To most manic marketers, Red Bull represents the pinnacle of the new content marketing magic that wins in a world where nobody sleeps, thinks, or otherwise contemplates the meaning of life – they just do it, and they do it non-stop in real-time while hopped up on glucose, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, niacin, sodium nitrate, and inositol.
Red Bull — much like Nike, Patagonia, Starbucks, Apple, and other passion brands — stands out from the crowd for its branded content strategy. In fact, it occurred to me just how pervasive this angus invasion had become earlier this year, when I discovered Red Bull’s extreme sports documentaries nestled neatly among sundry B-grade cinema in my Netflix’s “Recent Releases” queue.
I suppose that’s when this whole branded content, post-advertising mumbo-jumbo really registered in my thick skull. While TV advertising remains an important part of the paid/owned/earned marketing mix, the truth is that most of us hate ads, especially poorly done, intrusive ads. And I feel like, to their credit, Red Bull’s user-centric content strategy shows that they understand this fundamental truth.
Point # 1: We Can Agree On Something After All
There is one thing that unites our country and actually drives and shapes our behavior. We hate intrusive ads. From my angered son suffering through the indignity of watching a pre-roll Diet Dr. Pepper ad before viewing his twentieth Minecraft video on YouTube, to me enduring more commercials than actual basketball in the final two minutes of a close playoff game – we find unity, America, in our common hatred of ads. Red State, Blue State, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life … it doesn’t seem to matter. At last, a brief respite from partisan bickering.
Point #2: We Will Do Anything to Avoid These Ads
My 7-year old son specifically asked me if he could “subscribe” to YouTube to avoid ads. The ads on YouTube from Zoosk, SimCity, and Diet Dr. Pepper literally brought him to tears. (Please no angry emails about letting my son watch YouTube. He hates TV and this is his downtime activity, for better or worse). He’s been even more perplexed of late trying to sidestep these same ads that lead him to a Facebook page where’s he supposed to express his “like” for the very products he’s now come to despise. “Promise me you’ll never buy Dr. Pepper,” he recently asked me.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXWJKCOPYA4?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360] My son really hates this ad before a Minecraft video.
In the last decade, I’ve purchased or used a Tivo, DVR, Apple TV, PS3, Readability/Instapaper, ad blockers, XBOX 360, HBO Go, Netflix, MLB 2013, and many other technological accouterments for content viewing. All of these purchases/installs were at least partially motivated because I wanted to circumvent advertising. Yes, I know, ads are the oil that fuel this great American economy; they lubricate a complex consumer content machine that I take for granted at my own peril.
Point #3: Let Me Put Your Brand in My Queue Instead
Your brand might keep creating clever 30-second spots that somehow get stuck into my subconscious. These nuggets are modern marketing marvels of Madison Avenue; I get it and sometimes I even appreciate it. How do you guys come up with those wacky Aflac ads? Funny stuff.
Instead of force-feeding ads down my throat and bombarding my son with contextually inappropriate drivel, think more creatively of how you can get me to put your brand into my personalized queues.
Even if I personally don’t find Mountain Dew, err, Red Bull’s content all that compelling, at least they seem to grasp the new paradigm. They give me the opportunity to put their branded content into my personal queue on my terms without forcing me to watch a pre-roll video or click through an annoying pop-up ad. The content generated from sponsored events has emerged as their most effective methods of earned and owned advertising.
With that being said, here are some queues into which I might consider putting your brand:
- YouTube Subscription List
- Netflix Queue
- Amazon Wish List
- Apple TV menu
- Facebook Feed
- Twitter Feed
- Slideshare Subscription
- Scribd Subscription
- iBook PDF Shelf
- Kindle Doc List
- LinkedIn Group or Feed
- Pulse Feed
- FlipBoard Feed
- Pinterest Pinned LIst (maybe my wife in another life will do this)
There are likely other queues I am missing. After all, I am among The Walking Dead. But I hope brands will take this post as a cue to get a clue about my queue. Until then, inject me with your 30-second dose of dissonance and track my purchasing habits as you will.
