How to create contextualized content

In today’s crowded digital landscape, where audience attention is a precious commodity, quality content remains essential to connecting with audiences, building strong relationships, and achieving marketing objectives. However, in this era of hyperconnection and immediacy, the context in which such content is presented has acquired unprecedented relevance. It is no longer enough to create engaging and informative content; It is crucial to understand and leverage context to maximize your impact and achieve true resonance with your target audience. Context can amplify the effectiveness of good content and mitigate the negative impact of bad content.

This article delves into the importance of context in the creation and dissemination of content, exploring its different dimensions, analyzing examples of success and failure, and offering practical strategies for adapting content to different situations and audiences. Join us on this journey to discover how context can make the difference between content that goes unnoticed and one that generates a memorable impact.

Context: the secret ingredient for content success

Context refers to the set of circumstances that surround the content, influencing its meaning, interpretation, and reception by the audience. As digital marketing expert Juan García states: “Context is king. The same message can have a completely different impact depending on the context in which it is presented.”

Some of the factors that make up the context are:

Audience: Who is the content aimed at? What are your interests, needs and expectations?
Moment: When is the content published? Is it relevant at the current time? Is it aligned with current events or trends?
Platform: Where is content shared? Does it adapt to the format and style of the platform? (social networks, blog, website, etc.)
Format: How is the content presented? Is it text, video, audio, image or a combination of several formats?
Purpose: What is the objective of the content? Inform, persuade, entertain, educate or generate a specific action?

Understanding these factors in isolation is not enough; The key lies in understanding the interrelationship between them to create truly effective content. For example, a humorous video about a new product may be successful on TikTok if it’s posted at a time when that type of content is trending, but it could fail on LinkedIn if the audience expects a more professional approach.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, communication expert, María López, highlights the importance of emotion in the context: “The emotional state of the audience influences how they perceive the content. A positive message will have a greater impact if the audience feels receptive and optimistic.”

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Context dimensions

Context can be analyzed from different perspectives, each with its own implications for content creation:

Cultural context: The audience’s values, beliefs, and social norms influence how they perceive and interpret content. For example, an ad that uses sarcastic humor may be well received in a culture where this type of humor is common, but could be considered offensive in another culture.
Social context: Your audience’s relationships, groups, and social interactions affect their receptivity to content. A message that promotes individuality might resonate in a society that values independence, but not in a more collectivist culture.
Historical context: Past events and the historical context in which the content is framed can influence its meaning and relevance. For example, a documentary about the Spanish Civil War will have a different meaning for a Spanish audience than for a Latin American audience.
Technological context: The tools, platforms and devices that audiences use to access content determine its format and accessibility. A video designed to be viewed on a smartphone should be short and concise, while a video for YouTube can be longer and more elaborately produced.
Personal context: Each individual’s experiences, emotions, and mood influence their response to content. A person who has just lost his job might not be receptive to an ad promoting a lavish lifestyle.

The power of context: examples of success

Next, we will explore concrete examples of how context has been key to the success of different content:

Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”: This 2010 advertising campaign went viral thanks to its originality and its context. The campaign was launched during the Grammy Awards, an event with a massive audience and an environment conducive to humorous and memorable advertising. The ad featured Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL player with an imposing physique and charismatic attitude, addressing women directly and telling them that their men could smell like him if they wore Old Spice. The use of YouTube as the main platform allowed the video to go viral and its rapid dissemination on social networks.
GoPro: This action camera company has achieved tremendous success thanks to its content marketing strategy, which focuses on showing the context in which its products are used. Instead of simply highlighting the technical features of the cameras, GoPro shares impressive videos recorded by its users in extreme and exciting situations, such as skydiving, surfing, climbing and adventure sports. This contextualized approach allows the audience to visualize the possibilities that the cameras offer and connect emotionally with the brand.
Dove: “Real Beauty Sketches”: This Dove campaign, launched in 2013, addressed the issue of female self-esteem in a social context where beauty is often associated with unrealistic stereotypes. The video, which was widely shared on YouTube and other platforms, showed women describing themselves to a forensic sketch artist, who then drew them based on their own descriptions and those of a stranger. The result revealed that women perceived themselves more negatively than how others saw them. Let’s imagine a young woman insecure about her appearance watching this video. By seeing yourself reflected in the experiences of the women in the video, you might begin to question your own insecurities and build a more positive image of yourself. This campaign generated a great emotional and social impact, thanks to its context and its message of female empowerment.

Adapting content to context: practical strategies

To create effective content that resonates with your audience, it is essential to adapt it to the specific context in which it will be presented.

Some strategies to achieve this are:

Research the audience: Knowing your target audience in depth is crucial to creating relevant content. Use web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to obtain information about their online behavior, such as the pages they visit, how long they stay on them, and traffic sources. Surveys, interviews and market research can also be conducted to obtain information about your interests, needs, preferences and behaviors.
Analyze the platform: Each platform has its own characteristics, format and communication style. Adapt the tone, language and format of the content to the platform on which it will be published. For example, a post on Instagram can be more visual and informal, while an article on LinkedIn should be more professional and with a more serious tone.
Consider the moment: Stay on top of current events, trends and conversations relevant to your audience. Take advantage of the “right moment” to publish content that is relevant and generates interest. For example, during a major sporting event, an energy drink brand could launch an advertising campaign that relates to the event.
Define the purpose: Be clear about the objective of the content before creating it. Is it intended to inform, persuade, entertain or generate a specific action? The purpose of the content will guide the choice of format, tone and communication style. If the goal is to generate sales, the content must be persuasive and highlight the benefits of the product or service.
Use appropriate language: Adapt the language to the cultural and social context of the audience. Avoid jargon, technicalities or expressions that may be confusing or offensive. If the audience is young, more informal and colloquial language can be used.
Customize the message: Whenever possible, personalize content to make it more relevant to the audience. Use the user’s name, segment content according to their interests or preferences, and offer personalized recommendations. For example, Amazon uses its users’ purchase history to recommend products that might interest them.

Failures due to lack of context: lessons learned

Not only success is influenced by context, but so is failure. Content that ignores context can be irrelevant, inappropriate or even counterproductive. Let’s look at some examples:

McDonald’s: #McDStories: In 2012, McDonald’s launched this campaign on Twitter with the intention of generating positive conversations about the brand. However, the campaign quickly backfired when users began sharing negative stories about their experiences with McDonald’s food and service. The company failed to anticipate the context of the platform, where users have the freedom to express themselves without filters, nor to foresee the possible negative reaction of the public.
Pepsi: “Live for Now”: This 2017 ad, starring Kendall Jenner, was heavily criticized for trivializing social protests and racial justice movements. The ad showed Jenner joining a protest and offering a Pepsi to a police officer, which was interpreted as a frivolous simplification of a complex and sensitive issue. Pepsi withdrew the ad and publicly apologized, acknowledging that it had not adequately considered the social and political context in which the campaign was launched.
Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad: Similar to the previous case, this Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner also failed for not considering the social context. The scene in which Jenner hands a Pepsi to a police officer during a protest was seen as a trivialization of social movements and generated a strong negative reaction from the public.

Tools to analyze the context

There are various tools and technologies that can help analyze and understand the context of content:

Web analysis tools: Google Analytics, SimilarWeb and other tools allow you to obtain information about the behavior of the audience on a website, such as the pages they visit, the time they stay on them, and the sources of traffic.
Social listening tools: Brandwatch, Hootsuite Insights and other platforms allow you to monitor conversations on social networks, identify trends and analyze public sentiment towards a specific brand or topic. These tools can help understand the social context in which the audience moves and adapt the content to their interests and concerns.

Ethical considerations in contextual content

While context can improve the effectiveness of content, it also poses ethical challenges. It is crucial to use context responsibly and avoid falling into manipulation, misinformation or discrimination.

For example, segmenting the audience to show different versions of an ad can be an effective strategy, but if it is used to discriminate against certain groups or to perpetuate stereotypes, it would be an unethical practice.

It is important that content creators are aware of the power of context and use it to inform, educate and connect with the audience in an authentic way, without falling into manipulation or deception.

The future of content and context

In the digital age, context will continue to evolve as technology and society advance. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics will play an increasingly important role in understanding context and personalizing content.

We are likely to see an increase in the creation of dynamic, interactive content that adapts in real time to the user’s context. Personalized experiences, virtual reality and augmented reality will also offer new possibilities for creating immersive and contextualized content.

In this ever-changing landscape, the ability to understand and leverage context will be essential to the success of any content strategy. Brands and content creators who master this art will be able to connect with their audience more deeply, build stronger relationships, and achieve their communication goals more effectively.

Conclusions

Good content is still essential, but in today’s digital world, context is king. Understanding and leveraging context is essential to creating relevant, engaging and effective content that resonates with your audience and achieves communication goals.

Throughout this article, we have explored the different dimensions of context, analyzed examples of success and failure, and offered practical strategies for adapting content to different situations and audiences. We have also examined the tools that allow us to analyze the context and trends that will shape the future of content in the digital age.

Ultimately, context is a key factor that cannot be ignored in the creation and dissemination of content. Mastering the art of context will allow brands and content creators to stand out in the crowded digital landscape, connect with their audience authentically, and make a lasting impact. Furthermore, it is essential to use the context responsibly, considering the ethical implications and avoiding manipulation or misinformation.

In an increasingly connected and interdependent world, the ability to adapt content to different contexts will be crucial to the success of any communication strategy. Brands and content creators who understand and leverage the power of context will be better positioned to connect with their audiences, build strong relationships, and achieve their goals in the digital age.