We had a blast at the Seattle Interactive Conference a couple of weeks ago. As always, we came back with the wisdom of some amazing speakers to share with you.
Geoff Colon from Microsoft, a former Brooklyn DJ, talking about “remix culture” was one of the most interesting sessions that shed some light on the future of digital marketing.
Similar thoughts on how digital was transforming the way marketers should be thinking about engaging with consumers were also shared by other speakers from the conference such as Joanna Lord from Porch and Michael King from iPullRank.
Remix is everywhere
According to Geoff speaking at his session “Social by Design,” everything is a “remix” because people are constantly creating value from value others have created.
With so many components to be considered, the marketing world is more than just a remix. In her presentation, Joanna mentioned that “Most marketers today find themselves at the intersection of community, content, product, and design.”
But why stand and hesitate at an intersection when you have access to so many resources? Borrow them and remix!
With remixed career experience as a developer, rap artist and now marketer turned business owner, Michael King echoed this sentiment during his session, “it’s a combination of making things you’re passionate about and putting together things that don’t go together that can help you stand out.”
Remix human behavior and technology
When talking about designing a social media strategy in the future, Geoff emphasized how understanding human behavior can help you lead the trend. “Platforms and systems come and go… The best communications are designed around behaviors, not technology.” The reason why more and more marketers need to recognize the importance of visual storytelling is not that technologies enable it, but their audience’s behavior tells them it will work.
Human behavior is also a significant KPI for your marketing efforts. Joanna quoted Natasha D. Smith, the author of Engagement: The True Currency: “Engagement is the true currency that people use to show their genuine interest and affinity.” Measuring engagement is as important as measuring other revenue related metrics as it can help you take care of the customers you have and, in turn, they’ll bring you the customers you want.
Remix brand and audience
According to Geoff, we are at the last phase of “Maker Evolution.” After a “read only culture” and “read/write culture,” we stepped into “remix culture”, which has evolved from the democratization of “read/write culture.” Social media catalyzed the evolution, which broadened the landscape to create experiences, and empowered everyone to be the creators.
Pointing to Betabrand’s Citizen Model campaign as an example, Joanna shared how marketers can empower their audience and build a brand with them. Betabrand is an online retailer of crowdsourced clothing. Instead of hiring professional photographers and models, it encourages customers to upload their own photos with the product to get discounts off their next purchase. With all the Photoshop fails surrounding clothing retailers, Betabrand has built a refreshed brand with the help of their audience by presenting a more “genuine look.”
Have you got any thoughts on any other “remixable” components in digital marketing world? We’d love to hear from you!
Check out Geoff and Joanna’s presentations here on SlideShare:
Social by Design REMIXED by Geoff Colon
The Future of a Brand by Joanna Lord
Thanks for reading,
Bianca Hu – Digital Marketing Specialist at Delightful Communications
(Slide credit, Geoff Colon)