We’ll warn you right now. The guest on Social Pros in today’s Listen really—for a lack of better words—“comes for” millennials in this interview.
Bernhard Schroeder is a branding expert, creating and launching brands for Yahoo and Amazon. So when he says millennials “don’t understand branding,” it cuts deep. Cuts real deep, Bern.
But it’s not all our fault—it’s that branding concepts are not immediately inherent to the digital world. Bernhard and Jay Baer address the issues with modern branding and some other disconnects between millennial marketers and strategy. Plus, Bernhard offers up a solution, “the social media success ingredient,” as it were. (Spoiler: peep the bonus below.)
Okay, let’s get to it (btw, the interview starts at 2:50):
- (03:45) Bernhard answers the questions: Why do you feel like now is the time for a new branding lesson? What’s the disconnect? Where have we gone astray?
- (03:55) Why many millennials don’t understand branding
- (06:45) How the move to digital has affected the passing of branding knowledge from generation to generation
- (07:15) The crucial importance of finding a mentor in this age of digital agencies with “no branding mentality”
- (10:58) Jay asks: Do you feel like social media allows brands to double-down on the essence of that brand. Isn’t that what good social really is—to reflect and amplify the brand attributes that make that business stand out?
- (12:15) Why social media engagement doesn’t always equal brand value
- (13:55) Jay’s hot take on Wendy’s snarky Twitter account
- (14:45) The issue with “snark” on social media and what happens when you try to “out-snark snark”
- (16:40) Why having a cause and putting it forward can solidify your brand image
- (18:10) Why millennials want to “save anything”
- (21:25) Why we don’t see a Chief Brand Officer like we see Chief Marketing Officers
- (25:45) Advice to someone who wants to be a leader in marketing
- (27:15) The value of “strategy first, execution second” — you can’t get strategic knowledge quickly like you can with social media strategy
- (31:15) Why your social media content should be dictated by a brand story
Bonus: What’s Bernhard’s one tip for becoming a social pro? “Get a mentor that’s been there and done it.”