Developing catchy content is a challenge for marketers and business owners. How can you take something ordinary (words, visuals, etc.) and put them together to create fantastic brand messaging? Today, we’ll compare two shows from an entertainment giant, and explain why you should make your content match the dynamic of a well-armored bounty hunter to entice readers!
The Divide Between Two Well-Known Shows
We’re all fans of interstellar wars here, and it’s not a competition. In many cases, things like this simply come down to differences in taste. Though we are drawing parallels between the two shows and providing some marketing do’s and don’ts, we won’t blame you if you loved the one we found less appealing!
That said, there’s a clear difference between the reception for Cass A. after the first rogue and the reception for a shiny-armored bounty hunter. Whether you loved or hated it, one about the bounty hunter quickly became a “must watch” for interstellar war fans, whereas Cass’ story became a forgettable piece of the franchise.
1. Give Them Something To Care About
No matter what species it is, we’re suckers for babies. When the 50-year-old bounty the armored bounty hunter is after turns out to be a child from a species unknown to him, he immediately becomes protective of the child (the wide-eyed green creature), willing to lose his expected bounty (and the benefit to young bounty hunters in training) in the name of doing good to a seemingly-defenseless creature.
In contrast, the first episode of Cass’ story begins with him looking for his sister. The stakes don’t seem as high – his sister is already captured and he’s trying to get her back – and his sister is older. Cass is forced to flee after killing and murdering officers, but that’s nothing compared to the number of people the bounty hunter ultimately upset on his quest to help the child.
Brands can succeed by giving their clients something to care about. One way to do this is to promote your brand’s social responsibility efforts. Talk about how you give back to communities and causes that matter. For example, many of our clients are believers, and we regularly offer pro-bono services to churches and other nonprofit organizations we align with.
2. Establish an Unforgettable Symbol of Your Brand
Without a doubt, the wide-eyed green child has been a major part of the bounty hunter show’s success. Not that the well-armored hunter isn’t cool, but we rally behind his fatherly instincts all the harder because of our attachment to the small, mischievous but powerful creature he’s determined to protect.
The child quickly became an icon of the bounty hunter show – probably more so than the subject of the show himself – and that is evidenced by the sheer volume of merchandise, clothing, etc., that was sold featuring the adorable child’s likeness.
In the same way, your brand should have an unmistakable icon – a simple but thoughtful logo – that connects with your target audience, communicating a visual story about who you are and what you care about.
3. Tell a Meaningful Story (And Don’t Be Boring!)
Whether it’s a piece of entertainment or for a brand, story is everything.
Unfortunately, many viewers saw Cass’ show as “boring.” On the first page of Rotten Tomato reviews, there are three uses of the word “boring” alone. Other reviews say it’s slow and “as entertaining as a trip to the DMV.” Ouch!
On the flipside, the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for Season One of the bounty hunter’s show are many – and for every negative review, there seem to be three to counteract it. Some reviewers said the show was “boring,” but for the most part, fans got into it. Many reviewers expressed that it reignited their love for the franchise and many who said it was “slow” still gave it high marks.
To put it into a marketing context, it’s important to tell a meaningful story and avoid being boring. Business owners commonly make the mistake of using too much jargon to explain their products and services, alienating site visitors and potential customers. It’s far better to tell a brand story that’s entertaining and significant than to bog people down with jargon.
4. Balance Delivering Expectations with Mystery
The first season of the bounty hunter show was huge – and fans eagerly anticipated the second season. We were all hoping to learn the child’s name by the end of the season (or hear him talk), only to learn nothing. Understandably, there was a lot of anticipation about the second season, which even led to a fan site applauding the minimal marketing efforts that kept the mystery alive.
It wasn’t until the second season (fifth episode) that we learned his name – which was good timing because if showrunners had waited much longer, fans might have gotten tired of the unanswered question and disconnected from the show. Instead, fans enjoyed Season Two about as much as they enjoyed Season One.
If you’re a service business owner, it’s imperative that you find the delicate balance between delivering expectations through your content and maintaining an element of mystery. You should absolutely provide helpful information to your website visitors – but don’t tell every detail of what you do. When you can strike the right balance, you can educate your prospects while ensuring they come back to you every time.
5. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels
The first season about the bounty hunter and creature garnered many more positive reviews than Cass’ story did. The first bounty hunter season got an audience score of 92%, whereas the story about Cass scored 86%. The second season of the story of the bounty hunter’s travels also fared well, with a score of 91%.
However, the third season about the bounty hunter did far worse than Cass’ story, with an abysmal score of 50% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
This shows you that no matter how good your brand is, there’s always a chance you’ll lose sight of your vision. You must check in often with your team, target market, and current clients to avoid getting caught up in pizzazz or becoming distracted from your overall objectives and brand story.
Remember: no one is untouchable in the marketing world or the entertainment world.
Nail Your Content with Matcha Design: Do in This Way
A lot goes into creating content: you need a spark of creativity, some SEO knowledge, a grasp on grammar, and the ability to weave a good story. And that’s not even going into the visuals! If you’d rather not add more responsibilities to your plate, the Matcha Design team is happy to help! We’ll work with you to see your content goals through to completion.
Contact us today for more information!
