Your brand is talking about itself too much

"He seems pleasant enough at first, offering his name - let's call him Eric - and a friendly handshake. But then, unprompted, Eric tells you what he does for a living, where he's from, where he went to college and what he majored in. And then Eric rattles off all the places he's worked, what he did at those places - and babbles on about a new project he's working on - in painstaking, mind-numbing detail - as he produces his business card."

"These days, everyone's trying to figure out "content" (a terrible term, but that's for another piece) - while, every year, advertising spend on social media spending keeps going up. Given those two trends, it's surprising how many brands still prattle on incessantly about themselves like that blowhard Eric. I'm not saying brands no longer need artfully crafted communications about their products and services that are compelling and grounded in a human truth-they still do, and always will."

Brands should avoid self-centered communications that overload audiences with irrelevant personal or corporate details. Audiences reject repetitive, boastful messaging that mirrors an overtalkative individual and seek engaging, relevant material instead. Marketers should ask what their brand can talk about other than itself and create content that educates or entertains around related interests. Native content that focuses on subjects consumers care about can attract attention and hold interest without overtly promoting a product. Historical campaigns, such as Guinness ads about oysters, cheeses, game birds, and steaks, show that content-driven advertising can be beautiful, effective, and not directly about the brand.

Read at The Drum