Discussion: Brad Jakeman – Senior Advisor & Consultant; Formerly PepsiCo Global Beverage Group; Scott McDonald, Ph.D. (ARF)
Younger consumers, and even the general population, want brands to stand for something. Before, it was enough that brands weren’t doing harm, now the expectations are that brands take a POV and make society better. This is an opportunity to engage deeper with their consumers in a more meaningful way.
A lot of the tools that test pre-market creatives miss out on the vocal minority. This is the reality right now. Are the tools focused too heavily on the commercial impact of the creative? Do we pay enough attention to the social impact?
Non-brand users will still comment on the ad. We need to look at outliers more—where brand opportunities may exist. Work should be polarizing—if you generated something that a sizable number of people really, really loved, it’s a good thing.
Marketers have been trained with traditional methods that are failing us now. We are experiencing the most profound changes, esp. by technology and others. Tools we have today need to be profoundly changed, at minimum, augmented.
Playing safe is a mistake. We are inevitably going to face issues, the upshot of dealing with issues that are important to society, authentically stand for. If you want to be a relevant brand, with cultural resonance, you are likely to be in a situation—be prepared for it to happen.