Content marketing has had its day in the sun, and so to remain relevant and keep up with the “tectonic shifts” in the industry, and in consumer behaviour, content specialist Edge has unveiled a new business positioning.
The new ‘relentless relevance’ positioning comes just days after Edge announced it was merging with retail creative specialist Creative Oasis.
The agency believes content marketing will remain a major part of its business and what clients demand, and it isn't turning its back on the discipline, rather, extending what it can offer.
Edge has been evolving its services around data, creative and technology, culminating with the merger with Creative Oasis last week.
The group uses the 'Gartner Hype Cycle' to describe the maturity of content marketing and the thought process behind the evolution of the agency.
Richard Parker, partner and planning director, tells AdNews content marketing has reached its peak and has now “fallen close to disillusionment” as everyone has jumped on the bandwagon.
Group managing partner Fergus Stoddart adds that as most agencies and media companies have developed content marketing divisions or capabilities “it ceases to be a point of difference” for the agency. While it has specialised in content for more than a decade, it now needs to do something more to remain relevant, he says.
It believes the creative and advertising capabilities Creative Oasis brings to the business will offer clients “end-to-end capabilities and strategic conversations” allowing it to deliver relevance for clients, and their customers.
Creative Oasis’ speciality is in retail branding, so the agency will be making a play for retail in a new business sense to tap into that specialism.
“You don't want to be a complete generalist. Content was seen as doing something differently when we started, so how do we keep that difference - that’s what we see as relentless relevance,” says Parker.
As part of 'relentless relevance' it has distilled its positioning into seven core principles that will underpin its approach to client projects and new business pitches.
The seven points it believes define its new approach are; consumer obsession; value evolution; scientific rigour; creative provocation; transparent culture; real time presence and hyper-personalisation.
It’s applying those to its own business, as well as existing clients and new business pitches.
Parker says: “With guaranteed, accelerating change underway, we know we need to challenge the way brands traditionally engage with their customers - because they’re becoming less and less effective.
“We need to challenge the channels and approaches that are used, we need to challenge conventional wisdom, we need to challenge empty brand promises and challenge the way we understand and respond to customers. It’s no easy task but it’s the only way forward if we want the brands we work with to succeed. We need to make them relevant, relentlessly.”
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