Content inspiration exists in pop culture

An iconic artist passes away, a celebrity couple splits up or consciously uncouples, a new season of a show is about to start or an underdog team wins a sports championship- these are the moments in pop-culture that allow social media users to share in a moment with the stars.

What matters to your audience?

Pop culture references are a fast and effective way to reach a broad audience. When Prince recently passed away, Chevrolet immediately jumped on the musician-mourning bandwagon to produce this image.

For some it resonated, for some it seemed irreverent, but none-the-less there’s no doubt when something big happens in the world, we use platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to share emotions.

Snapchat was also quick to respond, adding a Purple Rain filter as a tribute to the singer, as well as building a section called “We Love Prince” where Snapchat users could post their tributes on the story page.

Learning to share

Pop-culture is all about sharing collective ideas, attitudes, beliefs and interests. If brands are going to tap into pop-culture as a way of reaching their audience, they have to make content that is shareable so it becomes a way of propagating these ideas and attitudes.

When the third season of Game of Thrones (a pop-culture phenomenon unto itself) became available in the UK, Blinkbox- a British streaming service- created a giant dragon skull sculpture that ”washed up” on Charmouth beach.

A reference to the plot of Game of Thrones as well as Dorset’s Jurassic coast famous for its dinosaur fossils, Blinkbox also created a “making-of” video to show people behind the scenes on the skull’s creation. The project provided an amazing opportunity for fans and beachgoers alike to share photos across social media, reaching an extended pop-culture community.

The skull was then moved to a Game of Thrones fan screening where fans were encouraged to tweet with the hashtag #DragonSkull. The project generated over 35 million Twitter impressions alone, speaking to the success of a social media campaign that rides on the back of pop-culture.

A pop-culture strategy?

The quest for authentic, clever, engaging content is ongoing and relentless. Bands need to remember that their consumers are also consumers of pop-culture, and this world can be an effective way of cutting through the noise and reaching an audience with relevant content.

When creating a social media strategy, don’t forget to consider celebrities, sports teams, films and shows that might appeal to your audience. By following your audience’s cultural interests, opportunities exist for your brand’s own content inspiration.