In an age awash with content, the ability to cut through is becoming increasingly important. With 90% of businesses now in the act of making content and 60% planning to up their budgets this year, according to Forrester, it’s no surprise that brands are having to work harder to be noticed in this now fiercely competitive space.  

Brands with content at their core like Red Bull and Nike are proof that this is an effective long-term strategy to build deeper relationships. More recently Chipotle has won worldwide acclaim for its slam at the Big Food movement with a mini-series that aired on Hulu and The Scarecrow on YouTube; the latter sparked over 18.4 million conversations on social media in the first month alone. Chipotle has successfully introduced a difficult and complex subject to a mass audience, without spending in mainstream channels.  

Too many brands are riding the wave of creating content, but few manage to engage in the long-term. It’s those that recognise that content must play a role within customers’ lives who will cut through. “Be useful or interesting to them at precisely the right time,” says Ben Lavery of Scorch London. “Get your distribution strategy right. Make sure that everything you do has a reason to exist from your audience’s perspective.”