I'm Lisa.👋 Every two weeks, I write to you about marketing, brand, and the messy middle where they intersect. It’s a love letter of sorts. If this was forwarded to you, subscribe here.

Our 2023 Betsy. Isn't she lovely?

March 10, 2023

Hi hi, 

How are you?

It’s been one week since Overit won Best of Show at the Capital Region Advertising Federation Awards, and we’re still riding the high. 

It feels lovely knowing our video production work has won the big prize for the second time in three years. 🏆🏆

We don’t work as hard as we do for the awards, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get warm fuzzies when we earn them. 

This time, we won The Betsy for the thirty-second spot we created for Thomas Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company known for treating little things like BIG things. The judges applauded the simplicity of our spot, the storytelling, and our ability to do such creative work for an “undesirable topic.” 

HA! 😂

Not everyone is as passionate about bugs as we are.  

As marketers, we're not always building campaigns around flying cars and space tourism. 

How do you create award-winning content for dull, undesirable, or sometimes pest-ridden industries?  

Change your mindset.

Stop thinking about yourself as a person who works in a boring industry. Or, if you’re like me, stop thinking about yourself as a boring person. 

There’s no such thing. And you’re not. So, stop it.

Sump pumps, coffee filters, and toilet brushes are all essential items for someone who needs them. [See me for my TED talk on the importance of sump pumps.]  If they weren't, we wouldn’t have industries built around these things or customers to talk to.

Whether you sell hubcaps, toothpaste, or caulk, you can create dynamic, interactive, helpful, and otherwise jaw-dropping content. You simply have to decide and invest in doing it properly.

If you’re struggling with the pep talk part, hit me up. 

Define what good content feels like.

Creating a viral, attention-grabbing piece of content doesn’t always mean it’s laugh-out-loud funny or so crazy that you alienate half your audience. 

Content is measured by the value it provides, not how BIG someone who isn't even consuming the content finds the idea.

Good, emotionally-driven content:

1: Helps. 

My trash company is KILLING the helpful content game. 

Their mobile application lets me sync their pick-up schedule with my calendar, so I  remember to put my bins out the night before instead of running barefoot down my driveway at 6 AM. The app also includes a wizard feature that lets me type in what I need help disposing of -- broken glass, an old car battery, a lifeless body -- and then it tells me HOW to get rid of it properly or whom to call if I require a special pick-up.

The secret to creating inherently valuable content is knowing your audience and solving their specific challenges. Now, if my trash company would tell me where they are in their route in real-time, my garbage-related life would be complete.

2: Educates.

Have you met ‘Internet Dad” Rob Kenney? 

Rob hosts the “Dad, How Do I” YouTube channel, teaching people how to accomplish everyday tasks in a warm, friendly tone. His two-minute instructional video on how to tie a tie has more than two million views.

He has helped people learn how to pump gas, change a tire, fix a running toilet, and much more. He even created a video to say how proud he is of you.

Aw, Internet Dad! 

Rob began creating videos during the pandemic in 2020, and today, 4.4 million people subscribe to his practical advice. I enjoy Rob’s content because I have no useful life skills and because it’s a great reminder that we all have information to share--even if it seems simple. 

What can you teach your audience to help them feel smarter or more prepared? 

You don’t always need a big idea. You need the right one.

3: Tells a story.

You can pluck interesting stories from the dullest industries. Sometimes, that's where the BEST stories hide, in the human element we can't immediately see. Seek it out and showcase it.

Have a look at our Betsy-winning Thomas Pest Services commercial. It's the story that creates the magic.

That cute little ant immediately steals your attention. The animation helps his little antennae move back and forth. The sound design is delicious, and you feel the bubbles in your stomach as the tension builds, waiting to see what will happen.

And then our payoff--the stomp, smirk, and satisfaction from our hero when he prevents a little problem from becoming a big issue for a homeowner. 

“Got ‘em!”

The ant, and your attention.

4: Builds connection

I don't use TikTok, but even as an outsider, I can appreciate the sense of community users find there. Unlike other social networks, it's not just a place to create content and talk about yourself. It's a place to create AND be part of what others have made. 

And that feels different. 

How special it is to find a place where you can come together over shared interests, be a creator, and build off the content of others while feeling connected to the larger whole. The more you create, the more entrenched you become and the more you want to keep creating.

That’s the feeling your content should foster as well. Maybe you’re not dancing to a 30-year-old Mariah Carey song, but how are you cultivating that same sense of “belongingness” to your people? 

5: Invites people in

Isn't she beautiful?

This is half of the pillar wrap we designed for the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) earlier this year. It lives in a heavily-populated area of the MVP Arena in downtown Albany, where people are often left to mull around in line or wait for their event doors to open.     

I really love this piece, created specifically for the environment in which it lives. The intricateness of the line-art illustration gives people a work of art to devour and dissect, looking for hidden elements and recognizable landmarks. The intricateness also speaks to CDTA’s role as a connective fabric in our community, moving and connecting people and places. You can appreciate the image from afar, but it starts to mean and show you so much more once you get closer.

Tucked inside this illustration, there are 19 CDTA products, 152 different city elements (including 16 clouds in three styles!), regional landmarks like the NYS Capital and the NYS Museum, local Easter eggs, and maybe an Overit logo or two.

It is a personal invitation to come a bit closer and be part of the experience.

6: Is specific. 

This is where knowing your audience and what they care about is so crucial. Picturing your audience as you dive into writing an informative piece of content helps it feel more meaningful and changes how you approach it. 

7: Crosses mediums 

In this list alone, we’ve touched on content in the form of a mobile application, high-production quality video, user-generated video, illustration work, and online communities. 

Engaging content comes in many different forms and assorted flavors. Use images, videos, infographics, and other multimedia elements to make your content more engaging. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

8: Might be stolen

If you’re not sure where to start, start by stealing. Not actual work, of course, but ideas and inspiration.  

When you're trapped in a mental block, give yourself permission to get up and leave. Leave your industry for a moment and start consuming content like a non-marketing person. Watch your favorite television show. Read a book. Go to a movie. Turn on the radio. Drive down the road. Check out a magazine. 

What works? What themes and trends can you reuse? How are other industries attracting and speaking to their audiences? There's a lot to learn all around us. Look up from your screen to notice it.

Ignore the naysayers.

There will always be those who believe your organization can't possibly develop creative, award-winning content simply because of the pool you swim in. 

Ignore them.

There is no such thing as a boring industry and no excuse to produce something that doesn’t move you. We love our pest and home services clients as much as we love working for large consumer brands.

What are the best content examples you’ve seen in unique industries? I'd love to hear about them.

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Overit Wins Best of Show

Overit took home the 2023 Betsy Award for our work with Thomas Pest Services!

We’re incredibly proud of our team for their work on the thirty-second spot. Read more about the spot, and then definitely go check out all the fun photos on Facebook! 

Here are some interesting reads for the week: 

• 2023 International Women's Day: Overit's Caitlin Nicholson was interviewed on International Women's Day about being a woman in marketing, how she got started, and the strides she's seen to make our industry more equitable.  
• Bud Light Seltzer's name is confusing: More than half of the people surveyed by Bud Light Seltzer incorrectly believe that the alcoholic seltzer contains beer, deterring them from even trying it. Welp. In response, a year-long campaign will be run with the slogan "100% Hard Seltzer, 0% Beer." 
• Grammarly adding ChatGPT-like AI: Filed under: Surprising No One.
• What Social Media Trends to Expect for 2023: My friend Pierre DeBois documents what we can expect from social media trends over the next year. Thank you, Pierre, for mentioning our little love letter with your insights. 

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