Everything We Learnt at State of Social 2024

For its seventh year, State of Social took over Optus Stadium with a clear theme and guiding metaphor, Alchemy. Marketing is constantly evolving, with new tools and technologies reshaping our strategies. We are the modern alchemists shaping our future.  

With the brightest minds and visionaries from around the globe, speakers within creatives and strategy this year challenged our thinking of why being “stupid” can be smart, how to stay true to your brand DNA, and how to respond if someone says, “I want to do something in gaming.” 

Selecting just a few highlights is tricky, as every speaker provided valuable insights. We’ve unpacked the key themes from each speaker over the two days, pulling out critical ideas from this year’s theme. 

We were proud to have our Account Director, Will Bal, speak at the event and present his masterclass, “20% Less Traffic: How AI Answers Will Change Your Search Marketing Strategy.” In his presentation, he highlighted the zero-click future and the importance of Google understanding and indexing your content accurately to drive traffic to your website. 

Will emphasised, “SEO is not dead, and your customers are still searching; their search experience is changing, and the way we search will start to change.”   

For those interested in hearing more from Will, he recently spoke on The Alchemists Podcast with host and producer Andrés López-Varela and Emma Hollins, Principal Experience Designer at Synergy. Their discussion will be live on September 6th. Visit The Alchemists Podcast for more details.   

Social Media Insights

Michael Corcoran of Frankly and the former Head of Social at Ryanair, Lia Haberman, Georgia Tappy, and Dave Jorgensen of the Washington Post all gave us valuable insights into mastering the evolving social media landscape.  

Michael highlighted, “There are two motivations for why most people go to social media. One is to be entertained, and two is to escape the daily shit show in their lives. Focus on what can drive impact or solve a problem and then pivot.”  

The keys to being a successful brand with a strong community are:  

1. Always consider your brand’s DNA when creating content and shaping your strategy based on your brand, category, customer, and the social media landscape.
2. Compared to low-maturity organisations, social-first brands are eight times more likely to exceed revenue goals by 25% or more in their B2C lines of business. 
3. When it comes to trends, being a trendsetter is better than being a trend-chaser. You might as well be last if you’re not first (or second).
4. Reddit can act as free market research and involve and invite Gen-Z into social media discussions. 
5. For a company to succeed on TikTok, you need to engage the staff and workspace. Build characters, create Easter eggs and inside jokes with your audience. TikTok is a Facetime call, not a TV broadcasting channel.

Strategy and Creativity  

Paula Bloodworth of Silly Face and Richard Berney of Berlin challenged our thinking to ask all the questions, even the ‘dumb’ ones.  

Richard emphasised, “Match the frequency of the reality you want, and you cannot help but get that reality.”  

The tools to reshape a strategy and creative work from good to great are:

1. Embrace asking dumb questions and questioning everything. 
2. Be open to new ideas, even if they sound unhinged at first. 
3. Great ideas don’t have to be expensive or require a massive budget. 
4. Give people ownership and believe in their skills.  
5. Don’t let preconceptions rule your creativity; be the person who says dumb things and expects great work.

Customer Understanding  

Emma Hollins of Synergy and Dr Georgie Carroll highlighted customers’ important role in a brand’s success.  

Emma pointed out, “Listening to customers and building empathy through personas and stories are vital, as is involving staff in co-creation to enhance the brand experience.” 

The principles of knowing and respecting your customers are: 

1. To understand your customers, create value and enhance the brand experience. 
2. Go beyond demographics to understand customer’s goals, motivations, pain points and significant moments.
3. If your customers are fans, don’t be afraid to niche down.  
4. To build an engaged online community, be the digital equivalent of a good friend. Examples: Taylor Nation and Lando Norris (LN4) 
5. Respect the fandom’s fourth wall, which means brands should not acknowledge and interact with fans directly—examples: Seattle Kraken and the BookTok drama. 

Innovation and Future Trends  

Tom Goodwin and James Whatley shared their thoughts on becoming more innovative as a brand and in the future.  

Tom highlighted, “We are in the business of being remarkable; average stuff does not do well!” 

Striking a balance between new and tried-and-true comes down to the following thoughts: 

1. Create the future of marketing for the digital and social era with simple things that matter. 
2. We have the best devices and the perfect environment for advertising.  
3. There is a massively under-tapped market of 3.2 billion gamers. 
4. Burger King scored big by sponsoring the kit of a low-tier English football club (Stevenage FC) that appeared in front of millions in the video game FIFA. 
5. Experimental spend – 70% on what you know, 20% on what you have already tried, and 10% on what you want to try. 

To Wrap It Up  

The State of Social 2024 left us with plenty of food for thought. Always ask the questions to continue to evolve and reshape your strategy and remember your DNA in everything you do. Most importantly, strive to create remarkable work.

With our brains overflowing with new information, our notebooks filled to the brim, and a new motivation to ask ‘stupid’ questions, we are ready to put what we have learned into action. 

Header image in courtesy of Soco Studios.