“Which ad experience do you prefer?”: Content’s fight against media fragmentation

By Jennifer Kim

Marketers today are faced with the challenge of moving beyond traditional media routes and reaching a consumer accustomed to choices and adjusted speeds.

Technological advancements accelerate as consumer behavior is thwarted by media formats and simultaneous marketing impressions of every variety.  We flip on televisions only to check Instagram feeds during commercial breaks, if not fast forward recorded programming altogether.

Brands are engaging in unprecedented ways, changing the way we think about media spends and mobile experiences.  And while the foundation on which we stand today is as fickle as a Facebook Poke, one thing is evident in today’s digital universe: content is king.  Extending brand messaging through content has supported the power of conversion by controlling brand differentiation at a given moment.  This differentiation has paved the way for new methods of managing conversion data as consumers find themselves under ad overload.

Obviously, not every brand can be a content pumping machine.  In order to successfully generate regular and timely brand-dedicated content, multiple content types and technologies are required to expand to a desired reach in real-time.  The workflow is detailed, but the process is vital as consumers are spread across channels.  Brooklyn based Huge breaks it down in their recently published white paper, Brands as Publishers, “Most brands are ill-equipped as currently configured to meet consumer content demands, but by investing in the four critical components of process, content, technology and people, brands can successfully evolve to meet the new consumer demand for direct engagement and meaningful content.”  With so much brand exposure, consumers only logically expect brands to directly extend and engage with them.

Flashback to third quarter, Super Bowl 2013: following its 100th birthday, Oreo invested in a real-time marketing opportunity with a dedicated team that quickly responded to a micro-cultural event - Superdome blackout, not to mention post-baby Beyonce - that prompted a social media frenzy.  The content itself was quick-witted and encouraged the kind of echoed reaction with which it was published - differentiating Oreo from the high production saturation of Superbowl ads.

Did the message cut through the ad barrier of multiple platforms and formats? Sure did, with a 13-person social media team ready for real-time creative and a 0 dollar ad spend.  However, did it directly result to millions in units of Oreo cookie sales?  Who knows.  All thirteen ad executives won a Clio award, the spot took a Cannes Lion, and the cookie company has been further exploring its brand narrative across mediums.  The “Wonderfilled Anthem” by the adorable Owl City was covered and spread across the corners of the web.  The brand’s strategy’s reputation turned heads for both consumers and marketers, and although the groans and eye-rolls of traditional advertisers may resonate within a changing industry, consumers are still paying attention.