THE COMMS AWAKENS.

WHAT FILM REBOOTS CAN TEACH US ABOUT BRAND ENGAGEMENT.

Jurassic Park Rebirth is film number seven in the dino franchise. Spiderman has had more fresh looks than my toaster has slices. Don’t get us started on Fast & Furious (more like Fast & Familiar). And now, a new Superman has landed. Hollywood is obsessed with a reboot.

Why?

Cynics argue it’s because they are out ideas - this could very well be true. But reboots also offer something else that is incredibly attractive - a new audience.

The reboot brings to the screen a generation who were not around for the first one to five versions but are around now. Audiences who missed the original now have money to spend, and reboots give them something that feels new. Even if it isn’t.

It’s got us thinking, in the corporate world, could we use the reboot?

FILM REBOOTS

SPOILER, THEY'VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE...

Just because we create content all the time in internal comms, does that mean we saying something different each time? Not necessarily. If advocacy is flat and engagement’s dipped, maybe your people have heard it all before. And stopped listening…

Perhaps by saying our brand messages in a new way or changing our focus, we can solve these issues. That is what a reboot would do, but it wouldn’t work the same way as it does the film industry.

In the film world this reimagining is all about attracting a new audience. In the corporate world it’s about re-engaging the beloved furniture and catching the attention of new faces too.

Anyone who has been in the company for more than a year and seen your messages repeatedly - they are immune to them. A corporate reboot, therefore, is just what the director ordered.

EVERYONE LOVES A PLOT TWIST.

We’re not talking about introducing just another: genetically mutated dinosaur / masked villain / bear in a blue coat & red hat / alien species [pick one]. It’s about taking what works and developing your story – don’t ignore the best bits, that’s what’s kept your people engaged so far.

This is about keeping content fresh and a finding a new angle for what you want to say. It’s about being noticed.

  • Mix up your quarterly update email to a Town Hall film straight from the big dog themselves.
  • Try a new tone? Swap out corporate seriousness for humour, to make it feel a bit more, dare we say it, human…
  • Refresh the creative: you don’t have to mix up the message, just the way you tell it.
  • Think about your audience – focus on what really matters to your people right now, what do they need?

Next time you have a message to send out internally, consider the reboot. Don’t let it be another Matrix sequel no one asked for. It could be the difference between your messages flopping or your corporate comms becoming box office gold.

FILM REBOOTS

THE CREDITS.

Executive Producer                                                  You

Creative Direction                                    Top Banana

Production & Post                                     Top Banana

Storyboarding & Screenplay             Top Banana

Cast                                                              Your people