Is developing relevant content enough?
In the past year, it has been impossible for many to develop a client presentation without the words “relevant content” as the ultimate solve to better engage consumers. This is especially the case working at a Hispanic agency, where our ongoing objective is to shift the discussion away from language and steer our clients into conversation about how to leverage culture—whether that be ethnic culture, or a consumer’s own self-defined, life-style driven culture—to better connect with them. And since Hispanics have such a varying degree of Spanish-language usage, developing relevant content and communication is the catalyst for engagement.
But is this any longer enough?
After attending Internet Week 2010 a little over a week ago, it became very clear to me that content ALONE is no longer king. During TIME INC. PRESENTS: REACHING YOUR MOBILE AUDIENCE, Time Inc.’s Digital spearhead, John Cantarella, said it best; in a world where mobile adoption is outstripping other technologies, “interactivity is key, content is no longer enough.” Technology beyond the web, like the iPad and mobile apps, are now diversifying the delivery of content, leaving consumers looking for richer experiences in which to gobble it all up. Along with the rise of these new platforms, come new rules of engagement; with new learned behaviors and consumer-set expectations for brands to integrate themselves digitally. Consumers expect to be wowed. They want timely content that with a flip of a wrist and swish of the finger, tickles their senses and imagination in ways that they never imagined. They want, or rather expect, interactivity.
Cantarella then left us with a taxing question, which I will leave with you all: In a world where everything is ‘un-bundled’, how can we (as advertisers and marketers) integrate these platforms and personalize the user experience with our brands? As we all struggle to grasp this new realm of “interactivity”, and play within the new rules of engagement, the question is by no means an easy one to answer—but boy, will it be exciting to try.
Jessica Rodriguez, Sr. Brand Planner @ Latinminds
