“I realized how important personality is. It determines whether people want to listen to you, how they perceive your story and what the impact is. Personality creates meaning, creates relationships. The greater the meaning and the better the relationship, the more is possible. Linda de Mol wrote in a blog last spring that she wanted to lose weight and asked who would join her. Sixteen thousand women followed her initiative! Linda, Giel and Matthijs are big personalities.”
“And flesh and blood people,” you add. “Brands are invented by marketers. Maybe brands should show who they really are. Like Steve Jobs did. He was Apple.”
“I totally agree,” I say. “I also thought about how crucial mass media like television and radio have been for the success of everything Vara does online and also for the success of Linda. It also applies to the big brands, just look at the viral success of Old Spice that was sparked by a commercial on TV.”
For once, not thinking like a publisher
“By the way, what kind of people were there anyway?”
“I can tell you exactly: 86% work as marketing or communications professionals, 39% are mainly active in B2B, 29% in B2C and 24% in both.”
“How do you know that?” you ask. “ Mobi-Q facilitated an online survey among the attendees that you could fill out via your mobile phone. Incidentally, some surprising things came out of that.”
“Like what?”
“For example, 87% believe that a MarCom italy phone data department in 2013 should function as a (news) editorial office. And only 33% think that in 5 years' time brands will be just as reliable a sender of information as traditional media companies such as the FD, de Volkskrant or NRC.”
“So there’s still hope for the newspapers?” you ask, delighted. “Well, it also came out that half of the attendees are convinced that firing off unsolicited ads damages the brand’s reputation. So they need to stop selling ads and come up with something new.”
“But how?”
“Maybe by not thinking like a publisher for once? Would you like another rosé?”
If you would like to read more about this edition of the Content Club, you can find all the SlideShare presentations here .