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While amateur content shone in 2014, traditional professional marketing also had moments of particular success this year. From Super Bowl ads to interactive movie marketing campaigns, this post will examine three professional marketing campaigns that were particularly successful this year, leveraging traditional marketing techniques and showing that quality content can indeed beat quantity.
Chipotle Cultivates a Better World
From traditional video ads to computer games to music festivals, Chipotle’s elegant and engaging content for their “Cultivate a Better World” campaign showed the power of quality over quantity. In order to raise awareness for their contributions to support sustainable agriculture, family farming, and culinary education, Chipotle created the Cultivate Foundation and supported it with content, including a video by the Academy Award-winning studio Moonbot and music by Fiona Apple and a game for the iPod and iPhone. This quality content engaged consumers in Chipotle’s mission and raised thousands of dollars for the cause.
Juniper Networks’ Data Center Rap Battle
There is a battle going down in corporate data centers around the world: a battle waged by the forces for virtualization and those of the of the physical network. To draw attention to this tension in the data world and to decide which side would reign supreme, Juniper Networks, a network security and performance agency, decided it was time to settle this issue in a way befitting the most honorable data warriors: through rap. Data Center Rap Battle saw figures like Kathleen from Sales spit rhymes at opponents like Vikram “The Destroyer” from IT. Equal parts B2B jargon, hip-hop swagger, and hilarious awkwardness, the creativity of this ad campaign presented Juniper Networks to all sorts of new clients and got them on the shortlist for Best B2B Marketing of 2014.
Under Armour’s Empowering “I Will What I Want” Message
Probably best known for ads featuring football and basketball players, Under Armour flipped the tables on its own advertising with this campaign. Featuring American Ballet Theater soloist Misty Copeland, the “I Will What I Want” advertisement was an astonishing redefinition of what a sports endorsement could and should be. Featuring simple, elegant footage of Copeland’s powerhouse dancing over a voiceover reading her rejection letter from a ballet academy (in part due to her imperfect Achilles tendons and torso length) the ad highlighted the strength and perseverance of its star. “I Will What I Want” was a viral success, garnering over 6 million Youtube views.
Humanizing Cisco’s Megarouter
Trying to tell a story with a very technical product is challenging for many B2B brands. For example, how is a company supposed to make a router for a network convergence system seem interesting and approachable? This was Cisco’s problem in 2014 as they prepared to market their network convergence system, designed to work for the “Internet of Everything” and connect people, data, and individual networks while handling the tremendous workload associated with the internet. In order to do this, they created Youtube videos that captured hilariously unsuccessful attempts to solve problems in order to illustrate how their competitors are not set up to meet the increasing demands of the internet–and why Cisco’s product is the solution.
What professional content did you see this year that stuck with you?
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Not only can professionalism and amateurism coexist, but professionals can learn from amateurs. Last week we shared a number of areas in which professionals must compete with amateurs. Here are three more lessons from amateur content that can help professionals succeed:
Lesson 1: Quantity and Quality
The rise of amateur content is often bemoaned as a triumph of quantity over quality. But this perspective looks at the rise of amateur content in aggregate only. Within the realm of amateur content, some rises to prominence and some fails. The most successful amateur content resonates with its audience for a specific reason, and while it may not be professional-quality, it is edited and polished.
Professionals must learn from this. Amateur content creators become Internet stars when their content moves people so much that they want to share it. It is too easy for professionals to become complacent, used to having a purchased platform on which to display our work. Consider: what can you do to make your content so compelling that people want to see it again, and tell their friends about it?
Lesson Two: Charm and Exuberance
In his blog The Long Tail, Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson wrote, “I’ll take a passionate amateur over a bored professional any day.” Raw content can open our eyes to what is compelling and informative in our world just as much as professional content. Yes, it is often of lesser quality, but that does not take away from its ability to entertain and educate us.
Professionals must remember to treat each campaign as an opportunity to reach and excite new people. After years of spreading the same message, it may begin to seem obvious or old hat to professional marketers. But professionals owe it to both clients and customers to bring the same level of passion to a project the first and the fiftieth time.
Always Be Building Your Audience
Amateurs recognize the importance of reaching and holding onto an online audience, because it is the very thing that determines their success.
Amateurs that have devoted followings have gotten to that point because they respond to audience interactions and dependably update their content in reaction to what their audience wants. Amateurs can’t rely on ad spend to spread their work, so they have to build relationships with their followers, and if professionals want to continue to compete, they should be building these types of authentic relationships too.
If you’re a professional, what other lessons have you taken from amateur content developers?
Come back Friday to read about professional marketing’s best moments in 2014.
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What’s a marketer to believe about the dichotomy between amateur and professional content? Perhaps the pendulum has swung too far in favor of raw content in recent years and a correction is needed. The fact is, this is not likely to happen given that amateur-produced content is not only valued, it’s usually free. Maybe professionalism just needs to find the right niche –– to quote a recent article by New York Times writer David Carr, “Publishers who turned out under-designed and under-edited books and magazines in the Internet age have learned the hard way that consumers expect excellence in print.”
Yet another possibility is that the distinction between the two will just fade away. Truth be told, the lines between what is amateur and what is professional have always been somewhat blurry. Einstein was a patent clerk when he developed his special theory of relativity. Shakespeare and Da Vinci were considered amateur artists in their time. In a blog post in Techdirt, Tim Cushing talks about a new breed of content creators – the professional amateur:
“A pro-amateur perhaps works on a project as a side-line to her day-job but she treats it seriously. Like any struggling writer, there is the work and the need to pay the rent. The difference is that the pro-amateur then takes her work and distributes it directly. She creates a book, an album, a TV series and just puts it out there. It only really costs her time to do it, and if it works it works. If not, she does something else.”
Regardless of what the balance is between what content is raw and what is not, the important point is that it’s not a zero sum game. In fact, professionalism and amateurism can play nice together. The movie review site Rotten Tomatoes offers both a critics’ score and an audience score. YouTube is now incorporating the whole spectrum of content creation, from amateur to professional. To quote the Senior Director of IT at Wharton, Kendall Whitehouse, “Both [professional and amateur content] bring value. The latter brings quickness and a personal viewpoint and the former provides analysis and consistent quality. The world I want to live in includes healthy doses of both categories.”
So let’s find ways to embrace both expert and raw content, each in their proper context.
Professionals, consider it part of your job description to maintain a standard of quality in every aspect of what you do. Digital marketing includes writing, video production, graphic design and more. In every area, professional marketers can still shine with attention to detail, careful editing and productive teamwork.
At the same time, let amateur content inspire you to try new approaches to your campaigns. Professional doesn’t have to mean stuffy or formal. Study successful amateur content and experiment with the tone of your own materials. Explore new outlets for reaching your audience. Consider partnerships with popular amateur content creators, which can help your experience and polish reach an enthusiastic audience.
Amateur content isn’t going away. Now and in the future, the successful professionals will be those who can ride the waves of amateur and pro-amateur content, not try to swim fruitlessly against them.
Read our Wednesday post for three lessons professionals can learn from amateurs.
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From the heartwarming to the crazy, amateur marketing content made waves in 2014. It gained publicity for important issues, earned massive amounts of money for projects varying from potato salad to video games, and was even leveraged by some savvy business owners to gain them publicity. Here are some of the best moments in amateur content from this past year:
Best Amateur Marketing in B2B: TWCBC’s “Master Cut Gems”
We’ve been talking a lot on the blog about how amateur content can work in B2B marketing, and 2014 gave us a great example of a company using amateur content to create a compelling campaign. Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC)’s short documentary/testimonial “Master Cut Gems” featured interviews with the owners of the titular small business. It emphasizes the authenticity of the business owner and his family while showing how TWCBC works with its business partners to create great results.
Recognizing that so many people go online for healthcare and medical advice, the Mayo Clinic sought to provide insight into healthcare processes by letting their patients, nurses, and doctors all provide their stories online. Sharing Mayo Clinic posts stories about overcoming illnesses, managing certain health problems, and insight from clinic staff on issues regarding to healthcare and patient wellness. By using social media outlets and letting amateur content creators tell their stories, the Mayo Clinic was able to market itself in a meaningful, inspiring way to those who potentially need their help.
After being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Pete Frates decided that he needed to start a campaign to bring awareness and raise money for this disease. Thus began the most bizarre and ubiquitous trend of summer ‘14: dumping water on one’s head in the name of ALS awareness. The Ice Bucket Challenge was a global phenomenon, and everyone from Justin Bieber to Stephen Hawking took part. Although the challenge was criticized by many as self-congratulatory and an opportunity for fun as opposed to donating to charity, the challenge raised widespread awareness for ALS and resulted in over $100 million dollars being donated to the ALS Association.
Intel, the maker of many popular video games, was pressured into taking its ads off of gaming site Gamasutra after receiving thousands of complaints about an opinion piece published on the site. The piece in question had to do with a perceived change in gaming culture, to which many gamers took offense. Using the hashtag #GamerGate, video game players banded together to influence companies to remove their ads from sites that offered viewpoints against the group’s own ideas. Intel did indeed remove their ads, which became a contentious issue after misogynist tendencies in the #GamerGate movement came out.
Intel released an apology for pulling ads due to GamerGate pressure, stating that “when it comes to our support of equality and women, we want to be very clear: Intel believes men and women should be treated the same,” but many noticed that the company did not reinstate its ads on Gamasutra. This issue brought to light an important point for professional marketers: it can be difficult to respond to a group of amateur marketers who have a great deal of reach and influence, but may have ideas that are largely unpopular or even dangerous. In this case, Intel was put into a tenuous position where their company profile was undermined by a group whose amateur content turned out to be different than what they originally assumed.
What amateur content did you see in 2014, and what made an impact on you?
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In his book Disciplined Minds, Jeff Schmidt argues that professionals are actually less creative and diverse in their opinions than amateurs. He attributes this to indoctrination through most professional training. To be sure, raw content can open our eyes to what is compelling and informative in our world just as much as professional content. Yes, it is often of lesser quality, but that does not take away from its ability to entertain and educate us. What such work often lacks in polish, it can make up for in charm and exuberance. To quote Chris Anderson’s blog,The Long Tail, “I’ll take a passionate amateur over a bored professional any day.”
Passion and enthusiasm can override quality in marketing, it’s true. To avoid this, professional marketers must learn from amateurs. While professionals have training, budget and experience behind them, amateurs tend to win the race in the following areas:
Timeliness.
Big, established marketing firms got to the top through years of careful planning. Often, these marketers can plan out a campaign better than anyone else. But they lack agility. In the digital era, rapid response is key. Passionate amateurs are not bound by bureaucracy, and they don’t feel the need to stick to a plan made months ago. Instead, they create content that fits the moment, and they adapt their work as what’s popular changes. While many professionals still struggle to adapt to data-driven strategies, successful amateurs have already absorbed this lesson from their digital interactions: keep doing what works.
Risk-Taking.
Even as they replicate successful strategies, amateurs are more adaptable. When a new social network opens, they explore it long before the professionals, and if it is not a useful platform, they step out again without sinking large amounts of time or money into the endeavor. Amateurs keep their strategy agile. Without years of training in “best practices,” they are not closed-minded to new ideas, and they are willing to let go of methods that no longer reap rewards.
Unforced relatability.
Sometimes, as polished as it is, professional content can sometimes feel phony. Think of commercials that awkwardly try to connect with audiences through the use of hashtags or text message abbreviations that have no relation to how people actually use those terms. These marketing messages seem to be written by committee, and they can alienate the very audience they mean to reach. The best amateur content incorporates relatable elements into its very DNA. Instead of feeling forced, this content feels natural.
To be successful in the long run, professionals need to recognize the polish and experience that they bring to the table, and be willing to improve in areas where they do not yet lead. What do you think? Can professionals in fact learn a thing or two from amateurs?
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B2B marketing isn’t new to leveraging the power of amateur content. For the past several years, businesses have used amateur-style risk-taking, enthusiasm, and unusual methods of communication to gain interest in their products and campaigns.
“Camp Network” by Microsoft
In 2008, Microsoft launched a campaign to boost membership to its partner community by relying on a social media platform much beloved by amateurs: YouTube. Microsoft launched a viral campaign of videos spoofing networking and team-building exercises, and by placing these videos alongside the millions of amateur content-filled YouTube videos, was able to play off of their feeling of authenticity.
These videos, created to promote the Microsoft business partner network, achieved authenticity through its low-budget feel and YouTube placement. Through this campaign, Microsoft was able to create a highly memorable, viral B2B marketing campaign that showed their message with humor and creativity.
“The Weight Has Been Lifted” by USG
How does a business that makes drywall educate and excite the building trade about its new, lightweight product? USG’s 2010 “The Weight Has Been Lifted” campaign did just this in a creative, artistic campaign. They used high-impact imagery of heavy objects and animals, including cannons and elephants, to quantify how much weight their products did without.
This campaign was successful because it used bold, familiar images to quantify the benefits of its products in an easy-to-understand method. It took an otherwise unexciting product–drywall–and created an artistic, whimsical campaign that still made sense with the message that the business was trying to get across.
These are just two of the B2B marketing campaigns from companies that have shown an ability to adapt to today’s digital marketing landscape with enthusiasm and a willingness to experiment. Keep visiting our blog throughout the month to learn more about marketing best practices that combine the best qualities of professional and amateur content.
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Has the quality of content gone down in recent years? Judging from current television, magazine, and media trends, it looks like it has.
The constant stream of online content has trained people to expect round-the-clock updates. In many ways, this has created a culture of quantity over quality. Brands worry about the number of “clicks” their posts receive, instead of whether their content is worthwhile. Too often, it seems that quality content is pushed out by derivative, error-ridden material.
As Felix Salmon of Reuters wrote in a critique of then-editor of The New York Observer Elizabeth Spiers:
“When you’re working online, more is more. If you have the cojones to throw up everything, more or less regardless of quality, you’ll be rewarded for it — even the bad posts get some traffic, and it’s impossible ex ante to know which posts are going to end up getting massive pageviews.”
Unfortunately, consumers have become used to this lower-quality content. In a push to keep up with the stream of amateur material across the web, even respected publications have lowered their editorial standards.
This trend presents challenges and opportunities for professionals. In a world where anyone with an Internet connection can be a publisher, there’s more competition for attention than ever. Some people will automatically view professional content as less authentic than amateur content.
But professionalism has not lost the battle. Top quality content, delivered in a way that allows it to reach people through the sea of lesser work, stands out now more than ever.
As professionals, we must redouble our efforts to create quality content, even as we work to create the quantity of content that the digital age demands.
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Raw content has become more important and influential in digital marketing. This amateur content lacks the veneer of professionally-created content, but its authenticity is its strong point.
There are downsides to raw content. The lack of professional editing casts facts into question, and can create a frustrating reading experience. Amateurs may not have access to the same range of tools and training to create polished final products.
All the same, raw content has surged in popularity. This content is created by people who care enough about the projects to create them in their personal time. It’s available in seemingly unending quantities and is constantly renewed. Perhaps most influential, it’s usually free.
So what can professionals learn from raw content, and how can they compete? Some professionals are finding ways to harness the power of amateur content, while maintaining professional standards and putting their creative training to work.
Let’s take a look at a pop culture example. To promote this year’s Hunger Games installment, Lionsgate partnered with YouTube stars to create videos in the style of television broadcasts from within the world of the film. These videos combine the polish and professionalism of Lionsgate’s marketing department with the passion of the amateur artists.
These partnerships allowed all those involved, professionals and amateurs, to expand their audiences. Lionsgate strategically chose YouTube creators to reach a wide variety of people, by including artists who make videos about martial arts, food, fashion, science and tech.
Partnerships are only one way to address the rise of amateur content, and they only make sense in some contexts. But it is professionals who adapt to the new digital landscape and take risks with new kinds of content that may reap the largest rewards in the future. How will your brand stand out?
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Over time, digital marketing has changed to reflect the growing influence of amateurs in the field.
Professionals must combat this flux of lower-quality content, but first it’s necessary to understand the appeal it can hold. Many people are in fact drawn to amateur content, seeing it as authentic. And they have a point: amateur bloggers, YouTube filmmakers, and other content creators are usually creating their work out of passion. They are often unpaid, and the works they create don’t have to please any boss or organization.
Amateur marketing includes the many small business owners treating professional social media the same way they might treat personal social media, posting a mix of things they find interesting for their fans without a larger strategy. In the short term, this may humanize the business and attract followers. But in the long term, the brand is not creating a consistent reputation, nor is it reaching out to a larger, targeted audience.
Professionals have the experience to view the digital marketplace holistically. A professional marketer will prepare an overall strategy for growing and retaining a targeted audience, and use data insights to refine the strategy over time.
All the same, professionals must respond to the growth of amateur content. Many strong digital marketing strategies now solicit user-generated content in order to meld amateur enthusiasm and authenticity with a larger plan.
To succeed, professionals must continue to prove the benefits of experience and training with creative, data-driven campaigns. This month, we’ll continue discussing how professionals can learn from amateurs while still maintaining top quality. Check back on Wednesday for more.
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What is a growth partner? A marketing firm is a growth partner if it will work closely with your organization to scale and adapt along with you. A true growth partner will provide your organization with the tools and the guidance you need to grow exponentially.
Maximize your chances of a successful partnership by asking your marketing firm these questions:
Does your marketing plan account for growth?
A firm that will grow with your organization should be making long-term plans. A marketing plan that focuses entirely on achieving a short-term spike in revenue may help your organization become a “one-hit wonder,” but a growth partner will focus on nurturing loyal leads. A growth-focused marketing plan will lay the groundwork for an approach that can adapt when your organization scales.
What is your expertise?
Hire a marketing firm that has a track record of success. Specifically, look for a firm that has proven results that are relevant to your organization.
How do you personalize a marketing plan for each client?
The best growth partners have experience and connections that they can draw on to market your business, but are also willing to personalize their strategies to fit your needs.
Are you data-driven?
In 2014, any marketing plan that isn’t using data is destined to fall behind. A true growth partner will recognize this, and already have robust data-driven strategies in place.
How do you unify campaigns across platforms?
With so many digital marketing options, it’s crucial to keep a consistent brand and messaging approach across channels. This is especially true for small organizations hoping to scale.
How do you work with organizations of different sizes?
A growth partner will recognize where you are right now and where you want to be. Instead of a “one-size-fits-all” approach, the firm should offer customized solutions that reflect your organization’s unique needs.
What data analysis tools do you use?
A knowledgeable firm should be able to talk about the tools and the people behind their data analysis. Make sure you partner with a firm that isn’t just collecting information, but making the most of it.
Why you?
How well can the firm market itself? Ask for the sales pitch. What are the firm’s differentiating factors?
What do you see on the marketing horizon?
A growth partner must be dynamic, adapting their marketing approach as the digital landscape changes. Make sure the firm you choose is marketing for today and tomorrow, not last year. A firm that is focused on growth should always be looking ahead. While no one can foresee all the rapid changes in the digital marketing landscape, an experienced firm will have plans for a variety of circumstances.
Advice for Going forward
If you need more from your firm, these questions can still help. Talk to your marketing firm about how they can adapt now to today’s marketing landsape. That means beginning now with the practices listed above. To become a growth partner, your firm needs to begin looking forward, and using data to create dynamic campaigns with lasting value.
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