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Personalized Palettes, a Content Exercise, and The Witches Lesson

Invite your audience members to take a fun, interactive quiz that delivers engaging results for them and your brand (a la Sherwin-Williams). Decide how to walk, run, jog, or sprint (thanks to Ubiquity Labs’ content marketing framework). And think through all the facets of your content before you publish (unlike Warner Bros.).

Those are three things we noticed this week.

Let your audience members personalize their picture

WHO: Sherwin-Williams, Fortune 500 painting and coating company

WHAT: ColorSnap® Color ID is an interactive quiz that guides people to a personalized color “identity” based on their answers. The 10 fun questions cover couch and plant preferences, entertainment tastes, and even your home maintenance approach (e.g., how you’d fix a scratch in the floor). Fun choices keep the quiz light (if you own a micro pig, you’ll love the pet-response options).

WHERE: https://www.swcolorid.com/

WHY IT MATTERS: We love using interactivity to personalize content – and the data collection to create the results is transparent to the audience. It doesn’t rely on pixels and tracking codes to deliver up the personalized content. And, while it feels personal to the quiz taker, the questions aren’t overly personal. And, with only eight possible trendsetter identifications, neither are the recommendations.

.@SherwinWilliams lets audience create personalized #content without asking overly personal questions, says @AnnGynn via @CMIContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet

The inclusion of sharing buttons is a no-brainer, but we think the download option is a smart choice. Sherwin-Williams wants quiz takers to save their results and even take them to their local paint store.

Even if they do, though, they might hit a roadblock. The color palette revealed at the bottom of the results page isn’t labeled. That’s a missed opportunity for more interactivity – the ability to hover or click to see the color name or buy the paint would help the quiz takers and (potentially) Sherwin-Williams sales.

HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: The quiz showed up in the Facebook feed of CMI’s Ann Gynn, but Sherwin-Williams has been promoting it in their print advertising too.

A walk, jog, run, sprint approach to content marketing

WHO: Ubiquity Lab, an Australia-based agency

WHAT: The article How to Benchmark Your Content Marketing Ecosystems outlines a framework (walk, jog, run, sprint) to benchmark your content marketing strategy – the first step for measuring and reporting – and “plot the journey forward,” as Matt Allison writes.

Benchmarking your #ContentMarketingStrategy is the first step for measuring and reporting – and that’s important, says @SarahMitchellOz via @CMIContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet

WHERE: https://ubiquitylab.co/insights/benchmark-your-content-marketing-ecosystem-strategy/ 

WHY IT MATTERS: “It shows how to go from ‘doing’ to operating at scale,” writes Sarah Mitchell in her submission of the example. “It was an excellent, detailed maturity model, as well.” She also points out the free downloads to assess your content marketing maturity and a helpful quiz.

HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: Sarah Mitchell of Typeset found and shared the post.

Think before you create

WHO: Warner Bros. and the 2020 movie The Witches

WHAT: The Witches, a recently released dark fantasy/comedy starring Anne Hathaway, found itself in hot water last week. Its depiction of the evildoers as having hands with fewer than 10 fingers and feet with fewer than 10 toes led to an outcry from people who are upset that limb difference is used to indicate an evildoer (#NotaWitch).

Warner Brothers issued an apology that read in part: “We the filmmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures are deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities, and regret any offense caused.

“In adapting the original story (by Roald Dahl), we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book. It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.”

WHERE: The Witches streams on HBO Max

WHY IT MATTERS: The movie is not content marketing. Still, it’s a good reminder for all content marketers to think critically and carefully when developing their content. Consider how your audiences will perceive the topic, the angle, the sources, and the imagery. (Not sure what they would think? Ask some.) If their reaction detracts from its purpose, have a conversation about whether you should publish it.

.@wbpictures #TheWitchesMovie debacle is a good reminder for #content marketers to think critically and carefully when developing content via @CMIContent @BrandloveLLC. #WeeklyWrap Click To Tweet

Recognize, too, the difference between someone (or a group) being upset and the disenfranchisement or alienation of a group of people. A negative reaction isn’t always a reason to scrap the piece. Sometimes, your brand should support or stand up for its beliefs and values even though others disagree.

HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: CMI’s Lisa Dougherty shared the controversy around the film. Her friend founded Lucky Fin Project, an organization devoted to supporting people with limb differences. The organization got its name from the Finding Nemo title character’s “lucky fin.”

Notice something interesting in content marketing? Share it with fellow Content Marketing Institute readers. When you’re intrigued, puzzled, or surprised by an example, news, or something else in content marketing, share it with us by completing this form. Your submission may be featured in an upcoming Weekly Wrap.

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute