Friday Feature

This week our feature is an entrepreneur of Hazel Coffee Co., Hailey Polidori. Her coffee shop is an all mobile coffee bar in Austin, TX. Their mission is to bring creatives and community together. They serve locally roasted beans and offer bookings for events. You can request a quote by clicking the link on their website. Not only does she own this cutting-edge coffee shop, she is a content creator, a photographer and YouTuber. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Hailey and hope to do it again in the future.

Feel Good Friday: Types of Creativity

We work with so many creative people in our industry and each one is unique in their very own way. Content creators, creative directors. You name it, we’ve worked alongside them to help make the best UGC campaigns possible. We’ve always been under the impression that you are either creative or you’re just not but apparently, and surprising, this is not the case. There are four different types of creativity, according to neuroscienctists. Did you know this? That means we’re all creatives in one way or another. The four ways of creativity are deliberate & cognitive, deliberate & emotional, spontaneous & cognitive and spontaneous & emotional. Let’s dive in to each type.

1.     Deliberate & Cognitive: This comes from the prefrontal cortex of the brain tasked with focused attention and forming connections between information. This type of creativity is associated with a scientist. It requires a lot research, investigation and problem-solving as well as a lot of time and knowledge.

2.     Deliberate & Emotional: This style of creativity requires quiet time and has to do with those “ah-ha” moments. It is influenced by our emotions and those with this creative style tend to be logical/rational as well as emotional. Located in the amygdala and cingulate cortex, these moments happen someone suddenly thinks of a solution working on a problem in a particular emotional state.

3.     Spontaneous & Cognitive: Taking place in the basal ganglia of the brain, this type in unconscious by doing an unrelated activity. “Eureka Moments” type of creativity. Your unconscious mind took over and solved the problem for you. We’ve all had this happen when we’re doing something mundane like the dishes when a big answer just comes to you out of the blue for something else.  

4.     Spontaneous & Emotional: This type of creativity is associated with musicians and artists and comes primarily from the amygdala that deals solely with emotions. These moments occur when the prefrontal brain is just chilling. Some call these the “epiphany” moments, where rare discoveries take place. This is a style that cannot be worked on. This is the creativity we think of when we think of being creative. The, “you either have it or you don’t” kind. We all have it but some just more than others.

What’s interesting is that most of us are dominant in one type of creativity but not limited to it. Someone can be an engineer as well as a writer. Creativity is more important in business than one might think.  If you understand what creative strengths you bring to the table for your current or future employers you will be more confident and know what roles suit you best. When it comes to hiring, the opposite can be said. You need to know what type of creative style you’re looking for each role you are trying to fill.  You want the right type creative people working for your brand in the right roles. So ,it’s key that you understand which type creative individuals you are looking for.

Feel Good Friday: Sparking Creative Inspiration

 It’s time to spice things up again here at Locomotive. Every Friday for the next few weeks (maybe months) we will be focusing on topics that will inspire you. Today, our first topic will be ways to spark inspiration for all our creatives out there. Let’s face it, we all suffer from lack of inspiration here and there so it’s always nice to have something you can fall back on when these creative blocks hit and the deadlines are creeping in. What in the world is inspiration anyhow? Let’s define it. It has been defined by psychologists as a motivation from external sources that cause someone to have an idea and/or creatively produce something. We’ve done some digging on ways to spark creativity when you’re in a rut.

1.     Journal. Seeing your thoughts written down can offer insight into new ideas. Free journaling is recommended. Just grab a pencil and get going. Don’t think about what you’re writing just let it flow. We like to use the laptop since it’s faster to get our thoughts out than with typing than actually writing. Not only does this help spark new ideas, it clears your mind and lets you see a clearer picture of things. We highly recommend doing this not only to spark creative inspiration.

2.     Mix up your routine. Doing the same thing over and over day in and day out can feel like you’re living in the movie Groundhog Day. No wonder our creative juices stop flowing here and there. It’s important to shake it up in your personal and professional life. Try a different order in your routine. Go for your run in the morning instead of after work or try to change the order of your daily work flow. Maybe take a later or earlier lunch. Things that may have worked for you in the past may not be working now. We adapt quickly and become complacent. We get bored. You can’t expect different results doing the same things you have always done. 

3.     Spend time with artists or other creatives in your field. Everyone thinks and creates differently. Spending time with other creatives will allow you to bounce ideas off one another and potentially spark new ones. It’s not only good for this but important to spend time with like-minded individuals in your field, so it also benefits your networking practices. 

4.     Rearrange your space. Look up some basic Feng Shui. What usually gets your inspired n the physical sense? Imitate that and attempt to recreate it. Add some living things to the area. What better to inspire thoughts than vegetation? If you want to get really deep with this, certain plants possess certain properties. For example, mother-in-law’s tongue acts as an air purifier. There’s no better way to provoke creation than something that does just that.

5.     Branch out into new styles of music. Who doesn’t like to discover new jams that they vibe with? We enjoy all styles of music but of course, we have our favorite go to’s. Switch up the style of music that you find yourself listening to often. Throw in some bluegrass or dive into something cultural, such as Afro-Caribbean. Get crazy!

6.     Meditate. The benefits of meditation reach far beyond promoting creativity. It reduces stress and allows you to see new perspectives. It increases self-awareness by focusing on your breath and letting go of thoughts. It’s a great way to clear your head. Again, something we recommend doing not just to motivate creative thought.

7.     Try something new. We love trying new things! Adventure tends to spur new thought processes. Typically, you’re learning something when you try new things. It gets your mind working and, most likely, unlocking potential brain power in new ways.

These are just a few ways to inspire creativity when you’re stuck. Adding on to this and creating your own list is a great way to combat blocks. Think back to some times when you felt your most creative. What were the circumstances? Write them down. What were you doing when you had that really brilliant idea? This will give you insight into what works for you. You can use that. Happy creating!  

Friday Feature

This week we turn to one of our furry friends. Our feature this week is of Max the dog from Vancouver, Canada. This fun-loving pup goes on all types of adventures and is absolutely adorable. We previously worked with his owners to license a piece of content during the COVID pandemic where his owner used him for leg presses while the gyms were closed. Captioned with “Only got to do 2 reps of my 40lb leg presses before my makeshift weight gave up.” What a fun way to get creative with your workouts! Big shout out to them for helping make one of our campaigns fun and exciting!

Friday Feature 10/7/22

We’re taking you to the sunny beaches of your living room. Wait what? That’s right! You heard us. This surf video went viral back in March of 2020 of Sailah Nicol and her brother surfing on the rug in their living room. Their father is pro surfer, Yadin Nicol who is also featured in this video pulling the rug up into a wave. This video is probably up there with one our favorites that we’ve licensed over our years here at Locomotive. Head over to Instagram and show the families page some love and support with a follow.

Friday Feature

This week we turn to a producer and director, Christin Baker. She is co-founder of tellofilms.com and proud creator of lesbian content. We worked with her on a Rapinoe spot many moons ago now. It’s our pleasure to showcase her talent. She was great to work with. To read more on the amazing work she produces, visit her IMDb page.

Friday Feature

This week’s content feature goes out to talented movie character, Nick Darnell. We loved working with him to license his dancing video of the #sugechallenge. Not only can he act, he can definitely dance too! As we are watching this video shot in front of a Circle K gas station with the caption, “They kept tryna gas us up all weekend,” you see the gas prices on the sign behind them. WOW! This may give you an idea of how long ago we sourced this video. Give him a follow for fun content.

Friday Feature

This week our spotlight goes out to a fitness trainer, Kari who specializes in women’s weight lifting. Also known as @thedonuttrainer, this Canadian woman is a certified personal trainer and gym owner in Sarnia, ON. It was a pleasure working with this creator on one of our previous campaigns. Her social media account focuses on fitness, nutrition and weight lifting. She posts often about nutrition information, workouts and fitness tips. Give her a follow for healthy lifestyle info and proper workout techniques.

Content Creation

We’re a content agency. We love good, quality content. This is a given. We’ve written about content creation in the past but directed it toward the creators. This article will focus on why quality content is important for brands. First, if the content is helpful and insightful, customers will trust you and begin to view you as an expert in your field, according to Forbes. Second, ROI is very high for quality content. 88% of marketers are happy with their return on investment of content. Third, SEO will increase with the right key words to promote your brands website. Lastly, it helps your brand get new leads, especially if the content has a CTA placement. We could go on with a million reasons why good content marketing helps your business grow but we know you get the point by now. Let’s look at how your brand can go about having a good content marketing strategy.

All the same rules for creators apply for brands, except now you have a specific audience to keep in mind. This is where creating a buyer persona comes in handy. A buyer persona is created through research to make a clear picture of the person you want to market to. Think of them as a created character for a story that represents your whole group of target market audience. Here’s a handy tool to help you get started from HubSpot if you’re unsure of where to start with this. Second, your strategy should include goal setting. Use the SMART method to determine them. Now, you have to keep the buyer’s journey in mind. Where are they in their buying process? Is it awareness of the problem? Are they considering a solution (the consideration stage)? Or… are they in the decision-making stage where they’re aware of the solution and ready to solve? You want to make sure that you have content for each stage of your buyer’s journey. The format of the content must also be considered. Is it easy for your audience to view, read, etc.? This brings us to the last topic: the different types of content.

There are many different types of content to consider when creating. There’s content just like the one you are reading: a blog. There are social media posts and stories. Infographics with short bursts of information or GIF’s. Video content is king in today’s world but podcasts are also on the rise. Lastly, there are webinars/seminars for your viewers as well. Which type of content you choose will be brand specific. While all brands will benefit from social media posts and stories, it may not make sense for them to conduct webinars. The type of content that your brand chooses will also determine the style. Blogs and podcasts tend to be conversational whereas webinars and seminars are in more formal setting.

Whatever way you shake it, a quality content creation marketing strategy is key for your brand. Honestly, creating content is super fun, so with the right creative minds behind the work you cannot fail. Collaboration within your company when creating content will ensure its success. Having multiple sets of creative eyes and minds on each piece will make sure that what your team comes up with will be the absolute best through great communication and teamwork.

Content Creators vs Influencers

Influencer marketing is coming in the lead this year for marketing and advertising strategy. But what is the difference between an influencer and a content creator? They are not necessarily the same thing. Let’s look at content creators first. This group of creators know how to create high-quality and authentic content that resonates with the audience. They consider this to be their career. An influencer is someone who actually has influence over a particular audience, hence the name. They’re usually experts in a particular field that regularly post tips, information and tutorials on their craft that influence others. Influencers have different tiers:

1.     Mega: over 1million

2.     Macro: 500K-1million

3.     Mid-tier: 50K-500K

4.     Micro: 10K-50K

5.     Nano: 1K-10K

There are some differences when working with content creators versus influencers. Working with content creators will get people engaged whereas influencers, as the name implies, influence. They have big followings so this is a way to increase brand awareness.  Working with content creators can enable a brand to experiment with different types of content, publish more frequently, save money and work with experts in certain fields. Working with an influencer can expand your reach and help you reach your target audience. Influencers have sway over their audience’s purchasing decisions. There is no way to say whether a content creator or an influencer would be better for your brand. It really depends on what your goals are. Are you trying to reach your target audience more effectively or are you trying to increase engagement? Both content creators and influencer have great things to offer your brand. We’ve worked with both at Locomotive and we understand the importance as well as differences of both. Understanding each is the first step to knowing which to use for your campaign.

Creating Good Content

We’ve all created a video at some point on our social media channels but what makes one video creator more effective than another? High quality UGC videos are important when sourcing in the advertising space most of the time, so it’s important that content creators make high quality videos. So, let’s dive a little deeper into what makes a video great. First, let’s discuss authenticity. This is the most important aspect of one’s social media presence. If you’re unsure of how to narrow down your online personality, start by asking yourself these questions to help you figure it out. What five personality traits/words do you have that would use to describe yourself? Examples would be capable, direct, etc. (Angela Chang, blogger/social media marketer). Also, take a few minutes to write down topics that are important to you. What are they? Unless you’re into politics, may we suggest staying away from heated political topics? Anything else is fair game. After you do this, what are some things that you absolutely do not want to discuss on your platform? Even choosing particular aesthetics for your page, such as a color pallet to stick with, is important. If you had to pick only two what would they be? Now that you have taken the time to answer all of these questions, let’s chat about making good content videos. Three things of high importance that first come to mind are quality, authenticity, which I touched on a bit already, and consistency. Always ensure that the video quality is the best that it can be. Without quality, you will lose engagement from viewers who have come to expect high-quality content (Forbes). Also, a recent study, “revealed that, content and technical quality of UGC have significant effects on UGC’s functional and emotional values” (Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, VOL 21, NO1, 2020). Filming horizontal is always good practice. Vertical is alright from time to time but it’s most important to make sure that the video is not blurry and does not contain any logos. Aside from being logo free, be sure to wear clothing without any striking patterns. This will make it more appealing to the agencies who source user generated content for advertisements. Secondly, be yourself. Organic content is always more alluring than something that looks overly produced or scripted. Have slight control over the narrative and try filming a lot of raw videos. Then, you can choose what you like from these and edit it together later. Authenticity is what will build trust between you and your audience. Finally, be consistent. As with anything, consistency is key. Being consistent will keep your followers with you long-term. Posting 3-5 times weekly is always a good place to start. Think about TikTok star Khaby Lame. He has a very specific style. His sarcastic style is shown through overly exaggerated facial expressions in each and every single one of his videos. He has his own online voice (which for him is actually no voice at all), he is consistent with the type of content he posts and it is always authentic to his particular style. Overall, creating great user generated content isn’t rocket science but that doesn’t mean it’s not difficult. Using these simple tips will help you improve on your filming technique and assist you in finding your unique online voice. Happy filming creators!