Dear marketer, I'm sorry we effed it up.

Marketing has changed.

Remember why you got into this? It was all "brand" and "storytelling" and helping people connect with products and stories that resonated on a human level.

But today? It's not that.

It's all funnels and ROAs and who and what can improve CVR.

I get it. You entered the arena thinking you were playing one game and now you're sitting on the bench at half time wondering if you somehow missed the point of the sport altogether. And let's not even get into the fact that Mark Zuckerberg seems to think he's Caesar himself, having us all run around like Olympiads trying to master his games.

Believe me, you are not alone in your disappointment. And there is no Coach Lasso of the CAC Olympics to helpfully remind us that this is just about attitude. It's not just about attitude. It is in fact, about clicks.

So what can we do about it?

First, I hope you will stay in the game. Because we need marketers like you. We need you to care about the stories. And the purpose. And the vision. We need some heart occasionally sewn into the fabric of our social experience. And while it may happen less frequently than you'd like, I assure you, we see it.

Building a brand is not an overnight adventure. And despite what anyone may have you believe, it isn’t always about expensive campaigns or celebrity endorsements or an iconic slogan. And to be totally honest, I don’t think it’s about viral moments either. In my opinion, it’s about how you make people feel.

Making people feel a certain way takes reps. Through many reminders, repetition and yes, delivery! Delivering on a product that gives a person a certain “feeling” when they use it or wear it or eat it is the ultimate brand moment.?

And the good news is: All that stuff is in your control. That's a game you CAN play.

That does, however, mean that you can’t take the gas off content creation, no matter how many ups and downs there are in the journey to likes and views and clicks and conversions.

But also, can I ask you to have a little more fun? To surprise us a little more? To be a little less scared? I know it's scary. I know it might require convincing the boss. (Send the boss this post, maybe?!) And frankly, it may not work for a while before it actually does... But I assure you, the consumer wants to have a little more fun too. And so many businesses have used up the playbook, there is plenty of room for you to break the rules and get attention.

Some anecdotes that sing for me:

1. Adding UGC to your PDP pages so we can see real people loving your products
2. Starting your TikTok shop before holiday - it's seriously a project that can get done in a week
3. Surprise shoppers on Amazon with more video of your product - it's underused and gives you a TON of potential to stand out from competition AND tell a little bit of a brand story in the process

Why do these things work? Of ALL the ways I could have told you to have a little more fun... Why choose these? Let's talk about it:

1. PDP pages have become so rote that we hardly think about it anymore - changing up the experience the way Thrive Causemetics has, for example, with more dynamic consumer content gets our eyes to simply stay somewhere longer and learn more than we would have by simply clicking through images.
2. TikTok has become QVC - and now that we have admitted that - we can also admit that our favorite home shopping personalities were the kind of seemingly drunk ladies having way too much fun shopping. I can't be mad at that. And you can have fun with that.
3. Amazon is truly a traffic game. But again, once you drive the traffic, you have so much to lose by not giving the consumer a reason to stay. (Especially when Amazon makes such a personal point of highlighting all your competitors on your product listings!) Video is not just a reason to stay - it's a way to communicate a story.

The good news is that you don’t have to do it all. You can easily choose one of these strategies and improve your performance while investing in your brand.?And frankly, this isn't really Caesar's Roman days of marketing, despite Zuck's weird tee. It's in fact, a time when consumers are burnt out, over marketed to, and frankly being talked to in way too many places by way too many people.

If you can literally just surprise us, you might be surprised how much more fun your job will be again.

And critically, we are always, always here to help you with that: https://soona.co/contact-sales?