Made You Look: Currency of Content

So, how do you walk this tightrope? How do you create content that people love, while also creating marketing that works? 

The secret isn't about choosing a side. It's about creating a content ecosystem where brand-building and marketing don't just coexist; they empower each other. It’s about making them look, and then making them care. 

Read the Room: Content That Belongs 

Think of your brand as a person. You wouldn't wear a tuxedo to a music festival, and you wouldn't tell your deepest secrets to a stranger at the bus stop. The same logic applies to your content. Understand your audience where they are and what will engage them. 

Effective content feels native to its environment. 

Whilst TikTok and Instagram typically lead the way for brands to connect with their audience via social channels, LinkedIn is typically the place for brand thought leadership. It’s where you share industry insights, celebrate company milestones, and post the polished, professional version of your brand story. 

These feature extensive-slide carousels that humorously dissect “office culture oddities”—like the mystery of the communal fridge or the art of avoiding small talk—before subtly tying in the product on the final slides.  
Using LinkedIn is an unexpected platform choice to stand out but this was designed to target young professionals.

Source: Surreal

Reasons behind the social media campaign's success: 

• Personalisation: The content spoke directly to the daily quirks of its audience, making it hyper-relatable to office workers. 

• Social Media Sharing: The crazy long carousels dared users to keep scrolling, increasing shareability with colleagues. 

• Humour as Nostalgia: By poking fun at universal workplace experiences, it evoked a nostalgic camaraderie, connecting emotionally with its niche audience of health-conscious professionals. 

Creating A Moment  

Guerrilla marketing isn't just about flash mob. In the digital space, it’s about subverting expectations and creating moments of delightful disruption. It’s the ultimate brand-building tool because it generates something far more valuable than a click: a memory. 

When the cast of the TV show Severance did a surprise live performance at New York’s Grand Central Station, the stunt created a huge social reach. 

Source: Severance

Reasons behind the campaign's success: 

• Celebrities (e.g., Ben Stiller) and brands amplified the stunt by sharing it online 

• Many people who witnessed the stunt in real life posted about their experiences (which this was specifically engineered to do) 

• Media coverage expanded the stunt’s visibility across numerous channels—not just social platforms 

• Severance fans worldwide reacted to the stunt on social media 

This isn’t about your scheduled, day-to-day marketing content. This is your wild card. It’s the unexpected brand collaboration, the hilarious real-time response to a cultural moment. 

Crocs social team decided to collab with Heelys just for fun in the name of creating playful and humorous content that had nothing to do with selling products, just purely created to create engagement and interaction with their respective communities……. And maybe test the water for future collaboration!! 

Reasons behind the campaign's success: 

• Unexpected 

• Onpoint for both brands and their fans 

• Strong social engagement  

This type of content rarely focuses on a direct sale. Its purpose is to build mystique, generate conversation, and make your brand unforgettable. It’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy that, when done right, creates a story that your audience will tell for you. That’s brand equity you simply can’t buy. 

Duolingo owns the game when creating impactful content, blending humour and relatability. Their 'unhinged' marketing strategy, a standout on TikTok, playfully uses Duo the Owl in bold, unexpected situations, creating fun, engaging, and highly shareable short-form videos that resonate with Gen Z. 

Their Charli XCX concert stunt – a masterclass in guerrilla marketing. Duolingo strategically seized a viral moment during Charli XCX's tour, investing thousands in pit tickets. They made sure to show up dressed to impress as Duo the owl." 

Reasons behind the campaign's success: 

• Created a shareworthy moment during Charli XCX's tour. 

• Knowledge that the concert would be heavily documented across social media.

• Currys have gone all-in on employee-led original content. They have taken a disruptive approach on TikTok and Instagram, humanising the brand and establishing trust with new generations, which is a bold approach for a legacy British electronics store. They have gone all-in on employee-led content.

Source: Currys

The best of their formula is their employees—who star in the shorts, from their delivery and comedic timing, to how much fun they seem to be having making the content. 

The brand boasts 345 million followers on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, which shows they understand their audience and their platforms!  

Reasons behind the campaign's success: 

• Understanding their audience—their interests 

• Humour 

• Utilising real staff 

• Cultural relevance 

• GenZ focused whilst engaging a broader audience 

Once Upon a Brand: Storytelling as a Strategy 

What’s the difference between a product people buy and a brand people follow? A story. 

Your marketing content talks about the what—what your product does, what the offer is. Your brand-building content talks about the why—why you exist, what you believe in, and where you came from. 

It’s a golden thread woven throughout everything you do. It's in the way you describe your products, the visuals you choose, the customer service you provide, and the values you champion. 

• Marketing Content: "Our new running shoe has 20% more cushioning for improved performance." 

• Brand Storytelling: "We were founded by marathon runners who were tired of injuries holding them back. Every shoe we design is a step towards helping everyone cross their own personal finish line." 

The first statement sells a shoe. The second invites you to be part of a mission. One creates a transaction; the other creates a tribe. 

ASICS’ Desk Break experiment campaign focussed on brand storytelling, focusing on mental wellbeing as a catalyst for change. They found that just 15 minutes of movement can improve mental wellbeing and reduce stress.

The most effective way to build a loyal audience is to be genuinely useful New Balance does this perfectly in a campaign that doesn’t call out any specific product just the impact it can have on your life. Educational content is the ultimate bridge between brand and marketing. It builds trust, demonstrates expertise, and naturally leads customers toward your solution without a hard sell.  

Corona’s "For Every Slice of Sun" campaign, launched during the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2024, exemplifies Corona's ability to turn a natural phenomenon into a powerful brand statement.  

By aligning its brand identity with this rare event, Corona generated significant hype and captured public imagination, reinforcing its connection to nature and its roots in natural experiences through a series of cleverly curated assets from around the world. This content connects with those special moments of decompression, travel and exploration; it’s not selling a product but a lifestyle.

The Balance Beam 

Ultimately, the tug-of-war between brand and marketing is a false one. They are two sides of the same coin. 

Your brand-building content—the stories, the educational pieces, the guerrilla moments—creates the authentic, loyal communities. Your marketing content is created to grab your brand fans attention with a clear and compelling way to take action. With now consumers less loyal than ever you need to be authentic and true to your brand whilst understanding what really engages your audience. 

We can support in building a holistic content strategy where every piece has a purpose, every platform has a personality, and your audience is rewarded for the attention they give you. Do that, and you won’t just make them look; you’ll make them believe. 

We’d love to talk about your challenges and potential opportunities.