MARKETING
Crossing fingers that the mystical algorithm gods will serve up [ your content ] is arguably a bit of a gamble , compared with other channels . consuming a combined 10 billion hours every day on social platforms .
But what if they won ’ t be missing anything at all ?
Social media is reaching a saturation point . In Australia , despite 79 per cent of the population using social media , the growth of active users slowed in 2021 . Engagement is breathtakingly difficult to maintain , especially for brands with larger followings . And how meaningful is that engagement anyway ? Scrolling the socials is mindless , rote behaviour for so many of us , simply because we have access wherever we go . When we do engage with content , it ’ s not necessarily an indication of how good the content is , or how likely we are to remember , let alone purchase , because of it .
Not to mention , it ’ s a hungry , hungry beast of a channel . Feeding it with content and / or advertising dollars is time-consuming and costly . All this effort , of course , is not even guaranteed to reach its intended audience . Posting in all the available formats and crossing fingers that the mystical algorithm gods will serve it up is arguably a bit of a gamble , compared with other channels . So , in addition to upholding values , increasingly stretched marketing budgets might also enjoy channel consolidation by taking a stand , like Lush has .
Values-led companies retain employees longer and attract more of the right people to work for them . In taking a stand , Lush is demonstrating it is true to its word . This move will be a beacon for the brand , because authenticity like this is craved by employees , prospective employees , and consumers alike . With the ‘ Great Resignation ’ looming , Lush and others like it stand to gain as highquality talent starts job shopping .
Moving away from social might also force brands to wean themselves off the oh-so-enticing vanity metrics to which marketers – and CEOs – are addicted . Brands might focus instead on creating meaningful content on more owned channels . Websites and email marketing are still so underused by many FMCG brands , despite proven to generate strong ROI . If community is an important and relevant aspect ( crazy thought incoming ) what if brands created their own ?
Thoughtfully created and managed communities might even form another revenue stream ( ooh , now we ’ re interested ). There ’ s a rise in paid communities and paid email newsletters , which tells marketers that people are willing to pay for good content . An owned community platform for a brand could present unique opportunities to foster relationships with audiences . Throw in the power of cloud computing and some augmented reality , integrate it with some relevant Big Data , and brands could be at the forefront of a whole new level of personalised marketing . In an era of brand frivolity , it could bring new ways to foster loyalty and advocacy , holding the dedicated attention of dedicated fans .
We ’ ve seen a lot of action from brands in the last 18 months in the name of brand values and ethics – from changing long-standing brand names ( think Cheer and Cheekies , etc .), to advertising spending boycotts , to withdrawing operations from whole countries . The ever-growing socially conscious are applauding these acts of finally reading the room .
Lush certainly won ’ t be the last brand to reassess its marketing channel mix based on its values . As brands assess their ESG impacts , questions about everything from where we source , through to where and how we market will give rise to a hard look in the mirror .
If the numbers are true , people spend up to 15 per cent of their waking lives on social media . Lush and brands like it are inviting us to envision a world where engagement means more than a tap of a button amidst a mindless scroll .
At the very least , Lush will undoubtedly be saving a bundle on production costs for content that has such an appallingly short half-life . That , combined with a strong sense of morality , and a probable wave of new talent , will outweigh any sense of FOMO , for sure .
MELISSA PACKHAM is director and strategist at Brand-Led Business .