Gary Vee would destroy the kids Business.

That’s right I am jumping on the Gary Vaynerchuk bandwagon. I have been silently watching how he strips away the thin veil of relevance that television adds and print adds still pretend to have, and I think to myself — thank f##k he is not looking at the kids business; because frankly there would be blood on the walls.

Gary crushing it in France

His pull no punches approach, and binary view of things is incredible, and frankly, I love it.

It took a while for me to get past the persona and the intense verbal attack he is bringing but as I listened to him more and more, I am like this guys knows his shit and the speed he breaks things down to their transactional core is fun to watch. This understanding of the functional truth of things and his empathy for those that are looking to break through the noise makes him unique.

I genuinely believe he is trying to help people do better.

If I turn that lens on the content that is currently available for Kids on traditional platforms I have to ask myself are we relevant anymore? What are we offering in return for the time we are taking?

“Silly Rabbit tricks are for kids” — The tricks Rabbit.

The digital babysitter is working well with YOUTUBE, and if you look at the way creators package it, there is just enough time for you to cook dinner, run around with the vacuum or launch one’s side hustle on eBay. Take the Booba (Not to be confused with the French rapper!) channel for example, you have episodes in blocks of time so you can easily choose how long you need your kids distracted. Love it or hate it the transaction is clear cut, they are selling time and the packaging is spot on.

Booba — Well packaged for the platform.

Another common practice is skim viewing. It is about the best we can hope for concerning genuine connection for traditional types of content. Which is quite upsetting when you consider the hours and hours that go into the details of some of these shows. Of course I don’t have any numbers but when I watch the way my kids watch content it is in short sprints. Unless it is Youtube where it seems to be pro-longed grazing which ends in forced separation.

The quest for content with market awareness has driven us to recycle almost every known brand — I say almost because I am sure there is some obscure 80’s brand I have forgotten - Snake Plissken for kids anyone? For the last few years there has been a shift onto celebrity voice actors like BoJack voiced by Will Arnett, Bill Burr doing Frank Murphy and Conan O Brian doing the voice of the ‘Douche Canoe’ guy in Final Space.

Then as predicted established creatives lending there names to shows. A show like Troll Hunters tapping into the reputation of Guillermo del Toro (which is an excellent show by the way! (Said the adult writing this) This is of course a sound logic that helps balance the ROI, builds awareness and drives engagement. Two thumbs up!

However, what if you are an independent and you are trying to get in the game?

What would Gary Vee do? How would he take back the power? Maybe Gary would do something like Adi Shankar with his bootleg universe? I had the pleasure of meeting Adi and seeing him pitch a concept once. He has something unique, his deep understanding of how to tap into real human emotions in unexpected ways is a unique way to get a new spin on existing brands.

Mr Rogers: A war hero

Alternatively, perhaps he would start by building a simple character talking smack or telling a polarising truth on Instagram? After all, as he says there are only two things that make an impact right now “Total bull s##t or absolute truth.”

Do you want to succeed?

There are so many convenient lies out there at the moment, one of the most common is NETFLIX will buy almost anything. Maybe wrong, but I assume that NETFLIX’s main concern is and has been growth. The growth of their subscriber base through content that has established awareness in key territories. Then they are flanking this with strong performing local brands as acquisitions which will build out their catalogue and in turn help with retention. That is just a loose idea but what do I know right?

Content is King! Another battle cry from the stern of the sinking ship. Yes, content is king but relative to its environment no? If you ask the king of the jungle to rule the ocean, it probably won’t work. Yes, content is a vital component of a healthy conversation rate, but it has to be the right type of content for the right platform. The way in which we engage with content is unique to each platform, and this should dictate the kind of content we are building.

Instagram TV is an interesting move, there is a lot of talk about Disney’s DTC platform but that is going to be a huge logistical and financial mine field but I guess they must have learnt alot from buying maker studio right?

Interesting inteview about Maker studio.

Gary Vaynerchuk understands that context is hugely important and his understanding goes deep. It has been crafted over years of direct to client sales via multiple platforms — From selling wine via hundreds of videos to most recently selling his brand of sneakers. This man knows how to bring value!

There seems to be a gulf between the average producer and the data that holds the keys to unlocking the alchemy of product market fit. One French company that is doing it very well on good sense is SUPERPROD. They have found a corner of the market that they are dominating. I haven’t seen anyone else take a 2Dimensional property and adapt it into 3D quite as they do. There is a real skill in protecting the essence of the brand while helping to expand its eco-system via another medium. The rapid growth of this company is proof of the product market fit.

One thing is for sure, the likes of Gary Vee are coming, and they will be looking to grab real-estate. If we want our content to be kings of this digital jungle we are going to have to start respecting the creative and get a whole lot more binary in our assessment of how we measure success. There is no being halfway pregnant ladies and gentlemen.

Thanks, Gary Vaynerchuk for kicking me in the ass at least once a day :-)

Go the Jets!


You and Eye Creative

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You and Eye Creative is a Paris based company. Developing animated content faster, with less risk and more confidence.

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