Balancing Art and Function: Reflections of a Content Specialist in a Branding World

Before I delve into my usual rant about my prolonged absence from this writing platform, I feel compelled to present a valid defense, my friends. I want you to know that I have indeed been writing. Yes, I have! So, before you admonish me for my inconsistency, rest assured that I have been fulfilling my solemn duty as a writer.

Admittedly, much of my writing has revolved around those mundane “please find attached” emails, drafting copies, and impersonal blog articles — the kind of writing that might leave your soul cold but gently warms your bank account.

But hey, doesn’t that still count as writing? No? Well, I suppose it doesn’t align with the type of writing I hold dear — the kind that defines me and brings me joy. That’s precisely why I find myself here once again, where my writing tends to get a bit more personal. So, enjoy the ride…

WYBU2?

In case you’re unfamiliar, that’s the Gen Z acronym for “What You Been Up To?” (You’re welcome.)

So, what have I been up to lately?

Well, pretty much the same old routine: living, learning, loving, growing, laughing, and scowling.

Being a Nigerian in Lagos, Nigeria, that can be neatly summed up as surviving and maintaining sanity.

But that’s not the sole focus of my writing today.

Specifically, I want to share my recent work endeavors and the knowledge I’ve gained over the past six months to a year. I believe it’s crucial to document these experiences before they become hazy recollections both for myself and for those I hope to impact (and yes, impress).

As you might expect, I’ve been fully immersed in my work, which largely involves collaborating with corporate brands as a content specialist. My role revolves around creating written and visual content that informs, engages, inspires, and excites the brands’ audiences.

On one hand, it has been an intriguing journey thus far. I’ve learned to understand the marketing objectives of various brands, and I constantly find myself searching for ways to effectively communicate these objectives and activities in concise and captivating manners.

This entails utilizing channels such as social media, blogs, and websites to resonate with their target audiences. However, despite the fancy description, most of it involves diving headfirst into the nitty-gritty details of day-to-day tasks, deliverables, updates, and future projections.

Needless to say, things can get hectic on that front. But I’m here to confess that I harbored a slight disdain for the profession. (Don’t ask me if I still do.) Let me explain.

I regarded my writing skill as an art — almost a sacred one at that. Yet, I came to the realization that this art has become so functional in today’s world that it feels almost mechanical.

I witnessed writers transforming into content marketers, content gurus, content wizkids, and even content mothers of dragons (and whatever other concoctions HR can cook up). Storytellers have morphed into brand strategists, brand evangelists, and other absurd yet profitable titles.

It seems that everything, and I mean everything, is now considered content.

And it infuriated me.

I didn’t want to pour my creative energy solely into one campaign after another. Yes, I yearned to tell stories, but I didn’t want to model my life after a “personal branding strategy that resonates with my audience” or anything of the sort. It all seemed too artificial, too driven by capitalism. It felt like sacrilege — a defilement of the sacred art of writing. And mind you, I’m not even that much of a purist, I swear.

According to many influential figures in the corporate communications realm, while artful, skillful, and soulful writing may warm the hearts of creators, in today’s fast-paced, social media-obsessed world, functional, targeted, and punchy writing is what fills your pockets. More or less.

I feared that my beloved art would become extinct.

And so, I sneered.

But before long, Capitalism sat me down and explained how the game works.

It said, “Behold the times. In this world, you need value, skill, and enterprise to make a living. And it’s perfectly fine to infuse these things into your beloved art. Yes, my dear, making money with your craft is perfectly acceptable.”

Still, I continued to sneer at this reality.

However, as time went on, my pockets grew emptier, and my responsibilities multiplied, I found myself reasoning with capitalism. My sneer softened, became more understanding. I thought, “Maybe I can find a balance. Perhaps I can strike a harmony between the art and the functionality of my craft.” Or at the very least, I could try.

And thus began my journey.

Throughout this expedition, I have recently discovered the beauty of learning — embracing failure, making mistakes, and most importantly, learning from them.

I find great fascination in acquiring new knowledge, but what truly excites me is learning things that challenge my existing beliefs. Novel ideas that question the foundations of my previous understanding, and antiquated stances deflated by sharp new truths.

One recent endeavor of mine involved enrolling in an online course on Branding, Brand Management, Branding Strategy, and Branding Tactics (yes, quite the lengthy title).

Through this course, I have been exposed to fascinating insights on branding. I find immense delight in discovering how conventional marketing practices can be less effective, particularly in the realm of product marketing. In many ways, the current focus of branding and marketing professionals is flawed, as we often attempt to achieve multiple results simultaneously, hindering our ability to scale up.

For example, I learned that acquisition — not necessarily the retention of existing customers — is the key to growth.

Furthermore, my studies have unveiled the overrated nature of differentiation and the pursuit of a unique position in the branding world.

Instead, the ultimate goal for a brand marketer is to secure a high-profit market share. And to accomplish that, one must disregard the notion of targeting only a narrow group of customers who will passionately adore the brand.

Rather, the focus should be on targeting all category buyers, striving for top-of-mind awareness, convenience, and availability — less about inspiring unwavering love. (Let’s be honest, people rarely feel such intense affection for brands; they rarely even give them much thought.)

Consider the most successful brands we know today (Coca-Cola, Pepsi; Apple, Samsung). They don’t necessarily rely on functional distinctiveness. They are comfortable offering essentially the same products or services as their competitors. In fact, they do a lot to copy one another’s new features and new offerings. Any differentiation they flaunt is mostly superficial, a psychological distinction.

I particularly relished how this course took the time to debunk the overemphasized importance of blue-ocean strategies in branding.

Another valuable lesson I gleaned is that while branding holds significance, marketers often exaggerate its importance. Although brands can be assets worth millions, they don’t necessarily grant a competitive advantage. In reality, many companies have failed despite having exceptional brands.

In intriguing ways, this course has helped me identify the flaws in the mechanical, highly functional frenzy that dominates the branding and marketing space. It has shed light on the side of the profession where art and soul can intertwine, where rules can be broken, and limits are allowed.

Through my practical and theoretical exploration, I have learned, and continue to learn, that even in a world populated by content specialists, brand strategists, creatives, influencers, and marketing power-rangers, I can still be an effective artist — a functional storyteller. And that’s fantastic.