What do Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, Minions, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2,Cinderella, Spectre, Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation and Pitch Perfect 2 all have in common?
Well, for one thing, they’re 10 of the Top 12 highest-grossing films of 2015. But for another, each is also either a sequel, a spinoff or a reboot of a previous film — and that’s what’s intriguing from a brand perspective.
It’s a common complaint among filmgoers today that Hollywood has no new ideas, and as a result everything in theaters is now either a remake or a sequel.
But as the list of Hollywood’s biggest money-makers shows, it’s more likely in many cases that film studios instead know what content is working the best — and how they can get more mileage (i.e., revenue) out of it.
In any industry, innovative brands should always be trying to think of new ideas. But at the same time, savvy ones also know that not every new idea has to be truly “new.” Through analytics, brands today can easily gauge what content is performing best among their audience. Once that’s identified, the next step is brainstorm ways to extend its lifespan and value.
That might be as simple as breaking up a well-read blog into smaller bits to be shared via social media. Perhaps a post about a hot topic can be spun forward into a new post examining what’s next. Or maybe a successful podcast can then generate a popular video recap, which can then be adapted into a sharply written thought leadership summary.
Once your brand identifies content that’s truly clicking with your audience, think about how it can be used to create “sequels,” “spinoffs” or “reboots.”
You know, just like Hollywood does.
Learn more content marketing tips from Tinsel Town in our Medium column at The Brand Lab Series™.