Why 'stretchy content' matters for linked up marketing

This is something we believe firmly at BlueberryContent. An idea can only become interesting when it departs from conventional wisdom. If someone just affirms your assumptions you don’t get curious and you don’t get intrigued. There are no big surprises. Stories should be told in a way that make you react like “Huh? That’s different from what I thought". And I don’t think traditional advertising gets you there.

But what is stretchy content?

We first coined the term "stretchy content" to overcome the bureaucratic silo mindset of the past to develop better, smarter and cheaper content across multiple platforms.

With this as the objective, ‘stretchy content’ really means the kind of content that leaders of brands and companies seek today. It is content that can be used across multiple screens, virtual and real. This becomes useful as it is the same idea executed across multiple platforms, making it a smarter, better and cheaper way to deliver more content off the same idea and message. Think film, Instagram and gif as one example.

Pulling at the thread

Developing stretchy content means you need to have the foresight to create content that is like a red thread across multiple platforms. In order to begin a stretchy content campaign, start by looking at the problems to solve, examine design theory and most importantly - begin with empathy. This means one consistent red thread of storytelling that can work effectively on multiple media platforms. This is not something that comes naturally and you should start with it as the goal from the very beginning.

Traditional brand design and digital design is too limiting and one-dimensional, and as a result, more expensive for companies. What stretchy content forces you to do is think beyond the medium and that makes the work multipurpose yet consistent.

High quality stretchy content allows brands to reach more people consistently across multiple platforms, delivering a heightened brand experience with a lower cost to manufacture the content. However, it takes a unique mindset to be able to develop this level of content so that it is excellent across a range of diverse platforms.

Breaking down walls

For this to really work, the strategy content overseer develops the red thread story line for the content and works together with our designers to bring the story to life much like a conductor and an orchestra. For example, the new multi-platform work we created from the digital experience right through to the design of the new stores and the in-store experience for the European Wax Center.

The barriers to achieve stretchy content are typically man-made organizations, where people responsible for different departments have budgets and are fighting for their own elements, not for the betterment of the organizations. Success is about breaking down these walls and developing content that works seamlessly and perfectly across all the platforms.

Nicola Conneally, head of Blueberry Content.