Crowdsourced video & design blog for brand marketers | Crowd Creativity

It's been a few weeks since the conclusion of this year's South by South West (SXSW) festival in Houston, Texas, and even though Justin Timberlake may have stolen the final thunder, there are still many things we can take away from it as marketers. 

One of the most compelling ideas that came out of SXSW 2013 was the focus towards identifying your brand's advocates instead of the growing number of followers. What does this mean though? Think of it this way:Would you rather have many friends that are acquaintances or have fewer friends with strong relationships? Trevor Jonas, VP of Digital at Access Communications, summed up the situation perfectly by saying that, "having fifteen or twenty million fans on a social network is dramatically less than," the response you get, "from interacting and building relationships with a thousand or even a hundred true advocates." The massive number of followers may be impressive, but the true testament in brand loyalty comes from the endorsement and support of those die-hard enthusiasts, otherwise known as the brand advocates. It's important to nurture strong relationships with brand advocates.

There is no doubt that the adoption of social media has become increasingly mainstream, but lately a leveling off of growth is occurring. Tactics that marketers once used to connect to and attract audiences to their social media channels are shifting to emphasize consumer engagement while focusing on converting fans into consumers. In a saturated landscape, connecting to consumers relies heavily on the quality of content marketers are producing. As a result, quality content becomes the driving force behind major marketing objectives.

Demand for video advertising continues to boom.  In many cases, demand outstrips the rate at which brand marketers and agencies can supply it – leaving opportunities behind and money on the table.