This tourism spot from Holland has just enough personality to make me think it could be a fun place to visit. It also does a nice job of showing that Holland has more to offer than windmills, flowers, and Amsterdam's vices.
The best content marketing works because it doesn't feel like marketing. It feels like you're getting more of what it is you already love about a particular brand, organization, or entertainment property.
Case is point is a series called Nashville: On The Record, which takes a closer look at the songs and the songwriters who have contributed to the success of ABC's hit television show "Nashville." And while country music may not be everyone's bowl of grits, at the very least you have appreciate the way this series spotlights some of the unsung heroes—the actual "content creators"—who work tirelessly behind the scenes.
I've always held that content strategy is, in principle, very simple: Make stuff that doesn't suck. Stuff that people who don't work for/with you will actually want to watch. (Note that I didn't say, "Stuff that you want people to want to watch." There's a difference.)
Enter Jack Daniel's. The company is making some stuff that doesn't suck, and I don't only mean Tennessee whiskey. They've launched a new film series, The Independent Among Us, which celebrates independent spirits and people who stand up for what they believe in, ideals the iconic brand holds dear. "Independent Lynchburg" is the first film in that series. Says Jack's website,
People know Lynchburg, TN as the place where each and every drop of Jack Daniel’s is made. Yet, few know about the interesting men and women who call this small town home. In the first-ever short film by Jack Daniel’s, we take a closer look at the people, behind the town, behind the whiskey.
Learn about a man who started renovating his home by taking a chainsaw to it, from roof to foundation. Or learn about Goose (pictured above), who once caught man breaking into his house. What did Goose do? Naturally, Goose tied the guy up, tossed him into the back of his pickup truck, and drove the man into town to wait for the investigator to arrive.
Get to know the Jack Daniel's by listening to the stories it tells. Then ask yourself, what kind of stories is my brand telling?
[This post also appears on the BFG blog.]
Manpacks is like Netflix for men's underwear, except that you don't have to return anything once you've used it. Because that would be awkward.
The logic behind Manpacks is simple. Take items that men need to replace regularly—personal care, razors, socks, underwear—and create a service that results in one less thing guys have to remember. It also helps that guys tend to be somewhat brand loyal to most of the items that Manpacks offers, things the average guy doesn't want to spend a lot of time thinking about.
Manpacks also has the best return policy of all time.
Manpacks, because you're too old for your mom to still be buying your underwear.
[This post also appears on the BFG blog.]
We live in a driven, digital world where the full value of human connection is often traded for transactional proficiency. Many have mastered the ironic art of increasing touch points while simultaneously losing touch. […]
There is a threshold to today's productivity found at the very point where progress with people is supplanted by progress. Often, it's the sheer speed of communication that affects our judgement. Because we believe others expect immediate responses, as we do ourselves, we often don't take the time to craft meaningful responses.
- Dale Carnegie & Associates, "How To Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age"
