Smelling between the lines
If your studio or production company produces marketing content for TV networks, these days you're probably worried. As you should be. Traditional broadcast/cable is in a long, slow decline.
But here at RevThink, we don't react to the future... we create it. So let's consider this major shift (a.k.a. earthquake) presently underway:
Every brand is – or soon will be – a content network.
(The opportunity embedded in that little phrase "or soon will be" is enormous. More on that later.)
Here's one example: a few weeks ago I podcasted with Michael Smith on the topic of The Creative Destruction of OTT. Before we started, Michael asked me:
"Hey, did you see the news today about Mailchimp's move into content? Apparently they are shifting from their external agency to their in-house production team..."
Hmm, I thought. That's interesting. One more example of the dreaded shift to in-house...
Then few days later in the Earthquakes Newsletter I noticed Andrew Rosen mention this same story. But as I read between the lines, a tiny phrase caught my eye (emphasis added):
In June, Mailchimp debuted Mailchimp Presents, a section on the company’s website featuring video and podcast programming that the nine-person, 18-month-old original content team Mailchimp Studios team is producing with companies such as Vice and “Queer Eye” producer Scout Productions.
Hmm, now that's really interesting. Because the owners at Scout clearly wouldn't view this move by Mailchimp as a "dreaded shift to in-house," would they? Somehow Scout was able to look beyond their TV clients and stir up an opportunity with a brand like Mailchimp.
How'd they do that?
This is but one tiny example of how and where the cheese is moving. If you read (er, I mean smell?) between the lines, you'll find many more.
Scout snagged Mailchimp. So which brands will you target?
My advice: find the brands that believe what you believe... and that have a superior competitor way ahead of them in content marketing.
For starters, which brands are being beaten by Mailchimp... but might usurp them with a brilliant content strategy? I can think of several...
I smell opportunity.
Cheers,
Joel
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Great insight, as always. Thanks, Joel!
Chief Marketing Officer @ NPR | Marketing Communications, New Media
5 年Very smart takes Joel Pilger. It's always been important for brands to leverage different consumer touch points to deepen relationships with customers. In the pre-OTT era, brands could only make direct connections via their bricks and mortar, website, and social outlets. To connect via premium video on the TV set, they had to go through TV and cable broadcasters and rely on third parties to understand the impact of their brand messaging. With OTT they can become their own direct video broadcaster and forge a first party video content relationship. To get there, they'll need help from all of us with experience in making brand messaging for the TV set.
Leading the network of studios mastering the art of business.
5 年Thanks to?Michael Smith?for the Mailchimp tip and to Andrew Rosen?for your excellent Earthquakes newsletter.