Let’s face it, you’re probably flooded with data. When everything has a metric, it’s easy to find yourself deep in the rabbit hole. That’s why so many marketers avoid making a decision without a key stat to justify it. But there’s a fundamental flaw in this thinking.

Data looks at what has been, it doesn’t account for what could be.

At 3rdspace, we believe in diving into data to look for themes and insights. We want to expose the underlying human truth. Because when an idea resonates with people, that’s when it’s powerful.

We look at data differently. Our search is for a factual or emotional insight. Something which will spark creative storytelling. Crucially, it has to help us understand the plight and values of our audience. We then mix creative intuition with crafted storytelling to build campaigns.

What we never do is take a single stat, slap on our client’s solution and call it communication.

Instead, 3rdspace looks deep behind the stat to find out what’s truly driving it. Then, instead of stacking on 3x product attributes and a brand message, we look for ways to make the customer the hero and your brand their guide.

It’s the secret to telling more relatable and authentic stories.

For your audience, it highlights how your brand truly understand them and will help them their journey. Then, and only then do we apply a story structures so the viewer doesn’t have to work too hard. Specifically:

What’s the major mistake marketers make?

They lose focus on the product attributes which will help customers survive and/or thrive.

One technique we’ve used successfully is to dial up the plight of the customer. We highlight all the challenges they face and then use the brand as the guide out of the maze. The brand helps them save the day – but they customer is still the hero.

Or, if you’re marketing an FMCG product, you can surprise and delight your customers with unexpected stories. This is particularly effective as customers no longer simply buy based on product and price. Decision-making now includes ingredient sources, sustainably practices, packaging materials. 3rdspace have had huge success in telling powerful stories of the people who grow the produce behind the product.

Importantly, ours is a collaborative approach. We’re passionate about working with clients to change the way they think about campaigns. We’re experts are identifying golden sparks in data which reveal the customer’s real plight and can be built into an engaging solution.

After all, an engaged customer is more likely to change their attitude and their behaviour.

And that’s what build businesses.

If you’d like to know more, please reach out:

rob@3rdspace.com.au

0419 722 151

SxSW managed to bring a diverse range of thinking into a unique conference which will only further evolve.

One standout was Nicole Kidman and Per Saari from Blossom Films.

Here’s 3 take outs through the lens of building your business through content.

  1. The algorithm isn’t everything – Take Risks

While we all get served up on LinkedIn/social and our favorite streaming channels what the platform thinks we will like, to be distinctive we need to be looking beyond the algorithm.

Yes, the data is important around what is driving engagement and what has worked in the past, but as marketers and content creators we should be leaning into unique stories and telling these stories through our distinctive tone of voice.

At 3rdspace, we talk about the fact that the customer is the hero in the story and the brand is the guide. This allows us to create authenticity and strong emotional journeys, highlighting the challenges of the customer and doing it in a way that will make people smile, feel something and relate to or teach them something new.

This “taking risks” ethos Nicole and Blossom live by, also extends to look outside for emerging talent or directors whose careers have stalled.

“So the idea of giving people chances and letting them keep trying because you have to be able to fail.

“Unfortunately, right now it’s so cutthroat and the judgment on people is so severe and (happens) so quickly that that kind of gets lost along the way, and I can’t stand that.”

Marketing and advertising can be a bit like cutthroat Hollywood – brands tend to go with the big stars who have the hype and also discard their agency partners in an instant just because of a few internal changes.

Look for people and teams who can really pinpoint your business problem, take risks and tell the story in a unique way that will deliver greater impact.

A great film script or idea may not have been right last year, 3 years ago, 5 years ago, but it may be right for today.

Keep an eye on what is going on in your customers life, in society and culture and every 6 months go back and review those ides that weren’t right then and see if, with a bit of a massage, they could be right for now.

             Whether you are a film producer, director, creative, marketer or C Suite.

This point was made by Per Saari and echoed by Nicole – we all need to be able to get our teams, customers, stakeholders/investors excited about an idea, tell it through story highlighting the impact and the consequences if we don’t do it.

Most importantly when executing the idea, be totally financially responsible. Nicole told the story of doing wardrobe changes behind sheets and going for a pee in the bush, just so they could complete the shot list for the day and didn’t have to go into overtime. Ownership for the numbers is everyone’s responsibility.

One final outtake was Nicole’s commitment to the craft and on numerous occasions stating:

“You have to work hard – be relentless and find ways of doing things”

Here’s a person who could be treating Blossom like a bit of a side hustle as she has a net worth of approx. $250 million – from the energy on stage, to her passion for what she does, “Get in and do the work” resonated with the entire audience.

If you need a team who love to get in an help do the work in a distinctive way, above and beyond the algorithm, please get in touch.

Rob@3rdspace.com.au

*Picture: NCA NewsWire/Monique Harmer

Helping Brands Win Over Sales Agents with Humor

In today's world of business-to-business marketing, the prevailing wisdom is that professionalism and formality are key to winning over sales agents. However, when you shake up the status quo by injecting humour and playfulness into your reseller marketing messages, you end up standing out from your competitors and winning over sales agents in the process. We're seeing this approach work for our clients' partner channel marketing across a range of different B2B categories, from travel companies selling to travel agents to pest control companies selling to pest controllers.

Sometimes, a brand's guidelines can be adhered to in a very rigid way across different audience segments. Usually, the consumer channel gets all the focus, and sales agents see a repurposed version of the consumer campaign with different benefit messaging. This seems like good marketing practice – using established brand assets to tap into preexisting brand awareness that the secondary audience hopefully has, then leverage those cues to slip in a new message for the B2B audience. But, if the primary consumer creative idea has been developed for the consumer audience, then how can it really do an emotional job on the sales agent audience if it's not communicating a single-minded proposition designed to answer their biggest fear, frustration or desire?

Breaking with travel marketing convention

A travel agent who is part commission-based isn't lured by a glossy destination brochure; they need to know what new experiences you've got on offer and how easy you make it for them to sell your holidays to their customers. They also need to know how well you deliver those experiences so their customers come back happy. Their reputation is at stake as well.

We've worked with Globus Family of Brands for the past few years, helping them connect with their reseller audience of travel agents. Our objective was simple – get the agents excited about all the experiences Globus Family of Brands have developed for the year ahead. This agent-centric brief has allowed us to create some really fun campaigns. Our first one was a gameshow for travel agents to show off their knowledge. This campaign was highly effective for the client and won aCMA: Global Content Marketing Award for best face-to-face event.

Case study here

This year we created a campaign around giving agents their own superhuman support person to help them sell more Globus holidays easily. The support person is a new brand character we created for this audience only called the Geni'us – one part genie, more parts Globus – and we tied it with a win three wishes promotion for agents.

Case study here

It's not just travel

This humour and human-centric approach works just as well for our Syngenta Pest Control Product client. Their B2B customers, pest controllers, and their customers both want the same thing – eradication of the problem. However, the pest controller wants one more thing – not to be called back to a job.

We created a new brand asset, a lovable but hapless pest controller called Bob. He's doing his best without using the product, fighting a losing battle against the pests. This charming character has wooed their audience of pest controllers and charmed the other Syngenta teams around the world who love this very Aussie approach. Bob's been so successful that we brought him back for one last episode.

With both of these brands, we recognised that the sales agents we were trying to reach were people, not just businesses, and that a more human touch was needed to make a connection. We broke with category conventions in respective industries, eschewing formal language and serious messaging in favour of humour and levity. By doing so, we were able to create a more memorable and engaging message for sales agents, who are bombarded with a sea of serious sameness from competitors.

Is your category ripe for reseller campaign reinvention?

We think most are but one category that's ripe for this kind of reseller marketing approach is finance. A quick audit of the tier 1 and tier 2 banking sites and B2B channels shows the same consumer channel creative being reused with a messaging tweak for mortgage brokers. We know, probably nearly for a certainty, that brokers aren't motivated by home purchasing cues and imagery. The first brand that breaks with convention here will find it quite easy to win the hearts of the humans behind the job title of mortgage brokers or financial advisers. If that's your brand, we're game if you are.

While working with a range of senior partners at Ernst & Young developing a content platform, we were talking about some of the most pressing questions that our nation needs to be thinking as we move to new ways of working.

One of the themes we uncovered, involves improving consumers’ digital experience, and how to ensure that your employees don’t get left behind.

Kurt Solarte, Leading Digital and Emerging Technologies Partner for EY Oceania, believes that the most vulnerable point does not directly deal with the customer themselves, but is more to do with the employees not being adequately enabled to win the customer over. Kurt explains that an employee can be easily ‘exposed’ in front of a customer, no matter how advanced or complex their toolset is.

“The customer now has more information about their service than the customer service person has, brands are spending millions on websites, apps and marketing, but staff are often working in the dark.”

“Employees are customers too - we should be turning them into valuable advocates for the brand.”

One of the approaches we have developed from not only looking at brand tracking, sales numbers, employee brand research and immersion sessions with our partners teams is ensuring employer brand and sustainability are pillars within the brand house.

From there developing a content mission to communicate internally the vision values and purpose of the business supported by a range of content.

Whether it be reigniting your purpose to increase internal sentiment and to inspire teams around your purpose like we did for Aurecon

Highlighting the growth of your business and its vision towards the future as seen here with our partner the NRMA https://3rdspace.com.au/case-study/the-nrma-purpose-launch/

Then having a distinct pillar around your proof of RAP and action in diversity equity and inclusion.

We’ve found this style of storytelling resonates from the inside out, where we have worked with our partners to develop a holistic brand content strategy that includes the value the business delivers to not only profits but people and planet. Launched internally and then echoed with consumer centric narrative to align with the values of the brands customers.

The other key content pillar is learning and training.

We’ve found using engaging entertaining content for training allows team members and sales agents to stay up to date with product knowledge and initiatives within the business.

The secret here is to make the team /sales agents the hero and stretch your tone of voice in a relatable entertaining way so it doesn’t feel like training.

With Globus Travel we’ve managed to engage over one third of the travel agents in Australia with The Globus Geni-us and delivered the world’s first Travel game show generating massive good will and PR reaching 1.4 million within the travel and associated industries with a unique event that became content.

We’ve also found interactive content platforms that allow team members to learn on any device at their own time has powerful impact. The Drinks Academy we created for Woolworths Liquor increased the average sales basket by $6.

The old “the customer always come first” adage should be rethought as a people led approach.

Both customer and team centric, using powerful story telling great through the best digital channels, in a way that enables your team to have as much knowledge as the senior team of the business and allows them to become as great an advocate for your business as your most passionate customers.

If you’d like to find out more about the Inside Out Approach please drop me an email as we are so passionate about the impact this style of content can have on your business

rob@3rdspace.com.au

It’s like a New Year’s resolution for business: “This year we’re going to take our LinkedIn strategy to the next level.” Trouble is, like most resolutions, by February it’s forgotten. We fall into the usual social pattern. Same plan. Same media. Same results.

Unfortunately, that means the untapped goldmine of 600 million LinkedIn users goes under-utilised. So, let’s fix that once and for all. It’s 2023. Time to get serious about getting the most out of LinkedIn.

But first, a little proof of credentials

What makes us an expert? 3rdspace has been an official LinkedIn Content Partner since the program launched in Oceania in 2019. We’ve tried every LinkedIn strategy trick in the book (and have the awards to prove it). 

Not only can you harness the power of LinkedIn to network with relevant professionals and build meaningful connections, but also showcase your brand’s expertise and purpose through post updates and content – propelling your biz ahead of its competition. And, when done right – *ahem*, using our proven tips and tricks… this powerful platform can be one of the most effective tools driving organic growth to boost visibility and reach more members of your target audience. 

Here’s our top five tips to help you make the most out of LinkedIn.

#1 Quality over Quantity 

This applies to any social media platform, but it is especially true for LinkedIn - a platform that has been ranked one of the most trusted social media platforms by the Insider Intelligence Digital Trust Benchmark over consecutive years. If you take one tip from this blog today, let it be this: the foundational key to success on the LinkedIn platform is quality content. You don't need to post multiple posts every single day; instead, focus on creating high-quality pieces that will engage with your audience - content with value that your audience will genuinely care about. 

This comes down to your content strategy. Think about what kind of content will help you build relationships and connections with potential customers or clients - what do they want to see? What expertise can you share that will improve their lives? How can you entertain or engage your target audiences? How will you stand out from the clutter of other content? 

Don’t forget to make sure that your content is shareable so that others can easily pass it along on their own LinkedIn accounts – this is what we call viral reach, and it’s absolute GOLD when it comes to growing your brand awareness. 

#2 Make it a feast for the eyes 

Visuals are one of the most effective ways to stand out and grab your audience’s attention – in fact LinkedIn users are 20x more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post, and posts on LinkedIn that contain images have a 98% better comment rate

Getting creative with visuals in both static, animated and video formats can help break up text-heavy posts and draw your audience in - remember, the goal is to stop them from scrolling. Use high-resolution images or videos that are relevant to the topic you're discussing, as well as infographics or other visual elements that can help explain complex topics in an easier way for readers to digest. If you need a hand, don’t be afraid to drop us a note - creative content is what we get out of bed for! 

#3 Get tagging 

Hashtags are an incredibly powerful tool for helping your content stand out on social media platforms like LinkedIn. If you want your post to be seen by a wider audience, use some relevant hashtags so that people who may not follow you can still find it when searching for topics related to what you're talking about. Pro tip: research the hashtag before you post by searching the tags in the LinkedIn search bar - you’ll be able to see how many posts already exist and explore other similar trending hashtags. The key is to select a mix of general hashtags (those will large follower counts) and niche hashtags (those that have at least 5,000 followers) - and try to limit your hashtag use to a maximum of 5 per post, placing the tags throughout the copy or at the end of your post as an aesthetic best practice. 

#4 Add ads, Ads, Ads 

Still waiting for the right time to launch your first ad campaign on LinkedIn? You’re missing out on some major opportunities. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok (the list goes on), the advertising offering on LinkedIn is still highly targeted, meaning you can reach a granular audience in an environment where they’re primed to engage. The sophisticated B2B targeting options available allow you to hone in on your exact target audience, so that you can craft content and campaigns tailored to their specific needs. Reaching consumers where they are most active amplifies the reach of your organic following and allows you to track engagement more granularly. With this data, marketers can further inform their content strategy, as well as measure success using powerful ROI tracking tools. 

We hear you… “Isn’t LinkedIn advertising expensive?” It doesn’t have to be. With the right media strategy and content, advertising with LinkedIn is a powerful tool to drive results from your target audience. 

#5 Give value to get value 

This may seem obvious but it bears repeating – the number one most effective tactic on LinkedIn when it comes to driving leads and conversions is to offer real value in your posts and ads. LinkedIn users value helpful tips and advice from experts and companies they trust, so try offering insights that could be useful for others trying to achieve similar goals or objectives online (e.g., how-to guides or cheat sheets). This type of content will not only benefit those who read it but it will also demonstrate your expertise and credibility on specific topics which can plant the seed for future collaborations or partnerships down the line. 

At the end of the day, success on LinkedIn is all about creating a powerful, engaging presence that'll draw in your target audience. The fact is, there are countless strategies and tactics businesses can implement when leveraging LinkedIn for their marketing efforts – but these five tips should give you a great starting point when developing your own LinkedIn strategy. If you find yourself overwhelmed with the possibilities or just need an extra hand, don't hesitate to reach out drop us a note.

IMPROVE CUSTOMER VALUE VIA YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND

Companies focused on climate action are not only lifting their customer value, but also their employer brand. They’re experiencing stronger recruitment and retention, and overall financial value, according to a recent EY report[1].

Despite this, many brands are still reluctant to highlight their sustainability credentials to attract candidates.

According to a recent study by IBM[2], 71% of workers see environmentally sustainable companies as more attractive employers, and almost 50% would take a lower salary to work for them.

SUSTAINABILITY JOBS ARE GROWING

Currently there’s 17,816 jobs on SEEK associated with sustainability. Naturally, an interested jobseeker would click through to the employer’s website and expect to quickly see their level of commitment to sustainability.

Look up that same company on LinkedIn, and you’ll probably find a noticeable gap in published organic content on the topic. If there is content, it fluctuates wildly from dry to boastful.

It’s a common blind spot. One we see often as an official LinkedIn Content Agency partner.

We know that finding your voice and developing an authority to talk about sustainability can be tricky, but it’s not insurmountable. Get it right and it can boost your ability to attract and retain top talent.

YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND STRATEGY SHOULD BE AS CLEAR AS YOUR OVERALL BRAND STRATEGY.

At 3rdspace we call this ‘connecting your brand purpose to every surface’.

What do we mean? Wherever your brand extends (channel, touchpoint, physical, or digital) your sense of purpose must be baked into the DNA of that surface. This extends down to your job description templates, and even a new employee’s first pay slip.

The great companies we’re working with aren’t fluffing up their sustainability creds by shoehorning in the latest buzz terms.

THEY’RE BUILDING PROGRAMS THAT IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS FROM THE INSIDE.

We help shape those programs into a cohesive narrative and a sharp candidate proposition. We’re building content plans with killer pillars, so our clients’ LinkedIn channels curate a mix of voices that talk authentically about what sustainability means to them.

SUSTAINABILITY IS ACROSS ALL TEAMS AND LEVELS.

Brands who are getting it right are those where the CMO, the Chief People & Talent Officer and the Chief Sustainability Officer unite over a comms plan that speaks to all audiences, including new recruits and current staff.

Our job is then to help them build the comms frameworks that align and connect their employer brand with their customer brand.

We also help steer them away from hygienic box-ticker messages (like diversity, flexibility, growth, etc), to focus on interesting and different proof points.

It’s not about not using these key search terms, it’s about uncovering stories of them in action and creating content that shows them in the most distinctive way possible: content that elevates a brand’s purpose and provokes action.

This helps the potential recruit conclude in their own mind that the brand really does walk the walk of what sustainability means to them. This is important because it’s the candidate’s perception that matters, not what  the brand tells them to think.

A FOUNDATIONAL BUILDING BLOCK TO YOUR BRAND STORY.

Building your employer brand narrative and content plan is a foundational piece of work that brings your sustainability recruitment story to life.

If you feel like the true value of your brand hasn’t been unlocked to optimise your recruitment and retention goals, we’re here for a chat to see if we can guide you towards success. Or, if you have figured it out and want a memorable piece of content as reinforcement, we’re here for you too.

Reach out: Andrew Sidwell, Head of Content & Experience.

3rdspace is one of only two content agency partners of LinkedIn, which gives us deep insight into what’s working and what’s coming next.

[1] https://www.ey.com/en_gl/sustainability/how-can-slowing-climate-change-accelerate-your-financial-performance

[2] https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/report/sustainability-consumer-research

Here’s a quick stat to get you thinking:

There are 762,000 monthly searches globally for “sustainability”.

Recently we noticed that a brand with amazing sustainability credentials was hiding their story in a poorly executed video on their About page.

It was a great story, but nobody knew about it.

Why do brands hide their sustainability stories? Maybe it’s because they believe they’re not quite there yet.

Guess what? Most other brands aren’t either.

Don’t fear the rules

Telstra Digital Channels exec Jeremy Nicholas recently urged brands not to excuse inaction through fear of regulation, saying “It's there to keep us on the straight and narrow…but make sure it drives you forward”.

He also cited the Federal election as the biggest market research event in determining public demand for action on climate change.

What the election shows is a shared ambition to make things better, and that’s where the opportunity lies for brands. Consumers want brands that are tackling the problem and have a voice in the global conversation.

How to bring sustainability to the forefront

Content pillars are a powerful way to tell your sustainability story and build it into your brand DNA. They allow you to be authentic and create a relatable, shared ambition with customers.

You don’t have to be 100% there yet. Admit you’re not, but have a shared vision with your customers, society, and planet.

Then, highlight who you’re partnering with on the journey.

Avoid green washing

Brands need to make choices at an agile pace to avoid being seen as green washing, and tough decisions around consumer experience will come into those conversations.

If we want to drive change, we must also show consumers that they have a role to play. Think of free returns in online retailing - when will they be switched off?

According to Jeremy Nicholas, giving customers the choice could begin to move the needle.

“If you want same-day, communicating that the carbon impact is high, but a one-week delivery may be low or neutral…make people think about that within the customer experience.”

Brands getting it right

We recently helped EY to not only tell their story but also show how they’re helping others, with a new narrative; “The flow on economy”. We developed beautiful films with images from nature, and a computer-generated forest in the shape of a lung.

The films have smashed completed view metrics on LinkedIn by 300%.

Aurecon is another brand that’s leading with their purpose: To imagine, co-create and bring ideas to life with clients in order to build a better future for people and the planet.

We helped reinvigorate this with content led campaigns and an overall look and feel that brings their sustainability message to life.

Be ambitious and real

Brands don't have to be perfect. You should be talking about what you’re currently doing that’s having a positive impact, and where you plan to take your net-zero and sustainable agenda.

It’s also OK to say you don't have all the answers. Telling your story in a dynamic, inspiring, and thought-provoking way will build a much deeper connection with customers.

By engaging your customers on your journey, they’ll help you make the best calls for the planet, your business, and their lives.

If you’d like some further insights to put a case to the business, please reach out.

rob@3rdspace.com.au

Rob Logan - Founder and CEO

With inflation and interest rates on the rise, how can you

economy-proof your strategy and build a deeper connection?

I’m no Economist but…

80% of chief economists believe that by raising interest rates we’ll curb inflation. With what can be best described as a rather blunt model, we hopefully won’t see an enthusiastic RBA raise rates too much more and plunge us into a recession.

So, what can brands do when the cost of cash is increasing, and their boards want to ensure they don't over-invest in marketing?

Thankfully, there’s some robust data that shows how investing wisely in building deeper relationships with customers can keep your brand in high demand.

Now is the time to be using highly targeted, RELEVANT content to engage your core customers in a way that adds value to their lives.

Here’s some data that the chief economists haven’t seen:

According to local research from May 2022 by consultancy firm Crowd DNA:

According to the Global Content Marketing Institute:

Here lies the opportunity to make sure your brand is in demand in the current environment.

At 3rdspace we talk about key content drivers and how all content needs to check off at least three of these five drivers:

5-drivers

 

As an example, we recently worked with Winning Appliances around their involvement in The Block TV show.

The partnership with The Block played two roles:

Firstly, to position our brand idea of “Creating Your Forever Home” with Winning in front of new audiences.

Secondly and more importantly, to use a myriad of formats to inspire, educate, and involve the audience in a timely and relevant way with exclusive content.

We enlisted interior designer Kate Walker and Winning interior expert Kate McGlone to take customers behind the scenes of The Block with a sense of inspiration:

 

We created 5x3-minute films that tapped into what customers were thinking about when designing their home:

  1. Kitchen designs to express your personality
  2. Design with sustainability in mind
  3. Game changes in innovation
  4. Space saving design
  5. New design & colour trends

This allowed us to highlight  Winnings partner brands and products that were used by contestants in The Block in a relevant, inspiring, and educational format.

We also engaged with one of The Block's host Darren Palmer to appear in an updated TVC that ran across the Nine Network, highlighting how you could create a winning home in every sense:

With this wealth of content, we created teasers and cut downs, and seeded the films to our various personas via socials and an in-depth automated marketing program. This drove people not only to a landing page but to deeper product information from each episode, and exclusive product offers.

This holistic approach to content enables brands to invest wisely. With data and a range of analytical tools, brands can truly understand the value of their existing customers, and how the lifecycle with those customers can be built upon by delivering content that’s relevant to their persona and needs.

Ultimately this enables the brand to evolve that conversation through to further sales.

If you’d like to find out more about this approach to delivering Content ROI, please reach out rob@3rdspace.com.au

Rob Logan Founder and content economist!

You’re probably thinking…‘purpose - another marketing buzz-word’. And you’d be right - purpose-driven marketing has risen to the top of the marketing agenda, but, for us at 3rdspace, purpose-led marketing isn’t a trend, it’s in our DNA. And it’s no longer something that brands can ignore - they have to define it, and most importantly, demonstrate their beliefs and actions to gain consumer trust and cement relationships.

Purposeful purpose

First let’s dust off our marketing 101 books and remind ourselves of what a purpose is - it is the reason a company or brand exists (or, as Simon Sinek now labels it, it’s your Just Cause). It is not CSR, it’s not sustainability. Yes, those may be policies or initiatives that back-up your purpose, but alone, they are not it.

Most brand’s have a purpose, many spend thousands crafting it to put on their ‘about’ section of their website or beautifully printed brand handbooks, often never to be looked at again. But the world-changing events of 2020 propelled brands to ‘stand for something’ and perhaps this is partly the reason that, over the past 18-months, purpose-driven marketing has become distorted.

It’s been well publicised that consumers are increasingly seeking purpose-driven brands. In Deloitte’s Global Millennial Survey, it was reported that 60% of millennials and Gen Z plan to buy more from brands that supported their workforce and positively affected society during the pandemic. And, according to Kantar - purpose-driven brands have grown at twice the rate of others. So you can understand why brands want a piece of the purpose pie, but to be truly purposeful, it shouldn’t take mass-publicised events to make you speak out as a brand. Brand’s should have a voice if it’s relevant - a voice honed in purpose to be authentic, otherwise it will only damage consumer trust, not improve it.

A great example of purpose-driven storytelling is by world-leading technology corporation, NEC. We’ve worked with NEC for the last two years and everything we do is embedded in their purpose, captured in their Vision: Inspiring and Transforming Experiences and Mission: we’re here to help solve tomorrow’s technology challenges today. This is done by defining and demonstrating how NEC products and services help organisations to create value for business, customers, communities and the world.

Bleed purpose          

To be truly successful at purpose-driven marketing, it can’t be just marketing, it has to be ingrained throughout your whole business, from the inside out, and that starts in the boardroom.

Our 3rdspace model combines four key areas, to ensure your purpose-driven content creates action:

1)

What is your purpose? When did you last re-look at it? Now is the time that brands need to dust-off that brand book and re-assess. The cultural landscape has changed at an expediential rate. Does your purpose truly bleed through your organisation? If not, then why not?

2)

Your purpose is the beginning of company culture. It has to be aligned to your business priorities. It's a myth that profit and purpose can’t coexist - just look at Nike.

3)

People aren’t just consumers or customers, they’re your employees (we like to call it human-to-human). If the recent Brewdog frenzy has taught us anything, it’s to start from the inside-out. If your people believe in your purpose then your consumers are more likely to.

4)

Don’t market your purpose, market the impact you want to/have and decide how you’re going to measure it - something any CMO focused on ROI will welcome. It’s about re-thinking the impact you want to have as a business, so in the long run your business has the best chance of appealing to the greatest number of customers. It’s about questioning, clarifying and proving why you do what you do, because businesses that exist with the sole reason of creating shareholder returns have no role in tomorrow’s world.

How do B2B brands like NEC do this? Firstly, NEC doesn't talk to clients about its purpose. They start by aligning their people around the idea and how they can create value, then they extend these conversations through storytelling on owned, earned and paid platforms like their website, LinkedIn and other platforms communicating to clients about the impact and legacy they want to have.

Whether that’s hosting virtual events, like NEC’s Immersion for Australia's most senior business leaders, inviting them to take ‘a long hard look’ at what the world could look like post Covid-19; The Creating Value Series hosted by Dylan Alcott (Paralympian, NEC ambassador and advocate for people with disabilities) which heroes those who achieve the extraordinary, through a positive mindset; Or most recently, National Gallery of Victoria partnership with Quantum Memories by Refik Anadol, which used world-leading technology to create the most revolutionary data art humanity has ever seen. Demonstrating that in a time of so much uncertainty, NEC believes there is so much possibility when we look forward with a positive mindset for change - in pursuit of orchestrating a brighter world.

David Borean, Vice President Brand and Customer Experience NEC says “As a future-focused technology organisation, the very reason we exist is to help solve tomorrow's technology challenges today. By putting this purpose as the central thread through everything we do, we are able to remain true to who we are, and in turn, consumers see the positive impact that combining humanity and technology can have to create new value for communities and the world.”jasaseo.link

It’s not for everyone

A purpose-led approach isn’t for all, but as expectations and socially-conscious mindsets grow, brands must evolve their purpose at the speed of culture, to create an emotional connection with their people, cementing them as a brand for the long-run.

3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about developing a tone of voice guide for your brand to better connect with your consumers  our team of marketing & content strategist, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help. rob@3rdspace.com.au

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As Mother’s Day in Australia approaches, Rachael Sullivan - 3rdspace UK’s Strategy Director and mother of one toddler, Felix - ponders the complexities of modern motherhood and how marketers can create content that better connects with mums today.

Motherhood is arguably the most significant life transition many women go through, making it a conundrum for brands and marketers as this life transition inevitably brings about a change in values, hopes, fear actions and behaviour.

According to the Mom Complex, three out of four mums still say companies have no idea what it’s like being a mum. Yet the reward for those who get it right is significant with mothers reportedly controlling 85% of household purchases and having a collective spending power of $2.4 trillion.

So why is marketing to mums so complex? And what is it that many brands are missing?

Firstly, it sounds obvious but it’s something too easily forgotten – people are individuals, not labels“There is a danger in focusing on the fact that people are mums. Being a mother is fundamental, but it isn’t the defining thing about you” says Justine Roberts, Mumsnet.

Motherhood comes in many different forms. On the surface of it there are new mums, stay at home mums, working mums, single mums, mums to kids with special needs, rural mums, urban mums, two-mum families, mums of many, mums of one, expecting mums, mums to teenagers, foster mums, adopted mums, absent mums and bereaved mums. Scratch a little deeper and you’ll find a minefield of mum personas – hands-on mums, competitive mums, perfectionists mums, socially conscious mums, eco-conscious mums, freeform mums, fit mums, easy going mums, working mums and mum entrepreneurs. But it’s key to understand that in any given week she may be ALL of these things.

Mums tend not to like being defined as being a mum. The modern mum is (hopefully) feeling less pressure to fit into one category and more freedom to give herself permission to have a life and ambitions outside of being a mum. And that could be as simple as a side hustle or a full-blown ambition to climb Mount Everest. And herein lies the issue for content marketers: millennial mums don’t want to be defined purely as being mums. In fact, most women don’t tend to like to be referred to as ‘mum’ by anyone other than their close family and children.

The purpose of parenthood has changed. For most Australians today, the decision to have a child is deliberate and purposeful. As such, parents today give far more thought to how they might bring up their children in a world where there is more conflicting information than ever before. Anxiety has become the cornerstone of contemporary parenting. Yet overwhelmingly, millennial parents have more intimate and equal relationships with their children than in the past. According to Forbes, parents today spend 2x more time with their kids than previous generations. What once was deemed an action entirely for procreation, parenthood is now a source of meaning and happiness in life.

How can content better relate to mums?

 

1.      Don’t talk to mums how you’d talk to your mum. Mums are complex, so steer well clear of generalizing them. It’s important to research not only their behaviours but their feelings, opinions, fears and aspirations. Content marketing shouldn’t reflect the key differences - instead it’s important to find the space of shared values and celebrate your brand’s niche connection with a smaller group of like-minded consumers.

 

2.      Mother’s Day is not the time to focus on marketing to mothers. Most mums are only interested in hearing from their kids and partners on Mother’s Day. Mummy friendly content creators know this. The benefit of content marketing and social media is that it allows for a deeper connection to form with mums who are connecting with a certain mindset at different times. Influencers can be a great way of identifying with certain mums. Australia blogger Constance Hall has a huge following of “disciples” that identify themselves more boho/freeform mums, engage with provocative posting style, buy her products and fiercely defend her when criticised. Understanding how your content should live within Constance’s space as opposed to say, Carrie Bickmore’s is extremely important.

 

3.      Brands that are trusted by mums (and dads) don’t tell their customers they understand them, they show them and include them. Brands like Tommy Tippee’s ‘The boob life’ campaign, found a place of shared purpose to create content with meaning that resonates beyond stereotypes. In a global campaign they were able to demonstrate that they understood, saw and appreciated that just like every child, every mum is different, she’s real and proud of it.Which brands do you think do the best job of marketing to mothers? What would you like to see more of? If you’d like help with finding the place of shared purpose between your brand and your customers to provoke action, please get in touch.

And a happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there. And to our absent mums and babies who didn’t make it here, you are forever in our hearts.3rdspace is a content marketing company whose purpose is to help purpose driven brands connect with the values of purpose driven consumers. If you’d like to chat about developing a tone of voice guide for your brand to better connect with your consumers, our team of marketing & content strategists, behavioural psychologists and creatives are here to help. Contact rob@3rdspace.com.au

Looking for more inspiration? Check out more blogs here

Download our Free Content With Purpose Handbook

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