A new Apple ad is a marketing case study taking the world by storm. As I write this — four days after the video’s debut — it has already been viewed 19 million times on YouTube.

The visually stunning, cinematic long-form ad reunites Apple with Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze, who directed the brand’s lauded “Welcome Home” in 2018. Like its predecessor, the new work—called “Someday”—leans heavily on inventive choreography, catchy music, and lavish sets. And the new video features popular star Pedro Pascal.

Of course that’s going to be a winning formula. But something more subtle is happening in this video. The theory behind my new book Audacious is that by disrupting the story, where the story is told, and/or the storyteller, you’ve got a chance of catching viral magic. I thought it would be fun to dissect this incredible video and unravel the less-obvious, non-Pedro lessons of why it went viral.

Let’s start by watching the video:

OK, let’s tear this marketing case study apart and find the magic.

Never make an ad

While researching my book, I interviewed the great Michael Krivicka, the king of viral videos. He said:

“The first key to success is, never, ever make an ad. Of course, almost every customer wants to make an ad because they think they need an ad. Perhaps that’s all they know. But the moment you start with that mindset, you’re failing.

“We’ll make something so cool, unique, and entertaining that it’s worth sharing. As soon as it pops up in your social media feed, you want to see it immediately, watch it again, and share it. You start with the viral mindset, not an ad mindset. People rarely share ads.

“If people sense they’re watching an ad—the moment they think you’re selling something—they stop watching it, or they’re going to watch the content through a filter, knowing there’s an agenda. So, if you lead with ‘Nike presents …’ Boom. People stop watching it.”

As the ad begins, we know that Pedro Pascal is sad. And if he is sad, the whole world is sad. And dreary, and frigid, and hopeless. But the beloved internet daddy doesn’t stay blue for long, as the magic of music turns a frigid wasteland into a raucous dance party.

We don’t know for sure who sponsored the ad until the final moments.

Disrupt the medium

How did this marketing case study disrupt the medium (where the story is told)? It was just a YouTube video, right? Nope.

First, this breaks the mold because it’s an ad that’s nearly six minutes long. Next time somebody tells you that people have a short attention span, call B.S. on it. People don’t have a short attention span. Your marketing has a short interesting span. This epic video is worth every second.

Next, it’s literally a music video. Think about it. What ad format will AirPod fans love? A music video. Smart marketers don’t fight for attention—they earn it by respecting their audience enough to create something worth their time.

Apple is “leaning into the signal” because it understands that remarkable marketing doesn’t interrupt what people care about — it becomes what people care about.

Disrupt the story format

This is paradoxical, but sometimes, to be disruptive, your story should be the radically non-disruptive. Research shows that ads following a classic dramatic story arc create a heightened physiological response. Let’s dissect it into five parts:

• Exposition—Pedro has girl problems. He’s depressed.
• Rising action—In a lonely, frigid existence, he recalls a happier musical memory.
• Climax— Pedro is a joyful dancing machine! He goes from forlorn to fabulous.
• Falling action—The dance sequence ends and the “old Pedro” gives an encouraging glance.
• Denouement—Pedro’s problems aren’t over, but a small smile crosses his face as he trudges on.

This is an example of Freytag’s Pyramid, a classical dramatic model developed by German novelist Gustav Freytag. There is something magical about this sequence that taps deeply into the human psyche. Professor Keith Quesenberry and his research team discovered that this classic format and advertising success are so closely connected that they could predict which Super Bowl ads would go viral before they aired.

“Beyond any other technique like sex appeal, animals, humor, or celebrities, telling a full, five-part story made the difference between a great marketing narrative and an unremarkable one,” Keith told me. “And the likability of this story format can be tied to word-of-mouth buzz, purchase intent, recall, and other success factors.”

This insight doesn’t just apply to big-budget ads. Keith discovered that storytelling success holds true for YouTube videos and other social content. On average, four- and five-act videos were shared over 400% more compared to product-based or informational videos.

Beyond Vanilla Valley

There’s something unexpected that makes this video memorable: It’s sad.

Marketing has conditioned us to expect the emotional arc of a children’s birthday party—everything must end with smiles, high-fives, and neat resolutions. But real human connection doesn’t work that way, and neither does this video. This story starts sad and ends … well, a little less sad, but still sad.

Research by Dr. Jonah Berger shows memorable marketing doesn’t just come from “happy.” Something that makes you feel anxiety, sadness, and even fear can trigger a strong emotional connection. This video breaks an emotional norm — an Apple ad that ends with unresolved pain.

The genius here is in the emotional tension. The lingering pain isn’t a mistake; it’s the point. It signals trust in the audience’s emotional maturity and creates space for a deeper, more authentic connection.

Most brands are terrified of negative emotions. The remarkable ones understand that emotional authenticity—even when uncomfortable—is what separates the signal from noise.

Grab ’em fast

More advice from the great Michael Krivicka: “You have to grab the viewer in two seconds. You can have the greatest video in the world, but if you don’t hook them in the first two seconds, it’s over. It’s a sad reality, but that’s all you’ve got. Open with something incredible that people haven’t seen before. Surprise them immediately.”

The opening seconds of this video are profound. Not a word is said, but the pain is thick, and we need to know, “What is happening here?” This is not an ad. It’s high drama.

Disrupt the storyteller

This six-minute video is being sliced and diced into television-sized ads but the true success lies in the fact that fans are sharing the long-form video like crazy. It’s a beloved story. Apple isn’t promoting the product’s functionality, price, or durability. It’s promoting a feeling. Brand marketing at its best.

Today, the successful marketer isn’t holding the microphone, shouting about their product. They’re writing a script and handing the mic to their customers. This is the essence of modern brand building: create something so meaningful, so resonant, so worth talking about that your customers eagerly do your marketing for you.

The audacity story

Everyone reading this post has one goal for their business: You want to be seen, heard, and discovered. You want to be the signal against the noise.

And the noise is worse than ever.

To stand out, competent doesn’t cut it. Competent is the new invisible. Competent is what gets replaced. The middle of the road is where roadkill happens.

In a world drowning in meh, disruption isn’t just an option—it’s survival. The AI revolution isn’t coming for the remarkable; it’s coming for the replaceable, and most marketing today is precisely that.

Yes, this Apple video has advantages—a recognizable star, a visionary director, a budget with breathing room. But those aren’t prerequisites for standing out. In fact, as I demonstrate throughout my book, constraints often fuel creativity while abundance breeds complacency.

The barrier isn’t resources. It’s courage—the courage to stand for something, the courage to make something that might not work, and the courage to create marketing that feels nothing like marketing.

The choice is simple: disrupt or be disrupted. Make waves or drown in the noise. What will you choose?

Keep an eye on the marketing stories that break through the noise. Like the Apple video, you’ll see a pattern—the narrative, medium, and storyteller are disrupted. I urge you to climb aboard the Audacity train and take advantage of the hundreds of ideas in my new book, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World.

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

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Today I bring you a few small observations on marketing that are a little too small for a full post.

Let’s start with a toilet.

I was in a hotel in Madrid last month and this was on top of the toilet in my room:

I was haunted by this for two days. Why would somebody sign the top of the toilet? Who is this person? Did they make the thing? Is this a toilet influencer?

I would not count myself as a toilet expert, but I suppose I’ve seen my share. There seemed to be nothing unusual about this commode.

I looked it up, and this is an upscale Parisian brand. It made me think about the power of signing something. Got my attention more than a logo that I would have ignored. It means something to sign your work.

Apple on the move 

It’s interesting to see the morphing digital ad industry. There are not many other places to advertise other than digital, and rates have been going up as inventory goes down. Agencies need more places to advertise, and Apple is giving it to them.

Apple’s ad business is doing about $4 billion a year, and there are new plans to sell ads in their map, TV, book, and podcast apps. I guess when Apple records and analyzes your activity and uses that data to sell targeted ads, this is personalization.  It’s only ‘tracking’ when other people do it?

GenZ media

I am obsessed with GenZ. They are so unlike any other generation and endlessly fascinating.

Ofcom found that 15-24-year-olds spend 57 minutes a day on TikTok (more than Facebook and Instagram combined at 45 minutes). That same cohort is down to 51 minutes of broadcast TV a day, a drop of 66 percent in a decade.

Nearly every day, I see a stat about GenZ that makes me go “wow.” Marketing to them will not require a change. It will require a new department. Not kidding.

Stress test

This idea of “quiet quitting” received a lot of conversation in the last few weeks. This GenZ-led trend suggests that if people feel stressed, they should pull back to do the bare minimum required to keep their job. Some research I’ve seen shows that “mental wellness” is now above money and job flexibility on the GenZ ideal job wishlist.

One GenZ writer: “You should know that we will not be stressed. If you employ us, you better create a workplace that emphasizes mental health.”

Part of me agrees with this. It’s a healthy backlash to the ridiculous hustle culture crap. But the other part of me thinks, “stress is part of life, and most of my personal growth came from stressful situations.” A little stress is OK, right?

On the right track!

I’ve been working on a new book that examines “community” through the lens of marketing strategy. Three megatrends are pointing to this inevitability: 1) the focus on mental wellness across every demographic; 2) a need for new ways to meaningfully connect with customers; and 3) technological developments that enable community.

I’m nearly finished writing this book — Belonging to the Brand — for an early 2023 release, and McKinsey just published an article declaring “community” as the major marketing trend of the decade. Looks like I am on the right track with this prediction my friends! Can’t wait for you to see the book!

AI in the arts

Last week, a rumor swirled that Bruce Willis became the first actor to license his image to a deep fake film. His agent said it was not true, but my question is, why not? In the future, we’ll see movies with famous actors — both living and dead — who never step foot on a set. Hopefully, we’ll see a new Charlie Chaplin movie soon! Bruce Willis has a brain disorder called aphasia that keeps him from working. Deep fake technology can put him back in the movies.

While deep fake technology has a scary side, it will also unleash new levels of creativity and innovation, especially when it comes to beloved screen legends.

BTW, for fun, I generated a steampunk version of Bruce Willis in 10 seconds with the AI art generator MidJourney:

From Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah announced he is stepping down from the Late Show hosting spot. I was reminded of an interesting piece of advice he once gave about comedy, but really, it could be about content or any kind of marketing. Just two minutes long (some swearing here, not appropriate for kids or the office).

Hope you enjoyed these little observations on marketing!

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant.  The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. Discover his $RISE creator community.

Illustration courtesy of Unsplash.com

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By Kiki Schirr, {grow} Contributing Columnist

Once upon a time, the tech giants were buddy-buddy. You might even say they acted like family, specifically, the type of family that negotiates illegal salary limits with each other. (Remember in 2015 Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe had to pay out $415 million for agreeing on wage caps and not to out-bid each other for talent. Developer pay has since rebounded.)

But these happy Cosa Nostra days might be coming to an end.

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, which notifies device users when apps or sites are tracking their data or using their camera or microphone, launched in April of 2021. Although the update undoubtedly alarmed Google, it was Facebook that took out expensive full-page ads in newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Washington Post (owned by Jeff Bezos), to decry damage to small business owners and the free Internet.

When we look back at this year, we may view it as the first shot fired in the Tech Giant War. Also, I’m not above pointing out that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Star Wars hero Han Solo have the same number of letters in their names.

The Tech Giant War is already raging

Early this month, Apple announced scanning iCloud images against known child porn databases. The public outcry — against something that has been standard practice for most cloud storage providers like Dropbox and Google — has been suspiciously loud.

Quick aside: I don’t mean to suggest this is not an alarming announcement. Apple also intends to blur sexual images sent to children in Messages. Apple Messages are supposed to be encrypted (which means that only the sender and receiver can view the content.) If Apple is scanning for sexting between children, then obviously these messages are not truly encrypted. Anything with a built-in backdoor is vulnerable to hackers.

But the rumor that strangers will be eyeing your grandchildren’s photos is false. And yet, the chatter is there. Attempts to prove whether this chatter is being boosted would be impossible since only privacy-focused search engines were not angry with Apple over app-tracking updates, but now they’re likely angry at Apple’s privacy invasion. So comparing searches by brand won’t work. And should someone try to analyze search and topic surfacing by brand, they won’t get far. These algorithms are notoriously well-kept secrets within tech companies.

This is supposition, of course. It’s too soon to see the effects of recent hostility. But it’s worthwhile to watch the news for signs of escalation. Meanwhile, there’s another force at play. The government.

President Biden fuels the Tech Giant War

If the prospect of warring tech giant war didn’t scare you, let’s also consider U.S. politics.

President Biden appointed Lina Kahn, a leading anti-trust lawyer and professor, to head of the Federal Trade Commission. Amazon is particularly hostile to Kahn since she wrote the authoritative thesis on why Amazon is a monopoly, published in Yale Law Review. In July, he also added Jonathan Kanter as the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Chief. Bloomberg characterized Kanter as a “tech foe” in its headlines.

Big Tech has been putting out these fires for years through massive campaign donations. But despite the PAC pressure, Biden has turned the heat on. One reason is that fighting the growing power of the Tech Giants is something both parties seem to agree on.

While the Big Tech Titans skirmish among themselves, it makes them vulnerable to the all-out attack from the government.

This battle will have huge consequences for content creators and social media marketers.

The Tech Giant War and social media

Think that Google penalizes content duplication now?

As the Tech Giant War breaks out, the value of exclusive content will skyrocket. This war will be fought over content and creators.

Amazon-only Kindle books won’t be the outlier, they’ll be the norm. Google and Apple both produce books and might very well boost exclusive content programs of their own.

This year Mark Zuckerberg pledged to spend $1 Billion on Facebook’s Creators program. This focus on exclusive video content from stars who can import an audience is aimed at Twitch (an Amazon subsidiary) and its Partnership Program, which once held a monopoly on live streaming gaming stars. Microsoft once attempted to lure away this talent by purchasing Beam, rebranding it as Mixer, and hiring such talent as gamers Ninja and Shroud. However, citing their lack of market share, Microsoft shut down the service in July of 2020. Facebook might have better odds because they are not only focused on gaming content.

Of course, a billion dollars never hurts.

Marketing opportunities in the Tech Giant War

So how do brands thrive in a siloed social media environment? Watch how the battles are evolving and get ahead of it.

If they want exclusive … give them exclusive! Share your video on Facebook. Write books for Amazon. Make short snippets of content in YouTube Shorts. And always keep an ear to the ground to adjust to the ever-changing goals of the Tech Giants.

A few years ago, Microsoft added “time spent on LinkedIn” to CEO Satya Nadella’s bonus structure. That was a big clue as to where content creators should focus to succeed on that platform!

Tp meet this goal, LinkedIn added video capabilities and became the only social feed that surfaces branded content organically. As a result, marketers, business coaches, recruiters, and other personal brands flocked to LinkedIn.

Look at developments on other platforms. YouTube established a creator fund to support Shorts. Amazon has Vella. TikTok launched Stories, which feels redundant, but we’ll bite.

Committing exclusively to a platform is high-risk. Recent launches like Instagram Reels and Twitter Fleets quickly flopped. In the more distant past, many of us were burned by Facebook Notes, Meerkat, Vine, and the ultimate platform failure, Google Plus.

But committing can also be lucrative, especially for creators. Those creator funds are bound to keep rising.

When a social network launches a “new” feature, instead of complaining that it’s just trying to be like another network, give it a shot. Brands are rewarded for being early adopters of new features, whether it’s a bump in reach or simply standing out because the space is less crowded. As the opportunity to be an early adopter of new networks becomes less common, shift the focus to exploring new features on old networks. Your curiosity and creativity will be rewarded and your brand will have another month of relevancy in a constantly evolving space.

The cycle never stops, new opportunities are always popping up.

How to hedge the exclusivity bets

High risk brings high reward and unless you have an unlimited ad budget, exclusivity is the highest payout gamble. Weigh your odds and choose your games carefully, but don’t be afraid to go all-in on a wise decision. The tech companies will reward your loyalty.

Just remember that they will never return that loyalty.

Prepare your brand to hop in the event of platform failure.

The most important strategy is to own your audience. Gather emails, phone numbers, or better yet, set up a private discussion channel on your website or a Discord server. If one of your content platforms tanks, you will have options.

Stats like audience engagement are fleeting. Tech companies are fickle. It’s human connections that last.

Be good to your customers and community, because they’re the ones that will matter in the end, no matter what happens in the Tech Giant Wars.

Kiki Schirr is a freelance marketer, writer, and former founder who enjoys new technologies. She believes success is a product of luck, tenacity, and chutzpah. You can email Kiki Schirr at her full name without spaces at Gmail. Just remember that she responds faster on Twitter.

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By Kiki Schirr, {grow} Contributing Columnist

As the pandemic forces more people to work from home or make dramatic career changes, many people are researching alternative ways to make money … like building an app.

There are many articles out there promoting the profit potential of app development. The idea of swimming in riches from coding at home might seem intoxicating, but there needs to be a balance to the discussion because there are also major risks. So let’s bring some focus to this discussion today.

Beware of smiling affiliates

Often financial “gurus” of the YouTube variety list “build an app” as a dreamy-sounding side hustle. They have stats on why you’re guaranteed to make money, suggesting that you can pay someone to do all the hard work for you. Please take note: if someone on YouTube pitches that and suggests you click a link or buy an online course on becoming the next Pinterest, block their account!

There was a time when software development felt like the Wild West. Young buckaroos headed out to make their fortunes in California with ten dollars in their pockets and the fastest fingers anyone’s ever seen fly over a keyboard. Now, I’d argue, we’re all customers at speakeasies, buying ourselves entertainment because we don’t understand the true price, and the people making money are the ones at the top who already have it.

Maybe those YouTubers were right 10 years ago, but not now. If it’s so easy to build an app and get rich, why are they shilling on YouTube?

Even Apple has a worm

I agree with most app development advice: if you want to build an app, start with Apple devices.

I am a loyal Apple customer. I love that they take privacy seriously, and I won’t be going back to Android-anything until they commit to major policy changes. 

I don’t like that privacy is a premium product that not everyone can afford, but until our legislators realize that tech doesn’t care about the lofty ideals of our Founding Fathers, that won’t change. In fact, even government assistance cell phones are pre-loaded with unremovable malware that increases the likelihood of identity theft and other financial crimes against the owners. These cellphones run Android.

So why do I still worry about Apple?

This month, Apple announced that its devices and App Store had resulted in $519 billion of sales for other businesses in 2019. It then went on to clarify that only a fraction of that — $61 billion — came from digital services.

Why bother with that clarification? Because every developer listening was mentally multiplying that number by 0.3.

Apple takes a 30 percent cut of goods sold through its App Store (15 percent of recurring fees, if you qualify). So last year, Apple might have made up to $18.3 billion by allowing companies to charge their phone users for products Apple did not build. They hosted the products, they tested the products, and often they collected the money themselves, but the item being sold was not an Apple product or service. It was “their cut.”

And 30 percent is a lot. The Apple App Store was the first of its kind and set this number as a standard. Google and Amazon now both take a 30 percent cut as well. Developers hate this, rail against this constantly.

The backlash

The EU just slapped Apple with an Antitrust lawsuit.  Spotify and Rakuten had both filed formal complaints against Apple on this front—Spotify for Apple’s promotion of their own Apple Music interfering with Spotify on iPhones, and Rakuten’s complaint was about the 30 percent cut Apple took from their ebook sales (while simultaneously promoting their own Apple-branded ebook store).

European developers often complain about the EU stifling creativity with lawsuits and regulations like GDPR. But American developers are watching with great interest and optimism, hoping that such litigation will change policies.

The gangster shakedown

A third piece of bad news: Apple announced it was rejecting the previously approved HEY email app. The app, created by Basecamp founders and tech thought leaders like David Heinemeier Hansson, was rejected because HEY had no method of accepting payment on the iPhone for their $99/year privacy email service.

Since HEY was offering 100GB of storage on top of all their email services, the general consensus was that $99/year was a STEAL. Dropbox charges $120/year for that storage alone. 

In order to keep from losing $30 of each sale to Apple, they figured that HEY customers could only buy it from their computer. Inconvenient, but better than overcharging the customer.

Apple rejected the idea. It’s not the first time they’ve made this rejection, but the HEY founders are probably the loudest, most important people they’ve shot down. And the timing is obviously not ideal.

I wasn’t the first to compare the App Stores of tech firms to gangster behavior. DHH will not go quietly into the night, and many Apple fans are also loyal Basecamp fans, so the drama is stirring.

But there’s actually a lot of smaller things that are problematic with the App Store, too.

App Store management is not transparent

In 2015, I was working on an iOS-only fitness app and became obsessed with getting an App Store Account Manager. I’d been told by successful friends that having someone on your side within the approval process was a cheat code that could get your updates pushed faster and help you become featured on the Apple App Store.

While I was never successful in getting our review time expedited — a very helpful thing when a bug in your code is interfering with your user experience — I was frustrated that many people had. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. It turns out, Apple helps you the most when you build an app that becomes part of the gangster family.

The most consistent tips for success on Apple are (1) being only available on iOS or Apple products and (2) programming your app to highlight a new feature that is exclusive to Apple products.

App Store punishment

In 2016 a talented developer, Bogdan Popescu, who had created the popular programming tool Dash was banned from his Apple account without warning. Dash was pulled from the App Store without explanation, which left even loyal Apple programmers reeling.

Over time, the explanations became murkier. Dash was not the only app banned by Apple — there were numerous apps associated with Popescu’s Apple ID over the years that had been pulled and in total over 1,000 fake reviews were found attached to those apps.

Apple’s fraud department had been investigating fake reviews and they took down Popescu’s current, squeaky-clean project when they took down old apps managed by his family. Popescu had a difficult time establishing a distance between himself and the fake reviews since he’d given his family permission to oversee the accounts, even though the reviews were not purchased in his name and there were new Apple IDs controlling the suspect apps at the time the reviews were bought.

And the most loyal of Apple developers became vicious. Even Apple lashed out, distributing proof of the fake reviews when a Hacker News thread tried to defend Popescu. 

I find Apple’s attack on a single developer repugnant, even if the situation was complicated. Their evidence remains a smear on Popescu’s reputation, and when Dash was finally allowed back on the App Store 7 months later in 2017, many former users vowed not to redownload it, citing their distrust of the developer’s side of the story.

Hidden costs

While Apple’s development tools (Xcode) are technically free, the true cost of a developer account is $99/year because the software is hard to use without buying other features.

Xcode, the development tool for iOS apps, also only runs on devices using Mac OS, and usually only the latest versions of that software (Xcode 11.4 requires Mac OS Mojave 10.14+)

This means you could either run Parallels or some other form of container for PC to get Mac OS to run on it, or get at least a 2015 MacBook Pro in used condition for ~$500-600, although depending on your app project complexity, either of these options might run painfully slow.

A mobile app developer I know just upgraded to a $3,600 MacBook and regrets not doing it sooner because of all the time saved in processing. But that particular model, without accessories or additional software, can also cost as much as $6,700 with the highest standard upgrade package.

Paying to build an app is expensive

And if you’re not the developer working for yourself, the cost to build an app begins to skyrocket. Hiring developers with in-demand language skills like React Native, Swift, or other iOS development languages will likely be over $100,000 per salaried junior developer and much more if you’re in a major metropolitan area.

Hiring a development firm and outsourcing your project to an established team is even more outrageous. BuildFire suggests $60,000 as its minimum estimate for a simple app.

I’ve never heard of anyone paying under $10,000, even for a clunky prototype app to show investors. And then the development team held the app hostage, offering to sell the idea back to them for thousands of dollars.

Time to build an app?

As with all things, only invest what you can afford to lose. If you have enough time to build an app yourself without taking a large pay cut, go for it. If you can afford to pay a reputable service to make a prototype or your first version and still make rent, sure, give it a shot.

But know the risks. This article should help a little with that.

Kiki Schirr is a freelance marketer who knows a little too much about the downsides of app creation. Besides her fitness app, she is also the former founder and CEO of a small video chat company that should have hung around for the shelter-in-place era. Maybe if she’d been less gun-shy on going mobile, right? Kiki is most easily reached via Twitter.

Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com

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I am really excited to present this new Marketing Companion podcast episode — some fascinating topics!

Tom Webster and I first tackle a global issue of internet governance. The EU says its citizens have a right to erase themselves from the internet — everywhere, in every country. But is this right? Is it fair for one government to essentially make the rules for other countries? And, as Tom argues, who says it is OK to be forgotten?

Next, we discuss what some analysts are calling the Third Age of Apple. What is this, and why is it important?

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By Mars Dorian, {grow} Contributing Columnist

Try to scan through an entertainment site without stumbling over an article about the Streaming Era. Spoiler alert: It’s impossible.

As we move from owning content to accessing it, streaming becomes the new normal.

Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are the usual suspects. But Sky, Apple, Facebook, and even Disney have tasted the sweet sugar of streaming. They are building their own channels.

Hunting for your eyeballs, battling for your brain’s attention.

And despite knocking down classic TV channels, the onslaught of streaming services also change our consumption style. We demand the content tailored to us, whenever and wherever we want. This is a challenge AND opportunity for content creators who not only want to survive but thrive.

Below, I want to reveal the lessons from streaming you can apply to your content strategy.

Serialization in the streaming era

Netflix popularized binging — watching multiple episodes of a series in rapid succession.

Similarly, successful authors urge writing newcomers to write a series and release each part as soon as possible, ensuring binge-ability.

The reasons are simple: content shock. When you produce a piece of content (an episode, a book) that your target audience loves, you want to release the sequel as soon as possible. Because in today’s age, the audience forgets quickly.

I know stories from fellow indie authors who launched a successful book. But because they didn’t follow up fast enough, their sequel flopped. The author took too much time and the readers moved on.

Serialization also works for non-fiction books. Instead of releasing a comprehensive tome on a topic, many authors now publish short 20K-40K word books. These ‘novellas’ focus on one aspect of the topic.

If you take storytelling advice as an example, you can each publish a short book on dialogue writing, characterization, theme development and plotting.

This serialization of content can net you more money and make marketing more affordable. You can only spend your ad money on promoting your first piece. If it satisfies your target audience, they’ll check out the rest of your series.

Be addicted to data. And then change your content.

The folks at Netflix are obsessed with A/B, heck, C/D/E/F/G testing their show thumbnails to up their streaming numbers. They experiment with colors, the number of people featured on a thumbnail, the type of characters, the size of their heads, abstract alternatives, different title positions etc.

It gets crazier.

They’ve learned that putting villains on thumbnails for kids and action shows lead to better responses. Apparently, heroes didn’t elicit the same strong emotions from Netflix members.

You probably don’t have the same capacities as the streaming giant, but you can still use data to adapt your content creation.

With the help of Google analytics, you can check what kind of posts perform best and when. You can find out what kind of posts get the most shares.

If you sell digital products and services, you can set a budget for your Facebook campaigns and check which ad design and text combo elicits more engagement. Be the little man’s Netflix.

As for me, I’ve just asked a small section of my readers to choose between various covers for my next book. The experiment lead to new insights.

If you have access to data, use it to adapt your content strategy.

Short and daily delivery

Netflix’s content budget for 2018 is expected to near the $13,000,000,000 mark. Yep, thirteen billion. That monstrous budget allows the streaming giant to air 700+ shows this year, signaling: there’s new stuff coming out every single day. Come back. Again and again.

Two content creators I obsessively follow have a similar strategy even though their budget is in the single zeroes.

Ksenia Anske

Ksenia Anske self-publishes dark fantasy books online. She also runs a successful Patreon account where she publishes daily writing advice for her supporters.

The posts are usually short, sometimes in video form, and often concentrate on one topic. So whenever supporters return to her Patreon page, they find a new digestive snippet, ready to be consumed on the fly.

Another great example is Carson Reeves who is an LA-based screenplay consultant. He publishes Hollywood screenwriting advice on his site to lure in potential customers who’re interested in getting their scripts reviewed.

Carson not only publishes daily — he also adheres to a themed schedule.

Monday is typically a screenplay-centric breakdown of the latest big movie. Tuesday he extracts 10 screenwriting tips from a well-known movie. On Wednesday, he reviews a feature script or a television pilot. He releases an opinion article on Thursday and reviews an amateur script from his community on Friday.

Carson’s tight programming conditions his audience like Maslow’s dog.

Bell rings, the dog salivates. Carson publishes, the readers engage.

As soon as a new article is released, you’ll see a lively community discussion growing to 150-200 comments per post.

More importantly, Carson’s daily commitment to producing specific content turned him into a full-time script consultant. Woof woof.

Conclusion

Serialization of your content and digital products, data-driven A/B/C testing and short & daily content production can help you thrive in the streaming age.

It can also lead to burnout, but that’s content for another post.

Mars Dorian is an illustrating designer and storyteller. He crafts words and pictures that help clients stand out online and reach their customers. You can find his homebase at www.marsdorian.com and connect with him on Twitter @marsdorian.

Original illustration by the author. Photo: Ksenia Anske.

The post Do it like Netflix: how to create content in the streaming era appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

By Mark Schaefer

Is social media turning into a three-horse race?

New research by Edison indicates that Americans are starting to migrate to three big social media platforms, while usage and preference is flattening out on secondary platforms.

In this scintillating, 99th episode of The Marketing Companion, Tom Webster reveals a study 2o years in the making: The Infinite Dial. Some of the highlights of this show:

• The social media shake-out: Why Snapchat will last and Twitter is in trouble
• Emergence of smart speakers (like Google Home and Alexa) … and why Apple is falling behind.
• The profound implications of the extraordinary growth in video subscriptions
• The decline of advertising opportunities and the impact on marketing
• Surprising listener trends in podcasts (and why young people aren’t going there)
• The rise of YouTube as a music channel

In this episode, Tom and I also read our spam, because we can.

Who’s ready to rumble?

If you can’t access the episode above, click on this link to listen to Episode 99

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Edison’s Infinite Dial Report

Norm McDonald’s Moth Joke.

Other ways to enjoy our podcast

• Click here to download the latest episode or subscribe in iTunes
• Complete Marketing Companion Episode Guide
• Click here for the show’s RSS feed – for Android listeners.
• Find the podcast on Stitcher

Please support our extraordinary sponsors. Our content is free because of their generosity.

Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com.

BuzzSumo is the world’s best way to discover, analyze and amplify your content. Run over to BuzzSumo today for a 14 day free trial. Beyond data, BuzzSumo offers priceless insights into content discovery, monitoring, influencers and outreach, content research and planning, and competitor research. Find out why so many Marketing Companion fans are now hooked on Buzzsumo. Check out BuzzSumo’s powerful technology to look at the hottest content trends down to the hour!

Illustration courtesy Flickr CC and Sandra Dee

The post New research reveals Americans migrating to three social media platforms appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

By Brooke Ballard, {grow} Contributing Columnist

A little over a year ago I treated myself to a BMW X3 on my birthday. It came with a yearlong subscription to Sirius Radio, which I loved.

But when May rolled around and they wanted 25+ dollars a month to renew, my soon-to-be husband said NO WAY. “Highway robbery” he called it.

I’m a huge music fan, but most of what I listen to isn’t played on the “regular” radio. I’m convinced that listening to mostly commercials and the same number one hit played every 20 minutes is the leading cause of road rage.

Enter Apple Music to save the day. Enter a seriously great user experience (UX).

While there are plenty of critics, my marketing eyes (and ears) are constantly being dazzled.

Here’s why …

Personalization & Customization

Like Pandora and other music services, Apple Music asks for your music tastes when you first sign in. The site allows you to customize your preferred channels and artists and then offers personalization with entire playlists that are curated based on your picks.

But Apple Music takes user experience and personalization to a whole new level because every time I log in I’m greeted with one or two new playlists under ‘For You.’

These are not new channels or lists I had to create, the system is learning based on my actions, like allowing me to click a little heart next to any song, playlist or artist to show my love.

And trust me, that little emoticon heart they’re using is no accident … but that’s another post altogether.

User Experience Design For Music Lovers

To me, it feels like Apple went to a lot of effort to think about me as a music lover, not as an Apple customer (I’m sure they had both in mind).

For instance, I can do the following actions for ease of use:

• Add any song, album or playlist to My Music (at no extra cost)
• Make any song, album or playlist available offline — meaning I don’t need WiFi or cellular data to listen
• I can share my Apple Music with anyone designated to my shared group, or by text, mail, social, etc.
• When listening to Apple Music radio, there are NO commercials (not even little ones like on Sirius) and I can even play next or previous … it’s like DVR for the radio minus the commercials … I mean, SERIOUSLY!
• Under ‘New’ I can keep up with what’s hot, curated lists by people in the know, and view song charts

And with my fiancé’s newer car, we can use Siri to play any music our hearts desire with a push of a button and the command, “Siri, play [enter song title].” You can even say, “Siri, play top hits from the 80s.” SWOON.

We were cracking ourselves up asking her to play possible wedding entrance songs like This Is How We Do It  and Regulate for our bridal party after meeting with the DJ earlier this week.

She will literally find any song to play for you. It rocks!

It seems Apple thought about some of the frustrations music lovers have with other sites — commercials, needing WiFi to play, having to pay for a service AND the music you want to keep — and tried to eliminate those pain points.

Any marketer can glean something from that.

UX For Marketing Minds, Too

With curated playlists named things like, “Sleek And Sexy Pre-Dinner Drinks | Dinner might have to wait if you’re not careful” or “Beach Body Beats | It’s time to strut your stuff” I’m constantly giggling at my newfound music go-to.

Not only has Apple managed to curate playlists with a mix of what I’ve said I like by punching the heart button, they’re opening me up to new artists and songs I haven’t yet heard of.

And they’re really clever/funny/tongue in cheek about it. AND it’s only 9.99 a month after my three-month free trial — which includes all the music I want to add to my collection.

Don’t you wish every marketing campaign you ever created was able to offer that?!

Yes, I’m sure there are plenty of Apple Music critics (I haven’t had any of the problems they’ve complained about).

Whether or not you like Apple or Apple Music, I think looking at what they’re doing from a user experience standpoint is sound advice for any marketer.

What about you? Have you had experiences with Apple Music or other sites that are creating killer examples of user experience? Let me know in the comments section below!

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