The future of marketing is for every major brand to have their own in house media production segments. By now it is clear to all that the internet has radically transformed the advertising and media industries. The mass adoption of platforms like YouTube and Facebook have democratized the distribution and consumption of content. Gone are the days when television and radio were the only reliable form of entertainment. Any of us can start to produce video or audio content at any moment. I was but an 18 year old high school drop out when I started making videos for my YouTube channel. I had no expensive studio or funding, creating them in a room at my parents house. Yet slowly I built an audience for myself and received millions of views.
If I can do that as a one man operation with no prior knowledge, just imagine what a major corporation would be able to do. With only a minor reallocation of funding they might never need to spend money of outside advertising again. When advertise on other people’s content when you can have content of your own created with the explicit purpose of building brand loyalty. Not only is it more effective, since the core messages you wish to convey can be embedded in every piece of content you produce, but it would put you in an advantageous position among other brands. Sooner or later all brands will accept this simple truth, that it is the future of marketing, or be left behind and our world grows ever more digital.
What Kind of Content Works?
Video is by far the most powerful tool at our disposal but there is also audio and the written word. Think about it, virtually every brand already has a blog where carefully chosen articles are often published. Yet relatively few of them are active in audio, despite the boom in podcasts over the last 10 years. Because it’s easy to start a blog – any fool can figure it out in a matter of hours. Other forms of content can be more challenging. But the potential benefits of investing time and capital in media production can pay off massively. Many companies already understand this and have experimented accordingly. Countless brands have created content that is meaningful to their audience, no matter how niche.
The upfront costs do not need to be extravagant – remember that I started with a barely functional laptop and cheap microphone. I’d suggest being a little more professional than I initially was, but my point remains. Even if your splurge on expensive equipment and talent, the cost of your efforts will likely be less than hiring an agency to produce content for you. It will also bring longevity. The content you create will live on forever, and may be used repeatedly in whatever way you desire. So there is no reason for any company of any size to begin experimenting with content creation.
For Businesses of All Sizes
But the bulk of opportunity here is available only to medium and large companies. They alone have the funds available to make serious investments in content and help forge the future of marketing. This has already been seen. The businesses who were ahead of the curve on this have seen serious results. Most of the companies that have gained attention through this did so through producing expensive high level shows. But there is no reason to let that limit your ambition.
Ahead of The Curve
Red Bull was unsurprising ahead of the curve, launching their own in house media production company back in 2007. This was a bold move considering YouTube was just 2 years old at the time and Facebook did not yet support video. It may seem like a obvious choice in hindsight but at the time it was not so clear. Still, a major reason why Red Bull now boasts a huge social media presence is entirely down to their media house. The stunts and events they film and publish regularly get millions of views. Nike came to the party later but is now producing a series of sport focused documentaries. Coca Cola and PepsiCo both have major in house production companies – as do cosmetics brands like L’Oréal. But perhaps the most effective proponents of this form of content marketing are young startups.
Mailchimp, Shopify and Quest Nutrition have all made waves through producing content for their specific audiences. That’s an important point to note – content produced for a specific niche is more targeted and often yields a better ROI than more mainstream content. As time goes by I expect to see more companies of all size and in virtually all industries take to content marketing from the inside out. The true power of course is not just in creating some content but in having a well funded segment of the company empowered to create.
Proof of Concept
So powerful is this relationship between content and marketing that media production companies are actually starting to launch their own brands. So far there are a handful of media houses that either are in the process of launching, or have already launched their own product line. Their expertise and fluency in digital content making it easy for them to find creative ways to promote said products. The multi platform news website Buzzfeed has done so especially well. They have created a whole series of fast selling products, despite their background being entirely media.
In the end, the results of these companies speak for themselves. In house media production outfits are not just a trend or a way to save money on advertising. It’s a real world strategy that potentially yields massive results. It is the future of marketing.