When bread goes stale in the food industry, many restaurants cut it into cubes and drop it in the deep fryer. Instant gourmet croutons. That's how fine dining takes a $3 salad and turns into a $12 garden bowl.
Chefs are the masters of reinvention. They must be. Their medium carries such a short shelf life. The best ones know how to squeeze every ounce of opportunity out of a product.
We see similarities in today's marketing, where the key ingredient – content – also has a quick "Eat By" date. Brand developers find themselves constantly redefining and justifying content's value in generating sales. They must quantify how images and words lead directly to dollars. At the same time, they're feverishly whipping up narratives to feed the public's insatiable appetite for new, stimulating bites.
So, from the creative kitchen they find shortcuts – semi home cooked tricks to try and satisfy everyone. They come up with muffin tops like Woke Advertising to seem fresh. It’s a modern term used to describe conscious-driven messaging. Lots of marketers are throwing it around, pushing it as the next craving-buster for millennials who seek greater responsibility from the brands they support.
Gillette, Facebook, Budweiser… they’ve all put Woke Advertising to the test. But is it really an edgy, new flavor or just doctored-up leftovers? Flip over to the ingredients label, and it sounds a hell of lot like repackaged Social Branding – and that even had a familiar taste. When a company breaks away from pitching product to raise awareness on a universal issue, it used to be called a PSA. Not each of these is the exact same, but, they're certainly not all that different. So, what are the prep directions for a tasty woke campaign?
What’s the universal challenge to overcome?
How does your business relate to the cause and change it for the better?
What has your brand done to start the change? What could the world look like if others joined in?
Garnish with a percentage of revenue going to a related charity.
New takes on old marketing concepts – like Woke Advertising – are inevitable. It's a product of these fast, saturated promotional times. Every minute "Order Up!" is being shouted from the wait station. However, as others sell you on the newest marketing dish, "You simply must try," it's smart to know what you're tabling up to. Are you paying for true innovation or yesterday's special with a fresh name? Is it branding or noise? The answer most likely will determine your satisfaction after delving in.
