If your studio or production company produces a lot of marketing content for TV networks, these days you’re probably worried. As you should be. Traditional broadcast/cable is in a long, slow decline.
But here at RevThink, we don’t react to the future. We create it. So let’s consider this major shift (a.k.a. earthquake) presently underway:
Every brand is – or soon will be – a content network.
(The opportunity embedded in that little phrase “or soon will be” is enormous. More on that later.)
Here’s one example: a few weeks ago I podcasted with Michael Smith on the topic of The Creative Destruction of OTT. Before we started, Michael asked me:
“Hey, did you see the news today about Mailchimp’s move into content? Apparently they are shifting from their external agency to their in-house production team…”
Hmm, I thought. That’s interesting. One more example of the dreaded shift to in-house…
Then a few days later in the Earthquakes Newsletter I noticed Andrew Rosen mention this same story. But as I read between the lines, a tiny phrase caught my eye (emphasis added):
In June, Mailchimp debuted Mailchimp Presents, a section on the company’s website featuring video and podcast programming that the nine-person, 18-month-old original content team Mailchimp Studios team is producing with companies such as Vice and “Queer Eye” producer Scout Productions.
Hmm, now that’s really interesting. Because the owners at Scout clearly wouldn’t view this move by Mailchimp as a “dreaded shift to in-house,” would they? Somehow Scout was able to look beyond their TV clients and stir up an opportunity with a brand like Mailchimp.
How’d they do that?
This is but one tiny example of how and where the cheese is moving. If you read (er, I mean smell?) between the lines, you’ll find many more.
Scout snagged Mailchimp. So which brands will you target?
My advice: find the brands that believe what you believe… and that have a superior competitor way ahead of them in content marketing. For starters, which brands are being beaten by Mailchimp… but might usurp them with a brilliant content strategy? I can think of several…
I smell opportunity.
Cheers,
Joel
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