breakfast or at 2:00 am after a night out with friends. But at some point, as we grew up our tastes evolved and our perception of the chain changed. We haven’t forgotten Denny’s, we just broke up and moved on. “It’s not you, it’s me.” Brand recognition isn’t enough if people don’t actually want to go to the restaurant. So in 2009, Denny’s set out on a journey to rediscover its soul and establish a human connection with its customers. An important tool in this reconnection has been video content.

Let’s face it, online video is becoming a part of Americans’ daily lives. People watch more than 500 million hours of videos on YouTube each day. Logging on for more than just entertainment, people watch everything from how-to videos to product descriptions, helping them make important purchase decisions. Videos have become consumers’ preferred type of brand content. It establishes a personal relationship and allows brands to use storytelling to share their brand identity. But when establishing a connection, today’s consumer craves authenticity and Denny’s has taken notice. Take for example the adorable viral video of comedian DJ Pryor talking with his toddler Kingston.

Denny’s immediately noticed the special connection between Pryor and his son and how it represented their brand. Recognizing the power of everyday conversations which happen in a diner booth they sought to recreate the video while aiming to keep its authenticity intact. The result was a Father’s Day video which was posted on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

https://www.facebook.com/dennys/videos/372710560028070/

The results highlight one of the advantages online video content has over traditional television spots, superior analytics. On Facebook alone, this single post has achieved over 13M views, 565K likes, 26K comments, and been shared over 136K times.

In an effort to further this reconnection with America and lapsed customers, the “See you at Denny’s” campaign is strengthening Denny’s messaging from an emotional standpoint by again bringing diner conversations to life. Through a branded content series from SoulPancake, Denny’s is helping friends reconnect and shares with viewers the bonds that occur across one of their tables.

As video content becomes more important as a marketing tool, it is essential to include it as part of a successful communication strategy. Its accessibility and ability to reach large audiences at any time gives marketers more bang for their buck while establishing invaluable cross channel marketing opportunities. Creating a platform for more meaningful engagement.

References

Appleton. (2017). Which medium is better for video marketing ROI: TV or online? Retrieved from https://www.appletoncreative.com/2017/04/04/which-medium-is-better-for-video-marketing-roi-tv-or-online/

Collins, A. & Conley, M. (2019). The ultimate guide to video marketing. HubSpot. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing

Entis, L. (2019). Denny’s recreation of viral video also goes viral. PRWeek. Retrieved from https://www.prweek.com/article/1590920/dennys-recreation-viral-video-goes-viral

McCue, T. J. (2018). Video marketing in 2018 continues to explode as way to reach customers. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2018/06/22/video-marketing-2018-trends-continues-to-explode-as-the-way-to-reach-customers/#6c25b70f598d

Pearl, D. (2018). How Denny’s rebuilt its fading brand into a modern, social-savvy business. Adweek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-dennys-rebuilt-its-fading-brand-into-a-modern-social-savvy-business/

Smith, A., Toor, S., & Van Kessel, P. (2018). Many turn to YouTube for children’s content, news, how-to lessons. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/11/07/many-turn-to-youtube-for-childrens-content-news-how-to-lessons/

Stanley, T. L. (2019). Q & A: How Denny’s advertising is embracing inclusivity as more than a buzzword. Adweek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/qa-how-dennys-advertising-is-embracing-inclusivity-as-more-than-a-buzzword/

Breaking marketing down into its simplest form is, “buy mine, not theirs.” The idea is simple but not easy. For many years, marketers used different tactics to sway or manipulate customers. Tactics from bad-mouthing competitors to giving the illusion that their brand supports certain social movements or political parties. Building a connection between the brand and customer is important for earnings and revenue….even if it’s fictional. However, it does seem to work. Certain advertisements are obvious and boost sales simultaneously. Advertisements such as this:

Clearly these brands exaggerate the shortcomings of their competitors but it reflects a temporary increase in sales.

Companies also take to social media for support. Certain movements and political parties are shown support by a few hashtags or minor donations. It’s almost no different from investing in R&D or buying out small companies. It is seen as an investment today for a payoff down the line. Do people really buy into this? Sure, there are some companies out there that really do support certain groups, but it seems as though there is no fact checking or confirming going on.

To be completely honest, some of these larger companies only have to tag a hot topic or make a donation of $100k to gain support and artificially lift sales. That sounds like a great approach actually. I understand that many people would like to believe that good, honest, hardworking people truly want what’s best for society. However, just remember, if it doesn’t require much of an effort other than playing to people’s emotions…..that’s a very small price to pay. I’ll hashtag whatever the next social movement is and donate money to their respective groups for the rest of the year. Understand that I am not insinuating that all marketers and companies are manipulators. I’m just curious to know if people see through their manipulative tactics.

Amazon: the company that seems to be taking over in every way. What started as an online place to purchase books has become so much more, and a place to find so much more as well. From groceries delivered to your door, to audiobooks, movies, original series and music. So, are we really surprised to see that Amazon now has a Prime Day Concert?

When I found out about this event, and how Amazon was taking over yet another industry, I was surprised. How would this work? Isn’t a large part of going to concerts the fact that you are listening to music and watching a performance live and in person? How would that translate over a livestream? Would this be a hit or miss?

But as it turns out, this Prime Day concert may have been about more than just giving a never-before-seen musical experience online. Based on a review from FastCompany, this Prime Day concert may have been a new take on a marketing campaign from Amazon.

Throughout the live event, the host and performers seemed to continuously mention the company, the Prime membership and features, and their infamous product – Alexa. Based on the review from FastCompany, it seems that the constant mentions were overkill. And while I did not watch the live event myself, I can definitely see how that would have happened.

This brings up the question – did Amazon take it a step too far by using a live-streamed concert to promote their company and what it offers? Or is there still a tasteful way to market the company and produce an amazing music event without beating viewers over the head with Alexa-related jokes and puns on Prime membership? Would this have been better as an actual event rather than a virtual event? Furthermore, how can the Prime Day Concert hold up in comparison to all of the other festival-esque events that bring together top artists for fans of all genres?

Marshall McLuhan’s (1964) “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man” long preceded the innovation fo the internet, much less the age of social media marketing. Despite it’s age, the work coined the phrase “The medium is the message” and explains many of the marketing activities on social media. 

As brands chose voices to represent their organization online, few recognize the importance of McLuhan’s sentiment in their decisions. If the medium is the message and the medium at hand is social media, brands must cultivate a voice and style that fits the platform. 

Today, social media is practically dominated by memes. A quick scroll through my own Instagram feed found that 25% of the first 30 posts were meme-based. Obviously, this is an anecdotal example. However, as brands shape their voices to match the medium carrying there messages, many shift towards a meme-centric voice.

When entertainment giant Netflix surged in popularity in the mid-2010’s, they not only disrupted the entertainment space, but also launched a new type of digital marketing. The meme-centric brand voice adopted by Netflix has been applauded by AdWeek and Fortune for recognizing the uses of the medium at play and the habits of social media users (Stevens, 2018 and Morris, 2019)

Netflix has gone so far as to leverage memes as a primary marketing tool for content releases. The streamers most recent major release, Stranger Things, spawned countless memes which contributed to pop culture discussion, created synergy across Netflix’s catalog and leveraged user-generated content. 

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Netflix’s success has sparked a cultural shift within the digital marketing community to include more meme-centric content into social media posts. Fellow entertainment organizations such as Hulu, HBO and NBC have all followed suit. 

But while the occasional meme has added spice to many organization’s timelines, this shift towards informal tone has been adopted by some organizations in a way that may not fit the audience. 

Take the MLB baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, for example. As a longtime follower of the team, this season’s new digital strategy has come across abrupt and trite in nature. Take a look at a few examples below:

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All the more jarring is the fact that many of the page’s followers include older individuals that might not understand cultural memes and jargon popularized by the Millennials and Get Z social media users. 

It is for this reason that I believe brands need to look back to McLuhan’s (1964) work and recognize that although “the medium is the message,” those media in question host different audiences. As such, brands should exercise caution in using meme-oriented messaging on social platforms. 

References: 

Detroit Tigers [@tigers]. (n.d.a) Posts [Facebook profile]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/Tigers/

Detroit Tigers [@tigers] . (n.d.b) Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/tigers/

HBO [@hbo]. (n.d.) Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/hbo/

Hulu [@hulu]. (n.d.) Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/hulu/

McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Morris, C. (2019). Sass as a strategy: How Netflix’s Twitter became just as entertaining as shows and movies. Fortune. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2019/04/05/netflix-social-media-strategy/

NBC Entertainment [@nbc]. (n.d.) Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/nbc/

Netflix [@Netflix]. (n.d.) Posts [Instagram profile]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/netflix/

Stevens, J. (2018). 5 social media marketing lessons from Netflix. AdWeek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/creativity/5-social-media-marketing-lessons-from-netflix/