@hannah_bo_banna

Existential Crisis Management

Hannah SmithContent Strategist, Distilled

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

seo is *not* dead

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

but seo is constantly evolving

@hannah_bo_banna

ranking 1st doesn’t mean what it used to

@hannah_bo_banna

this is the fold

BBC rank 1st

@hannah_bo_banna

it’s not just informational queries either

@hannah_bo_banna

this is the fold

SkyScanner rank 1st

@hannah_bo_banna

google are even targeting some companies’ branded terms

@hannah_bo_banna

MoneySuperMarket’s organic listing is

above the fold - but Google are being very

aggressive

@hannah_bo_banna

you used to be able to build an amazing business just by being great at seo

@hannah_bo_banna

in the future that’s unlikely to be enough

@hannah_bo_banna

as a consequence, seos are being asked to do

different things

@hannah_bo_banna

get us links!

clients of yesteryear

@hannah_bo_banna

get us press coverage, social shares,

& exposure [links] on sites our target audience reads

clients today

@hannah_bo_banna

so whilst clients might not explicitly ask us to help them build a brand

@hannah_bo_banna

many of the things we do today look a lot like brand building

@hannah_bo_banna

that’s why I’m giving this presentation today

@hannah_bo_banna

but it’s a big ask

@hannah_bo_banna

because,brand apathy is rife

@hannah_bo_banna

“In Europe and the US, consumers would not care if 92% of brands ceased to exist”

source: http://dis.tl/brand-apathy

@hannah_bo_banna

that means consumers would only miss 8% of brands

source: http://dis.tl/brand-apathy

@hannah_bo_banna

building a brand is *really* tough

@hannah_bo_banna

particularly on ‘seo’ retainer budgets

@hannah_bo_banna

but you know what?

@hannah_bo_banna

challenge accepted

@hannah_bo_banna

but where do I start?

@hannah_bo_banna

first up - what the hell is a brand?

@hannah_bo_banna

we have a tendency to use ‘company’ & ‘brand’ interchangeably

@hannah_bo_banna

but what does ‘brand’ actually mean?

@hannah_bo_banna

brand to impress firmly; fix ineradicably; place indelibly

@hannah_bo_banna

therefore...

@hannah_bo_banna

a brand is not a brand unless it leaves a lasting impression

@hannah_bo_banna

& it needs to be a favourable impression

@hannah_bo_banna

companies need to build brands that mean something to people

@hannah_bo_banna

so I need to build meaningful brands

@hannah_bo_banna

that sounds really f*cking hard!

@hannah_bo_banna

existential crisis (for a company)

when a company struggles to find a way for their brand to be meaningful for consumers

@hannah_bo_banna

existential crisis management (I think this is my job)

help companies find a way to make their brands meaningful for consumers

@hannah_bo_banna

how on earth do I do that?

@hannah_bo_banna

you can learn a lot by deconstructing the success of others

@hannah_bo_banna

so I started studying what ‘meaningful’ brands do

@hannah_bo_banna

I uncovered 3 core principles

@hannah_bo_banna

some meaningful brands do all 3

@hannah_bo_banna

some meaningful brands do just 1 or 2

@hannah_bo_banna

I’ll deal with them each in turn

@hannah_bo_banna

1. ‘meaningful’ brands find opportunities to delight consumers

@hannah_bo_banna

most people’s interactions with brands suck

@hannah_bo_banna

great interactions stand out & are shared

@hannah_bo_banna

this is how @smartcarusa responded when someone inferred that a single bird dropping

would total one of their vehicles

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is not: ‘make more sh*tty infographics’

@hannah_bo_banna

I don’t think the infographic out of context would have yielded any sort of return

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is:‘going the extra mile to respond in a novel way can

yield out-sized returns’

@hannah_bo_banna

& this doesn’t need to be a resource-heavy activity

@hannah_bo_banna

this is how @DunkinDonuts responded to a customer who asked if their

coffee syrups were available on the black market

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the team at Dunkin’Donuts have a library of images

they use to delight their customers

@hannah_bo_banna

this is how @ArgosHelpers responded to a customer who asked when

PS4s would be back in stock

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is not:‘people love brands who use slang’

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is:‘if you can speak the same language

without being condescending you’ll go far’

@hannah_bo_banna

this is how @TescoMobile responded to a customer who claimed their network

was a ‘turn off’

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

whoa!that is *really* close to the line

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is not:‘be a dick to people who are dicks to you’

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is:‘a well-judged, ‘cheeky’ response can travel’

@hannah_bo_banna

to do this you need a deep understanding of your audience

what can you get away with? what’s funny & what’s just rude?

@hannah_bo_banna

be mindful - there is a line...

@hannah_bo_banna

but it’s not just interactions that delight

@hannah_bo_banna

sometimes just being nimble delights consumers

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is not:‘you need a bit of luck’

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway here is:‘be ready, willing & able to take advantage of

opportunities as & when they arise’

@hannah_bo_banna

if @Arbys hadn’t tweeted thatsomeone else probably would have

& they wouldn’t have benefitted

@hannah_bo_banna

so, we’ve covered off principle 1:‘meaningful brands find opportunities to delight

consumers’

@hannah_bo_banna

2. ‘meaningful’ brands give people the ability to define themselves to others

@hannah_bo_banna

this is a little tougher to parse -let me talk you through it

@hannah_bo_banna

have you ever thought about why you share what you share on social media?

@hannah_bo_banna

why did I tweet this?

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

I didn’t think about it too much at the time

@hannah_bo_banna

but I’ve thought about it some more since

@hannah_bo_banna

I’m embarrassed to admit that I posted that because I was on my own & bored

@hannah_bo_banna

...it worked like a charm

@hannah_bo_banna

yay!

with twitter fwends

you need never be bored

@hannah_bo_banna

fortunately I don’t just share stuff like that,I also share stuff like this:

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

because I want people to think I read hbr.org

@hannah_bo_banna

because I want people to think I’m smart

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

because I want people to think I have an excellent sense of humour

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

because I want people to know where I stand on important issues

@hannah_bo_banna

I share things to shape other people’s impressions of me

@hannah_bo_banna

on social media I have two modes:cries for help (oh the shame!)

&defining myself to others

@hannah_bo_banna

it’s not just me, we all do this

@hannah_bo_banna

but not necessarily consciously

@hannah_bo_banna

68% said they share things via social mediato give people a better sense of

who they are & what they care about

source: http://dis.tl/psych-of-sharing

@hannah_bo_banna

this is an excellent place for brands to play

@hannah_bo_banna

brands can give people the ability to define themselves to others...

@hannah_bo_banna

I don’t *necessarily* mean stuff that literally defines people:

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

brands can also help people define themselves to othersby creating things people will

‘look good’ sharing

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway is not:‘do stuff on vine’

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway is not:‘#f*ckyeah science’

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway is:‘create something tangentially related to your

brand, that people will look good sharing’

@hannah_bo_banna

in a similar vein ‘meaningful’ brands create commercials

that don’t feel like commercials

@hannah_bo_banna

these are things people ‘look good’ sharing

@hannah_bo_banna

touching?awkward?

@hannah_bo_bannahttp://dis.tl/wren-kiss

@hannah_bo_banna

my desire was to create something that was interesting to people

beyond a fashion angle...

Melissa Coker ~ Wren

@hannah_bo_banna

[it’s] an interesting film that exists on its own, rather than something that feels

like a commercial…

Melissa Coker ~ Wren

@hannah_bo_banna

it definitely got people talking

@hannah_bo_banna

92m YouTube views& coverage from over 1300 sites

@hannah_bo_banna

but this isn’t just a video content play

@hannah_bo_banna

when oreo turned 100, they created100 pieces of content

over 100 days

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the campaign got over 1m facebook ‘likes’&

thousands of pieces of press coverage

@hannah_bo_banna

this highly topical content put thecookie the centre of people’s conversations

without being self-serving

@hannah_bo_banna

speaking of being self-serving,here’s what not to do

@hannah_bo_banna

45 days worth of planning went into this tweet

@hannah_bo_bannasource: http://dis.tl/erm-wtf

@hannah_bo_banna

yuck

@hannah_bo_banna

I’m really not sure what the thinking behind this was

@hannah_bo_bannasource: http://dis.tl/erm-wtf

@hannah_bo_banna

it just looks like a commercial...

@hannah_bo_banna

the only people who will ‘look good’ sharing this are people who wish to prove

their social media expertiseby ridiculing others who don’t get it

@hannah_bo_banna

I’m guessing this wasn’t the intention

@hannah_bo_banna

so, we’ve covered off

principle 1:‘meaningful brands find opportunities to delight consumers’

& principle 2:

‘meaningful brands give people the ability to define themselves to others’

@hannah_bo_banna

still with me?

@hannah_bo_banna

3. ‘meaningful’ brands stand for something above & beyond their products or services

@hannah_bo_banna

this is tricky to explain in the abstract so I’m going to shoot straight to the examples

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

BrewDog’s values are pulled from punk subculture, they are anti-establishment &

believe in individual freedom

@hannah_bo_banna

so when Dead Pony Club ale was ‘banned’ because the phrase:

"rip it up down empty streets"was printed on the label...

http://dis.tl/sorry-not-sorry

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

& Mark wasn’t the only one who loved their response

@hannah_bo_banna

but it’s not just about sweary press releases

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

when you embrace values like that, your creative looks like this:

@hannah_bo_bannahttp://dis.tl/nike-greatness

@hannah_bo_banna

to be clear - that is exceptional creative

@hannah_bo_banna

& it’s powerful becausenike aren’t talking about how their trainers

enhance your performance

@hannah_bo_banna

they’re talking about celebrating everyone’s athletic endeavours

@hannah_bo_banna

standing for something beyond your products & services is most potent

when it could cost you

@hannah_bo_banna

when Mozilla got a new CEO,OKCupid showed this message to Firefox users:

@hannah_bo_banna

why should you do this?

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway from this is not:‘align your brand with a cause & win the internet’

@hannah_bo_banna

the takeaway is:‘taking a bold stance on a relevant issue,

even if it could actually hurt your business can create a lasting impression’

@hannah_bo_banna

so here’s where we’re at:

@hannah_bo_banna

principle 1:‘meaningful brands find opportunities to delight consumers’

principle 2:

‘meaningful brands give people the ability to define themselves to others’

principle 3:‘meaningful brands stand for something above & beyond their

products & services’

@hannah_bo_banna

how has this shaped the way I work today?

@hannah_bo_banna

overarchingly it’s made me much more mindful of what we’re doing

@hannah_bo_banna

but much of this I can’t affect right now

@hannah_bo_banna

sadly, to date, no one’s offered me several million to create them an ad like Nike’s

@hannah_bo_banna

this is the place we play most frequently at the moment

@hannah_bo_banna

principle 2:‘meaningful brands give people the ability to define themselves

to others’

@hannah_bo_banna

396k visits 354 LRDs 19,4k facebook ‘likes’ 6.5k tweets

@hannah_bo_banna

we made this to appeal to people working in the creative industry

@hannah_bo_banna

we think people shared this because it:made them look smart

and/or

made them look interested & interestingand/or

made them look literary

@hannah_bo_banna

360k visits 54 LRDs 50k facebook ‘likes’ 1.6k tweets

@hannah_bo_banna

we made this to appeal to people who love reading

@hannah_bo_banna

we think people shared it because it enabled them to share this love of reading

oh, & maybe brag, just a little

@hannah_bo_banna

2m visits 961 LRDs 102k facebook ‘likes’ 4.4k tweets

@hannah_bo_banna

we made this to appeal to music fans(& music journalists)

@hannah_bo_banna

we think people shared it because it allowed them to express their opinions

@hannah_bo_banna

so we’re trying to create things that people ‘look good’ sharing

@hannah_bo_banna

& we’re seeing success with that approach

@hannah_bo_banna

but more importantly

@hannah_bo_banna

we’re taking the time to try to understand the brands we work with better

@hannah_bo_banna

so our creative work is better aligned with the brand’s values

@hannah_bo_banna

& it’s opening doors for us

@hannah_bo_banna

we’re getting access to people higher up in the organisations we work with

@hannah_bo_banna

& we’re able to do better work as a result

@hannah_bo_banna

this industry is filled with incredible talent

@hannah_bo_banna

you are bright, passionate & hard-working

@hannah_bo_banna

you are curious

@hannah_bo_banna

you take stuff apart to figure out how it works

@hannah_bo_banna

you build stuff for fun

@hannah_bo_banna

you thrive on being outside of your comfort zone

@hannah_bo_banna

build a brand on shoe-string?

@hannah_bo_banna

challenge accepted

@hannah_bo_banna

@hannah_bo_banna

good luck out there x

@hannah_bo_banna@hannah_bo_banna

Hannah SmithContent Strategist, Distilled caffeine addict; book worm; would really like a unicorn...

send cat pictures or questions to:

hannah.smith@distilled.net

@hannah_bo_banna

moar stuff!

how to produce content people will sharehttp://dis.tl/MJ-share

how to produce better content ideashttp://dis.tl/MJ-idea

lessons in virality from axl rosehttp://dis.tl/HS-axl

@hannah_bo_banna

credits

barney - http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw7a6htwhy1qif1s5o1_500.pngquote - http://www.dumpaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/the-best-feeling-is-doing-what-people-say-you-can-not-do-motivational-quotes.jpgpharrell - http://www.ibtimes.com/arbys-blasts-pharrells-grammys-hat-twitter-can-we-have-our-hat-back-1548140if you have a body - http://www.swimbikerunningonempty.com/1/post/2012/12/five-things-friday.html

Big love to to the wonderful Distilled folks who helped me put this together:Beverley Reinemann, Duncan Morris, Jess Champion, Lynsey Little, Mark Johnstone, Paddy Moogan, Phil Nottingham, Rich Westenra, & Will Critchlow