Content is more than just a monologue

While the marketers and advertising professionals of today assess themselves as publishers and content creators, most of them have a rather vague and traditional perception about content. They are yet to realise that content is more than just advertorials, copy lines or exhaustive pages of self-boasting; it is beyond all this. In today’s information society, marketing content is the one that narrates a life, has a character and is centred on the end-consumer.

Providing chances for people to engage with the brand or inviting them to share their stories can go a long way in making your brand character-rich. One of the classic testimonials that depict how open source relationships and partnerships peppered with healthy engagement can be a game changer is allrecipes.com. Opened as a public content-sharing forum the brand encourages home cooks to post, comment and edit existing recipes in addition to searching for specific recipes. Through a little freedom, allrecipes.com made each end-user a food critic and a chef.

Another famous player, who demonstrated behaviour marketing in a similar way, is Dove by starting an admiration-boosting movement that provokes people to redefine what is beautiful. Taking the bold step of tagging its philosophy and brand values to its marketing communication, in a bid to trigger an impact, invokes a new perception.

Being a cut above the rest, Unilever has just expanded its horizons and extended its consumer orbit – Corporate goal achieved. This resolute action is also being adapted by standalone goods. Lifebuoy soap aims at making a difference by encouraging healthy hygienic habits through changing the hand-washing behaviour of over a billion people.

And this behaviour marketing and consumer-oriented content is not just confined to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. The music industry has evolved their communication strategies too; renowned musicians no longer believe in confining fans to a simple message on social media, avoiding real-time interactions with them.

Gigit, an online marketplace for locating music artistes gives consumers a chance to book their desired music band to play at their apartments / house / party, of course for a fee. Despite being a niche business, Gigit has taken content to a new horizon altogether.

All in all, content has evolved from being a single-directional monologue that the content providers and advertising agencies perceive; it has graduated to being consumer participation, allowing the consumer to engage, suggest and shape the content for the brand. No matter which country you live in, be it a democracy, dictatorship, aristocracy, republican or a confused fusion, advertising content is and will always be democratic.

By: Tushar Kalawatia