Seaspiracy and the Impact of “Made For Social Media” Documentaries
Will Netflix’s Seaspiracy convince us all to stop eating fish?
The term “Slacktivism” has been coined in recent years to describe the activity of amplifying worthy causes online. “Hashtag Activism” is another way to describe people engaging in activism on social media through use of a hashtag. These forms of activism require minimal effort and critics say they have very little impact beyond making those who get involved look and feel good about themselves.
This has led to an increase in what I would describe as “Made for Social Media Documentaries”. They’re made with the aim of going viral online with their shocking message. This ignites a dialogue on social media feeds that increases the reach of the message and therefore the documentary itself. They’re incredibly well made and usually have a clear message or response that they want from the viewer. The response is generally for us the viewer to do something aspirational and heroic like “make a change”, “be the change” and most importantly spread the word.
Impactful documentaries on global issues are not a new thing, they’ve always been around but the way that we engage with them has changed. Word of mouth is now digital and even those with small numbers of followers can convince people to at the very least watch a programme and feel they should react to it in a similar way. The first real example of this in the digital world was the phenomenon of Kony 2012.
For those who don’t remember Kony 2012, it was a Youtube Documentary by Invisible Children Inc that detailed the way in which viewers could put pressure on the International community to capture the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. Kony had been recruiting child soldiers for years to fuel ongoing wars in the region. On April 20th of that year, those who signed up and donated $30 to the charity could get their own “Kony Action Kit” and “Cover the Night” by putting posters and banners of Kony up in their city. This would make him so famous that governments would come together to end his cruelty once and for all.
Sadly this didn’t really pan out as there were quickly many criticisms of the films claims from both the media in the US and Uganda. Everything about Kony 2012 was suddenly under the microscope and in the middle of all this, the now celebrity filmmaker was caught on video tape running around the streets of San Diego naked. At this point most people switched their attentions away from Kony and April 20th of that year passed with very little fan fare. Perhaps unfairly, I’ve taken every slickly produced activism themed documentary since with some skepticism.
“Seaspiracy”, from the creators of “Cowspiracy“ is the latest of this genre and is the reason why you've seen people online declare that they'll never eat fish again. These plant based docs are created with the aim of altering consumer behaviour away from meat and fish consumption. Having previously given Veganuary a try back in 2019, I feel no amount of vegan propaganda (as this has been called) would convince me to switch and go green full time.
Vegan motive aside, this is a brilliantly made expose into global commercial fishing and its devastating environmental and human impact. Netflix, who seem to exclusively produce content related to serial killers, death and missing persons, have managed to produce something that’ll make you lose even more faith in humanity with “Seaspiracy”. Despite the already published critiques of its findings, has all the hallmarks of a great viral documentary - a strong emotive leading narrator in Ali Tabrizi, dramatic music, time-lapses, powerful testimonies from key figures, data presented in beautiful bitesize ways and a simple “hashtagable” message. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll get the idea from the trailer below…
It’s so well made you’d imagine that if they released an Anti-Vax documentary (Vaxspiracy), then we'd all be ignoring that HSE text if it ever arrives. My issue with “Seaspiracy” is that like a lot of these types of films, it only presents us with an overly simplified or single alternative…in this case to stop eating fish entirely. It doesn't attempt to highlight any positive fishing practices and any of the talking heads at organisations they put the hard or simple questions to handle themselves like they’re being set up in a Borat movie. The remaining hour goes on to find more problems for every possible solution to the destruction of our oceans.
In the end this all or nothing approach could have the opposite impact and leave us feeling like if we give up the fish fingers, there'll always be thousands of shark fin soup connoisseurs over in China to make up the difference.
Surely there’s hope that big governments will stand up and take notice now that the documentary is making such waves (pun intended)? Well sadly this is also doubtful as it’s alluded to that government subsidies are fuelling it as much as the market demand. The shady government element means that the drama in “Seaspiracy” is ratcheted up to almost mockumentary levels at times as undercover agents and darkened out faces warn them to stop filming throughout. This of course, makes us only want to hear even more about it and see if we can help bring these systems down.
This gives us the feeling that by posting about it online we’re continuing a narrative that's being suppressed by powerful people across the globe. So if you let “Seaspiracy” wash over you and have signed the petitions, shared posts about it on your story or even binned the tuna cans from the larder…what's next? Well for those of us who became engrossed in taking down Kony back in 2012 learned, it could be absolutely nothing. A quick Google search of Kony doesn’t really give much in the way of an update nearly 10 years later but he seems to be still alive and I haven’t heard much about Uganda or the Invisible Children charity since. My interest in it was a flash in the pan much like the video itself.
The attention on these seemingly crucial causes can fizzle out and give way to the next emotive issue we see on our timelines or streaming services. For the people who make the documentaries however, it’s a win win. They may not be perfect or have all the answers, but they do shine a light on the issues. I wouldn’t be writing this today and highlighting the issues that “Seaspiracy” touches on if it wasn’t being promoted by Netflix and creating a buzz on major social media platforms.
If awareness is the goal of any documentary, then social media really is the best way to drive this and “Seaspiracy” has done its job by trending over the last week. What we as viewers do with the information in a documentary is where its real impact can be measured. “Seaspiracy” will make some of us more concerned about where our fish is coming from, even if that won’t prevent us from enjoying it with chips the next time that we’re in Howth.
Rating European Election Hopefuls on Their Social Media
I know nothing about politics but that wasn’t going to stop me
I’d like to start this post by saying that I’m in no way interested in Irish politics. I don’t know my Fianna Fáil from my Fianna Gael or even the difference between the Dáil and the Oireachtas. To me they’re all just buzz words in the media that I blissfully ignore. I do however, make sure I vote when it comes to election or referendum time. This is more out of a needless sense of duty than an idea that I’m part of a bigger movement that can make real change. What I’m interested in however, is how social media has come into play with elections over the last few years. With fake news and scandals over groups like Cambridge Analytica, the likes of Google and Facebook have had to reassure us that their platforms are not being unfairly exploited to push political agendas.
These channels do however allow political ads to be promoted under their respective guidelines and rules. For example, Facebook allows these ads to be run as long as they meet their criteria and do not breach any laws associated with campaigning in said relevant country. Ever since Obama’s campaign in 2009, people have witnessed the power social media and technology has to raise awareness, funding and develop a groundswell of empowered volunteers during campaigns. So are this years Irish European election hopefuls taking advantage of Social media in the right ways? Do all serious candidates now need to have “Pinterest Policies”, “Insta - Initiatives” and manifestos that fit perfectly into 260 characters? Are Twitter polls now a good indicator for what will happen at the polling station?
I’ve taken a look at some of the more interesting candidates running for European Election this year and will rate them on how I feel their social media usage could help or hinder them when it comes to the ballot box. You may be thinking that most of them would be pretty clueless when it comes to striking a chord with their respective audiences online and you wouldn’t be wrong. So lets get into it…
Ming Flanagan - Independent
Like a mix between a wizard and a character from Father Ted, Luke “Ming” Flanagan has been an MEP for the Midlands North West Constituency since 2014 and is now running for his seat again. He swears by social media as a tool to spread his message and has over over 80,000 followers across his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I strangely got hit with an Instagram story ad promoting his self made documentary called “Taking the job seriously”. You can find it on Youtube and I’m not going to lie it’s a bit of a masterpiece that should be on Netflix instead!
The documentary also has over 167,000 views as of today and so no doubt has both a lot of interest (and spend) behind it that he hopes will build awareness. He’s like a cartoon character in large parts of it and I can’t help but like him regardless of being none the wiser as to what he does by the time it was over. I asked my dad what he thought of him for some greater context and I can’t even publish what he uttered back at me. A 7/10 from me though with 1 or 2 points going for that Goatee alone!
Maria Walsh - Fine Gael
Many successful Irish politicians have drawn on one thing to captures the attention of their constituents - pageantry. Maria Walsh won the Rose of Tralee in 2014 so definitely knows a thing or two about pageantry. When you think about it the Rose of Tralee and political elections aren’t really all that different. One is an outdated premise full of clueless people parading on a stage struggling to answer simple questions, while the other is a fantastic beauty competition. Maria’s one of the more memorable winners in recent years and I have to say, her campaign video is pretty impressive.
Her Instagram looks like your typical twenty something’s Instagram too with just a spattering of political posts #relatable. With this being a clear move from Fine Gael to engage a younger base with someone that many would look up to, I think it will pay off. Only thing that may go against her here though is that she’s been a pioneer for over 20 years. An expenses scandal Irish people could probably overlook, but refusing a pint from from her EU counterparts after a long day in Brussels? That is unacceptable! A solid 8/10 as she is still one of the most #relatable ones running!
Ben Gilroy - Independent
A graduate of the "school of hard knocks" AND the "University of Life" according to his Facebook (which has over 7,000 followers), I'm genuinely not sure if Ben Gilroy is actually a real person! If telling you he's going to take down corruption, unlawful evictions and other evils isn't enough, he's more than willing to demonstrate how serious he is in the bluntest of ways. I can only imagine the sit down where his team thought up the below idea
Gilroy will no doubt attract attention with this stunt online but will the mainstream media pay attention? Not according to him they won't because “they’ve blocked him out of debates” due to their bias in favour of “talkers who do the talk” (whatever that means). 9/10 would vote for him to avoid a clatter!
Paul Gogarty - Independent
There’s few moments in politics that are burned into the minds of the general public. They are usually limited to the results of major referendums, government scandals and moments where high profile politicians clash with each other. Paul Gogarty managed to capture the attention of the nation nearly 10 years ago when this happened
I’ve seen every season of House of Cards and the intensity in that never reaches anything like what we saw in the Dáil that day. The moment where he takes a second to apologise, fully knowing the consequences of what he is about to say is nothing short of iconic. He’s since gone on to be the mayor of South Dublin and is actually only running for local elections this time but that wouldn’t stop me from honouring here! If he doesn’t get in either he can focus on his other passions which just so happen to include a career as a pop star alter ego - His Sweet Surprise. I know what tunes I’ll be blaring on the way to the polls! 8/10 will always be a hero in my eyes.
Rita Harrold - Solidarity/People Before Profit
I was driving to work recently and couldn’t help but notice Rita’s posters over all the other ones buckled to the lamp posts. Instead of the usual standard profile photos we are used to seeing, Rita’s almost has a revolutionary feel to it. There’s shades of Che Geuvara about her power stance whilst holding that megaphone and wearing her Repeal jumper. The words “A Socialist Feminist Voice” on all of her materials will no doubt resonate with a lot of younger people in her Dublin based constituency.
Image via: Rita4Dublin Facebook Page
She has compiled a list of TD’s who are also Landlords and shared it on social media to demonstrate why we’ve found ourselves in such a housing crisis. It’s these kind of bold moves that will set her apart as a hero against the evil conventional party politicians. I’m tipping her to have a massively successful career in Irish politics! I think it was Batman or one of his mates who said - “You either die as a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a landlord!” 7/10 lets all eat the rich!
Hermann Kelly - Irish Freedom Party
We’ve all heard of Brexit but how many of us have been following the not nearly as catchy “Irexit?” Looking a lot like a Tesco Value Nigel Farage, Hermann Kelly is the founder of the Irish Freedom Party that want Ireland to leave the EU. What better way to make sure that happens than by running for election as an MEP. His policies are straight from the UKIP playbook and talk about taking back control of our money, borders and future! They even tried to get their own “Irexit Bus” (still doesn’t have the same ring to it) doing the rounds across Dublin but we’re thwarted by the CIE apparently!
Image via: Irish Freedom Party Facebook Page
With a poll last year claiming that 90% of the Irish public support the EU, is Hermann barking up the wrong tree? The Freedom Party Facebook page has over 8,000 followers and the comment sections on the controversial posts show that they’ve clearly tapped into something. 6/10 could do “A Farage”.
Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames - Non Party
The last candidate I’ll be examining is Fidelma Healy Eames because she’s more well known for her lack of knowledge about social media than her ability to communicate through it. She once spoke very seriously at the Oireachtas in 2013 about the horrifying trend of “Fraping”. Credit to Fidelma though back in 2015 she also warned us about how obsessed our young people were with the online world. So much so that they wander like nomads from place to place in search of the “wiffy” code.
Despite sounding like your Uncle who just discovered that you can skip the ads when watching recorded programmes on Sky, Dr Healy Eames now has over 4,000 on Twitter and could be a dark horse in her constituency. If she fails then knowing this country she’ll probably be made head of the National Broadband Plan! 5/10 does not know how to pronounce WIFI.
Whatever way you vote in these upcoming elections, I hope this piece has given you an insight into the amazing world of Irish politics. In a time when many consider the future of the EU to be threatened, I’ve no doubt that this beautiful bunch of candidates can put this country and Europe back where we need to be (wherever that is).
If you want to chat about politics, then please don’t get in touch with me. You can however follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future blog posts that I promise will have nothing to do with politics!
Me and My Drone: A Modern Day Love Story
I went looking for a drone and ended up finding myself
The year is 1998 and I run down the stairs on Christmas morning full of excitement at what awaits. To my surprise Santa has done it again and there sits a box with the word “Scalextric” emblazoned across it with a lightning bolt. It’s everything I’d ever wanted and within minutes I have the cars whizzing on the tracks and my parents can’t believe how a little piece of technology can bring me so much joy. Everyone has a fond memory of a classic toy or popular gadget that brought us joy when we were children. Whether it was a Tamagotchi or a Gameboy, the excitement of getting it followed by the thrill of endlessly playing with it sticks with us long after we’ve grown up.
Exactly 20 years on and I felt that same giddy excitement when I came down the stairs to a delivery of my DJI Mavic Air Drone. For anyone who hasn’t watched a documentary, seen a promo video online or read the headlines about flight disruptions, drones for photography and video have become massively popular in the last two years. As I work in social media and love producing videos, I was able to convince myself that shelling out the guts of a grand for one would be a worthwhile “investment”. The real reason I bought it however was because much like that Scalextric ad from the 90s, DJI and online content creators were publishing ads and other videos that got me hook, line and sinker.
The idea of flying one of these things from your phone 100 feet in the air capturing mountains, rivers and wherever else I could think of (bar the airport) in HD was just too good to ignore. I deserved it and I was going to get one. In the interim years though I had in many ways grown up. I was no longer that carefree child so when I opened the box this time the fear of sending it into the canal on it’s maiden flight was too much for me. Imagine the shame of telling people that you’d just taken 800 blips for a drink and all that slick footage you’d promised would never come to be.
Maybe like my Dad, who at 60 bought a motorbike only for it now to lie idle in the garden ever since, the gratifying feeling of just finally having it was all I really wanted. Maybe a toy helicopter that takes pictures isn’t really compatible with the life of a 26 year old? So there it sat in my wardrobe gathering dust for over two months before I watched enough Youtube tutorials to get the courage to take it out and properly set it up. If you’ve been following my social media pages recently, then you’re probably aware that I’ve been making up for it ever since.
So was it worth the investment? For me one hundred percent yes! It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever owned and I don’t know if that makes me sad or not but it genuinely is. I can only speak for my particular drone but it’s also incredibly easy to fly. The joystick connects to your phone and gives you a live feed of what the camera on the drone sees as well as a map of your surroundings. Within minutes of using it you’re able to navigate your way around without any real issues. The propellers are so strong that even in light winds the footage you get from it is smooth and sharp.
The best part about the drone is that it’s packed with magic little tech features that work brilliantly and I have no idea how. When you’re in-flight it has features that ensure nothing goes horribly wrong. It has automatic obstacle avoidance if you get too close to trees, walls or fly into restricted airspace. If it’s running low on battery the display on your phone will alert you but if this gets lower than 10% the drone disconnects from the controller and flies itself back to the point where you set it off from. The same occurs if it loses signal with your phone for any reason or encounters bad interference from weather or birds etc. It’s like flying your own personal UFO!
My life now consists of planning half days, weekends, holidays, drives and sunsets around what kind of drone shots I could get. This year was the first year where I actually took part in the “isn’t that a grand stretch in the evenings” conversation with enthusiasm because it was an excuse to mention that it would enable my new found drone addiction. I’m finding that having a drone is a bit like being a Vegan, you just have to tell everyone about it. There’s no conversation that can’t be in some way brought back to me having a drone. “Any plans for the weekend?”, “eh yeah I think I’m gonna take my drone to…”
You know those people who push their “adorable” pictures of their kids, nieces or nephews on you during your lunch break, a night out or any chance they can get? I do that with drone stuff now. My girlfriend is also acutely aware that she plays second fiddle to a gadget that is really just a metaphor for me flying away from the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Whenever I’m out with the drone, I get that same feeling of magic I got watching those cars whip by as a 6 year old. Unlike Scalextric though, the novelty didn’t wear off after two weeks. The future is bright for me and my drone as we will no doubt take our relationship to...new heights!
If you’re looking to “elevate” your own brand’s marketing efforts, then get in touch and we can have a chat. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with all of my drone based activities.
The Growing Online Cult of Gary Vaynerchuk Followers
Is viral entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk a positive influence or just a higher level of procrastination?
Back in 2016 when I was working in social media cutting my teeth as a meme maker, one name kept popping up in the social media and content creation world: Gary Vaynerchuk. The Belarusian-American started successfully marketing his family’s wine business online in the late 90s before starting his own successful NYC based Digital Marketing agency “Vaynermedia”. He started a Youtube channel and began posting daily videos covering his time speaking at conferences, client/celebrity meetings and taking calls from budding entrepreneurs who would pick his brain about how they too could “make it happen”. If your social media timelines or Youtube recommended videos haven’t already served you a slice of viral Gary goodness then below is a little snippet to give you an idea of what he’s all about:
I think Gary Vaynerchuk is so well respected because of his no nonsense approach to people. He’s like an inspirational speaker and life coach but instead of filling you with hot air and telling you everything will fall into place with positive energy, he tells you the steps you should take right now to progress your passion, business or other dream. Even his series of “inspirational” phone screensavers contrast that of the “if you can dream it, you can do it” nonsense we’re used to seeing. I saw this myself when the company I was making memes for flew him over to speak at one of their conferences.
He spoke for an hour about how our phones and social media despite all their negative press have actually given us all an opportunity to tell our stories and build our own futures like never before. In the conference world where you’re usually spoken at rather than to (usually with a range of metaphors or case studies) Vaynerchuk instead enthusiastically gestures, curses and speaks about life instead of strategy. He’s like a modern day televangelist or a “social media-ngelist” (don’t think that works)…
Where he really shined that day however was when he opened things up for attendees to ask him their questions. People from all backgrounds jostled to table queries and concerns related to what they’re working on and how they could take it to the next level. Within seconds by asking them personal and practical questions he was able to drill down to the reasons why they weren’t doing the things they needed to and make suggestions as to what their next moves should be. I even left that night full to the gills with inspiration and ideas about how I could start my own “side hustle” and benefit from this golden age of technology. Then I had dinner, watched Netflix, went to bed and forgot all about it…
In the interim years Vaynerchuk’s social reach has exploded into the mainstream and his messages now resonate with millions of people from all backgrounds. “Making no excuses”, using “every free hour” and generally “hustling your face off ” all sound great as sound bites in viral videos but do they really align to people’s lifestyles? We all make excuses, we all binge watch our free time away and if we’re hungover you’d be doing well to hustle yourself up a takeaway on your phone! Truth is a lot of us are too busy or even burned out these days to be putting in those extra hours to make our “dreams come true”. For that 2 or 3 minute video though he gives us a heavy dose of reality that makes us feel like we finally will…but tomorrow…
Even Gary himself has noted in the past that he doesn’t want his followers to always watch his content, he wants them instead to take what he’s saying and apply it to their situation. He also mentions that if you’re earning a reasonable wage that meets all your needs and you’re happy to spend your free time enjoying your friends, family and Netflix and not complaining about things then that’s great because you’ve won at life too. I think as part of a generation that seem to be always looking for the next best thing however, this part of his message usually falls on deaf ears. Instead part of us feel like we could always be doing more when it comes to work, exercise, travel, our hobbies or even socialising. If his videos reinforce this feeling when you watch them then this is where watching his content can become almost unhealthy.
His messages are simple and practical but when you’re wasting your day away on social media, that’s kind of the last thing you actually want. It’s a bit like watching a fitness influencers quick ab workout tutorial on Instagram. They look great in their Colgate white runners and pristine sitting room and for a split second you think “I’m gonna start doing that everyday”. Trouble is 90% of us don’t and then can feel like we’re not doing enough. I was the same convincing myself I’d create my website, blog and start doing some proper freelance work. It only took me the guts of two years talking about it, procrastinating over it and watching “Gary Vee” videos to actually start.
Would I have been able to do it without Gary’s sound bites and influence though? Working in digital marketing I had always planned to but “tomorrow”. Sometimes all you need is that extra encouragement from outside of yourself, even if it comes from a straight talking viral stranger…Do you get lost in Gary Vaynerchuk videos? Comment below what you think or get in touch. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future uninspiring content.
These Clickbait Articles Are So Bad They'll Make You Cry
The third one will take you by complete surprise! :O
With a headline like that you had no choice but to click it so I’m happy you’ve fallen for the trap! Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about the increasingly weird world of online clickbait. Clickbait is internet content that’s main purpose is to attract attention and clicks to a certain webpage. Having worked for a time as a professional meme maker, I know what it takes to grab people’s attention on social media. One thing that I can’t help but notice over the last year or two however, is the levels that online publishers and even news websites will stoop to in order to rob us of a click.
In a time of “fake outrage” and “fake news”, it can be hard to wade through the nonsense and actually read genuinely entertaining or informative content. For those of us who are blissfully unaware of how major online publishers work, it’s a rather simple business model. You create content that grabs people’s attention and funnel them to your social pages and website. The more people you drive to your site, the more money you make from the display ads that are plugged into it. You can also make big money by leveraging a large engaged audience to negotiate sponsored content pieces and blogs.
Via: Psafe
With thousands of daily visitors required to keep these publishers profitable, it’s an intense environment where at times all that matters are the numbers. Whether people even read an article or enjoy it is regularly a secondary concern. This has led to what many describe as a factory line of “Churnalism” around subjects that are guaranteed to generate interest. Although this isn’t exactly a new practice, in the last few years with major platforms restricting the amount of content your fans see, it’s obvious to me that mainstream online publishers now spend the bulk of their time coming up with click worthy divisive spins on what they produce.
Much like video and picture content, they don’t just want you to just view what they create, they want you to comment on the social posts associated with their articles too. One clear way to do this is to steep their content and accompanying captions in blown up or even non existent controversies and drama. This gets the keyboard warriors typing and gives the content more online reach. How do I know this? Because I too fall for it multiple times a day. In this blog I’m going to dissect some of the worst clickbait examples I’ve seen lately. These are the kind of stories that have been fashioned out of nothing and served to you with a side of “caption sass” that will make you cry/angry/hate the world/get rich/get that beach body etc etc.
“People aren’t happy about…”
This is a modern clickbait technique that involves scouring popular hashtags and collecting the most negative tweets or comments associated with it. You can then say (because you have the evidence obviously) that people were “outraged at” or “are not happy with” a certain thing. It can work for anything from government announcements, celebrity interviews, holiday traditions or even the way someone uses a spoon.
I didn’t even click this one but I can only imagine
If there’s anything that’s gotten a large or small reaction online, you’d better believe there’s a poor intern somewhere collecting the most extreme reactions and thinking up an emotive caption to accompany the “article” that houses them.
Everything is an “attack”:
Anytime people on TV have a debate or disagreement this is neatly packaged as an “Attack”, “Bust Up” or “War of words”. If you sprinkle in a few side eye or fist emojis to the mix then it’s near impossible for people to keep scrolling by. These attacks usually consist of a running commentary of different pieces as both sides inevitably have “their say” on Twitter. The abbreviation of “In case you missed it” ICYMI will usually appear in captions to make you feel even more out of the loop. The Joe.co.uk article below illustrates this perfectly and just in case the blurry pictures weren’t enough, they’ve even gone to the trouble of circling David Jones sullen expression. This has all the elements of a juicy bit of clickbait and I was as disappointed as anyone else who fell for it - turns out it the attack was merely Souness moaning like a spoilt child.
Azealia Banksgate:
Back in January the clickbait Gods shone down on Ireland and the world as controversial pop star Azealia Banks took to her Instagram stories to “attack” (there’s that word again) not only Aer Lingus staff but “All Irish women”. She called them oompah loompah’s (I really enjoyed that) and suddenly everyone was circulating the story. Azealia having witnessed just how much coverage she was getting began fuelling it herself by dedicating a song at her Dublin gig to “all the beautiful Irish women” and responding to another Irish detractor on her Instagram with “don’t you have a famine to go die in”.
I don’t think any rational Irish person would take anything that the relatively unknown pop star had to say to heart but that kind of response just wouldn’t drive clicks. The nation was suddenly plunged into “Storm Azaelia”! Media publishers managed to produce a week long click fest of almost hourly articles about identity, race, the “treasonous” fans who still went to her gig and of course follow up pieces about why people who took real offence to her words should be more worried about the “real issues”.
The Unpopular Opinion
Another thing that I see publishers thrive on is the unpopular opinion piece to draw in a big reaction (and more importantly clicks) from the majority of their own audience. This would seem counter intuitive but in the world of clicks it makes perfect sense. They’ll re-examine your favourite programmes and tell you that it’s actually “problematic”, let’s not forget what they said about Friends, or worse deconstruct the latest critically acclaimed album, film or TV series and tell you why it’s not nearly as good as you think it is.
I’ve seen the likes of Vice do this countless times and even re-share the above article regularly since last summer. I haven’t seen the film myself, but I know from just how passionate people’s love for it is that this is a powerful “thumb stopper”.
The “PC Gone Mad" Piece
Publishers are fully aware of the growing feeling in recent years that the world has gone “PC mad”. Due to this, they latch onto the latest PC story to get people going. Whether it’s the issue of Mansize Tissues or Vegan Sausage rolls, they relish in stimulating both sides of the arguments to visit their website and get the latest update. One of these stories that got the attention of the nation online was when it was reported everywhere that the Irish health system (HSE) was considering “banning staff from referring to patients as dear or love”. As you can see from the below tweet, the story had been spun from only a half sentence from a 122 page report. In a world where people now sadly read past a headline, a 122 page report would be like tackling Ulysses!
With these sly methods of clickbait filling up our timelines each day, it’s hard not to exaggerate and even bend the truth when it comes to drafting blogs and driving clicks to your site. If you’re a brand or an individual producing written content, it’s now more important than ever to remember that quality content is the key to building a real following. Readers know within seconds if you’ve put the time, effort and genuine interest into a written piece and will build their impression of what you do off that alone.
Yes you’ll still need to draw them in with a snappy caption, but that doesn’t have to mislead them or give them inflated expectations for what lies behind their click. If you’re looking for help with creating your content marketing strategy, then get in touch and we can have a chat. You can also follow me on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future content.
5 Reasons Why I Started Doing Stand Up Comedy
Do pity laughs still count as laughs?
I’m on the stage of a cafe in Limerick and one of my opening lines that usually goes down well has absolutely flopped! Forty pairs of silent eyes stare up at me as I try to compose myself and continue my set. Seconds crawl by while I set up the next punchline - this time a flurry of encouraging pity laughs echo around the room. This isn’t going well... it’s going so badly in fact that I can hear the coffee machine whirring in the background while a quarter of the audience resign themselves to their phone screens. I try desperately to not let my nerves show and start almost prancing around the stage with each sentence to somehow keep the attention of the rest of the room. It’s a ten minute spot and I’m only 40 seconds in…
Between the panic, the now blinding spotlight and the beads of sweat on my brow a voice within tells me to cool it and remember what I need to say. The voice then whispers - Why did you decide to do this to yourself? Since I started doing open mic stand up spots towards the end of 2018, I’ve found myself regularly asking the same question. The gig in Limerick didn’t end too badly that night but even the slightest wobble on stage or an uninterested crowd can make you question if you’re up to it at all. I’ve written this blog to state to the world (and remind myself) why I’ve decided to take up such a thing when it seems terrifying to so many.
I Love Telling Stories
Whether it's stories about past bosses, friends, or even relaying the events of a night out, I’ve always loved telling stories in my own way. Comedy has given me the chance to do this at least once a week to an audience (usually around 12 people) and see what resonates with them. I also work in and spend a lot of my time on social media which provides me with no end of material and a unique perspective on things. From empty Instagram bios like “The greatest thing about memories is making them” (What!?) to comment section disputes and the latest “PC gone mad” incidents. All of these combine to give me endless amounts of material to regurgitate into a microphone. If people enjoy it and laugh, well then it’s even better!
Name in lights? How about “comic” sans? Am I right
"I'm Way Funnier Than Them!"
People get into comedy for a variety of reasons. Whether it's as part of a drama course, a college society, a mid life crisis or a long held ambition, a moment occurs that makes you take the leap. Strangely enough though none of the above were the case for me. I do love observational and anecdotal comics like Peter Kay, Tommy Tiernan and Dave Chappelle but I’ve never really saw myself being able to emulate what they do. It wasn’t these heroes that gave me the push to give comedy a try, it was seeing comedy acts or programmes that I thought weren't funny that gave me the kick I needed!
The Big Bang Theory is considered a hugely successful comedy show that millions love so I can surely on the same planet at least become a semi professional comic? BBT does use canned laughter to tell people what parts are supposed to be funny and to be fair there's definitely been times when I could have done with that too. It would be easy for me to say “I can do better than that!” for the rest of my life from the armchair but if I at least give it a proper go now then I can say “Eh yeah gave that a bash in my twenties and Its actually a lot harder than it looks!" So far I’ve found that comedy can be hugely subjective and something that’s funny to you in your head can land flat on a stage. It’s about finding what sticks!
The winner of these “battles” get a rubber duck. I’ve won it once already because my friends were the only people left at the end of the night!
Meet Interesting people
The comedy scene in Dublin is full of characters. There’s people from all over Ireland and the world and each contribute to a melting pot of styles, personas, performances, interesting cultural observations and even musical acts. I’d been to a few open mic comedy shows in the past and being part of one always looked like as much fun as the performing part. Most comedians on the scene earn little to no money for getting on stage yet still continue to do it because it’s something their passionate about. It’s a bit like playing GAA except you’re more likely to bring shame home to your family and local area than a championship medal. Everyone I’ve met so far in the comedy scene have been sound and quick to give advice or insights into getting better at it as you go.
Me and a selection of said interesting people after a gig in Mullingar
To Get Better At Marketing
This wasn’t an initial reason behind why I started getting into comedy, but it’s becoming clearer to me that comedy and marketing are pretty much the same thing. For both you need to know your audience and be able to relate your ideas to them in a clear and impactful way. Much like marketing a business, the magic the audience see’s is only a small part of the full story. Behind all the good stuff is the hours of note taking, training(practicing), networking, planning, emailing and repeating these on a weekly basis to build the interest and the hype around your act. On the promoting myself side of things I have so far been lacking and so prepare yourself because the gig spam is coming! (once I get the gigs obviously)
The Rush
All of the above reasons pale in comparison to the real reason why I think all comedians start doing stand up comedy. I think it’s the weird rush you get with standing on stage and knowing that you’ve to make something from nothing. You’ve stood up to take 5 or more minutes of peoples attention and they’ll either like you or dislike you for it (no pressure). I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, I’ve witnessed Damien Dempsey in Vicar Street many times but even those two things don’t really match the feeling of being on stage yourself and managing to get a few laughs (pity or otherwise).
The pre show nerves, the thrill walking up, the good rooms, the bad rooms, the tough crowds, the tiny crowds, the boozy tourists over on the Ryanair flights, the dodgy mics, the support from friends and family who would have no other reason to come together of a Tuesday night and even the awkward “jaysus fair play to ya lad” from that bloke beside me at the urinals after a spot in Mullingar. All of these little moments combine to keep amateur comics like myself coming back each week to get our fix! It's something that I can already see myself always wanting to be a part of and is well worth getting involved in if you're thinking about it too.
Dante’s is always a good night
If you’re looking to watch some up and coming and experienced Irish comics in Dublin then some of the places I have had the opportunity to gig in and can recommend include Jesters at Sin e, The Comedy Corner in Keoghs, Dante’s in the Lord Edward, Battle Of The Axe In the H’appenny Bridge Inn and Comedy Gold in both the Button Factory and the Cobblestone.
Hopefully I’ll have plenty more stage time in 2019 and get better as I go! Keep an eye on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where I’ll be posting about any upcoming gigs where you’ll be able to see me in action (please don’t heckle).
Why I'm Taking Part In Veganuary This Year
As a self confessed meat and cheese lover, this isn’t going to be easy
Over the last few years there has been a number of topics that have almost been fashionable to take a pop at online. Brexit, Trump, the #FitFam and social influencers are all examples of punching bags that receive constant trolling, memes and other forms of lighthearted (and sometimes serious) slagging on their pages.
There is one group however, who seem to be dealt an unfair share of criticism on social media - The Vegan Community. I think this is in many ways due to how vocal a minority of its members are on online and the extreme ways in which they protest farming, animal products and react to their detractors. At the end of the day though if they're not harming anyone (other than those who have to listen to some of them) with their lifestyle then what's the big deal?
Bread becomes a luxury food item when you’re Vegan
I've set out to fully understand Veganism by throwing myself into the lifestyle for the month of January. Veganuary is a charity that encourages people to try “going vegan” for January and the rest of the year. Its social media hashtag #Veganuary currently has over 400,000 corresponding posts on Instagram alone. #Vegan on the other hand has over 70 million posts showing just how popular the lifestyle choice has become worldwide. The UK pastry franchise Greggs got on board the Veganuary bus by releasing their very own “Vegan Sausage Roll” on social media last week.
The launch was genius not just because their stores will be more attractive to vegan customers, but because of the anticipated subsequent storm on social media around it. Meat eaters took the tofu bait passionately commenting and sharing the twitter post decreeing this as just another example of PC culture gone mad. Vegans shared it with an equal vigour while pledging to buy the product as soon as they could. Publishers and news outlets then picked up the story and produced what is no doubt millions of pounds worth of free PR for the brand.
With 2019 being touted by none other than Jay-Z and Beyonce as a big year for Veganism, maybe there’s something cynical meat lovers like me are missing out on? Would it be possible for someone like me to survive and even thrive on bean burgers, almond milk and other vegan products for 30 days? Would I come out the other end with more energy, clarity and that feeling of inner peace that vegans swear by? I wasn’t sure but I decided to put myself in their ethically sourced vegan friendly cardboard shoes anyway and give it a go!
Like most challenges in life there's always some sneaky ways to make things easier. A lot of people taking part in Veganuary would have rushed straight to the perfectly manicured multi coloured palettes of plates strewn across Instagram and cook books for inspiration. Or they'd have spent the better part of December listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos to gain insights into how they could make the month a wholesome, educating and enlightening experience. My approach was slightly different. I asked myself one important question - What can I still eat in order to maintain my general functionality, mental wellbeing and friendships?
How I assume Vegans greet one another
Well despite the blanket ban on beef, fish, eggs, cheese, fun, chicken, milk, butter, happiness, garlic sauce and essentially everything else that makes life worth living, there are some staple items out there that are actually vegan friendly! Red Doritos, some pot noodles, Oreos, bourbon creams, sweet chilli and Franks hot sauce are all examples of foods that are vegan and will be there for me whenever things get tough this month. Many vegans also highlight the fact that most dark chocolate is vegan friendly which is good news for any of the 4 people who would ever think to reach for that when they need a snack.
As I write this I’m just about a week in and it’s actually not as bad as I had imagined. Once you’ve stock piled vegan meat alternatives and some of the treats I’ve listed above, then you can feel like you’re not depriving yourself too much. Where you encounter hurdles is when it comes to eating out. I chanced a cafe for lunch one day during work and ended up having to opt for a wrap filled with just mixed peppers, gherkins/pickles, onions, jalapeños, spinach and sweet chilli. In the end I could only stomach the wrap itself with nothing but the remaining sweet chilli and my tears to help it on its way down!
Getting it toasted made things even worse
The biggest challenge so far came at a family quiz night where there was all the usual favourites a meat and dairy fan would dive head first into. Chicken curry, lasagna, coleslaw, garlic bread, banoffee pie, cheesecake, ice cream and endless boxes of chocolates were all staring at me. It wasn’t until this night that it fully dawned on me just how limited the vegan diet really is.
Thankfully, my auntie Noeleen had whipped up some Falafel, humus, mixed bean and sweet chilli (surprise) wraps just for me. I’m not just saying this just because she will most likely read this but they were really nice and filled me up enough that I didn’t crack. If I could survive a night like this, then surely the rest of the month would be a breeze? Only time will tell!
Are you taking part in Veganuary? Or are you a vegan who thinks I’m just appropriating your culture for website clicks? Let me know your experience or thoughts in the comments below or get in touch here. You can also get me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the month and future content.
Scrolling In The Year: 2018 In Review
A look back on the biggest news stories of 2018 and how they dominated our social media feeds
2018 has been an interesting year not just on Irish social media feeds, but on social media feeds around the world. As I work on social media every day, it’s almost impossible to miss the latest viral story, meme or video. As the year comes to a close, I thought it would be good to take a look back on some of the more memorable moments that dominated newsfeeds, timelines and group chats in the last 12 months.
This post is inspired by the Irish TV programme “Reeling In The Years”, only it won't be nearly as well put together or entertaining. I’m hoping that in the future (if there is one with the way things are going), we can look back on this year and try to explain to our kids why exactly Brexit and Cryptocurrencies ever became a thing in the first place?
Brexit
Brexit Brexit Brexit! If there’s one thing nobody has been able to escape this year it’s the “B word”. As the UK government continues to debate on how to deliver (or possibly not deliver) the referendum result from 2016, nearly all social media platforms have been saturated with mentions of it. From video debates, Twitter polls, politicians clueless soundbites and lively comment sections under everything it’s been at times fascinating but mainly just exhausting.
The beauty of social media though is that among all the talking heads and economist reports, the moments that really engaged people were the ones like that dancing queen entrance from May or the Luxembourg PM’s brilliant response to a UK reporters EU concessions question. It seems that in something as messy and drawn out as Brexit, all most of us want is some comic relief from the drudgery and social media always manages to deliver this. .
If you switch off the second you hear about Brexit, then this Brexit explainer video below from Irish children’s programme News2day will help you grasp what options could have been explored. The video went viral on Twitter with many commenting that it should be compulsory viewing for the politicians managing the process.
The Beast from the East
As the Brexit storm continued during 2018, Ireland was hit with a different kind of storm that brought its own chaos. In early March, the country was hit by a snowstorm dubbed the “Beast from the East”. Sounding like something from an episode of Father Ted, the beast actually caused a significant amount of destruction to residential and business properties in parts of Ireland and the UK. As people began to stock pile their supplies of Brennans bread and spammed our social media feeds with photos of their igloos, for those who weren’t too adversely impacted it just meant a day or two off work and a pint in your wellies down the local.
Whatsapp group chats around Ireland suddenly began to fill with what seemed like a live stream of snapchat and Instagram videos from South Dublin. In scenes reminiscent of “The Purge”, a Lidl in Tallaght was attacked and looted by a large group of people who even used a digger to tackle the supermarkets safe. This was to be the height of the Beast from the East hysteria as shortly afterwards the snow had melted and Ireland went back to normal after those few days that now seem almost like a strange dream.
The 8th Referendum
In May of this year Irish people had the chance to repeal the 8th amendment to the Irish constitution. If the amendment was repealed, Irish women would have the choice to access safe and legal abortion services in Ireland. The build up to the referendum was long with both sides heavily promoting their messages through billboards, posters, paid social media campaigns and other media forms. Social media became a very heated place in the final run up to the vote on May 25th.
Being pro choice personally, I always knew what way I would vote coming up to the day but was interested to listen closely to the views of both sides to understand peoples thoughts on what is a complex topic. The one page on social media that stood out to me at this time was the Facebook page “In her shoes”. The page has been around for years and shares the images of womens shoes accompanied by their own abortion stories to highlight those who have had to travel for the service in the past.
The diverse range of women and their different stories reaffirmed to me and no doubt countless others that women have and always will make this choice for whatever reasons and so making it available was the least that we could do. Thankfully on the 25th of May, 66% of Irish voters voted to repeal the 8th Amendment. Although the details of how the services will work are still being planned, 2019 should bring about the necessary changes.
Ireland’s Trump
The Irish public would again be asked to head to their local polling stations towards the end of 2018. This time it would be to vote for the next President of Ireland. The presidential elections in Ireland are usually pretty unexciting affairs but this year seemed to get us talking a lot more. With Trump and Brexit now being key considerations for any incumbent president, multiple candidates came forward to claim they could guide us through this time of uncertainty.
The current president Michael D Higgins, or Miggeldy Higens as he became known as in 2018, had become a bit of a pop culture icon with his own “Michael Tea Higgins” tea cosies. He was up against a number of challengers but none as controversial as Peter Casey. Casey positioned himself as being against political correctness and said that his controversial views appealed to the “average working person.” Of course this drew parallels to the messaging of American business man turned president Donald Trump and a lot of people freaked out when Casey then finished second to Miggeldy.
A quick look at his Twitter during the race gave me the idea that his whole campaign was being managed by some American PR firm and bizarre tweets like this one are the kind you have to watch three times to actually believe it’s not from a parody account…
Sport
It was a massive year for sport and millions were glued to the World Cup in Russia. England came scarily close to going all the way but were denied before France came out as eventual winners in what was a great tournament to watch. Closer to home, Limerick won the All Ireland Hurling Championship for the first time in 45 years while Dublin won their 4th Gaelic football title in the last 4 years.
Katie Taylor dominated the women’s professional boxing world while Conor McGregor came back to the Octagon in a fight that will be remembered more for the scenes following his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov than the action itself. Perhaps the highlight for many Irish sporting fans this year was the Irish Rugby team beating New Zealand in the Aviva in November. It was the way in which they dominated the All Blacks from the very beginning was what really got people excited. With Ireland now being touted by many as favourites for the World Cup in 2019, it will be the sporting event we all have our eyes on next summer.
Cryptocurrency
One technology that was tipped to be massive in 2018 were Cryptocurrencies. After a massive surge in value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies at the end of 2017, I even got caught up in the hype and bought a massive €60 worth of different coins in what was my first buy in to the investment world. The mainstream media has since gone silent on the coins with many saying that they are just going through teething issues like a lot of the most transformative technologies we’ve experienced. With that initial investment of mine now being worth just €10.67, I can’t see cryptocurrency being commonly used in 2019 either.
#RIPFernando
Every year we take to social media to pay homage to loved ones and our favourite celebrities who have passed. This year saw the passing of Stan Lee, MacMiller, Dolores O Riordan, Aretha Franklin, Anthony Bourdain and Avicci to name a few. Our own Taoiseach Leo Varadkar managed to somehow dull the blow of Avicci’s passing with one of the tweets of the year in memory of the star. Still no sign of Leo’s extended Camino playlist but I can’t imagine what else is featured!
Via: @campaignforleo
The most unusual and shocking death that gripped the nation this year was one that didn’t happen at all. Ballybrack FC made national and international headlines when they decided to fake a former players death to have their game with Arklow Town postponed.
The league and its teams had spent a weekend in collective mourning before the the truth came out to the league, the teams and the “dead” player himself. Social media went into a frenzy and #RIPFernando was trending on Twitter with people making memes and tribute songs were even penned. The club apologised and Fernando has since become a bit of a celebrity from the whole fiasco. In a year when supposed “fake news” stories were even less ridiculous than some of the real ones, this was a “fake news” story that we could all enjoy!
2018 has been a good year for me personally as I launched this website and blog in September. Since then I’ve been able to talk about my experience making memes, investigate the world of Facetune, blow the lid (somewhat) on the global social media “Ginspiracy” and raise money for Movember! If you've liked any of my posts on social media, read any of the blogs or shared them with a friend it really means a lot so thank you.
Here's to an even better 2019 where I can hopefully work on more digital marketing projects with people, publish more interesting blog posts, grow my audience and maybe even that crypto “investment”! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram in 2019.
Me And My Muzzie: Movember 2018
A month of both personal and follicle growth
When I set out on my Movember journey I didn’t even really know if I could grow facial hair. At 26, I still only really shave once a week (as a clean up job) and so the idea of growing something substantial has always interested me. So here it was, an excuse to both raise funds for charity and push the boat (and hairs) out to see what would happen. As I learned by interviewing Jack O Connor from Movember Ireland earlier this month, the foundation has done a lot of great work since it started ten years ago.
It manages to use the novelty elements of both social media and moustaches to engage people in either their own campaigns or their friends campaigns. Having seen my friend Niall take part in the initiative last year and raise a massive sum of money, I felt it would be worth seeing just how much sponsorship money I too could grow alongside “the mo!”
Day 1: So full of hope
So as Halloween drew to a close and I ignored my friends pleas to “give yourself a head start of a few days”, I took out the razor and gave myself the closest shave I’d ever had! Now all that was left to do was wait… then nothing happened. It became apparent after about three days that my daily updates on Instagram were absolutely needless. Like a slacking gym bunny after a 30 day challenge, I was trying to use Hollywood lighting and angles to trick even myself into thinking there’d some progress!
Much like the moustache, the donations were slow at the beginning. “I wanna see more than that before I hand my money over” barked my sister in the general direction of my measly whiskers. Ten days in and I had begun to lose hope. I would shave my entire face bar the stache every two days so it would become crystal clear to everyone that I was taking part in the campaign. Maybe that way they would begin to support the cause?
Potential Promo Poster for Movember 2019?
As I got over that two week initial slump, the hair was beginning to become thicker and to be fair the whole look was starting to “grow” on me. My girlfriend and parents didn’t seem to feel the same way though as they would quietly remind me daily that it would be fun once it was gone in December. Despite this, I began spending on average 30 seconds more looking in the mirror each day to have a quiet few words of encouragement with the moustache. By the time I was two thirds of the way through the month, for the first time in my life I felt like a real man.
The donations had really started to flow in too. Everyone loves an underdog so I think the sad reality of my increasingly pointless daily updates encouraged a few people to get behind me and the “little muzzie that could”. A big breakthrough came when my own mother bankrolled me with a massive donation. What she didn’t realise however was her accompanying comment would be publicly visible. I have two sisters by the way…
When pay day came in work, a quick email around the office made a huge difference as my colleagues at Blue Insurance (or the Blue Crew, as nobody calls us) were unbelievably generous! As the month came to a close it was time to tap up the last of my closest friends and family for those final donations. I was finding it hard to believe that my closest group of friends had left it until the final day to sponsor me. I “gently” reminded them on the 30th in the Whatsapp group that this was their last chance. They all quickly replied that they had indeed already sponsored me.
The penny dropped and it suddenly became clear that any of the unusual or surprising donations that I had received during the month had been in fact them using a different name. These different names included random neighbours, old friends, the mother of an ex girlfriend and someone who I studied abroad with over 3 years ago. They had obviously hoped that I’d write to these people who would be completely unaware of it until my getting in touch. A classic stitch up that is as mean as it was genius. Thankfully I was waiting until after the month to get in touch with all the donors to say thanks. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;)
Day: 23: I met Marty Whelan and he complemented me on my moustache. The last part there didn’t happen.
With all these genuine and fake donations flooding in on the final days of my journey, I was able to ignore the impending moment where I would have to say goodbye to my new little friend. My muzzie had seemingly bedded in for the winter and became almost bushy in it’s final few days. It also became clear that had I would never have the ability to grow a full beard, it would always end up being a patchy ginger/blonde mess.
Like most Movember campaigns, this was mainly just a vanity project for the person taking part. During the weeks however, I did learn that with very little effort and a fun initiative, people are willing to give a lot of their money towards a great cause. As the month came to a crescendo, I had really grown attached to my new look and held onto it for two extra days to say my heartfelt goodbyes. Before shaving it, I put a quick poll on Instagram and asked my family on Whatsapp for their honest opinions. Although Instagram was in favour of the stache, it’s safe to say my Dad will always tell me what he really thinks.
To any of those who sponsored me over the month, I really do appreciate it. I made a massive €901 and that was way more than I ever could have hoped for. If you’re looking for ways that you can help Movember Ireland in the future, visit their wesbite.
The Art Of Writing The Perfect Social Media Caption
There may be no such thing as the perfect social media caption, but this guide will help
Ever sat over a picture, video or something you have to publicly post to the internet and been gripped by fear? You hesitate with the caption, re-write it or end up scrapping it altogether only to start over again. “Caption anxiety” is a term you sometimes hear people utter when it comes to attaching that line of text to your ad, story, picture, video, blog etc. What many social media users and marketers forget to remember is exactly what a caption is used for. Whenever I struggle with it, I revert back to this simple definition:
“A good caption informs us about the things we cannot see and encourages us to look at an image more closely.”
In the ultra competitive world of social media however, captions have become almost as important as the image they accompany. Despite this, 90% of captions we see online include “living my best life” as a caption for literally anything that could be perceived as a good time. Couples photos are also invariably captioned with the words “partner in crime,” “best friend” or even “this one.”
Originality is something we don’t see a huge amount of on social media but for those who are able to offer it, the likes and engagement will come. You may think that when it comes to writing good captions or ad copy, you either have it or you dont. Well that’s where you’re wrong and in this blog I’m going to show you some simple steps on how to create better social media captions;
What’s the message:
Firstly, think to yourself what the basic message of the post will be. If you’re sharing a photo of a product or something highly visual, then maybe you want the photo to speak for itself? In this case keep your caption snappy and eye catching. Many people make the mistake of explaining exactly what their picture says. For example: if you’re posting a picture that has “50% off our new sports line” written in the picture, you don’t need to repeat this word for word in the caption also.
If the goal of your post is to have people share it or direct people to click a link, then a strong opening line and a clear call to action at the end is essential. This was done brilliantly by Iceland for their Christmas ad that was posted to social media. The initial line is eye catching and entices you to watch the video and the call to action is simple and clear.
Length:
The perfect length of social post captions are between 50 and 80 characters. The sentence you have just read was 75 characters and so you should aim for something similar. You can read the limits of various social post captions here but between 10 and 15 words in my opinion is optimal regardless of the platform that you’re posting to.
If you’re writing a caption with much more detail and those reading it will need to click the “See more” button to finish it… then it’s too long! Most people on social media will simply scroll by posts like this. If you do need to put a lot of text in a post i.e. for the T’s and C’s of a competition, then post these T’s and C’s on a landing page you can link off to, or just post them in the first comment.
#Hashtags
On social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, using hashtags properly can be the difference between your post being seen or not. For example: the next time you’re sharing an Instagram post, if you put #travel in your caption, Instagram will straight away tell you that there are say 54,000,000 posts with the same caption. By combining both popular hashtags and more niche hashtags that are relevant to your photo, your posts will appear on more discover and home pages.
If you’re working for a brand, then keep an eye on relevant hashtags that your brand might be able to post about. This is an authentic way to get discovered and add to a conversation among your audience. Don’t post too many hashtags either as posts with over 20 just look spammy and desperate.
To Emoji or not to Emoji?
Back in 2016 when I worked as a full time meme maker, emojis were the name of the game. Nothing got posted without an appropriately relevant emoji. In 2017 alone, emoji usage on social media increased by 766%. I’ve even recently noticed them making their way onto LinkedIn posts since it began altering it’s newsfeeds to look more like Facebook. My advice on emojis would be to use them sparingly but they definitely do make posts more attractive and engaging especially on more visual platforms like Instagram.
Humour:
One thing that I believe is key to social media posts is that they have a conversational or humorous tone. Although this may not work for every brand or individual on social media, keeping your captions and messages as informal and fun as possible should be a general rule. I’ve written before about how Conor McGregor’s ridiculous Instagram captions are part of the reason why he is so popular and the same goes for lots of well known brands online.
Proof-read it:
If there’s one thing that social media has taught us, it’s that the range of grammar and spelling levels in comment sections and captions is something that I could write a whole other blog on. However, it’s a lot easier to make spelling or grammar errors than you might think. Whether you’re posting a holiday snap or writing ad captions for a campaign, have a read over them or get someone else to review it before you post.
If your branded posts don’t normally get a big reaction, try post something with visible errors and within seconds there’ll be a flood of comments from people correcting you. That wasn’t a sideways tip for getting more engagement on posts but it will happen. I’ve mocked up the below to include some of the most popular grammar and spelling errors that I regularly see online. Grammar Nazis look away now.
If you didn’t see much wrong with the above, then seek some help immediately! If you’re still struggling with your brands’ captions or written content however, then get in touch with me. You can also scrutinise any and all of my future social media captions by following me on Instagram and Facebook.
Iceland Use Social Media To “Share” Their Story This Christmas
How a “Ran-Tang” and Iceland won Christmas
It’s around that time of the year again where major retailers begin their big marketing push in for the bumper Christmas period. With Black Friday less than a week away, it’s also a time when people will have their eyes peeled for a few bargains. Although for many, myself included, it’s still too early to think about the C word. Billboards, radio stations, newspapers, bus stops and our social feeds are flooded with festive messaging to help us on our way to creating that “perfect” Christmas. Few companies however, manage to capture the “magic” of Christmas in their ads like British retailer, John Lewis.
Each year they put together ads that manage to mix music, characters, animation, family and the “magic” of Christmas to leave millions of people who watch them in tears. This is content marketing at it’s absolute best and is something that people all over the UK and the internet, look forward to. Below is their effort for this year;
If you’ve taken a moment to cry after watching that like I may or may not have, then it’s hard to argue that John Lewis are not the best in the business when it comes to Christmas ads. Despite the army of parents complaining that their own kids were now expecting £800 pianos for Christmas, the ad within a day of posting already had 75,000 shares on Facebook and shot straight to number one on the Youtube trending page where it was widely well received.
It’s well on it’s course to reaching the same or greater amount of people as their previous viral holiday pieces but sadly that won’t be enough for it to “win Christmas” this year. This is because less than a week before the release of their latest masterpiece, they’d already been beaten at their own game. They’d been beaten by an Orangutan.
Not only does Iceland’s ad have a distinctly John Lewis feel to it (see their 2013 animated classic), it focuses the thing that people online love more than anything else - activism. People love sharing, commenting and engaging with content that highlights a certain cause. Whether it’s the damage of single use plastics, worldwide social injustices or even the plight of Steven Avery, people love to support the latest trending cause. This was a PR masterstroke by Iceland who obviously understand the power of “hashtag activism”.
What really gave their ad the extra push it needed was the fact that they shared it on social media after it was “banned from TV for being too political”. By positioning TV as a representative for the “mainstream media” and by using the word “political”, Iceland painted the ads message and your sharing of it as being almost rebellious. Their tag line of “Will you help us tell the story?” is a not so subtle call to action that gives it a final push.
I don’t believe the ad was ever really intended for TV. If you think about it, it’s an animated piece that seems geared towards young children but it’s dark subject and Bambi-esque mother sequence is neither Christmassy nor really suitable for a young audience. I can’t even picture it on TV alongside a cheerful Vodafone ad or one for the latest popular children’s doll.
I believe going down the route of social media was part of Iceland’s strategy from the beginning and it has so far been a massive success. With over 650,000 shares on Facebook alone and over 15m views at time of writing, the video has gotten an enormous reach and has highlighted a very important issue that Greenpeace are working to fight against.
Those of us who were blissfully unaware of how damaging palm oil could be, will surely have to be more conscious about what we buy. That might be harder than most of us think though, if you've shared the Iceland video then you may need to have a closer look at some of the staple items in your weekly shop. Bread, lipstick, cookies, pizza dough, margarine and many other household products all said to contain palm oil.
In fact, the use of palm oil is so rife in consumer goods that Iceland themselves have stressed that they’re only getting rid of palm oil in their own brand products while trying to encourage some of their other suppliers to do the same. So we can expect to see palm oil products on their shelves for the near future anyway. To me that's kind of like taking a stand to be vegan but only when you’re the one doing the cooking!
Nevertheless, I do think that Iceland have played an important role in educating people about this issue while managing to give their own brand an enormous lift at a crucial time as part of it. Their continued use of “Geurilla marketing” show they're committed to sharing this story and making changes in more ways that just a once off viral video but whether this results in wider changes to consumer behaviour is yet to be seen.
Looking to give your own Christmas campaigns an extra push? Get in touch with me today for a campaign proposal. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook for future blogs, videos and other content.
The Global Social Media "Ginspiracy"
Is gin like your absolute favourite drink? Let me tell you why…
My uncle Chris has been drinking gin and tonic for the last 30 years with his wife Helen. In the last few years however, he’s found that ordering a simple gin and tonic isn’t really an option anymore. He has to specify to the bar staff that he doesn’t want some new flavoured gin, he’s not interested in cucumber or a grapefruit garnish and “for the love of jaysus dont put it in one of those giant fish bowls”. Sadly for Chris, the drink he has grown to love has been forever changed by a younger generation moving in. It appears that Chris has been the first victim of a phenomenon that I’m going to call “Gintrification”.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 3 years and didn’t notice, gin is in. It’s absolutely everywhere, from Christmas tree “gin baubles” to gin flavoured tea. The popularity of the “Boomerang” feature on Instagram would have no doubt worn off by now if it wasn’t for giant gin bowls being clinked each weekend. The Irish Spirits association released a study earlier this year detailing that gin sales had increased by 44% in 2017 alone! With recent wider studies revealing a worldwide boom in the spirit, it’s clear that this isn’t just impacting the Irish market.
Some people would dismiss this as just a trend like any other. Like an alcoholic version of those black “Vans” shoes with the white stripes that appear to be compulsory among the youth of today… Or maybe it’s just a shift in the drinks market towards lighter spirits or new exciting novelty products and experiences around gin. There’s even a place in Dublin that now serves you your gin cocktail in a miniature bathtub complete with a rubber duck! (Jesus wept). Fish bowls, flower pots, bathtubs and other novelties aside, it’s clear that there’s more to the gin rush than anything thats come before.
Ever asked someone who loves gin how long they’ve been drinking it for? Many won’t have even heard of gin before 2015 and if they had, they’d of dismissed it as an old woman’s drink (sorry mam). The reason everyone loves it so much is because they’ve been caught up in what I believe to be a social media conspiracy - a “Ginspiracy”. When it comes to strictly building a buzz of awareness around a product or brand, I believe social media is the best way to do it. Gin producers and related companies have managed to harness the power of social media to create a sort of gin fever that has most of us hooked.
Gin producers use the perfect mix of influencer marketing, sponsored content with huge online publishers and novelty viral recipe/product videos to put gin front and centre of our newsfeeds. This content usually get a massive amount of engagement (likes, comments, shares) and once you engage with these kind of videos, you’ll only be shown more by the platforms algorithms. People see their friends commenting on gin related posts or sharing their own gin pictures and FOMO will push them to at least try the drink. Repeat these steps day in day out and suddenly Christmas trees around the world have a new kind of bauble!
In my current job, I manage the Facebook and Twitter pages for multiple brands related to themes such as home, travel, gadgets etc. The audiences of these would vary the ages of 20-40 and so to test out just how effective gin content is on social, I began sharing some of the viral gin videos on our own pages. For example, I shared a video about a “gin spa” in Scotland to our travel page and within seconds the likes and comments were flooding in - “Ah @Paul there’s me Christmas present sorted wink wink haha :P” you get the idea.
I do realise that it would be foolish of me to present you with these theories while not allowing some of the more informed people in the drinks industry to comment on the phenomenon. When I did contact some experts however, I was met by a deafening wall of silence. A growing Irish gin brand and an "Irish gin expert" didn’t reply to my questions about the phenomenon. It seems that the Illuminati, or "ginuminati" don't take too kindly to outsiders with questions.
When will it all stop though I hear you ask? Like most crazes, I think gin will retreat back into the darker corners of bars at some stage in the future. I also suspect we’re on the cusp of a new age - The Aperol Sprits era. The pink drink had appeared on a lot of peoples social feeds this past summer and I believe it could have the potential to "shake up" the drinks industry again. For now however, gin will continue to win.
If you’re looking to make sense of social for your own brand or business, then give me a shout. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook where I promise I’ll keep the conspiracies to a minimum. Think I’m completely wrong about gin? Comment below 5 reasons why you love the taste of it that don’t include “cos it’s lovely”.
Charities In The Age Of Social Media: Movember 2018
This year I’ll be taking part in the Movember campaign
Charities have traditionally used direct email campaigns, flyers, fundraising events and other offline ways to gain donations for their various causes. In recent years however, with the explosion in social media and particularly mobile payment systems, it’s clear that there is more opportunity to engage people with charity initiatives online. Everything from natural disaster relief campaigns to Facebook birthday fundraisers have now become a normal part of the way people do their bit to help those in need.
One particular charity campaign that has grown significantly through social media is the “Movember” campaign. At this stage, we all know someone who has gotten involved in the campaign and has helped raise some much needed funds. After carrying out some vital research, I’ve decided to get involved to raise money for the work they do. To find out more about the campaign and the way it uses social media to drive its success, I got in touch with Jack O’ Connor from Movember Ireland;
What is “Movember” and how has social media led to its success?
Movember was started in Melbourne (2003) by 4 mates who were inspired by the breast cancer movement, and their collective fondness for moustaches, to raise awareness and stop men dying too young. When Facebook hit the internet in 2007, it connected the world in a way that was unprecedented.
I have no doubt that the dawn on this age of social media has played a significant part in the rapid growth of the Movember campaign and in 15 years we have grown over 5,000,000 moustaches, in over 23 countries around the world and invested in over 1,200 men’s health initiatives.
What important causes does it support?
Movember is the world’s leading charity dedicated to men’s health. We want men to live happier, healthier and longer lives and we do this by highlighting the three most critical points of men’s health today; prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health & suicide prevention
How can people get involved both now and in the future?
Go to Movember.com and sign up for the campaign - you can grow a Mo, take on the Move challenge or Host an event. I would recommend getting some friends or colleagues together and starting a “Mo team”. It’s more fun with more Mo’s and you can take the mickey out of whoever has the worst tache!
Image Via: Movember Foundation USA
How do you feel social media will change the way charities operate in the future?
I think ultimately it will help, social media is already a powerful tool for NGO’s to communicate with their fundraisers & donors about the work they do and I think that this will only increase as time goes on. We will probably see an increase in one off temporary viral campaigns like the “Ice Bucket Challenge” too.
A big one is Facebooks fundraising platform, this has made it easier than ever before for people to fundraise for causes that are important to them and makes asking for donations very straightforward. I always encourage our MoBros & MoSistas to add a Facebook fundraiser to their MoSpace.
Image Via: Movember US
So as I set out on my own “Mo journey”, I’m filled with excitement and apprehension. I know for a fact that I won’t end up looking anything like the men above but I am excited to see just how bad my tache turns out!
I’m hoping I can raise as much money as possible over the month too so if you would like to support my efforts, you can do so on my “Mospace account”. I imagine it will all start to look something like this when December rolls around!
Image Via: Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Follow me on Instagram for daily story updates on my muzzy and keep an eye on the Movember Ireland website to find out about the other ways you can support the cause.
Like, Share And Comment Below For Your Chance To...
Are social media competitions getting out of hand?
The Year is 2026 and a young child looks to their mother and asks “Mammy? What made you and Daddy decide to live in this house?” “Well my dear, it’s actually a funny story. Your father liked and shared a Facebook post from the county GAA page nearly ten years ago. This was so he could win a free ticket to a big raffle for a brand new home and here we are today!” “Is that all Mammy?” “Well no actually, he had to tag both your aunties and his football team in the comments first before he shared it but that was it”.
This dialogue sounds like something from a dystopian future but the sad truth is that it’s very real. In an almost “Black Mirror” like response to the housing crisis, even county boards and developers have began using social media giveaways as a way to gain both awareness and engagement online. Just look at that “Free House” headline and forget about the usual mortgage process as all you desire could be just a few clicks away.
The above is an extreme example but there’s a reason why we are seeing more and more giveaways clogging up our social media feeds in recent years. Recently, I wrote about my time as meme maker back in 2016 when organic (not sponsored or paid for) reach was still an important part of social media marketing. Individuals, businesses and other pages could post content and take for granted that it would be seen by their page fans or followers. This in turn could lead to greater reach, followers, fans and engagement with their audience.
Facebook and other social networks caught onto this and began changing the algorithm to make it more difficult to achieve organic reach. To coincide with these changes, the same networks rolled out more sophisticated advertising tools so that businesses could instead pay to guarantee that their content would be seen by the right audience. Sounds like a good deal doesn’t it? Well it wasn’t for users or businesses but it has completely transformed social advertising and made social networks billions.
In response to this shift in digital algorithms, smaller brands who wanted to gain a large following were left with really only one option; To run giveaways. The bonus of these competition posts are that they take minimal effort, minimal spend (other than the prize) and yield quick and substantial rewards. The Facebook/Instagram users who enter by engaging with these posts can be targeted directly with social ads in the future.
With these kind of posts being so successful, it’s no surprise that there are always a number of scam competitions doing the rounds. A recent one from “Aer Lingus Airlines” (complete with dodgy logo drawn by a toddler) is so blatantly fake that it upset me when I saw that over 10,000 people had fallen for it.
This “Aer Lingus Airlines” page will now most likely target those who’ve been stupid enough to enter with ads from one of their legitimate business pages which is most likely selling travel related products or services. It’s kind of like the social media illuminati and it’ll never stop as long as there are thousands of “Sheeple” willing to get involved! The real victim here though is clearly “Hailey M. from Amsterdam”. Unable to receive the prize was she? She was yeah….
I still ask my brother in law if he’s heard any news on that “Free Audi A6” Facebook competition that he entered over a year ago. This was of course another scam but sure “if you aint in it, you can’t win it”. With so many competitions on social media today and scams like the above going around, is it really worth entering them at all? I used to think it wasn’t until a friend in work told me about some of her big wins. Leanne has entered competitions since Facebook pages started running them and enters between 1 and 3 per day.
She told me her key to winning them has been to enter smaller local competitions as opposed to ones that have already have thousands of likes, shares and comments. This technique has served her surprisingly well as over the last three years she has won food hampers, a widescreen tv, flip flops, a hotel voucher, sports juices, hair/beauty products, pantry vouchers, dining vouchers and a months free gym membership. So maybe next time you see one pop up on your homepage, it might be worth entering. Just make sure it’s not a scam!
It’s clear that as long as social media platforms limit organic posts and people enjoy free stuff, these kind of competitions will always run in one way or another. If you’re looking to run some competitions for your brand or just looking for a content plan, then I can help.
You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook and share this blog for your chance to win my appreciation. Thanks and good luck!
Welcome To "The Facetune Generation"
Are photo editing apps going too far? I take a look at the “Facetune Generation”
Over a year ago, I read an article about Barack Obama banning the pubic from getting selfies with him at events. At first it seemed like he was doing this to avoid the endless swarms of people who no doubt flock to him wherever he goes. He went on to explain however, that it wasn't the people that were the problem. He said he missed a time when meeting individuals involved eye contact, a firm handshake and some conversation. Instead people would hijack the opportunity to strictly ensure that they got that invaluable selfie “for the gram”. The story went viral because it spoke to us about just how far we’ve thrown ourselves into the digital world of selfies.
Fast forward to 2018 and we’re now all “living our best lives” at a rate which we haven’t seen before. Smartphone manufacturers now pump more and more into developing and marketing their rear and front facing cameras. They claim that these advancements can improve our selfies, portraits and show us in the best light possible. This is of course also a reaction to the way in which we use our phones to show off our daily lives and tell our stories. With a recent report claiming that over 250 people have died while trying to get a breathtaking selfie in the last few years, it’s clear that the obsession goes too far for some.
This isn’t just another modern issue that has been brought about by the millennial generation either. Ever since cameras were invented, people have been acutely aware of their best angle, favourable lighting and other elements of editing that can enhance our images. In the last year however, the world of selfies has brought about a worrying trend.
When the Irish Instagram page “BloggersUnveiled” started in 2018 and exposed the dodgy dealings of Influencers and brands on social media, it began to amass a huge following. Among other things, the page showed us all how widespread the use of picture manipulation apps had become among online influencers. In the months since BU has been deactivated, it appears that lots of people have gotten over the initial shock of this and started using the apps themselves.
Ever been scrolling through your newsfeeds and scratching your head over why someone you follow now looks almost like a cartoon version of themselves? Well if you’re not familiar with the app they’re using, it’s called “Facetune” and it’s recent popularity (now at over 5 million downloads) has opened up a scary world of photo manipulation to the masses. It essentially allows users to brush away any perceived defect on your face and completely alter your shape.
How good is it though? Well I downloaded it to find out. I took the below on the left after a night out (hence the no life behind the eyes and coldsore) and decided to see just how gorgeous I could make myself with the app. The picture on the right is the final result.
With tutorials on the app you can quickly learn the ways you can brush, smooth, remove and enhance any part of a picture. Some of the edits I made to the left photo was to smooth out my face, nose, hair and remove all freckles, scars, stubble and the coldsore. I then gave my eyes some much needed life. Finally I brought my cheek bones in and made my nose thinner.
These are all edits and features that the app highlights as being popular with users. Side by side the differences are pretty clear but had I uploaded the one on the right to my instagram I wonder if people would have noticed that something was up. My mam said that she much prefers the one on the left so If I did have any niggling hang ups, they’d have been forgotten after those kind words. <3
So what has turning myself into a Ken Doll like avatar taught me? I don’t think it’s really taught me all that much. I do worry about the impact of what apps like this may have on impressionable teenagers, but then again magazines and TV have always churned out images of unattainable perfection to the masses. In 2013, a viral video showed us just how much photoshopping goes into models we see in magazines.
The video has eerie similarities to the types of adjustments you can make on Facetune just a few years later proving that mobile photography technology can compete with that used by production houses. It’s not too long ago that people thought putting filters on our pictures was deceiving yet now we routinely scroll through each of them before giving ourselves a healthy glow and hitting that share button. I think we are just seeing the evolution of this and more people will start to join those online who push an image that in no way resembles what they really look like. I can safely say however that I won’t be joining the Facetune generation any time soon.
Looking to give your brand a digital face lift but in the right way? Get in touch with me today and we can put a plan in place. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
What Brands Can Learn From Conor McGregor's Instagram
What can brands learn from the continued growth of Conor McGregors Instagram
With Conor McGregor’s return to the octagon after nearly two years edging closer, it’s clear than no matter what way the fight goes, brand McGregor will always keep on winning. The fighter has had a rather controversial 2 years since he last stepped into the cage. His two “mega fights” in the interim with both Floyd Mayweather and a bus window may have appeared to many as somewhat (or entirely) staged, but this upcoming fight will be a return to what McGregor calls “true fighting”.
An idol to many young men in Ireland and the representation of all that is wrong with masculinity to many of their mothers, as his popularity has grown so too has the controversy around the way he “talks the talk” and “walks the walk”. I personally tend to set the moral decency bar quite low for millionaire cage fighters and so I don’t get let down when he starts his usual tirade of “smack talk” with his opponents. His brash behaviour is usually broken up by regular philanthropic outbursts too so for many of his more ardent followers, it all balances out in the end.
Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that McGregor and his team have built an empire around his brand by leveraging his own social channels to build attention, hype, and keep us wondering what’s coming next. Having just signed up to a 6 fight/whiskey promoting deal, I believe we’ve only seen the beginning of what his brand is capable of. Let’s take a look at some of the clever ways he’s managed to use his Instagram in particular to boost his commercial success and how these same steps could be used to build any brands online presence;
80/20:
One of the main rules in social media that has persisted since its beginnings is what people call the 80/20 rule. This rule states that communication from brands on social media to their audience should be 80% informative, entertaining and useful with the other 20% being left for directly commercial purposes. If brands or influencers flood their feeds with strictly sales pitches or ads, then they’ll alienate their audience pretty quickly. The very best social feeds tell a visual story and McGregors Instagram is full of examples of this. Whether he’s training, calling out possible opponents or just sharing pictures with his son, he is engaging his audience with what he knows they want to see.
If you contrast this with the content from full time influencers on social media, it becomes apparent very quickly that the 80/20 rule is rarely even considered by most. Below is a picture of 15 recent Instagram posts from Conor McGregor’s accounts beside 15 recent posts from Geordie Shore’s (UK based reality TV show) Holly Hagan. I’ve placed the word #ad over any of the posts that have either a product or company tagged in the photo or caption.
You can see from the above how much Holly Hagan’s Instagram has been bought out by brands pushing everything from “Tan Gummies”(yes they’re actually a thing in 2018) to dating apps. McGregor on the other hand, opts to focus heavily on sharing his training and other aspects of his life with his following. With a recent article from Business Insider stating that David Beckham can get paid up to $300,000 for a single sponsored post on Instagram (he has double the followers), it’s perhaps surprising that McGregor is not trying to cash in more.
McGregor and his team understand that the greater money will be made over the long term and that building an audience of fans (MMA or otherwise) through engaging content will help to secure this. This strategy is a must for brands especially on a platform like Instagram. Focus on sharing relevant, helpful or entertaining content around your brand and it’s niche and save the sales pitch for intermittent sponsored campaigns.
Collaborations:
When McGregor does do collaborations or ads, they are usually with brands that make a lot of sense. He has promoted energy drinks, teeth whitening and other fashion products over the last few years in what were no doubt very lucrative deals for both parties. Usually he tries to put his own spin on these however and play up to his own character to make it seem almost less about the product and more about himself. The perfect example of this was his 2018 ad with fast food giant Burger King below.
If you manage a brand then choose your collaborations, influencers and other advertising partners in an authentic way. There’s nothing worse than hearing a clearly forced and scripted sales pitch come from someones mouth. Let your advertising partners work on the ad copy, scripts, blogs etc with you to let them carry your message in a way that suits both their audience and yours.
Cross Selling:
Not content with just being a millionaire fighter, McGregor has always looked for new ways to diversify his revenue streams within his own brand. Despite recent reports of his McGregor Sports and Entertainment Ltd making a loss in 2017, I doubt the Crumlin native is too worried about this blip. He has had a part in building other ventures like The MacLife, an online publisher pumping out daily MMA content, the McGregor F.A.S.T training programme, his upcoming David August clothing range and most recently his Proper 12 whiskey. It’s the way he seamlessly cross sells these through his Instagram however that is most impressive.
These products all become part of his story and everything from training to toasting victory is backed by the appropriate brand. It never feels forced or like a hard sell, but it’s there in the background making an impression. This is cross selling and content marketing done right and proves that there could be no end to what he will promote in the future. With baby Conor Junior now having a Instagram account with over 160k followers (it has a blue tick but may still be fake), I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a “MacBaby” range on the horizon.
Humour
The main takeaway from McGregors Instagram that I think brands should consider is the general way he approaches social media. With many celebs and big brands social feeds now closely managed by agencies and with content appearing almost like manicured press releases, it’s clear that McGregor has more control over his and that he can (or just decides to) post what he wants when he wants. These can be random photos from nights out with his friends or bizarre posts that get people talking online. One example of such a post is the time McGregor decided to take to his Instagram to pay homage to Irene, who he says had the “gaf sparkling”.
Image Via: NotoriousMMA
Another great example of this was the time McGregor went to visit 2 Pac’s last “gaf” after landing in LA to begin training for an upcoming fight. This should have been a memorable moment for McGregor but you can see from the caption below that he wasn’t all that impressed. I’m hoping for a future autobiography part ghostwritten by Roddy Doyle.
What stops many brands from posting to their social feeds is the fear that their content may look unprofessional compared with others. The key to really building a loyal following is not to have perfectly professional content, it’s posting regular and engaging content. This could be sharing out a relevant viral video or image, a staff member bio, a customer review or a quick but slightly grainy snapshot of your latest product release.
Don’t take yourself too seriously on social media and try to have as much fun with it as possible. If McGregor isn’t always precious about what he shares with his millions of followers, then you shouldn’t be with your content either. If you’re looking for guidance on how you can start to get more from your digital content, get in touch with me today. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
What The Ads You See On Social Media Say About You
I screenshot every ad I saw on social media for a week and this is what I learned.
At the beginning of this year, Facebook was in the news for all the wrong reasons. The media spotlight was on the company’s perceived misuse of our data and how much of this was for monetary gain. This pressure was then compounded by the Cambridge Analytica scandal that gave us the impression that democratic elections could be swayed with the right combination of cleverly targeted social media ads and messages. Although I do think that influencing an election may be a bit of a stretch, social media no doubt has the power to build awareness among us and influence our consumer decisions both consciously and subconsciously.
These controversies were all happening at a time when GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) was on the horizon meaning that online advertising was about to change. As I spend a large part of my day job setting up social media ad campaigns, I thought it would be interesting to study the types of ads I’m targeted with every day and if these ads would be relevant to me and my interests? I decided to screenshot every ad that appeared on my phone for a week to find out. I also hoped I’d be able to determine the types of companies that are spending big on social media advertising while I was at it.
Firstly, I set out some simple parameters for the test and would base my results strictly off mobile ads I was shown on my personal Facebook and Instagram (also owned by Facebook) accounts. I disregarded my work accounts on these platforms and Snapchat entirely because it’s 97% “HiSmile” teeth whitening ads anyway. The period of this study was from the 26th of March until the 1st of April 2018 and I found that on average I was spending 1.5 hours a day across both apps. That makes up roughly 16 hours worth of social media during the week in question which is not something I’m proud of. Much of this time is actually spent watching random videos, browsing comment sections, reading in app articles and using the messenger app. When I focused solely on newsfeed scrolling, I was seeing roughly one ad every 5 posts on Facebook and one ad every 4 posts on Instagram.
As you may be aware, Facebook advertising allows businesses and brands to show targeted ads to Facebook and Instagram users based off certain factors i.e. interests/friends interests, history on the app, history on other linked apps and search history online. From what I’ve given over to Facebook in this regard, I imagine it’s aware that I'm a 26 year old male, I enjoy content related to sports, travel, memes, tech and video products and I use social media and other office applications every day. The types of pages I follow and engage with on social media include clothing brands, travel pages, publishers, sports teams, influencers etc.
If Facebook (and the marketeers setting up their ads) got their targeting right, then these are primarily the types of ads that I would have seen. By the end of my week I had seen a total of 290 ads across both apps. If you don’t believe that I actually recorded all of these, well I really am that sad and I’ve compiled them in a short video complete with some jazzy music! Enjoy
If you sat through all of the above, then fair play to you because I wouldn’t. When lined up in the order in which they were screenshot, it’s hard to see any sort of trend or pattern to these ads. If you start to categorise them however, you get an idea of which industries are spending the most money on social media advertising and which ones Facebook identifies I am most likely to engage with. Using every ounce of Excel skills I have (not much), I put together a pie chart to represent how many of the 290 ads fell into each category;
You can see from the chart that the big spenders on social media ads are tech companies, travel companies, recruiters (all in this case were linked to my field of work), educational institutions and online retailers. The ad frequency was highest for shopping related websites that I had visited online with one particular H&M sale ad popping up five times before the week was done. The types of ads that fell under “other” were one for hair transplant clinics, some government initiatives and charity fundraisers/events. The real advantage of Facebook over traditional advertising is that if you were to do the same experiment with your own newsfeed, the ads could be almost completely different and tailored specifically to you.
Having spent my life convinced that I’m my own unique person, it turns out that Zuckerberg’s machine was able to build a pretty accurate profile of me as a user and more importantly a potential consumer. So what have I learned from a week spent screenshotting ads other than that I need to put the phone down and get out more? The main thing I have taken away from this is just how powerful social advertising can be at getting a relevant message out to your audience. I was also reminded of the importance of proofreading and spellchecking your ads after this shocker from a company who’s identity I will protect;
Are you looking to set up your social media ads and don’t know where to start? Get in touch with me for a free social media ad campaign proposal that will help you get your message in front of the right people. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
The Life Of A Full Time Meme Maker
I lift the lid on my short lived career as a full time meme maker.
A meme is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as:
“An image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations.”
When I graduated from Maynooth University in Media Studies in the September of 2015, I had aspirations of landing a dream job in media. What I couldn’t have predicted was that within a few months, I’d be making memes full time (so it pretty much came true). An opportunity came my way when someone posted about a job vacancy as a “Content Creator” on a media graduates Facebook group. Although I didn’t know what a content creator was at the time, I didn’t let that stop me and applied for the job. After putting together some fairly ropey photoshop samples (Youtube tutorials can teach you anything), I interviewed for the role and started creating content for CollegeTimes and TeenTimes the following week.
CollegeTimes were like Ireland’s answer to LADBible back in 2015 and TeenTimes was similar to publishers like Pretty52 but aimed predominantly at a teenage female audience. For anyone unfamiliar with how publishers operate on social media platforms, here's a quick run down of how they become profitable;
They identify an audience on the web and social media
They engage that audience with content (videos, images, blog posts etc)
They convert this new audience into a loyal following through future content and competitions making them more susceptible to seeing their future posts and ads
They run sponsored ad campaigns to promote their own brand/merchandise or affiliated products/brands to this audience through articles/targeted ads etc. This is then scaled up and the profits become greater
Social networks themselves generally work to an ever changing algorithm that ranks posts on your timeline based on your likes, characteristics, behaviours on the platform and the activity of your close friends. Publishers take advantage of these algorithms and deliver content that focuses solely on share-ability. This means that it’s not enough for a user to simply "like" their content, they must either comment underneath it or share it on their own timeline to give it greater reach.
If this content is then directly shared by other popular pages and influencers, it accelerates the reach of both this piece of content and thus your online brand. Publishers make their money by consistently pumping out content like this and being in a constant state of “virality” (I don’t think that’s even a word….yet) among their audience.
Although most of the above will be obvious to anyone who spends time on social media, my role involved sharing viral videos, articles from our team of writers and creating my own memes (9 a day!) to build our following at a relentless pace. This may sound easy but I am about to take you on a journey into the dark corners of the meme world. This piece isn't meant as an exposé on other full time meme makers but I am about to lift the lid on the whole industry (kinda).
Generally, as a meme maker, you work off trending topics, pop culture imagery and current affairs to put together a fresh idea that then becomes your meme. Unfortunately, when you’re trying to churn out 9 memes a day, this isn’t always realistic. To combat this, I’d routinely scan Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to spot where that perfectly relevant meme was just waiting to be discovered. Once discovered, I’d redesign it and add our logo. Some would call this process stealing, I called it inspiration so I could sleep at night.
This is common place in the meme world and by the time any meme has really gone viral, it’s original source becomes insignificant. Once out there, it belongs to the ether of the web and is destined to float there in it’s multiple forms for eternity. In many cases, we would find that some of our most popular memes would appear on larger or smaller pages with similarly high levels of engagement. It was kill or be killed!
Enough of the blabbering, it’s time to let some of my finest work do the talking. TeenTimes was a publisher aimed mainly at teen girls from the ages of 12 and 18. Content for this page was mainly related to things like BFF’s, fairy light room decorations, Gossip Girl and Channing Tatum. These topics (as stereotypical as they may sound) were almost a sure fire bet when it came to getting those likes, shares and comments.
When it came to the memes specifically, TeenTimes already had a distinctive design for their memes which they called the "Emoji Memes”. Michael Breen, a student intern from DCU at the time, initiated me into the world of Photoshop as we began to design and share masterpieces like the below on a daily basis;
The sad fact that I was a 23 year old man designing memes like the above all day was not lost on me. The experience did teach me a lot about social media though. Why that meme did so well (386,000 shares) was because it spoke to that audience in a way that encouraged them to tag their friends or share it out on their own pages. The page did already have over 1,000,000 followers at the time but that level of organic engagement for a single post is still incredible.
Facebook has since hindered publishers and brands massively when it comes to organic reach but the above still illustrates how even the simplest pieces of relevant content can stimulate engagement. When you share content like this consistently, then “pennies make pounds” and your page reach and thus awareness snowballs. Below are two more of my tragically cringe worthy TeenTimes memes that further illustrate this point but are also just great to laugh at (my captions are particularly priceless).
College Times on the other hand had a smaller audience of around 280,000 fans when I began to create content for that page. With the help of a great team of content writers producing blogs and my ever increasing meme powers, we began to push the reach of the page to new heights. Identifying that the audience for this page was more about skipping lectures to go on the rip than their younger TeenTimes counterparts, we focused our content on exactly that.
Again, I’d like to note that personally I never really found any of these memes to be clever or funny, I just knew by looking at them that they would get the engagement levels we were after. Below are just two examples of the types of memes we would share on CollegeTimes;
The beauty of the meme game is that even when you feel like you have it worked out, there’ll always be a surprise waiting for you. My surprise came on the day of May 7th, 2016. Having arrived into work to review my previous days memes and reply to any of the top comments, I was shocked to see that one I hadn’t really thought much of had began its viral journey to an unprecedented 80,000 likes, 67,000 comments and 25,000 shares.
Now I’m not a mathematician but if you account for the way the algorithm on Facebook worked at that time, I’m gonna say this post alone reached more eyeballs than the World Cup Final in Brazil the summer before. This is still a meme that I see regularly pop up in random corners of the internet and I always give it a quick like to keep it going on its way.
I didn’t only make earth shattering memes during this period of my career, I also got the opportunity to create promotional posters, feature images for blog posts and most memorably a recruitment poster aimed at writers in the summer of 2016. While brainstorming how we could do something different with this poster, I scanned the internet again for inspiration. After a couple of minutes, I opted for a nod to the then clown like figure who was always in the news during his laughable attempt at becoming the president of the USA.
Sadly for me, as quickly as I had gotten a foothold in the meme world, my foray into social media virality (I will make it a word) was to end. The company that managed both pages was sold in the middle of 2016 and I had to give up the meme dream. I did learn a lot from my time as a professional meme artist and the experience has honestly been a great basis for my work in digital marketing since.
Memes will always be around in some way or another online as long as there is content that engages people and their inherent need to share it with others. Marketers and brands should always operate on this basis when their posting to social media platforms in particular. If you’re not putting out consistent content that people will enjoy (videos, images etc), then how can you expect them to listen when you’re giving a more commercial sales pitch?
If you’re looking to boost your own brand through content marketing or just looking for someone to talk to about your meme addiction, get in touch with me here. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.