How to spice up a boring brand

Some brands are just plain boring. But, says KAT SCHOLTZ, marketers need to take a look at alternative angles of relevance to make these brands more appealing.

The Red Bull Stratos jump was pretty exciting. A man falling from space makes for compelling viewing. Smirnoff invested in technology that enabled a few disabled participants to create a music track, using the few movements they could make. This became a moving documentary, MindTunes. These Content Marketing examples come from brands that associate themselves with experience, with a sense of adventure or with connecting to other people.

What do you do if your brand produces Tupperware? Or blenders? If you sell insurance or if you are the marketing director for a bank? Would this mean that content marketing is not for you? Not at all. Let’s take a few steps back.

The exciting examples that I opened this article with achieve very specific things – they gain new viewers and build on the awareness of the brand. Content Marketing provides far more than this. It can assist in convincing someone when they are further along the purchase cycle. So my first point is not to undervalue the role that useful and ongoing content plays in relation to the bigger, flashier stuff. An application that helps me work out my interest rate changes will keep my attention in a way a flashy video may not. A comparison of pricing packages would be similarly useful at the stage where I am making a decision.

Start by looking at the aspects that make content interesting: something should offer use, entertainment, or an emotional connection. There are many content types and formats available for you to take advantage of. Consider the “boring” brand examples I listed, as you could find fantastic content marketing for each of these.

An emotional connection: RubberMaid, a Tupperware brand, offers a very popular blog. They do things like ask readers to submit the recipes passed down in their families that freeze well. Here the emotional and the useful aspects of good content are employed.

Entertainment: Will it Blend is a series of videos produced by the makers of Industrial Blenders, where they blend iPads and other topical objects. In this way they demonstrate their brand promise while still being entertaining.

If you think your brand is boring, look again. Not only are there many options for connecting with your customers, but it’s important not to get caught up in the idea that content marketing only consists of a grand video series. The goal should always be relevance, achieved in whichever way is best suited. Modest content pieces that drive engagement and build a relationship with your customer are just as important.

* Kat Scholtz, Content Director at Red & Yellow

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