We have all seen countless consumer-invented TV commercials and other consumer-inspired messaging -- for Doritos and other popular brands, especially during big TV events like the Super Bowl.
What would happen if young millennials took a real whack at re-inventing -- or curating -- a media brand, like MTV, NBC, Netflix, or a Comcast Xfinity web brand?
A new study from MTV research says that, more than ever, young digital consumers are
well-versed in manipulating video, text, and ideas when it comes to their favorite brands.
But what about traditional media brands? Re-inventing media logos, taglines, and overall
direction would be unique. Still, this may not be much of draw for traditional TV networks. Unlike cable networks, broadcast networks don't really have big brand campaigns to begin with. Much of
their efforts are concentrated on the brands of their individual shows.
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Still, newer media companies are always open to changeable ideas. We see how Google regularly changes its home page
logo -- depending on the season or whatever. Of course, this isn't letting consumers change its brand. But the whimsy is noted.
In the past, many TV and film producers have mused they
might just be "instigators" of entertainment content, not "finishers" of it. For example, they might let consumers vote on storylines or character changes.
Nick Shore,
senior VP-strategic consumer insights and research at MTV, scratches his head, and we do the same: "What would it mean for a brand, we wondered, to be engaged in a process of constantly curating
and refining its identity, especially in this online environment...?"
He didn't mention media brands, per se. But entertainment is a natural attraction.
"The world
doesn't just talk back, it hyper-responds, and is engaged in a powerful and intense feedback loop. Is your brand engaged in a thousand points of conversation -- listening and responding?"
Sounds complicated. The listening is perhaps the easier chore. Assimilating all new marketing ideas through the big and busy social media cement mixer is the harder job.