Pop culture is prevalent in so many ways in our daily culture. We see it on the t-shirts that we buy, the food that we eat, and (of course) in the advertisements we see online and on television. Not sure what pop culture is? Simply put, pop culture (or popular culture) is a commercial culture based on popular taste.Â
Think about it in terms of films: an action hero might stop for a refreshing sip of Coca-Cola, or an expert spy might be hacking his way into a government organisation using an Apple Mac. For those who are working with a content marketing agency, it is important to understand how pop culture can be leveraged for your business. Below we take a look at how you can use pop culture to market your brand.Â
Viral Trends For Better Sharing
When it comes to content marketing, creating sharable content is one of the most vital aspects. Why? Consumers today, particularly the younger generations, crave content that is unique, exciting, and entertaining. This is what makes it sharable, and sharable content can help to bring about impressive brand awareness for your business.Â
You can take advantage of a viral trend in order to create unique and sharable content. For example, take a look at how Nando’s poked fun at the Pick ‘n Pay advert proclaiming “It’s not just chicken, it’s iNkukhu” about their chicken. This quickly became viral, and while it was at the expense of another brand, Nando’s certainly grabbed the attention of its audience. Making use of a viral trend can help, but be sure it is not at the expense of another brand or business.Â
Timing Is Everything
Trends in pop culture are more often than not fleeting, so it is important to be timeous with your marketing strategy if you are planning on using pop culture. If your campaign is launched too early or too late, this could have a negative impact on its audience reach, or you might find that your efforts have no reach at all.Â
Keep an eye on social media and set up Google Alerts to see what is currently happening in the news and in pop culture. This way you can create a content marketing strategy that will remain relevant, entertaining, and valuable. Now, you might think that the news is not exactly a pop culture resource, but it can help you to time your marketing strategy correctly. It can help you to avoid marketing faux pas and maintain your brand relevancy.
Remember Brand Alignment
Whether you have an established brand or you are rebranding your business, it is important to use pop culture that aligns with your brand when it comes to content marketing. You will need to ascertain how the trend aligns with your brand, or if it aligns at all. For example, you might sell organic compost, but does this align well with recent pop culture, such as Game Of Thrones?
You could align your brand with a sports World Cup in order to promote healthier soil. Brand alignment is important as it shows your audience that you creating content that is both relevant and valuable, and that you are paying attention to what is happening in the world around you. Aligning your brand with positive pop culture is also important, as choosing a negative pop culture phenomenon could affect your brand in a similar fashion.Â
Be The Source Of News
Pop culture is all about keeping people informed and entertained, but when there is a large event taking place or something in the news, it can be hard to maintain your followers or interest in your brand.Â
One way to allay this is to become the source of news yourself, which could mean giving back to charity, starting an initiative or create content that is exciting and sharable. Take an example such as Black Friday – a pop culture event that can often take the focus off of brands and place it on the products or services. You could create a series of Instagram stories counting down to Black Friday by giving away purchases of up to X amount – this will certainly grab the attention of your audience and put you back into the top of their minds.Â
Snap, Crackle, Pop Culture
Leveraging pop culture to market your brand can improve your brand awareness and ensure that you remain relevant and valuable to your consumers. You could use a viral trend to your advantage, granted it is aligned with your brand, or you could be the source of the news with a unique content marketing strategy.Â
For those who are interested in having a digital marketing strategy created specifically for their brand, please contact NetMechanic today to find out what we can offer you.Â
