The Facts

In our opinion, the biggest mistake brands now make is neglecting to define their antagonist, their enemy, what they stand against. That’s where the creative and cultural tension comes from. That’s where marketers can make a stand. That’s where brands can break through the clutter of today’s marketing landscape and actually get noticed.

Spiker Insights

Think of the classic storytelling convention. Every story needs a villain. Why? Because without one, nothing happens. There would be no tension, no conflict, and, ultimately, no interest. Every story, every brand needs an enemy.

Enemies are not just competitors, although they can be. More often, they’re ideals that separate you from the competition. Staying at your resort results in better human connections and relationships rather than isolation and reading a good book all week.

Too many brands fall prey to what we like to call the “world peace” trap − they choose to stand for something totally benign and utterly unobjectionable, therefore something total generic and boring. It’s not being negative, we had enough of that this past election season. But knowing your enemy doesn’t mean being mean and negative. Most of you are simply too nice. Too traditional. Too timid.

In other words, if you’re truly standing up for something, then you must, by definition, also be standing up against something.

The Facts

We’re in a constant battle for attention. In today’s “always-on” world, the average human now loses focus within eight seconds, meaning we now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. A gold fish? This translates to faster drop-off rates for everything marketing, storytelling and creating content.

Spiker Insights

How do you find the key to unlock these challenges? Our answer is Technology. Creators like us now have access to everything you used to only source from larger production companies who made the necessary financial investment to keep up with technology.

There are ways to expedite the creation process while still maintaining the look and feel of your brand. Knowing that peoples’ attention is limited and fleeting, how can you make sure that someone out there cares when they see your marketing? You will need to be thoughtful in your approach to each marketing channel − using your eight seconds of attention wisely.

We encourage you to hire creative people who know how to leverage technology. Technology is changing how we connect with our audiences and our prospects. You can’t afford not to change with it.

The Facts 

Forbes recently reported that 64% of consumers make a purchase after viewing a branded social video. Other studies agree − video is everywhere and it is a key business driver.

Spiker Insights

Video is quickly becoming the communication tool of choice for brands of all sizes. If you want to reach your audience effectively, you have to use video.

But just not any video. You need to create great content − but you have to create a lot of great content that’s relevant to your audience at a faster pace while maintaining your brand image and standards. We’ve seen lots of videos, and I wouldn’t show it to infants in daycare. Some are that bad.

Your goal should be to be insight-driven. That means zeroing in quickly on the clear takeaways that are actionable and will move the needle for your brand. Knowing what viewers or prospects are about, and more importantly, what they aren’t, will make sure that every message you invest in provides a return in the form of engaged viewers that care.

The Facts

When Al “I invented the internet” Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth reached theatres in 2006, words like “sustainability” and “environmentalism” were not at the forefront of people’s minds. But since then, we have been overrun with natural disasters, pollution, plastic clogging our oceans, and rising sea levels.

Amid all of these signs of a changing earth, people have warmed up to the idea that corporate practices must change, and not stocking plastic straws is strong enough.

Spiker Insights

A recent Nielsen report finds that 81% of global respondents feel strongly that companies should help improve the environment. This growing desire for corporate accountability is most popular among millennials, but it’s attractive among older generations as well. 72% of Baby Boomers, and 65% of respondents who were 65 or older felt it was extremely important, or very important, that companies introduce initiatives to benefit the environment. The overall sentiment is that if we save the world, we are saving ourselves.

It’s obvious to me that marketers can’t stay silent, and we shouldn’t be afraid to try and effect change. This holiday season is the time to start, and let’s be the change.

The Facts

We have all heard and read how the American adult vacationer wants adventures, experiences, learning classes when taking a few days off from work. But according to a new survey by the Associated Press, what Americans really want to do while on vacation is: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Spiker Insights

Three-fourths of respondents said resting and relaxing is very or extremely important to them when they go on vacation. And they don’t want to do nothing at home; they want to be some place special to do nothing.                   

Most Americans say staying home and doing nothing isn’t ideal. They want a change of scenery. More than half of those polled said relaxing at home doesn’t count as a real vacation. I can still remember my mother telling me back in 1967 when the family was on a nine-week trip across the West in a truck camper that it wasn’t a vacation for her − the cooking, cleaning, sharing the driving and etc. She just wanted me to know not to treat my future wife like a vacation slave. Thanks Mom.

The Facts

This old-school ad format is currently booming precisely because digital ads are so commonplace. Amid all the digital noise, it’s a guaranteed way to reach a broad swath of people. It’s getting so hard and expensive to reach a mass audience today because it’s unclear who is watching other more classic media channels like TV or who is clicking on Internet ads. And then there’s the issue of if it’s even a real human being doing the clicking.

Spiker Insights

We have long loved designing billboards at Spiker Communications. Next to logos, they are the most difficult media channel to design. Which is why so many billboards out there are simply terrible, boring and unreadable. Inexperienced designers spend their day looking at a computer screen for their work, and a lot of them can’t imagine the final design will be 14 feet by 26 feet. I once took a field trip with our designers and drove out to one of our billboard locations. As we approached, I heard the designer who designed the board we were now going to see gasp and say “Oh my God” as she saw her work out in the public. Best little field trip we ever planned.

Yes, digital is still the future of the business. But outdoor is growing because we are all looking to find customers outside of Internet silos. Billboards are also becoming more digital. Outdoor screens can broadcast a variety of advertising on the side of a single bus stop, meaning advertisers can try multiple campaigns or tailor their ads to specific events and time of day.