The age of SUPERCONTENT

As the balance of power has shifted from mass broadcast and print media to niche and social, and as brands increasingly focus on direct-to-consumer relationships and need to cultivate real, organic communities to thrive, it’s audiences like Hodinkee’s that they should become closest with.

A decade or so ago, brands shifted from increasing value of their products through utility, competitive comparison, and creative advertising to endowing products they made with aesthetic, sustainability credentials, a story of artisanship and provenance, and/or a community in order to give their products identity and singularity. (Virgil Abloh made

... See more

Story, narrative, entertainment, world-building, creative universes are all part the new brand management framework. All the world’s a stage. Ash NYC “invents” hotels that are “cinematic monuments.” Oysho, an Inditex brand, has something called “Oysho TV.” Red Bull and Telfar TV were there first. “We are very focused one creative storytelling acros... See more

The media business has traditionally been built around content. There have been hints of culture driven commerce throughout the years in the NYT blue bag, the New Yorker tote bag, but most of these attempts teetered on the edge of membership and nowhere near the manufacturing of subcultures. We are seeing new media companies begin to work towards t... See more

The reality is that brands live in a larger communications ecosystem – a universe – a constellation of messages, creative approaches, and touchpoints that serve to propel a larger brand message. For modern brand building, brands must build a rich immersive world anchored in a core value proposition that radiates outward and builds a sense of commun... See more