Everyday we scroll through thousands of pictures, videos, advertisements. Only a few are memorable, only a few do individuals actually watch the full video or read the entire description. The question is how do brands create “stop the scroll” content? The type of content that draws a user in where they can’t look away. We discussed the answer to this in class which consists of Maslow’s Hierarchy and it’s attributes (1).
- Disruptive, Timely or Relevant
- Appeals to People’s Needs
- Inspires – Doesn’t Sell
- Visual
- On Brand
- Informed By Data
These attributes plus the pyramid are the secret sauce to great engaging content. The example shown in class still sticks with me. It brought you on a journey that evoked so emotion. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Why? It’s because it started as every other back to school ad which made me want to click off. But suddenly, there was a noise that sounded very misplaced for a back to school ad. It was not a gun shot. The unexpected hit and left me fixated on the screen absolutely speechless. It wasn’t like every other back to school ad. This was disruptive, relevant, timely and fit within the basic need category on the pyramid.
*TW*: End School Shootings (2)
This is another genius commercial created by Match. It was so timely because it had to deal with Covid. If you haven’t heard about that, it was the pandemic of 2020 that took the world by storm. Match turned something so dark and twisted and somehow how made it lighthearted and comical. It was on brand for the company and was visually entertaining. In terms of Maslow’s pyramid, it falls into the category of psychological needs. It touches on relationships, the feeling of belongingness in an unpredictable crazy world.
Match Commercial (3)
The point of this commercial is female empowerment. It’s extremely relevant with the times being that gender equality especially in sports was really big in the news. It appeals to the needs of women by showing them they are powerful and that stereo types aren’t true. This commercial does a great job at inspiring. It inspires younger generations to continue to have confidence and the other generations to know how wonderful and strong it is to be a woman. They turned “you kick like a girl” into a compliment because doing things “like a girl means amazing things”. This commercial also fits into the psychological need category. It touches on esteem and feeling of belongingness.
Always – Like A Girl (4)
All three videos share the share the commonality of making the user “stop the scroll”. They get taken out of reality and sucked into each commercial ad. They do this by using marketing tactics such as inspiring, using the unexpected and taking comical twists that are all so relevant.
Questions For Reader: What commercials makes you “stop the scroll”? Which marketing tactic do you think engages a user best? What is one thing most brands need to incorporate to make their content better?
Works Cited:
(1) Mcleod, Saul. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, 29 Dec. 2020, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
(2) “Back-to-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 Sept. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ykNZl9mTQ.
(3) equalman. “Satan Commercial Match.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmb5ENInqVk.
(4) AlwaysBrand. “Always #Likeagirl.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 June 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs.
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