Do You Know Why Keanu is Sad?

(If you don't? You really should go find out.)

First!

Being first isn't about winning a race, nor is it about knowing something before anyone else. It isn't even about being first to attain something. (Ask all the people who just bought iPhone 4s...or a commenter getting ripped on 4chan.) Being first really means that your brand has the agility (balls) to be a trailblazer and take a chance on leveraging unique pop-culture and internet phenomenons before they expire.

Will some attempts fail? Absolutely. However, if you don't throw things against the wall? Nothing will stick. Thus, you need to take chances and try and capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves.

The MySpace problem

Don't worry Mr. Murdoch, if movies are any indication? MySpace is alive and well. Most Hollywood movies have a lengthy development time. A script has to be written, producers from a studio need to option said script, actors need to be cast, locations need to be chosen, film than must be shot... Typically, you're looking at a development cycle of 2-3 years (if you're lucky). Unfortunately for movie producers and their creators? The technology cycle does not. Thus, you end up with dated references, bizarre "hacking" shown on screen, and laughable usage of tech terms.

Creating a campaign or new marketing push for a brand is no different. However, marketers have the advantage of being able to churn out individual programs at a much faster rate than Hollywood and have them link into the brand program. So why don't more brands and marketers take advantage?

Planning for a Trend

The key to any agility based initiative is speed. Thus, in order to best take advantage of these relevant opportunities you need to have someone with their hand on the pulse of the internet (and thus pop culture). Short-tail gains added up can equal big revenue for a brand, especially if they are cost effective. Planning for these opportunities is the best way to take advantage. As counter intuitive as that statement might sound it's actually true.

Real-Time Execution

This is the hardest part. In fact, it's  damn near impossible. The larger the brand? The more approval processes and bureaucracy that you need to wade through.

W+K's Old Spice will be the standard that most creative directors and brands point to when describing how this could possibly be done. The trick here was that this actually came from a very traditional team (who were working with some very talented technologists). The tone, feel and identity of the Old Spice guy had been firmly established well before he even existed.

See video below:

Sound familiar?

What's Next?

Self awareness, casual asides and usage of references that border on ADHD. Get familiar with the term "meta". Quentin Tarantino, Family Guy and South Park have changed the way we approach and think about culture. (Although, I'm quite sure Family Guy does in fact use manatees.)

Remember, you can use this approach; but only if it actually is on brand and cohesive with the campaign you are running.

Anyone can make a video that has a chance of blowing up, but it takes a genius to make that video on behalf of an insurance company.

tagged as agility marketing, Branding, communication design, mass media based trends, pop culture marketing, sad keanu, trend design