STOP THE THUMB!
It is said that the average person sees 10,000 ads per day. Sounds a lot, and to be honest, I can’t really believe it can be that many. That would be one ad every 6 seconds. Far more conservative estimates put the figure at 100 to 150. As I sit on the train and glance around at everyone scrolling on their phones, I’ll settle on 500.
That is still a big number and means our ads need to have stand out, they need to be eye catching, and in today’s social media parlance they need to be thumb stopping. If nobody stops to read, view, engage or act on your message, well, all that effort in developing the thinking, the insights, the creative and the placement will be little more than expensive self-indulgence.
But what on earth is thumb stopping content? The words form part of many of our client briefs, but how should they be interpreted, and most importantly delivered on? I thought I would do a straw poll around the agency and get a few people’s perspective…
STRIKING VISUALS
I commenced my quest by talking to our Creative Director. He kicked off by explaining that his preferred adjectives for his creative work would be awesome, breathtaking, or stunning. Once I managed to get his focus, he did acknowledge, as an experienced and award-winning social media creative leader, that stopping the thumbs is pretty much his day job these days. His formula? Use vibrant, simple and visually interesting images, and typography that stands out amidst the clutter. And make sure that your brilliantly crafted video spares no horses in the first few frames. Make it simple, striking and irresistible.
With these wise words I moved on…
BOLD AND SIMPLE
Next up was our copywriter. She said make it bold, make it simple, make it intriguing if you can, but always make it concise. You have 3 seconds at most. And know your audience and brand tone, don’t get down with the kids when you are selling to a more mature audience. And be light and fun if you want to look like a contemporary brand full of energy and personality. An audience and brand starting point? As a planner I’ll drink to that.
AUTHENTICITY
Our MD, a social native who has worked in the world of social and digital all her career, was all about the importance of authenticity. Be natural she said, be organic. Content that feels real and authentic, often user generated, will always perform better than the polished ad look.
INNOVATION AND NOVELTY
One of our producers piped up and said that she always looks for creative innovation and maybe a bit of novelty value. The image might be breaking free of its frame, special visual and sound effects may be used, or we might make creative use of one of the many new formats available across TikTok and Instagram.
TIGHT TARGETING
Our Head of Social leaned in with his viewpoint. Don’t go too broad with your targeting just for the sake of reach, fine if you are a brand with mass appeal, but otherwise stay focused on the audience you want to engage. That will feed your creative thinking, and in turn, your engagement metrics. And don’t forget that test and learn is one of your most valuable weapons. Use it, act on it and use it again.
BE ON TREND
But it’s also got to be culturally relevant and on trend. One of our Account Directors joined the conversation. She explained that trending topics and techniques, across TikTok, will grab the attention. And if these are applied authentically with imagination and flair then this is what will make the difference.
INVITE INTERACTION
Invite a bit of participation was the thinking from a Spinnaker Account Manager. Get them hooked in with an interesting poll, game, swipe reward. Get a bit of two-way going right from the get-go.
STRONG VALUE PROPOSITION
And lastly our Financial Controller was determined not to miss out on the fun. Her view was that it is all about the money off or deal. Grab them by throat with an offer that is too hard to turn down. You may not be surprised to hear that she is very good at debtor control as well.
So, there you have it, a plethora of ideas and approaches for the ultimate thumb stop.
Each point of view equally valid and relevant. But the trick is always the balancing act.
Building a result that carefully selects or combines these ideas at the right ratio. And for that you need to start off by going back in time, to the principles of marketing. Set the ball rolling with audience and brand interrogation. And make that your platform for building your masterpiece, that ultimate thumb stopper, and if you are lucky, you might even reach the heady heights of your work being eye catching, breathtaking and stunning too.
Thumbs up to that.