Authenticity and Empathy Over Everything: How to Achieve Hyper-relevance in 2023
The term “hyper-relevant” is a contentious one, widely debated by creatives, data analysts and marketers alike. Essentially, though, hyper-relevance is all about staying informed on the constant changes of society, crafting dynamic solutions and responses to these changes, and adapting our approaches to understand the wants and needs of customers.
Modern consumerism breeds infinite feeds of never-ending, instantaneous content, making it more important than ever to ensure authenticity and empathy over all else. Striking a chord with your audience is the overarching goal of achieving hyper-relevance because nothing is more powerful than leaving a lasting impression.
To be hyper relevant, content must feel personal, and this means seeing people in context. Given my twenty years experience as a director, writer and producer, I am able to rely on my innate ability to read people, a skill I have learned and fine tuned over the course of my career. But in order to ensure the tone is right, and the spot feels authentic, the narrative must align with what is authentic for the audience.
Consider Your End User
First and foremost, before giving any thought to the creative, I always consider the end user. I do this by reverse engineering the brief, figuring out who the audience is and where this demographic will be - societally speaking - when receiving this message. I consider how the viewer will feel when seeing the spot for the first time, whether it pops up on their TV screen or on their mobile phone. Doing my best to understand how it could be perceived is crucial because everything we do at KUAMP is about delivering a message in a positive way.
In our work with F*** Cancer, we were tasked with broaching the subject of cancer prevention and colonoscopies to a demographic that has a higher risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer. The project tied into the KUAMP ‘Keep Up and Make Progress’ ethos and we were proud to be involved in such a meaningful public service announcement.
The objective of the spot was to encourage viewers to get tested in the interest of early detection, as per the ‘Keep Joy Alive’ campaign. Addressing this subject required sensitivity and tact, and although these preventative measures are no laughing matter, by channelling a relatable, familiar and lighthearted tone we were able to inject levity into the spot. Considering the response of the end user, the spot features well-respected producer and rapper Swizz Beats, Jadakiss and Styles P, to bolster the authenticity and relevance of F Cancer’s message.
Never Underestimate the Research Phase
Once the end user has been identified, the next step is research – and lots of it. Understanding a target audience requires checking the current climate: who, what and where we are as a society, and how the demographic fits into this.
In my experience, the best way to truly understand is by reading up on current events, and educating yourself on what’s happening in the world directly affecting the demographic you are speaking to. Utilise social media, tap into trends, people, places and subjects of interest. Following these topics and trends over a period of time will help build a foundational understanding of who is helping shape culture, staying abreast of what is going on and how similar subjects have been approached by others.
A great way to examine influential trends and cultural figures is by talking directly to folks, whether this is via social media or through in-person focus groups. At KUAMP, we believe the research phase is the perfect time to talk to the audience we are producing content for, as our research is often reinforced by these conversations. Speaking directly to your demographic also provides an opportunity to measure tone and expectations, in real-time.
For our NBPA Future Legends of Rucker Park campaign we did just that. We were able to spend time working very closely with basketball players from New York City high schools and by doing so, we learned what was important to them, what they anticipated most about their promising futures, and what they thought was ‘cool.’ We incorporated some of those insights into our final clips that would go on to influence young players across the country.
Go With Your Gut
Identifying your end user and conducting research gets you halfway to the finish line, but in my opinion, this final piece of advice is 50% of the battle. Trusting your gut is more easily done with experience, but there’s no time like the present, and I recommend getting started now.
Judging the authenticity and empathy of a spot by the instinctive response and gut feeling you have, paired with the thorough research you have compiled about the intended audience, will definitely help you achieve hyper-relevance. It is impossible to anticipate or predict what is to come in 2023, but by keeping a finger on the pulse and an eye on your audience, you will remain ready to deliver hyper-relevant content for any audience.
