Creative marketing leaders are some of the most dynamic members of the marketing ecosystem. They must be on the bleeding edge of technology, deeply engaged in culture, and work cross-functionally. Most importantly, they need to understand how everything connects to the brand. With ever-evolving channels, algorithms, and content strategies, how do they stay up-to-date on the latest trends, know where to meet their consumers, and create unique content for each platform?
We brought together Shachar Scott, Senior Director, Global Marketing at Meta Reality Labs, and Andrew Flores, Social Creative Director of Nickelodeon, to discuss creative marketing in the age of digital everything. From avatars to algorithms, they share how they maintain brand relevance and keep their audience engaged.
Q: As creative marketers, you need to match the creative to the channel. How do you think about these channels, and how do you prioritize them? How do you leverage or streamline the process?
Shachar Scott: Mindset is everything. As marketers, when we’re looking to communicate with our consumers on each social media platform, understanding their mindset is key. We create custom content for each platform to ensure we’re resonating with our audience.
It’s also about authenticity. We must understand the behavior of our campaign spokesperson so we can be an organic part of the narrative on each platform. We want to show up in a way that their community expects.
Andrew Flores: You have to know the platform and what works best in that space. Audiences are going to different platforms for different things and each platform is not used the same way. We try to find a core theme of the creative we’re executing, then spread that theme across each platform. As the platforms evolve, we have to evolve with them and adapt how we’re reaching our audiences there.
When it comes to streamlining the creation process, it’s essential to have open communication for approvals. We work together to ensure that everything we put out makes sense for the brand. We also keep our people informed about the platforms by attending research and data meetings together and having a collective conversation about how to move forward.
There are thousands of different communities within any social media platform, so our creatives must reflect that diversity. The more perspectives you represent in our content, the better the content is, and the more people can enjoy it. It’s about figuring out how to bridge that gap and bring a community back to your brand.
Q: Let’s talk about avatars! In your creative marketing strategy, how are you leveraging platforms to feature your brands and products? Where should someone start if they are exploring this avenue?
Shachar Scott: “Metaverse” is the buzzword of the year. Up until now, the Internet has been two-dimensional and limited by your screen. Now, the metaverse allows you to be fully inside the Internet in an immersive social experience. You can experience the metaverse through your avatar, which is how you choose to represent yourself. Often, people represent themselves as they are in life, but you can also change your avatar however you want. Users can find the attire that makes them feel like their best version of themselves.
Andrew Flores: The use of avatars was primarily used in gaming. We’ve evolved from a 2D experience with Miis in the Nintendo Wii into avatars within a 3D space. For Nickelodeon, we’re doing this with Roblox, where users can access and build their own avatars. Users can unlock and access new attire by playing in the Nickverse. We also design clothing for other avatars, giving users the option to show their affinity for our brand. Although we don’t own a 3D space on the Internet yet, we can engage with users on the platforms where they already exist.
Q: How should brands think about being customer-first in the metaverse? Should we appeal to the aspirational and fictional or to real life?
Shachar Scott: It depends on how your customer interacts with your brand. The beauty of avatars is that they don’t have to be one thing. You can create multiple versions of yourself and your brand depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
Q: How do you measure success and using data to make decisions in Creative Marketing?
Shachar Scott: Every marketer must care about the impact they’re having. We’re working in areas that have never been explored before and so we don’t have years of data to rely on. It’s about testing, learning, and experimenting. The more marketers can immerse users and give them a taste of the full experience, the more likely they are to try it. Measurement comes with trial and error, and if you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning. Seeing what doesn’t work informs what will in the future.
Andrew Flores: The algorithms, platforms, and content are always evolving. We examine underperforming campaigns and ask: what’s the missed opportunity here and how could we change the execution? Just changing the edit can have a significant impact. A popular style might suddenly stop working and we’ll experiment again. We constantly evolve to adapt.
Q: Diversity and inclusion is top of mind for many marketers. What are each of you doing, both internally and externally, to address DE&I?
Shachar Scott: The pandemic put everyone on an even playing field. It didn’t matter where you were, you could invite anyone and everyone to the conversation. At Meta, we include as many diverse and unique voices in the room to ensure we’re innovating and creating the most resonant marketing campaigns that are representative of every community.
Andrew Flores: Honestly, I didn’t always feel I could be my full self at work. We were told not to because not everyone will fully understand or want to understand. Now, people are talking openly and honestly for the first time. I realized that my perspective would help the brand and make something that’s good for everyone who’s a part of it. It’s dependent on your company’s leadership creating that opportunity and making it a priority, and I will always be thankful that my leadership allowed me that space.
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The 411 virtual events are hosted by Jennie Stark, the Senior Director of the MTM Program at 24 Seven. They are designed for Marketing Managers to bring value, direction, and inspiration to their teams from insightful conversations with top marketing leaders. Each event contains insights on different disciplines, such as what brands are focused on, leading teams, measuring success, and more.
Shachar Scott, Senior Director, Global Marketing at Meta Reality Labs: Over the last two decades, Shachar has helped to build and scale global brands, including Meta Reality Labs, Bumble, Snapchat, and Apple. At Meta, she leads the Centers of Excellence team, including: international marketing, digital marketing, creative, design, media, production and operations. In addition to her professional marketing leadership, she serves as the Chairwomen of the Board of Directors for SAY.org. She lives in Venice, California with her husband, Jason, and is the proud mom of Morgan and Riley, her 10-year old twins. She is originally from Israel and immigrated to America in 1985.
Andrew Flores, Social Creative Director of Nickelodeon: Andrew Flores is a 2-time Emmy nominated and 7-time PromaxBDA winning content creator. He has worked at Nickelodeon for over nine years. His team works on social media across all platforms. He is a member of the DE&I council at Nickelodeon, and is co-chair of their Employee Resource Group, known as Somos for the Latinx community.
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