Getting attention, maximizing the marketing investment, and staying on brand.

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In Growth We Trust Podcast - Get smarter about Growth Marketing. Weekly. Honestly, one of my favourite marketing podcasts at the moment.

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👋 Welcome to Volume #3.

Two things I’ve been thinking a lot about last week:

1. What does being “on brand” really mean these days, and are we considering all the different nuances at play?

2. Are we fully maximizing the opportunities to market effectively, or are we so consumed with what’s coming that we can’t see what’s working TODAY?

Consider this 3-minute reading an exercise on self awareness.

Today’s topic is getting attention, maximizing the marketing investment, and staying on brand.

Hey friends,

Real talk: in the past 30 years, storytellers were not trained to think about distribution.

You had one story, one script, one platform: TV.

Here is why, in today's world, this is an issue we need to fix ASAP:

▶️For the first time, the quality of the creative CREATES the distribution.◀️

You can open a TikTok account today, have zero followers, and if you make a quality piece of creative that interests the masses, you could have a million people see it.

This is unprecedented.

Television ads and social media platforms they're no longer separate entities.

They've fused into one arena where your creative acumen is the key to success.

We are looking at an industry transformation happening right in front of us over the next 3 to 5 years.

So, as marketers and storytellers, our mission is evolving.

We are no longer just spinning good stories; we are day-trading attention.

We're connecting our brand's unmatched positioning with our story, our creative spark, and our channel of distribution.

It becomes a work only apt for practitioners who understand the nuances of every platform and the audiences on each one.

But are we clear on where attention is being day-traded these days?

Marketing has always been a game of grabbing attention, and it evolved from newspapers to radio, to TV, to the Internet, and now to social media.

More specifically, TikTok and shorts is where most of the attention is.

50 years ago, being "on brand" was easy: publish the same ad in 5 newspapers and 2 TV channels, and you were DONE. No biggie.

But how does it work when people today spend, on average, 3 hours a day on at least 2-3 different platforms and engage with each one differently?

The consumer stays the same, but the platform and the context change.

Consequently, being a good marketer today is far removed from the Don Draper days.

It takes a high degree of self-awareness, humility, and curiosity to understand that what worked well three months ago doesn't cut it today anymore.

So figuring out what DOES work right now becomes the highest priority for any organization that wants to ensure an ROI for every $ spent on marketing.

And if you ask me, THAT is the biggest thing to focus on in any marketing department, no matter how big or small the company is.

The maximization of being “on brand”.

Chase the underpriced attention.

Let's talk tactics.

Here's the deal: TikTok and YouTube Shorts are where you'll find underpriced attention. They're quick, engaging, and they hit hard.

On TikTok, it's all about that algorithm. It's a beast at delivering what you want. Small following? No problem. If your content clicks, you can go viral, and that's gold.

YouTube Shorts, the new player in town, is catching fire. It's YouTube's answer to TikTok, and it's a fertile ground for early adopters. If you're into content creation, this is where you want to be.

Here's the game plan:

• Be you. Authenticity wins hearts and minds. That is what being "on brand" really means today. Not the logos, NOT the consistency of the visuals.

• Understand what the consumer wants. Keep pumping out engaging content. The more you create, the better your chances.

• Be in the culture of today. Jump on trends and challenges. Ride the wave of what's hot.

• Engage with your audience. Building a community is your secret sauce.

• Don't fear experimentation. New content styles can lead to big wins.

Keep your finger on the pulse of pop culture.

Brands today need to be on top of pop culture. They can't miss a beat.

This not only means keeping an eye out for potential Tube Girls but also being very aware of what is happening in the worlds of music, entertainment, and fashion.

The recent appearance of Taylor Swift in the box of Kansas City Chiefs wearing unreleased team merch, marked a significant cultural crossover.

The pop icon created a considerable media moment at a regular-season NFL game, with her loyal fans hunting for clues about a possible romance between the singer and Travis Kelce, an NFL player.

Not only that, but this crazy, simple, and random moment created a massive wave of awareness for not only Kelce (who was already famous before this) but also for the brands that Swift was wearing that day.

TikTok went crazy on the topic of "Taylor Swift made Kelce famous) and it spiraled into a cultural moment leveraged on social media across the globe.

@ragcityyy

The way he talked at me #taylorswift #traviskelce #traviskelceandtaylorswift

Staff your marketing teams with practitioners.

Companies that use marketing correctly and tap into today's culture purposefully and intentionally will always win attention.

Because let's face it: marketing leads the charge today.

Sure, you need a good product, and you need a solid sales organization.

But the impact that a good marketing team can have on your brand today is unprecedented.

You can spend 100K $ on influencer marketing and get zero ROI, OR you can invest 100K $ in the right influencers, at the right cultural moment, with the right creative, in the right platforms, and get 100x the investment you made.

For this reason, having the right team in place is today as important as the creative or the distribution.

Because getting the science AND the art that make good marketing today is made for practitioners, not just spectators.

🗞 If you watch one thing today, let it be this: Gary Vaynerchuk and Alan Chikin Chow, YouTube

(please ignore Gary not being a good host and interrupting the guest a million times, just try to focus on the message here LOL)

From 1 Follower To 30B+ Views In 3 Years - The no 1 YouTube shorts creator in the world

Watch the entire convo here.

We've unpacked a lot today, and it's only Monday!

If there is one message I'd love for you to take away from this newsletter today, it is this one: become a practitioner of the craft.

Start writing, start publishing, start understanding the platforms, the algos, the nuances.

I get that it might be A LOT (believe me, it's a lot for me too), but… there is no other way. As a marketing leader, you can't afford to outsource this deep understanding of what marketing is about today.

Don't be anchored in the past; stop worrying about the future (the irony, I know!) and start understanding what today is all about.Until next time, keep your 👀 on the future today.

Oana

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