Advertising is in the golden age of content creation. People have unlocked their dormant storytelling powers through a world full of creative platforms. Highly polished user-generated content is very accessible and through simple app interfaces, consumers can engage powerhouses of post-production and editing tools that don’t require much knowledge. Hyperlapse by Instagram, VSCO, Vine – all platforms that allow users to create highly intricate and interactive pieces of content.
On the agency side though, content, for something so talked about, has very little definition. Content should never be expected to take the place of a TV ad, and it never will, but it’s an entertainment-led concept that enriches a brand’s existence.
When a piece’s success is not measured in reach and frequency, but in length and depth of the relationship it creates with the consumer, then the mindset shifts. An eloquent example is Pepsi Max’s Unbelievable Channel, where nothing is sold, nothing is pushed, but where users are captivated by some forms of ‘magic’.
When advertisers will understand and transport themselves to an editorial commissioning style approach of content creation, then results will be tangible, valuable and all-encompasing for a brand’s future and development.
