At Ad Summit 2014, We Are Social’s Simon Kemp enlightened the audience with his presentation ‘Social Brands: The Future of Marketing’.
Kemp brought things back to basics, saying word of mouth is still the most powerful form of advertising. “An increase in good conversation drives an increase in compensation,” he said.
According to Kemp, marketers should remember that it’s not all about them. “Marketing is still too focused on screaming for attention,” Kemp said, comparing marketing with dating, where one knows not to just talk about oneself. “It’s really important that as brands, we should be learning about what audiences, what people want so that we can deliver better value to them.”
Kemp said that brands should focus on building strategies around passions and interests that bring people together. “Stop obsessing about what we want to say. Start obsessing about what we want people to understand,” said Kemp, adding that there is no need to repeat the same message over and over again. “It’s about repeating the same concept and changing the story a little bit,” he said.
Kemp also talked about how social media can drive conversation. “The places where we go to are the places where we can interact with the people we care about. Brands need to build communities,” he said, noting that social media has become the discovery engine that powers all marketing.
He also stressed the importance of mobile, noting that one in three Americans would rather give up sex than their smartphones. “If you’re not on mobile, you’re standing still. If your strategy doesn’t come to life on mobile, it’s not going to come to life at all,” he said.
Talking about brands that give back, Kemp said brands need to get into people’s heads and hearts to succeed in the future. “You’re not just giving people something to buy. You’re giving people something to believe in,” he said.
According to him, brands that give back proactively are seen as generous and inspiring, such that people are naturally attracted to them. “Give people a reason to fall in love with you, and you won’t have to ask them to click ‘Like’,” he said.
Urging brands and advertisers to make things better instead of obsessing about making better things, Kemp returned to his earlier point: it’s about the audience. “You’ll only learn something new if you start listening and stop talking,” he said.
