4 ways brands mess up content creation

We asked speakers from the upcoming Digiday Brand Summit to illuminate the path by offering their thoughts on the mistakes brands make in creating content. Read their answers here, then jump over to our event page to check out the agenda in more detail.

Thinking short term
“Once you decide on a direction for a project and a storyline that you and your team can get behind, don’t let others steer you in another direction part-way through the project. There is a reason you committed to the direction in the first place. Hold on to that conviction to drive the project. Too many chefs in the kitchen is never a good thing. Be thoughtful, smart and creative when developing your project, commit and move forward. No side stepping – you’ll likely trip and sometimes even fall.”
— Karen Snell, digital content lead, Cisco

Being the funny guy
“Humor is hard. If a brand wants to try it, make sure the comedy has a purpose. And the brand should never ever be the butt of the joke. The brand should never be Gilligan.”
— Erich Marx, director of digital communication, Nissan

Trying too hard
“One thing that really annoys me is when brands do things that really have nothing to do with their product or service just to get likes/shares/etc. If you aren’t a vet or pet store, don’t share little cat memes! Just stop. Be authentic and your community will reward you for it. Also, I think there are too many brands trying too hard to get in on the real-time marketing discussion. I blame Oreo. They won, and since them, everyone else has lost (maybe Audi did ok also). If you had an active second screen during the Super Bowl, it was painful.”
— Aaron Magness, vp of marketing, Betabrand

Manufacturing engagement
“Buying fans. Content will always be king, but engagement is the power behind the throne. A small engaged audience is worth far more than a large audience that is not engaged.”
— J. Kate Scott, social media manager, Overstock.com

Image via Shutterstock