The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity took place last week in France and it provided a star studded guest list of some of the world’s best and brightest minds in the entertainment business. For media professionals seeking wisdom, advice, and information on content creation, brand development, audience engagement, and connection strategies, this week long event offered a lot to sink your teeth into.
Although a trip to France remains on my bucket list of future adventures to enjoy, this was one trip I wasn’t able to make. But thanks to the power of technology, I was able to watch a number of different speaker sessions and read a lot of articles to get a full understanding of the key takeaways.
Two sessions in particular stood out to me. The first one involved movie star Will Smith.
When you think of the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, you likely identify him as a successful actor. Others may recognize him as a rapper or musician due to his success on the charts with the songs “Men in Black”, “Getting Jiggy with It” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand” just to name a few. But few would label him as a marketer. Yet that’s exactly how he identifies himself.
During his session in Cannes, the Hollywood star explained how the movie industry was affected by the explosion of social media. He shared stories of what he discovered about himself that required fixing before he could become the superstar that he is today, and offered advice to individuals and brands on how they can better connect with their audiences.
“There was a bit of a lag, a slump in my career—around the Wild Wild West time—where I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win, versus promoting something because I believed it was helpful,” Smith said. “I had so much success that I started to taste global blood. My focus shifted from my artistry to winning. I wanted to win. I wanted to be the biggest movie star in the world.”
His passion to win blinded him when identifying projects that would fit his brand. Instead of seeking out projects with a deeper meaning and concentrating on creating powerful content, Smith got caught up in the hype for each project and allowed the lure of fortune and fame to influence his decision making.
It didn’t take long to realize that a bad film doesn’t do much for a talented actor. In fact, it can permanently damage their brand. As consumers began to gain power in the way they communicated through social media, Smith knew he had to make changes and find a stronger connection to the work he was doing. If he wanted to reach people and have them care about the projects he was involved in, he had to become more selective and discover what truly mattered to him.
“In the 80’s and 90’s you’d have a piece of crap movie and you’d put out more trailers with all of these explosions and it was Wednesday before people knew your movie was shit” said Smith. “Now today, it’s 10 minutes into the movie before people are tweeting ‘Hey, this movie is shit, don’t see it. Will’s movie is shit, go see Vin Diesel’.”
The audience’s growing influence led to a permanent shift in Smith’s mindset. He challenged himself to figure out what his brand stood for and started asking questions to determine whether or not a project was the right fit. Making those adjustments helped steer Smith towards films with deeper meanings and helped him better understand how the audience perceived him and what he needed to provide in order to satisfy their needs.
“When I read a movie script, it’s not, ‘Is this going to make a lot of money?’. I’m asking myself, ‘How does this improve lives?’ It doesn’t have to be deep. If it’s just comedy and people come to get a laugh, it improves lives” explained Smith. “In making the shift from product to people, I am trusting that if I have a deeper comprehension of people, the product I create is going to be more successful. Smoke and mirrors marketing is over. People are going to know really quickly, and they’re going to know globally, whether your product is keeping its promises.”
By placing a stronger emphasis on the way his films improve lives, identifying projects that align with his brand, and valuing the opinion and connection to his audience, Smith has found a formula that’s catapulted him to the top of the entertainment industry. His films “Seven Pounds”, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, “I Am Legend” and the “Men In Black” series have all performed strongly at the box office, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6e8kXLjtoM
The second session which caught my attention featured Stephanie McMahon and John Cena from the WWE. Given that I enjoy professional wrestling I’m more likely to be enamored by their commentaries than some others who don’t enjoy the WWE product, but it was their views on content, strategy, and connecting with the audience which drew me in.
When you think of the professional wrestling business, you don’t necessarily consider it to be similar to the sports radio/television industry. Many would say they’re worlds apart but when you cut to their core, they both focus on selling content, personalities, and brand associations, and developing loyal and passionate connections with an audience.
Stephanie began her session by pointing out how astute the audience is and why campaigns miss the mark. She pointed out how many brands attempt to push unwanted messaging on to their fans and it’s rejected because it lacks a connection to the product they’re consuming. She said the key to making a campaign work requires going the extra mile to create customized content so that it integrates in a way that is entertaining to the viewer yet still relates to the brand.
Social media was another area of focus. McMahon believes that brands must engage with their fan base, not just push messaging out to them. Failing to engage, poll and acknowledge feedback can result in a brand losing its most loyal consumers. To help people better understand the WWE’s strategy, she hammered home three critical points. Every sports radio and television company should take notice of these.
- It Starts with the Content
- Have a Strong Content Ecosystem Strategy
- Make Sure Your Brand Has a Purpose and Value
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYxsuQmRnw
To wrap up the WWE session, John Cena talked about his five point plan. In my opinion, this was one of the highlights of the entire presentation. It’s something that every single sports media personality, program director, and corporate executive should be able to relate to.
If you watch WWE programming, you’re aware that John Cena is one of the company’s top superstars. To compare his role to the sports media industry, he’d be the star talk show host or anchor on a popular radio station or TV program. He’s been the face of the WWE franchise for 15 years and his success has enabled him to make a strong transition into appearing in movies and on television. In fact, this July he’ll become the first pro wrestler to ever host the ESPYS.
While many hosts isolate themselves from the rest of their company’s business, Cena takes the opposite approach in his line of work. He’s aware of how the company is performing in the business world, what the expectations of the audience are, and how his personal brand fits with each storyline. He takes an interest in the ratings for each television show and familiarizes himself with the audience’s viewing patterns. He also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the company using his profile and platform to benefit charities and make a difference in people’s lives. In doing so, it brings the company a ton of mainstream media coverage but further demonstrates what type of person he is outside the ring.
Cena certainly has his fun inside the squared circle but outside of it he’s very much a businessman. He’s even gone as far as pushing for the company to expand into new territories. Recently he pushed the WWE to take a stronger look at expanding into China. After announcing that they would pursue the opportunity, Cena demonstrated how important of a move it was by learning and speaking mandarin at the company’s introductory press conference with the Chinese media. It’s that type of commitment and understanding of his business that has elevated him to the top in his profession.
Here are the five areas of focus in John Cena’s five point plan.
- Know Your Business
- Know Yourself
- Know Your Audience
- Never Be Afraid To Ask Questions
- Love What You Do
After listening to Will Smith, John Cena, and Stephanie McMahon talk about their careers, brands, and formulas for success, I understood why each of them have taken the elevator to the top of their professions. They are more than just entertainers. They are business people. They’ve been blessed with a gift to entertain, and they maximize those talents, but they also recognize how branding, connecting, and creating a successful business plan factors into every decision.
If I can stress two things to you from this article it’s to understand your business and take an active role in learning the elements of it that you’re not familiar with. Creating content is fun but it has little significance if it doesn’t register with the audience and your advertisers. When you immerse yourself in your company’s ratings and business strategy and understand the role you play in creating success, it helps make the journey to the top of the mountain more manageable. Play your cards right and you might just be there for a while.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
