Every year, Big Tobacco spends hundreds of millions of dollars marketing deadly products to Oklahomans in hopes of getting them hooked. No one is off limits to the lies, no matter their age, race, gender or socioeconomic class. Big Tobacco won’t stop until everyone is saddled with a lifetime of addiction.
Those lies … just didn’t sit right with us. Thus, Shapeshifter was born.
Content creation can seem harrowing at times. Whether you're not sure where to start or what tools you need to capture your creative vision, producing quality work doesn’t always have to include pulling out the fancy equipment. In fact, it’s often as simple as pulling out your smartphone! That’s why we’ve put together 5 of our best tips for creating content that you can put to use with your mobile device.
Recently at VI, we did an exercise from the Harvard School of Business that revolved around the three main drivers of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy. After splitting up into groups, we first identified our own “wobble,” AKA which component of the “trust triangle” is our weakest. Then, we weighed in on each other’s areas for improvement. Admittedly, the exercise was a bit uncomfortable for some, but it’s stuck with me — and it’s extremely relevant for brands and the content they produce.
Storytelling is a universal human experience that we’ve utilized for thousands of years. Some of the earliest evidence of storytelling dates back to 30,000 BC, and while it can’t be proven, scientists speculate oral storytelling most likely began shortly after the development of spoken language. For…well, forever, humans have used stories to entertain, sell, educate and motivate each other, but the *really* good stories are those that connect us together and remind us we’re a part of something bigger than ourselves.
The science of behavior change has proven that 30 days can effectively change a person’s habits. Smoking, exercise, seatbelts, prayer. Do or don’t for 30 days and it becomes a habit. This month, VI Marketing and Branding is celebrating what we call 30 Days of Change by highlighting ways that we can better our community. There’s a way for everyone to get involved in something that promotes positive change. Oftentimes, we need our community leaders to use their voices to gain momentum for a certain cause. You don’t need to look far for inspiration from high-profile Oklahomans.
TikTok: Everyone’s favorite video app. And when I say everyone, I do mean everyone—at the time of this writing, TikTok has 689 million active monthly users from from 10 to 110. People like the app so much that 90% of TikTok users open it every. day.
It’s totally understandable that now, brands want a piece of those eyeballs. But before you start lip syncing or dancing for your brand, here are 3 things to keep in mind when creating branded content on TikTok.
I know, I know. Everything we’ve ever wanted as marketers is to stand out from the cluttered media landscape. What I mean is this: Create content that doesn’t automatically out itself as an ad in the first few seconds.
In this case, be entertaining, educational, informative, and creative, but don’t be sales-y. Shoot your TikToks as though you’re an average Joe. Use an iPhone, a ring light and trending sounds available in the Commercial Music Library. Be mindful of the safe areas for text, and for heaven’s sake, make your TikTok videos vertical.
As a business account, you have access to TikTok’s Commercial Music Library—meaning you can use any song within the library without worrying about licensing. This is nice because it removes some of the hassle, but the library is limited and generally doesn’t have mainstream, trending songs.
Unfortunately, you can’t use trending sounds created by users, either. When an incredible lip syncing opportunity comes by, you may have to settle for sitting it out or posting from your personal account.
Partnering with influencers, running in-feed ads, and promoting branded hashtag challenges are all great ways to gain traction on TikTok. Like most social platforms, your media spend is scalable, so no matter your budget, you can make magic happen.
We can help you create and execute a plan that’s not cheugy. Give us a call!
This year, Oklahoman’s have been more encouraged to consider outdoor-based activities when planning their day trips, weekend getaways and family vacations. As a result, Oklahoma State Parks have seen a significant increase in visitors. There are a total of 33 parks with a wide range of activities that are suited for every single traveler. However, higher volume of visitation means an increase in trash to be disposed.
There has been a shift for brands to step up to the emotional plate in the past few years but there has been no greater need than now. While we collectively face a global pandemic, the humanness of our audiences has become even more human. It would be short-sided to not take a look at marketing plans and creative campaigns and see how they match up against the new and every shifting “normal.”
In behavior change marketing, creating high-quality content is vital. It should be strategic and tailored to the right audience. Obesity prevention is a great example to show how rich content can move an audience through the stages of behavior change.
For our client, Shape Your Future, we craft content that motivates our audience to become aware, educated and then takes action to change proven obesity-related behaviors — like encouraging them to drink less soda and fill half their plates with fruit and vegetables. Our ultimate goal is to make challenging life changes like these seem worthy and attainable.
Changing behaviors through mass communication and marketing isn't the easiest thing to do. You're attempting to connect with your audience at their core, trying to influence deeply rooted behaviors. At VI, we've got a long history of working on campaigns that focus on behavior change objectives. Often during campaign planning, we use a few different types of creative messaging strategies to impact our target audiences and nudge them toward that change.
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