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Brands as the new gods

Posted by Photolibrary in Features, Opinion on 05 28th, 2009 | View Comments
Free cookies at Starbucks!

Free cookies at Starbucks!

One of the greatest feats of modern advertising is the ability to seep into every facet of our modern lives, no longer limited to traditional media like television and print, new media is the next frontier, with campaigns reaching deep into the latest tools we use to communicate. Email marketing floods the inbox, Facebook spits out targeted banners and clever viral apps, Twitter is bombarded by promotional ‘tweets’ and soon just walking near a Starbucks will alert us to the free cookie we’ll get with every coffee – the delights of GPS and new mobiles phones!

The point is advertising needs to continually re-invent itself to deal with its own self-made enemy: saturation. Futurelab recently presented this succinctly, saying:

People who live near train lines adjust to the noise. They do the same with advertising.
Futurelab - Change Marketing

So even the most viral of ads, even the savviest of ad placements have the converse effect of educating us - meaning we get increasingly discerning and harder to convince.

The upside of this downside is we’re going to see a lot less of those full-blown “cinematic” production ads - the slick sports car in surreal landscapes, cornering at torque speed; shiny happy people overcoming all obstacles in record time with the help of the gleaming new product.

Why? Because the formula is predictable and fails to convince as it once did - so backed into the corner, good marketing practice becomes more about finding and presenting what’s authentic in a brand. A fitting trend at Photolibrary is an increasing demand for ‘real-life’ imagery - shots of unrehearsed moments that appear authentic.

Take for example “content marketing” advocated by marketing expert David Meerman Scott, he throws out the ROI obsessions and aims to build genuine consumer trust. There’s no real sales pitch either, it’s about educating prospects with relevant, valuable and engaging content.

You’ve got to think in terms of spreading ideas, not generating leads. A World Wide Rave gets the word out to thousands or even millions of potential customers. But only if you make your content easy to find and consume
David Meerman Scott – World Wide Rave

A good example is the recent Razorfish 2009 outlook document – because of its insightful content on digital marketing, it’s made the rounds a few times through Photolibrary and if looking to refresh our digital strategies, Razorfish has positioned itself nicely as an authority and without any direct sales pitch (we’re also spreading their message even further right here).

iPod is cooool

iPod is cooool

The catch-22 is that today’s cynical consumers judge this type of marketing as authentic only when there’s no underlying monetary agenda - but isn’t ROI and actual sales why we market in the first place? Yes, but more importantly, if our marketing matches our product, there’s not need for the marketing veneer - it already is authentic.

Great. But my product isn’t cool - What can I do??? - Well, Frankly you’re screwed.
Futurelab - What’s Next In Marketing & Advertising

So, what makes a product cool? If we take Seth Godin’s approach - anything that creates meaning, a sense of identity and a connection to others builds a following (a tribe). If the tribe likes it - its cool. The communal spirit of the iPod garbed masses packed into subways and lining our streets is a classic example of how a product became not only cool, but an global phenomenon.

There’s a real religious inkling to Godin’s ideas on tribes, especially as religion for a lot of people is the ultimate path of seeking connection, authenticity and meaning.

It begs the question: Do brands need to become cultural gods, in order to survive? And if so, are their devotees the ultimate consumers? Let us know your thoughts…

References

David Meerman Scott
World Wide Rave
http://www.worldwiderave.com

Futurelab
Change Marketing
http://www.slideshare.net/Futurelab/change-marketing-v01-1452235

Seth Godin
Seth’s Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Razorfish
2009 Digital Outlook Report
http://digitaloutlook.razorfish.com/publication/?i=13617

DOUGLAS B. HOLT
Why Do Brands Cause Trouble? A Dialectical Theory of Consumer Culture and Branding
http://www.lombard-media.lu/pdf/0308_brands.pdf

Get creative with stock photos, stock footage & production music from photolibrary.com

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  • Interesting article,
    I completly agree that what sets apart any corporation is the perceived value of its products and services. Whenever you are spending some money and feel it is cool to do so, it is the sign you are dealing with what you call a cultural god. McDonald did a campaign untitled something like: 4 bucks is dumm! This direct attack to Starbucks was interesting. Purchasing a 4 dollars drink in a Starbucks is not just about the drink. I will pay an extra dollar just to be waiting in line in a Starbucks rather than in a McDonald
    In the US, a lot of clients are telling me how glad they are not to purchase a picture with Getty. Its rapid growth makes this company look uncool to some, like a shark in the photo pool.
    My perception of Photolibrary is that we, first of all, are a bunch of cool people, easy to deal with and eager to grow and help. Do i have to become a cultural god to make my company successful?
  • I do not think that brands need to become cultural gods. Brands need to find out what the goals of their target groups are and facilitate those. They will need to become partners more than self centered leaders.
  • Thanks for citing my work. Consumers want answers to problems and to be informed and entertained. They don't like product pitches.
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