How To Stand Out In A Big Pond – As A Digital Agency
DON’T BE AFRAID TO LEARN FROM OTHER EXPERTS: LIKE SPARKS & HONEY
It’s hard to stand out in New York City, we know. There’s seemingly an endless supply of boutique marketing agencies, so how can we help our own, Socialike, so stand apart from other digital marketers? One way is to take full advantage of Manhattan’s amenities. By finding the right people to learn from, we greatly enhance our repertoire.
Related: How Some Natural Products Companies Will Be Making More At Expo West 2016
A WORK OUTING TO SPARKS & HONEY: OBSERVERS OF CULTURE
The Socialike team visited Sparks & Honey, a startup founded in 2012 and backed by Omnicom Media Group. These people believe that “cultural relevance” is the major driver of a successful marketing strategy.
Sparks & Honey defines macro and micro trends. A macro trend would be an idea such as women’s rights, which originated years ago but has grown ever stronger over time. Micro trends are more recent, such as the raw food movement. Catching these societal trends can be an important marketing tool.
A NEW WAY TO WORK.
At exactly 12 noon each day, all Sparks & Honey employees drop whatever they’re doing to participate in a round table discussion. Their Cultural Strategists present fresh ideas and observations to the entire 30-person company. Next, everyone discusses how the new developments can relate to their clients. This discussion is open to guests.
At the Sparks & Honey installment we joined, topics at the daily briefing ranged from new flavors of Pop Tarts, to the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls, to a free Google app called AmpMe that syncs audio across multiple speakers. Imagine 300 or 3000 phones in a room, or a park, playing the same tune from the Cloud. Music, when synced and amplified through phones, laptops, notepads, and sound system speakers found in all sorts of devices, could be a fun and extraordinarily simple way to take a client event to the next level.
Each cultural idea was group-analyzed to see what it could spark. For example, the new flavors of Pop Tarts are “Limited Editions.” This led to a discussion about how food industry clients could use limited time flavors to boost product sales at certain times of the year, like the holidays.
The Netflix revival of a past TV show favorite illustrates an important aspect of human behavior: smart marketers can tap into nostalgia. We consume based on emotions, and a reminder of the past in the public mind can create new demand for a host of related products.
THERE ARE NO DUMB IDEAS. BUT THERE ARE DUMB OBJECTS.
One fascinating concept introduced at the session was the concept of “turning dumb things smart.” This notion came from the new development of a “smart mirror,” which will give you pertinent information to start off your day, such as the time and current weather, and maybe ultimately other things, like reminding you of appointments.
The term “prescription strength video game”also piqued our interest. This phrase referred to a new video game used to help people focus who suffer from ADHD. Ideas like this could significantly change the way things are done.
CARRYING A RELEVANT MESSAGE MAKES MARKETING SO MUCH EASIER
Turns out, not all social media agencies are the same. In this field, “being first” can make a big difference. At Socialike we’re not only digital experts, but we originate many social and marketing techniques ourselves.
Soaking up new thinking wherever we can, Socialike invests in having fun while acquiring the vital input necessary to create groundbreaking strategies for our clients’ growth. We thank Sparks & Honey for including us in on their way of looking at the world.
Read More: How To Tell A Real Brand Ambassador From An Impostor – In One Easy Number
A SOCIALIKE BELIEF: ALWAYS SHOW YOUR CLIENT NEW THINGS.
Stay tuned for more of our blogs.
Isaac Brody (aka“Ike”) is the owner and CEO of Socialike, a Manhattan-based creative agency that specializes in social and digital marketing. Isaac comments on trends in marketing. Socialike’s clients, whether they’re in natural products, hospitality or any other industry, get concepts that differentiate them–along with trackable results.
