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Houssam El Boutary, Publicis Content’s Agile Studio Lead, shares his formula on Sexy Social Success

Oh boy, how times have changed, and how “content” has evolved. But worry not, this isn’t another piece on the “eVoLuTioN oF cOnTeNt”, that’s been done to death. This is a piece on how all of us, collectively, can create some magic for our brands from a creative and production POV. How all of us – from both brand and agency sides – can come together to create and deliver fresh, creative, effective, and entertaining social content to our collective audiences.

Besides, the main aim of “social content” is to educate and entertain. If we’re not doing either of those, we should close the accounts and go live on a farm somewhere.

This might seem like a brash, straightforward sequel to my colleague Yasmine Saab’s eloquent op-ed but follow me on this. If you missed her article, allow me to summarise.

Ten years ago, social advertising was tossing up a few photos with lengthy captions and hashtags, however today, keeping up with social trends is like trying to catch a moving train, you either hop on early or risk looking outdated, like “rocking skinny jeans in 2024.” Trends are quick to expire, so brands and agencies need to be fast, flexible, and savvy. The key she mentions is to spot trends before they blow up, act fast, and embrace a "done is better than perfect" mindset.

Now, how do we do it? It’s a two-pronged approach both from the brand and agency side.

Here’s what brands must do, and yes, I’m talking to the Marketing Directors and in-house Social media Managers. Similarly, here’s what we, as agencies, should do as well.

The formula is simple:

Trust + Creativity + Speed = Sexy Social Success.

Seems quite simple right? Three ingredients. That’s it. It works for a Negroni, a shawarma, a peanut-butter jelly sandwich, cacio e pepe, I can go on and on. Three ingredients even worked for the PowerPuff Girls.

Let’s get back on track and allow me to break them down in a format with subheads that I’ve been told our dwindling attention spans are now used to. Yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition, let it go.

Trust:

Brands let’s get one thing straight: you hired us because we live and breathe social media. We’re the ones scrolling TikTok and Instagram in our sleep, and our algorithms are fine-tuned to your brand’s vibe and your audience’s quirks. Yes, you’re creative too—no doubt about it—but you’ve got a million other things on your plate.

So, when it comes to crafting killer content that speaks directly to your followers, trust us to do what we do best. You brought us on board for a reason, so let us work that magic while you focus on the bigger picture.

Now, agency social teams, listen up—this goes for you too. Directors and team leaders, you’ve hired the best of the best, so trust your squad to bring their A-game. Sometimes that Gen-Z exec fresh out of uni knows more about the latest TikTok trend than anyone else on the team. Creativity isn’t just the domain of the ‘creatives’; it’s everywhere, and it’s subjective. If your client servicing lead or even the office intern has an idea, nurture it! Get the whole team in on brainstorms because creativity flows from every corner. Trust in each other and watch that trust turn into content gold.

Creativity:

Creativity is a wild, subjective beast. What us elder millennials think works on social might not even register with Gen Alpha. Heck, even Gen Z is starting to lose their grip on the latest Gen Alpha slang. When something’s trending or has the potential to go viral, no matter how ridiculous it seems, trust the process. Ideas shouldn’t be cooked by “creatives” then storyboarded by “designers” and dispensed to “on-ground” teams. This just wastes valuable trending time. I’ll elaborate further under the “Speed” subhead to keep you guys reading.

Now, if you’re in doubt about what your team offers up and if you can't wrap your head around the concept or process, then trust the data. The numbers don’t lie, and they’re right at your fingertips: how many users have created assets with the audio? How have other successful brands pivoted that trend in an organic way? What engagement do those posts enjoy? Etc.

But here’s the thing—finding a trend and pivoting it in a way that perfectly aligns with the brand isn’t just a skill; it’s an art. If it fits, it sits. And if it doesn’t work? So what? Chalk it up to an A/B test and move on. This isn’t rocket science; it’s social media. If it flops, that’s okay. Try again and keep experimenting.

This circles back to trust. We need to trust in our collective creativity, just like how RyanAir, Duolingo, Skittles, The Museum of English Rural Life, and Wendy’s did. These brands didn’t stifle creativity with endless layers of approval; they embraced it, trusted the process, and now they’re social media legends. So, let’s stop overthinking and start creating.

Speed:

This is the fun one, because here’s where the magic happens. You can have all the trust in the world, and the most creative minds in the industry. But how agile are those ‘Trusted Creatives’? Time, tide, and social trends, wait for no man and trends move faster than a caffeine-fueled squirrel.

If you have a concept that can break the internet, go viral, win a few awards, get both parties recognition, and their eventual promotions, what’s keeping it from happening? The filming permissions? The senior approvals? The red tape?

Agility is key. This isn’t a Craig David song, we don’t have 7 Days, we have one – sometimes even less. If something is conceptualised at 9AM, the post needs to be live by 9pm (and that pushing it).

Take a page from the Publicis Team in Amsterdam who handle the Heineken account. They nailed agility with trendjacking, from jumping on Victoria Beckham’s “Very Working Class” to the “Very Mindful, Very Demure” memes. They show us that speed isn’t just an advantage; it’s essential. We do the same with Yas Marina Circuit’s Formula 1, creating effective, agile, and creative content, and I’m sure many of our peers do the same, but it’s not enough to raise the bar in the region.

Let’s keep the pace up and make sure our content doesn’t just ride the wave but creates it.

So there you have it, our recipe for social media success, stirred not shaken. From trusting our social media wizards who live and breathe the latest trends (and maybe even dream in hashtags), to unleashing creativity that’s as unpredictable as a viral meme, and finally, moving faster than a squirrel on espresso, we’ve mapped out the key ingredients to keeping your brand not just relevant but irresistibly engaging.

As we wrap this up, let’s remember: in a world where rocking skinny jeans in 2024 is a fashion faux pas, staying ahead means embracing trust, creativity, and speed with the gusto of a trend-hopping champion.

So, let’s keep pushing boundaries, breaking the internet, and making sure our content is always fresh, fun, and on point. Because in this fast-paced social landscape, if we’re not innovating, we’re just spectating.

Here’s to making waves and staying ahead of the curve, we have the sugar and spice, let’s make something nice.