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Unclear objectives, lack of context, missing creative guidelines and unreasonable deadlines — these are the four horsemen of bad briefs. When unaddressed, these four plagues turn into infinite revisions, misguided design efforts, incompatible formats and late-night revisions.

While no one wants to do the same thing over and over again, designers find themselves in this spot far too often. Consequently, neither they nor their clients are happy. However, if we took a bit more time to nail the brief, we could actually help reduce the number of revisions….dramatically. 

So, how can we make things better in 2021?

Writing better briefs is the answer, and removing all guesswork is how we’re going to get there. 

From the moment the client floats the project, to the actual briefing call with the designers — there should be a clear, concise description of the client’s scope and what is required of the designers. This includes how much time will be allocated for the work to be done. 

Now, for the practical steps. While some of these suggestions aren’t new, consciously following through with them might end the vicious cycle of miscommunication (for good).

Step 1: Have clear objectives for each deliverable

Who should take note: The clients and project leads

Ask the right questions. Ask good questions. Also try to review the project and gather the necessary data beforehand. .

Example:

1. What do they want to achieve with this project? (More downloads, higher customer engagement, experimenting to see if the medium works)
2. What actions are the target audience supposed to take when they see it? (Download, share and comment, gush over how beautiful the design is…)

Step 2: Clarify vague terminology

Who should take note: Project leads and designers

If we had a dollar for every time we were vaguely asked to design something that looked ‘epic’, ‘cool’ or ‘fresh’, we’d be rich by now! Go a step forward by being as specific as possible and using as many visual references as necessary. This can include previous campaigns or similar work done by other brands.

Design-thinking is a time-consuming process. Once your designers understand what you really mean when you ask for a “cool” logo, they won’t have to spend as much time exploring design options while playing detective. 

Examples:

1. What elements does “cool” possess, according to you? When you say cool, do you mean Nike cool or Apple cool? Both brands have different personalities, yet both are still considered ‘cool’.
2. What’s an example of an epic poster design for you? 
3. What does minimalist design mean to you? Is it just more white space that you’re looking for, or something else?
4. You want a ‘cool’ shade of green. But do you want to come off as fancy or futuristic?

Step 3: Diagnose the problem

Who should take note: Project leads and designers

At Mutant, we believe there’s always more to every request from our clients. But this requires project leads to work hand-in-hand with designers to dig deeper and find out what needs to be achieved. 

Here are some questions to ask:

1. What does the client want when they mean they are trying to change their brand perception?
2. When the client pushes for a new marketing strategy, are they actually talking about a rebranding exercise?
3. Is this campaign a response to a new trend or a rebranding move by a competitor?

Step 4: State all guidelines very clearly

Who should take note: The clients and project leads

Imagine designing an A4 poster only to be told that at the eleventh hour that it needs to be adapted into  PDF, Instagram post, GIF AND banner formats. Well, perhaps not all of those formats simultaneously, but you get the idea.

Project leads should always ask for the dimensions and formats required for each project. Although sometimes it’s obvious, knowing how and where the final artworks  will be used will also help designers anticipate unexpected outcomes.

Examples:

1. Will this poster be printed out? If so, where will it be displayed?
2. Does the  artwork need to be adapted into other formats?
3. Is the .mov format compatible with your front desk display unit?
4. If this animation has to be adapted into another size, extensive changes will need to be made. Are you on board with that?

Better design briefs are truly worth the effort, because they help both the client and designer get one step closer to achieving the project’s final goals. Try asking these questions in your next briefing call and watch your briefs – and outcomes – improve. 

If you’re looking for a team of design pros with all the right questions in their toolbox, drop us an email at hello@mutant.com.sg!

Do April Fools’ pranks really work for brands?

April Fools’ –  the comic equivalent of The Purge – has come a long way in the world of marketing to become a legitimate opportunity for brands to gain voice and visibility. But not all jokes are made equal and while some brands have managed to successfully leverage this day to generate buzz and even cash in on tangible results (think Tesla’s Teslaquila), others ended up in the more ‘tragi-comic’ area with questionable consequences.

We’re big proponents of news jacking opportunities, and have seen significant success with helping our own clients contribute meaningfully to topical public discourse. But we’re also firm believers in results and the truth is, like most bandwagons, April Fools’ marketing is not necessarily something that gives back to brands as much as they put in. 

To illustrate our point, here are some examples of April Fools’ day pranks by brands in 2021 that reaped good, bad, ugly and even nondescript outcomes in the aftermath of this ‘harmless’ red letter day. 

The Good: April fools ‘comes early’ for Durex in Singapore

Durex has consistently nailed the audience engagement game, from mastering the double entendre to sex-ed for the masses and subtly campaigning for women’s rights. This year, Durex’s April Fools’ campaign for Singapore was deceptively simple – but layered in delightful, buzz-worthy ways that generated significant results. 

On March 25, Durex’s Facebook Post announcing a preview of three new flavoured condoms– Mao Shan Wang, Singapore Chendol and Botak Coconut Sherbet – was an instant hit among users, generating over 2.9K shares and 1.9K comments to date. The brand later revealed that while the condoms were a hoax, the flavours were real and part of their collaboration with local ice-cream brand Udders, with the latter giving away free ice creams for those who followed both Durex’s and Udders’ Instagram pages. 

While this isn’t the first time Durex has toyed with ‘unconventional’ product flavours as an April Fools’ joke, this year’s collaboration saw audiences ‘rewarded’ for their engagement. Plus, cheekily launching the campaign early added to the discussion and buzz, resulting in netizens joking about how Durex’s April Fools’ campaign ‘came too early’ this year. Talk about staying on brand – nobody ‘does it’ quite like Durex!  

The Bad: Volkswagen’s electric renaming was no gas  

What started out as a lukewarm joke turned into a hot mess for German Automotive giant Volkswagen this year when a ‘prank’ press release timed for April Fools’ was accidently leaked early and later deleted. The release contained a public declaration of the, “company’s future-forward investment in e-mobility” by changing its name in the US to ‘Voltswagen’ – the reference here being to volts (as in electricity) – while its gas vehicles would still be known by the company’s original name. After enough confusion, the company’s share price dropped and Volkswagen was left offering apologies and explanations that showed its leaders in an unimpressive light. 

While there’s a chance this was an intentional mistake that created expected furor, the results of this campaign could be more bad press than Volkswagen bargained for. Not only did the joke lack oomph and relatability to really capture audience interest (particularly when pitted competition like Tesla, whose ‘Technoking’ has joked about everything from Tesla going bankrupt to ‘Teslaquila’), but it also seemed to have grossly misjudged the members of its audience. Many investors and shareholders found the move to be disingenuous and deliberately misleading.  

This campaign may have been well intentioned, but its overall results are likely to serve more as a cautionary tale to other brands.  

The Ugly: Deliveroo’s billing joke that almost caused a stroke in France 

Delivery has been the name of the game ever since the pandemic hit, meaning that London-based food delivery service Deliveroo didn’t have to do much when it came to marketing. But the brand decided to take the plunge regardless by sending thousands of ‘joke’ emails informing their customers that they owed €450 for pizzas they never ordered. Unsurprisingly, customers were either livid at the obvious error or scared that their accounts had been hacked, flocking to social media for answers and inundating Deliveroos customer hotline with panicked calls. One even said he ‘almost had a stroke’ when he saw the bill. 

Needless to say, the joke was in bad taste – and even more so in the middle of a pandemic. At least Volkswagen’s campaign still generated press on its electric vehicles – but Deliveroo’s seems to have generated no useful press at all – and backfired when it could have been so easily avoided. Apart from the obvious loss of reputation, there’s no measuring the time and resources that went into the sending of thousands of emails, and customer service calls. Was it worth the laughs? It’s au revoir from us. 

The Nondescript: Subway’s ‘Fresh’ Facewash Cookies 

While Subway has been putting out creative efforts for April Fools for years now, its 2021 campaign for Malaysia had us scratching our heads. Led by the tagline, “We know you like eating fresh, but how about feeling fresh?”, Subway announced the ‘launch’ of 7 super fresh daily face washes, with accompanying visuals of drably packaged face wash bottles against an unappetizing green background fleck with corn kernels and lettuce leaves. While the end goal of the campaign was to highlight the brands ‘7 daily fav’ sandwiches, netizen responses were lukewarm at best. We hope the visuals were produced in-house because ROI may not be high on this one.

Apart from not garnering any meaningful results, perfunctory campaigns like this also run the risk of creative and audience fatigue – the former painting Subway as a brand that’s running out of steam, and the latter implying that audiences now expect Subway to put out something every year – good or bad – which can reduce excitement or anticipation moving forward. Our advice? If you’re not going to knock it out of the park, better to save your energy for a winning swing that counts later on. Some results are worth waiting for. 

The Easy: Cercle puts Daft Punk into Space 

Not every April Fools campaign has to be elaborated to generate wins. Take the example of Cercle, a livestream media dedicated to promoting artists and venues that is known best for organising unique music events in breathtaking locations. On April 1^st, Cercle posted an event on Facebook that claimed the legendary electronic Duo, Daft Punk, would be reunited for a once-in-a-lifetime gig on the International Space Station (ISS). The invite gathered an incredible response, with over 153k people responding to the invite that reached a total of over 2.4 million people. 

The ploy worked because of many reasons – first, it was topical, playing on the ripples caused by the news of Daft Punk splitting up earlier this year. Secondly, it understood its audiences – claiming to have worked with Elon Musk, Nasa and the ISS for this event, Cercle played on the interests of its target audience to create buzz and leverage pop culture trends. Finally, Cercle also stayed true to its brand and what it does – hosting iconic events at epic locations, building faith in audiences and opening imaginations to what the future could hold for the brand. The idea was relatively simple and inexpensive, but the results were astronomical. As far as newsjacking goes, clever and on-brand campaigns like Cercle’s have our vote of confidence. 

Want to chime in on newsjacking opportunities that actually bring your brand results? Say hello at hello@mutant.com.sg

I have been following the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp saga and have more than a few questions: Was it meant to be a marketing ploy? Was it driven by the consumer to gain publicity? Was it a knee-jerk response? Or was it a case of communications gone wrong?

If it was meant to be a marketing ploy, does it really help a brand to respond in such a flippant manner? Surely, ‘globs of unmixed ingredients’ do not transform into perfectly formed shrimp tails – and even when the company made statements about taking safety very seriously, its actions did not match up. 

The mantra of ‘any publicity is good publicity’, no longer works. In today’s world of social media on overdrive, publicity happens quickly, and often with little proof. Intentionally generating bad publicity and using it to build stronger visibility is plain silly – especially for a brand in the food business. 

As appalling as food safety issues are – they happen routinely. Even in 2021 and under much more stringent rules and regulations, cases of contamination, tampered products, machine failure, and human error aren’t unheard of. Just this past month, Singapore recalled eggs for Salmonella contamination. It has happened before and it will happen again.  

So, how should brands respond when faced with a food safety issue? It’s really about immediacy and first impressions. 

First impressions set the stage

It’s clear that Cinnamon Toast Crunch did not take the matter seriously enough in the beginning. And, at this point, they appear to be under equipped to manage this issue. 

A golden rule of Issue Management: Stop the bleeding, as quickly as possible – ideally, before you can even blink! The first statement that was released set the stage and should have focused on safety, and appropriate follow up actions.

In this case, Cinnamon Toast Crunch should have talked about getting to the bottom of the matter by immediately sending a pick-up service for the package to be tested in the lab.

Be transparent from the get-go

Be honest, be authentic and control the narrative. Instead, the company issued a statement without a lab analysis or targeted recall, to say: “After further investigation with our team that closely examined the image, it appears to be an accumulation of the cinnamon sugar that sometimes can occur when ingredients aren’t thoroughly blended. We assure you that there’s no possibility of cross contamination with shrimp.” 

We’ve all seen the image, and it wasn’t cereal. Of course, people on social media weren’t having it, and cue the speculation, memes and comments. Here’s where the brand lost control of the narrative. Had the brand done its due diligence, and issued regular statements to keep the public informed — I reckon it could have minimised the damage. 

So what could they have done? The Power of Three!

Actions speak louder than words

Food safety can be scary. In the past four years alone, there have been more than 1,500 recalls and safety alerts for products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food safety horror stories go the full spectrum — from finding frogs in soda to glass in baby food. It’s so important to get the right information out to customers, and to match it with the right actions. In an era of declining trust, rebuilding reputations require consistent, constant communications, and actions that back it up. 

Clarify and be honest

Don’t dismiss the customer’s claims (especially on social media) until you have solid proof. Your goal is to reassure your customers by words and actions, which is why it’s important to explain and highlight the steps and processes that you’ve taken to get to the bottom of the matter. 

Have a heart

Always demonstrate compassion, and remember that the customers are mostly reasonable people. The days of putting out disingenuous  standard holding statements are over because. Take every complaint seriously, and respond in a timely manner by highlighting the steps you’re taking.  

Stephen King goes “There’s no harm in hoping for the best, as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”

If you’re looking for a team that can help you  manage issues, we look forward to an opportunity to meet. Do drop us an email at hello@mutant.com.sg.

With the proliferation of social media, particularly video-only networks like YouTube and TikTok, videos are no longer just the most popular type of content but the most powerful as well. Amidst all the PR noise, content that can engage with and capture an audience’s attention will always perform the best — video is a great way to achieve this while also getting your message across quickly.

So how do you create good video content for social media that can do all this and more? Here are five guiding questions to ask yourself as you embark on your video-making journey.

What is the purpose of the video?

Before you grab a camera and start shooting, have a think about the objective of this video, and who your target audience is. Maybe your aim is to flaunt your newly renovated office to industry clientele? Or showcase your work culture to attract new talent? 

Knowing the purpose of the video and who will be watching it will help determine everything else about the video, such as:

• Which platforms you can find your target audience on (see step 2)
• How long or short the video should be
• What sort of content should be included in the video
• The style of the video

This is a crucial step that will set the direction for your entire video-making process, from pre-production to publishing. Once you’ve got this sorted, you can rest easy knowing that all your efforts will be aligned with the end business goal. 

Which platform will the video be published on?

After you’ve thought about the video’s goals and audience, you can also make a decision on which platform(s) the video will be published on. 

This is important as different platforms have different audience demographics with different preferences. Audiences on Instagram and TikTok prefer snappier, quicker videos — which requires you to capture the audience’s attention immediately and deliver your message in 15 or 30 seconds. On other platforms like Facebook, you can afford to produce longer videos between 1 to 3 minutes, while for YouTube, you can go up to 7 to 15 minutes or longer.

Each platform also has best practices that you should follow. For example, Facebook has recommended video dimensions that would work better with their user interface. Since more Instagram and TikTok users browse on their phones, portrait formats would be more intuitive, but stick to landscape for more traditional platforms. 

Have you done your research?

One thing I’ve learned from my four years of experience in video is that the pre-production phase is the most important. Essentially, that means lots and lots of planning and research.

If some content has already been published, take a look at the analytics to find out which ones performed the best, and try to repurpose or take inspiration from them..

Make sure you do some research on additional information to support your key message. For example, if you need to interview an important executive for the video, do some research into their background and role so you can craft better interview questions. 

You also need to make technical and logistical preparations before filming. This includes doing a location recce, planning the video shoot schedule and making a storyboard that details the flow of the video, as well as the type of camera angles you need. Be  sure to also gather any necessary equipment, props, digital assets, and resources in advance.

Is the video user-friendly?

After you’ve filmed and done a rough cut of the video, make sure it is user-friendly to watch because otherwise, no one is going to want to watch it in its entirety.  

Ask yourself some of these questions:

• Is the video easy to understand in one viewing?
• Do you have enough time to read all the text/captions and take in the visuals?
• Would including subtitles help the audience understand the video better?
• Would motion stabilisation help the video be more visually consistent?

Make sure you get someone else to review your video with fresh eyes as well, because it’s easy to overlook any flaws after you’ve looked at a video for too long.

Finally, is the video aesthetically pleasing?

Once you’ve answered the previous questions, you would have produced a purposeful, engaging, and user-friendly video. Now, you can finally focus on making the video aesthetically pleasing through colour grading and any special effects. Once you’re happy with what you see, get ready to hit publish! 

Want to create engaging, purposeful social media content that captures your audience’s hearts and minds? Chat with us at hello@mutant.com.sg

“The new normal. These unprecedented times. Post-pandemic world.”

I can already hear the groans. Grossly overused phrases like these have been shoved front and center —and for good reason. COVID-19 has ignited the need for conversation around the changing world and workplaces that have seen their evolution kicked into overdrive since the start of 2020. 

Massive shifts in human behaviour, from social interaction to shopping, have happened. In the world of work, perceptions around work, workspaces and flexibility have drastically changed. This, no doubt, has also had a knock on effect on how businesses engage with their partner agencies. Beyond the obvious increase in “digital engagement” (read: horrifying week long Zoom call marathons), the Public Relations industry has also witnessed a greater shift at its very core — client agency relationships. 

This is simply because many businesses, regardless of whether they are seeing success or stumbling down a path of failure, have understood that something needs to change as they look around at a world in crisis. In most cases, management heads have turned to their Public Relations department. 

What this has resulted in is a growing portfolio of responsibilities that most public relations professionals have not dealt with before, leading to more public relations agencies getting pulled in closer to deal with these increasing amounts and varieties of work. 

HR or PR? Does it matter?

One such area in particular, typically the realm of Human Resources, is employee engagement. We have seen a major shift in mentality behind workplace flexibility, which has had a huge effect on productivity, company values and culture. A quarterly townhall can no longer suffice, and public relations teams have had to prioritise putting together communications and content strategies to engage with their own employees — or risk suffering from increasingly fractured company cultures and dwindling productivity. 

Businesses working well with their partner agencies can leverage their capabilities to develop messaging, communications assets and content to support wider initiatives focused around culture and training. With external communications playing a key role in employer branding, this knowledge can also be leveraged by agencies to support their clients’ employee engagement strategies. 

Communicating for profit

Playing a deeper role within business development has seen an emergence on the list of priorities. Sales and marketing teams are siding with public relations in an effort to shift problematic perceptions that are affecting sales and open doors to new industries or market segments through communication strategies. 

To achieve this, public relations teams need to have clear discussions with their separate sales and marketing teams to understand their wider business goals and targets. Through close partnerships with agencies, strategies can be developed to tackle these business targets or perception issues through the development of research reports, for example, and the subsequent earned and paid amplification through public relations and marketing tactics. This tighter collaboration can be delivered entirely through digital channels, and can support business development strategies for growth. 

The New Normal

In addition to the shift in traditional public relations duties, this growing scope of work for public relations professionals has cemented the need for closer collaboration with agency partners as well as other areas of the business.

This tighter relationship will help businesses and their public relations teams keep focused on strategies that will support their business and, without the need of unrealistic amounts of new headcount, still have the arms and legs to deliver large complex campaigns across multiple areas of their business. Such collaboration is no longer just a way to survive COVID-19, but is necessary to thrive and ensure success in the “post-pandemic world”.  

Need help navigating this post-pandemic world? Write to us at hello@mutant.com.sg

I’m going to start this article by sharing one of the most infuriating conversations of my life. 

A group of friends, myself included, were chatting and sharing stories of sexism. Both men and women were part of this conversation, and the women in the group mostly talked about times they had been spoken over, ignored, called “sweetheart” by male bosses, and the like. Some of the stories were to do with sexual harassment – and in response, one woman said, “ugh, all men suck”. The women nodded, the men looked at their feet. But one friend (a man) came up to me at a later time to express his disgust at the overt “hatred of men”. 

“It’s just not helpful to say that ‘all men suck’. It turns men off from the conversation – it makes me not want to hear her. She’s lumping us all together and not all men are like that. I have never done anything like that,” he said.

Yeah, he #NotAllMen’d me. And it turned into an argument. I explained that he’s missing the point entirely. The conversation isn’t about YOU, it’s about her experiences – and those experiences, whatever they are, have led her to form an opinion that men are consistently disappointing, dangerous and yeah, sucky. Many, many women have been sexually harassed and assaulted, and we cannot invalidate their experiences. In fact, we’d all benefit by listening to her, rather than nitpicking at the phrasing. If you’ve never done anything awful like sexually harass someone, well, good. Do you want a f*cking medal? Is the bar really so low? He shook his head, and the entire thing ended with his solution to “agree to disagree” (which I certainly did not agree to.)

The man in question is a creative at a very senior level – and this matters because these are the men who are in charge of selling to women. The same men who front the campaigns with female empowerment slogans and #BossBabe-esque hashtags. The men who bring in millions of dollars based on a “you go girl!” campaign that they don’t actually believe in, but they know it will land them the account. 

They’ve figured out how to sell “feminism” back to us, and I hate it. 

(A quick disclaimer: I hate that I feel the need to add this in here, but I’ve worked with men long enough to know that the start of this article has probably triggered a few. No, I don’t hate men. Yes, I am a feminist. No, that does not mean I automatically support and agree with ALL women.)  

Alright, good. Let’s continue. 

Brands make money by telling us how to behave 

I don’t know about you, but I despise being told how to behave. Over the years it’s been about how to be ‘feminine’ – stand up straight, be soft, be pretty, have long hair, smile, don’t be confrontational, let it go, boys will be boys. 

These days, that doesn’t fly in ad land anymore. These days it’s about being STRONG. Women have to stop apologising! We can do what we want! We can be anything! We can be bossy! Be loud! Dominate! Assert! Win! Inherently, none of these are bad things, of course, but the crux of these campaigns is to “empower” women to change their behaviours, not men. The entire ethos of the “empowerment” movement in advertising, marketing and PR is not about how businesses need to change, or how men should change – but how women must change themselves and be “fixed” to be more like men. Because men are at the top of the food chain, so they must be doing something right. Right?

The brilliant recently-released book Brandsplaining by Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts – two women with decades of advertising experience and years of researching industry gender bias – showcases the gaping hole between the messaging that is present in the campaigns around us, and the way women actually are. The book explores how women’s real wants and needs are continually misrepresented, because the industry fails to understand us, still. This quote from the book’s introduction sums it up beautifully:  

“While the above-the-surface, plain old sexism may be on the wane, beneath the surface a set of unpronounced biases and assumptions continue to shape the way brands view their female audiences. Moreover, these biases reflect sexism at its most deep-rooted: not the obvious, plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face sexual objectification sort, but the hard-wired gendered views that unconsciously determine a world where women are cast as secondary.”

Overt sexism may be dying down, but the “male glance” is on steroids 

You may have heard of the male gaze (the act of depicting women as sexual objects for the pleasure of a heterosexual male viewer), but the male glance is perhaps worse. Coined in this article by Lili Loofbourow – and mentioned a few times in Brandsplaining – the male glance is that thing men do when they say they’re listening to you, but they’re actually not. They might be sitting at the same boardroom table, nodding along, ‘letting you’ say your piece, but actually not really trying to understand your point of view at all. Then, they say their piece (which might be what you said, only using different words), or they might talk over you altogether. 

I can collectively hear 100% of women around the world gasping in recognition and agreement right now. 

The failure to take women’s needs and interests permeates our industry, and it’s in danger of getting even worse as ‘femvertising’ continues to pick up speed. Brands want to appeal to women, but still struggle to add true and ongoing diversity to their campaigns – we’ve recently seen this performative approach after big events like George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement, but eventually the status quo resumes. We see it when older women aren’t used for campaigns for fear of alienating younger audiences. We see it when women’s skin, wrinkles and cellulite are retouched, when movies are advertised as “chick flicks” because the protagonist is a woman and there is a romantic storyline, and when advertising campaigns focus on what men think and what women feel. 

So, what do we do?

I’m not going to pretend I have an answer here, but I am pretty certain that whatever the solution is, it’s not about women doing more. We’ve already done LOADS. Should it really be our responsibility to continue to fight the bias that persists? There are a few things our industry, men in our industry, and brands can do if they truly do believe in gender equality: 

1. Stop criticising women and using language that demands perfection. Stop telling us to “defy” ageing and “smooth” things. Step away from utilising pseudoscience to sell to women – because we don’t do it for men (I suppose we assume they’re too clever and won’t catch on?) Consider your language and phrasing and what you’re really saying to women. 
   
2. Review what you really know about women, and be prepared to learn. There is no better time than right now – during a global pandemic – to reassess your levels of empathy and humility, and how effective your ability is to really connect with the women in your organisation. How easy is it for women to have their voice heard? Yes, the bulk of the marketing industry workforce are women (in the US and UK) but creative directors and CEOs are more than twice as likely to be men, meaning that it’s still hard for women to have a say at the top. Women are the actual experts in knowing what they want, so maybe actually listen? 
   
3. Hold other men accountable. This is how we move on from the “women have to change” approach. ‘Fixing’ women in the name of gender equality simply doesn’t cut it – men have to step up and demand that other men listen, too. Call other men and their macho bullshit out, and instill the policies, processes and employee behaviours that drive a culture of understanding women. 

The tools are there, the research has been done, and the women in men’s lives have been constantly telling them what works, what doesn’t, what matters, and what we don’t like. It’s not the job of women to keep educating men or to make you listen to us – but it’s also why things like International Women’s Day have to exist. 

Women remain burdened with the responsibility to promote our value, because we’re still being overlooked every step of the way. One day, I hope, our rights and our needs won’t be the subject of a special day that forces everyone to acknowledge them. 

Want to keep the conversation going? Drop us a note at hello@mutant.com.sg.

This article first appeared in The Drum.

Less than a week after Facebook banned Australian news from appearing on its platform, it reached a deal with the Australian government on amending a misguided legislation that would make social networks and Google pay for the news they feature. 

The volte face wasn’t in the least bit surprising. News is an essential service, and without it, in 2020, more people would have likely died—in the fires that ravaged Australia and California— and of Covid-19. In China, where state media tried to suppress negative information around the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the world turned to citizen journalists who circumvented the “great firewall of China” to put out videos on YouTube that better represented reality.  

On the social justice side, following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter gained more visibility worldwide because the media didn’t “stand down”. The coverage trickled down closer home where in South Asia some of the world’s biggest brands had to respond to criticism of colourism by dropping the word “fair” and “fairness” from their products. 

In politics, protests in Hong Kong, India and Myanmar, reached fever pitch, because credible local and international news organisations pursued these stories relentlessly. And despite pay cuts, job losses, and work from home orders, we saw some of the best investigative reporting emerge, including revelations related to long-concealed records of Donald Trump’s tax filings, and the Financial Times’ exposé of Wirecard’s fraudulent accounting practices.

The media has had to innovate—or die

While it’s clear that news isn’t a dispensable commodity—today’s changing media landscape and the rise of Google, Facebook and Twitter, have meant that organisations have had to transform at lightning speed to reflect the world’s digital present. 

To do this, businesses have broadly adopted one of the following models: hard paywalls, freemium services, and a combination of membership and contributions, with the goal of getting as many people to spend more time on their content. 

This has meant focusing on the customer experience of reading, watching and listening, as much as on compelling journalism itself. To do this well, media companies have had to embrace data and analytics to create the type of content that resonates with their audiences. And often in doing that, they discover readers’ habits and needs have changed, leading to entirely new strategies to attract and retain subscribers. 

This is what prompted the New York Times to introduce audio shows in 2017, following the success of its election-focused podcast a year earlier. As of September 2020, The Daily, crossed two billion downloads, and won a Murrow award for five episodes on China’s crackdown on Uighur Muslims. Now, the audio team has introduced multiple new shows, formats and a weekend audio experience to add to its already remarkable roster of audio content. 

Sadly, not every media organisation has been able to make the digital leap. In recent years, thousands of local newspapers and magazines around the world have been forced to shut down. In Australia alone, more than 150 newsrooms shut between January 2019 and May 2020, deepening an already existing media crisis. In the United States, the loss of local newspapers has left millions of Americans without a vital source of local news, a 2019 study by the Brookings Institute found. Strikingly, as Americans were forced to shift away from local news, turnout in state and local elections fell, and communities that have lost reporters have seen fewer candidates run for local office, the same study showed. 

Journalism remains under threat

For the news media that survive, the pursuit of truth comes with other challenges—not the least of which is declining trust. 

In the wake of COVID-19, the elections in the US, wide-scale disinformation campaigns, and a growing threat to democracies everywhere—the world saw a steep decline in trust of nearly all institutions and spokespeople. According to this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer (Disclaimer: they’re a competitor), trust in all media—traditional, social and search, and owned media—is at record lows. Alarmingly, traditional media has had the steepest annual decline of any media source in nearly a decade, with six in 10 people saying, “journalists are purposely trying to mislead by saying things that they know are false or grossly exaggerated”. Equally, respondents of the study believe that news organisations are putting ideology or political position above informing the public about what is happening in the world.  

Some of this damage to credibility can be attributed to the anti-media rhetoric from world leaders like Donald Trump who regularly decried accurate, evidence-based stories as “fake news”. In less mature democracies and authoritarian states, governments are taking a more heavy-handed—and oftentimes violent approach to discredit journalists. 

Equally to blame is the staggering rise of fake news itself. A recent study from Pew Research Center found that in mid-March 2020, 48% of Americans felt exposed to made-up news related to the pandemic, a figure that would rise to 64% a month later. 

Given the environment, it’s plain to see why press freedom around the world is in free fall.

Some skepticism in the fourth estate is good, but now more than ever, we need a free and fair press to tell important stories and cover news and events as impartially as possible. Because the alternative is too troubling to consider. 

Feel the same way about the state of news in current times? Share your thoughts with us at hello@mutant.com.sg.

This article first appeared in PR Week.

A robust social media audit and its insights come in handy for many reasons — from crafting accurate customer personas, to improving social media content. This enables an organisation to strengthen its social media presence and engagement, which paves the way for larger business goals.

Know your audience

Understanding your customers is crucial for business success, and a social media audit is one of the most valuable methods of compiling information about your target audience’s activity and actions.

Start a social media audit by compiling audience data such as demographics, interests, and behaviours from social media channels. Tools such as Facebook Audience Insights allow companies to compare follower data with a broader user base, thus encouraging a deeper understanding of a brand’s appeal among the general population.

Source: Facebook Audience Insights

You can craft audience profiles from the data using research, listening, and a thorough analysis of your audience. Know your audiences and what they value, so you can customise marketing messages to cater to their preferences.

When creating engaging content that resonates with audiences, remember to map your marketing efforts back to bottom-line business targets. 

Take a deep dive into channels

The next step in a social media audit is to deep dive into your organisation’s social media channels. Measure the impact of your social media platforms by evaluating:

• Post frequency: How often are the social media posts published? Is the cadence regular?
• Content quality: Are captions clear and engaging? Are posts accompanied by different types of media (example: hi-resolution photos, animated GIFs and videos)?
• Consistency of visual brand identity: Is the tone of voice aligned with the brand’s personality? Are the creative assets used on-brand with the organisation’s logo, colours and typography?
• Audience engagement: Are different post formats (example: polls and memes) used to generate engagement? Are contests and giveaways conducted to encourage user participation?
• Discoverability of social media channels and content: Are relevant hashtags used? Are social media posts and platforms promoted on other touch points, too?

Performance standards can vary across sectors, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. For example, posting three times a week could be acceptable for a cloud computing service but insufficient for an e-commerce business with frequent promotions. Evaluate your performance standards to suit your brand and industry. 

Keep an eye on competitors

Finally, take some time to monitor your competitors’ social media content and strategy. Smart marketing requires a solid understanding of the competitive landscape. Be aware of primary and secondary competitors, as well as potential disruptors, and take note of any learnings or areas of opportunity.

While you may not be privy to all your competitors’ social media metrics, it is possible to compare your organisation’s social media performance against other brands with third-party platforms such as Socialbakers and Sprout Social.

Source: Socialbakers

Make the most of social media, improve your marketing performance and enable your organisation to be laser-focused on achieving business goals by conducting social media audits at regular intervals. 

At the end of the day, consistent audits will equip your organisation with the insights needed to develop a social media strategy that delivers value and delights your target audiences.

Want to craft a solid social media strategy that delivers? You’ve come to the right folks. 

Content is now the centrepiece of many companies’ digital marketing strategies.  From blogs to videos to slideshows, content has become one of the primary ways companies vie for customers’ attention. But this also means that more content is competing for a limited amount of attention. 

How can your content stand out and set itself apart from competitors? Boost your chances of getting noticed with these five tips.

Address your audience’s needs

Grab your audience’s attention by putting their needs first. Start by identifying who your target audience is. What are their profiles? What are their backgrounds? What are they looking for? Then put yourself in their shoes and ask: “Why would I want to read  or view this?”. People are more likely to consume content if it solves their problem, improves their lives, or simply answers their questions. 

For this reason, avoid excessive self-promotion unless you’re preparing an advertisement or a pitch. Cut back on language that overpromises or conveys bias (“We’re the best in the industry” or “Double your sales in just a week”) — it turns people off, comes across as inauthentic, and erodes customers’ trust (more on that in Point 3). Promoting your service or product is fine, as long as it’s done tactfully and in moderation. Address your audience’s needs first.

Offer a unique perspective

Identify what makes your content different from the thousands of other options out there. Offer your audience a point of view that’s unexpected, unheard of, interesting, new, or contrarian. To paraphrase a saying in journalism: “‘Dog bites man’ is a cliche; ‘man bites dog’ is news.” 

How many times have you seen or heard the following? 

• “COVID-19 has changed the way we do business”  (Thanks, I didn’t notice)
• “Our society is becoming increasingly digital” (Wow, really?) 
• “People are now spending more time on their smartphones” (You don’t say?) 
• “Brick-and-mortar stores are dead” (Are they?)

As an alternative to the above, maybe you can pull back the curtain and show your customers how the magic happens behind the scenes. Disclose unexpected findings, or display an optimistic approach towards something the rest of your peers are less enthusiastic about. Whatever it is, avoid cliches and find unexplored angles to talk about.

Credibility boosts trust

Credible content conveys the message, “My brand is trustworthy.” You boost your credibility when your material is backed up by data, facts, examples, and quotes from industry experts. You must be able to substantiate your claims, when disputed.

Likewise, unfounded claims and misleading information hurt your brand’s reputation. Avoid publishing claims not supported by facts, examples, or data. Be mindful of deriving wrong conclusions based on false information, incomplete data, or cognitive biases. Familiarise yourself with biases and fallacies so you can avoid this scenario. 

If you don’t have enough information to assess your claims, come up with a plan to do so. It can be as simple as citing an existing study that’s published online. Sometimes, it involves commissioning (and paying) a research company to obtain data for you by surveying thousands of people across countries. It can also mean consulting with experts, and obtaining permission to quote them in your work. More recent data is better than older ones, so make sure your sources are up to date. 

Engage through entertainment

Not everyone is looking to be informed. Some just want to pass the time or brighten up their day. If appropriate, captivate your audience with content that delights, amuses, or uplifts. Maybe it’s a snap poll asking which product users prefer, a clip of your employees and customers enjoying themselves, or a catchy music video in tune with the holiday season. Whatever it is, try to find ways to make your content fun and exciting. 

One of the most common ways to keep your audience engaged is to tell a story. Humans have been telling each other stories for most of our history, passing traditions orally through song or poetry before writing was invented. It’s a time-tested tradition. 

Stories come in all shapes and formats, not just in novels or films. When you give a three-minute interview describing how your company was founded, that’s a story. When you produce a written case study showing how you helped a client solve a problem, that’s a story. When you produce a report detailing how the industry is changing and what your brand can do about it, that’s a story. It can be as short as an anecdote in your blog post, or as long as a 30-page whitepaper that outlines a solution to a recurring problem.

Stories roughly consist of an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. If you’re not sure what the story is, ask yourself, “What is the conflict or problem?” (Example: People wanted a good co-working space in my city, but the existing ones were of poor quality). And how was that conflict or problem resolved?” (Example: I founded a chain of high-quality co-working spaces.)

So, make your content exciting. Entertain your audience with a good story.

Look the part

Put effort into making your content presentable. Whether it’s a video, an infographic, a newsletter, a website, or a blog post, content that appears professionally designed and edited helps enhance your brand’s credibility. 

Typos make your brand look sloppy, so always take the extra time needed to clean out those errors. Beyond typos, remember to use language appropriate to your content. If your audience consists of teenagers, keep it conversational. If you’re trying to reach out to bank executives or corporate CEOs, use formal language. 

Avoid terms your audience won’t understand, and spell out or define any acronyms that are likely to send your audience Googling. If language is not your strong suit, ask a friend or a colleague to review your work or seek help from a content professional. 

Want to create solid, high-quality content that inspires and drives leads? Chat with us at hello@mutant.com.sg

You hear your name being called, but the voice is unfamiliar. Desperately, you scan the sea of strangers before you, twenty pairs of eyes staring you down. You cough out a panicked squeak, then sit in sinking silence, so quiet you can hear a pin drop.

Suddenly, a voice cuts through the still: “I think you’re on mute. Can you say that again?”

Welcome to the first day of a virtual onboarding. 

***

I joined Mutant fresh out of university and smack in the middle of the pandemic. My colleagues were about three months into working from home – a situation suddenly thrust upon them by Singapore’s COVID-19 “circuit breaker” measures. Much has changed since then – cases are under control, places of business and recreation have opened up again, and many of us have   settled into a comfortable work from home routine. Today, we continue to herald flexible work schemes, and for good reason. –

A recent survey commissioned by The Straits Times found that eight in 10 respondents in Singapore preferred working from home or having flexible work arrangements. In fact, over 85% of employers in Singapore have been offering these since 2019, even before the pandemic hit. But in 2020, even the naysayers had to bite their tongues when the global workforce was forced into the largest remote working experiment yet – and continued to thrive.

But even as companies reap the benefits of flexible work arrangements, it’s important to remember that the re-negotiation of norms and boundaries can result in employees building up stress and anxiety as they deal with the change. Be it for  those who miss social interactions in the office or others who crave conducive work environments, companies must play an active role in transitioning their flexible workforce, especially if they want to maintain levels of engagement and productivity.

 Coming onboard during the pandemic wasn’t the easiest experience. As someone who has spent their entire professional life  around a bedroom table, here are four ways I think companies can really engage their people when they’re working flexibly: 

Check in beyond tasks..

A little bit can go a long way when it comes to actively engaging your people. Stripped of opportunities for the casual coffee or water cooler talk, 40 hours a week can start to feel like  not only an arduous, but isolating task. Fill the gap by  finding and creating real opportunities to connect outside of task-centric conversations. Set up weekly or bi-weekly chats to check in on employees  and ask how things are going. Genuine, authentic connections help people to open up and be honest about what they need to thrive. Putting this knowledge into practice will help employees feel heard, and can go a long way in creating a sustainable and supportive work environment.

..but look out for workloads

How much work is on someone’s plate? How have they been coping with the latest project? Do they need more support? You might have been able to deduce the answers in an office, but this becomes much harder when everyone is working remotely. When workload started ramping  up, something as simple as having an openly accessible task tracker in place can  help managers  efficiently  monitor  everyone’s workload – and if they need support.. Putting in the extra effort to ensure you understand your team’s workloads can help them  cooperate, coordinate, and function better as a cohesive unit.

Really mean it when you say “flexible”

Flexible work arrangements come in many shapes and forms, but for companies to really stand behind their claims of flexibility, they must showcase greater trust in employee accountability. To reap the benefits of true flexibility, keep the focus on outcomes instead of presence. This frees up time and space for employees to get work done in the ways that are most effective and productive for themselves. A recent report from Employment Hero revealed that 48% of Singapore respondents anticipate additional support from employers to sustain flexible working arrangements in 2021. Whether this means introducing a new culture, shifting expectations or tearing down structures, the onus is on employers to create work environments that strengthen and encourage employees as they work flexibly and remotely.

Remote doesn’t mean removed

Meeting every now and then for an in-person pow-wow or quick lunch are great ways to keep the team together and prevent feelings of isolation. When social gatherings of only groups of five were permitted, for example, Mutant implemented quarterly cross-team lunches to continue giving employees a chance to get to know each other better.I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about my colleagues’ K-pop biases, hamster-fostering habits, and binge-watching pastimes – and of course, the free lunch was a fun treat. If meeting in person isn’t possible, something as simple as organising online trivia nights or a virtual happy hour could work just as well. And  for authentic connections through the week, here’s a pro-tip: Integrate Giphy with your office messenger  for some animated, expressive fun. You’ll thank us later.

Want to chat to us about how to leverage flexibility for productivity and efficiency? Drop us a line at hello@mutant.com.sg. 

Let’s get into your shoes for a minute. So, you’ve taken the first step – you have done your research, and understood that Content is King, particularly in a pandemic-struck world. You have understood that good content isn’t as easy as hiring an intern and getting them to churn out 1000 words a day, but is something that requires expertise, industry knowledge and an understanding of different channels and audiences. You reached out to an agency, loved their pitch and are ready for them to start making magic by turning words into results. 

While we have our magician hats on and are just as excited to give you results you can report on with pride, there’s an old adage that goes ‘Team work makes the dream work’. When you sign on with an agency, you are both client and part of the team. We need your help to ensure our expertise is channelled to create content that is exactly what you need to deliver the results that you want.

Here are some insider tips on how you can help your agency make that happen: 

Induct us into your team

Any agency worth its salt will cherry pick experts that hold experience and knowledge in your field and assign them to your account. And while this is half the work done, it’s vital for you to take the time to properly on-board your assigned experts, just like you would for any new member joining your team. This on-boarding session should ideally include an introduction to your company as a whole, its objectives, markets and brand identity, before moving into your specific team and its composition, goals, preferred methods of working and any previous examples of relevant content and campaigns. 

Be especially wary of business-specific jargon and abbreviations and take the time to introduce commonly used terms to your agency – this will help prevent miscommunications and back-and-forth over clarifications, while empowering your agency to become experts on your business much faster. A good induction is the equivalent of setting the stage for your agency, before the magic begins.

Give us the brief, the whole brief and nothing but the brief 

A good brief is everything when working with an agency. Take the time to fill out a briefing document with as much detail as you can, including who you want to reach and what you want them to do (and feel). Having the objectives, channels, target audience, CTA and brand voice of a content piece clearly spelled will help us ideate creatively within the set parameters that fit your business, minimizing back and forth and helping us tailor content to the results you want. 

If you are feeling unsure or open ended with a particular content piece or campaign, set up a brainstorm session with your agency and let them know you want their input and direction. A good agency will thrive on the challenge and meet you more than halfway with ideas that work – as compared to an ambiguous brief that leaves a lot of room for misunderstanding and disappointment at unmet objectives. 

Keep an open dialogue 

An agency that has climbed its way up amidst a competitive landscape hasn’t gotten there by chance. It’s more likely that they’ve made their way by generating ideas that beat the competition and understanding what content works for a certain audience and market. To fully realise the benefits of engaging such an agency, its vital to keep both an open mind and dialogue that allows the exchange of strategy and ideas. If your agency pushes back on something you suggest, for example, feel free to challenge their opinion if you disagree but don’t forget to evaluate the possible merits of their viewpoint. 

An agency succeeds when their client succeeds, which is why results should be their top priority. If you have an agency that is diligently executing everything by the book, that may be exactly what your organisation asked for, or a sign that they don’t have the freedom of an open dialogue to suggest otherwise. Keeping communication channels open will prevent the latter from being an option. 

Ready to sign an agency that creates content that delivers? Drop us a line anytime at hello@mutant.com.sg to have a chat