3131 Media Solutions

Brand awareness is often dismissed because it doesn't fit neatly into a spreadsheet. But that doesn't mean it can't be measured. Direct traffic, branded searches, engagement trends, share of voice, and customer recall all provide valuable insight into how your brand is performing over time. While brand awareness may not convert overnight, it often lays the foundation for future growth. How does your organization measure the impact of brand awareness? #BrandStrategy #ThoughtLeadership

When did backlash become a KPI? Marketing teams have more data than ever, but a spike in engagement can still tell an incomplete story. More comments. More shares. More mentions. More impressions. Those numbers tell us people reacted. They don’t necessarily tell us whether the campaign strengthened the brand, reached the right audience or moved the business forward. ICYMI: On the 3131 blog, we’re looking at what happens when controversy becomes part of the marketing conversation — and why evaluating the meaning behind the attention matters just as much as measuring the attention itself. Attention is a metric. Meaning is the strategy. Read our full take: https://lnkd.in/gksFFjZh

There’s a difference between taking a creative risk and creating a brand risk. The recent Good Good Golf x Callaway campaign is a pretty strong example of what happens when that line gets missed. The now-deleted ad showed a woman being pushed to the ground after reaching for a golf club. It was intended as a horror-film parody, but the response was swift, and overwhelmingly negative. Both brands apologized, Callaway acknowledged that it had approved the content before it went live, and both companies are now reevaluating their internal review processes. From a marketing perspective, that last part is what stands out to us. Because this wasn’t simply a piece of creator content that caught a brand off guard. There were multiple opportunities between concept and publish for someone to ask: Does the joke justify the risk to the brand? Creative should push boundaries. Partnerships should give creators room to actually create. And brands shouldn’t be so afraid of criticism that every idea gets watered down. But creative freedom still needs guardrails. Especially when your partner has millions of followers, your name is attached to the final product, and the message could conflict with the audience you’re actively trying to grow. Women now represent 28% of traditional golfers and have accounted for more than half of recent participation growth in the sport, according to National Golf Foundation data cited by Golf Digest. The PGA Tour CEO has since called the ad “concerning” and Good Good’s initial response “disappointing,” showing how quickly one campaign can become bigger than the campaign itself. Our 3131 take: A good approval process shouldn’t kill bold ideas. It should make sure the risk you’re taking is actually worth taking. Because “Will this get attention?” and “Is this good for the brand?” are two very different questions. And great marketing needs to answer both. #Callaway #CallawayGolf

By the time a potential customer reaches out, there’s a good chance they’ve already formed an opinion about your business. They’ve searched. They’ve clicked around. They’ve compared. And every touchpoint has either reinforced their confidence, or given them a reason to question it. That’s why brand consistency is more than a design decision. It’s part of the customer journey. Your messaging, positioning, credibility, and experience should feel connected everywhere someone encounters your brand. This week’s 3131 Tuesday Tip: market like your prospects are doing their homework, because they are. #MarketingStrategy #BrandStrategy #CustomerJourney #DigitalMarketing

AI is becoming more than a search and discovery channel. It’s becoming a media channel. ChatGPT Ads are expanding into 31 additional international markets next week, following recent launches in the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea. OpenAI also says daily ad revenue has grown more than 25% since the beginning of August. From a marketing perspective, that expansion is worth paying attention to. For years, brands have built media strategies around where consumers spend their time - search engines, social platforms, streaming, websites. Now AI platforms are increasingly becoming part of that mix. And the opportunity is different. Consumers aren't necessarily scrolling for entertainment or actively browsing search results. They're asking questions, researching options, comparing products, and looking for answers. That creates an entirely new context for how, and when, brands can show up. OpenAI is even signaling that performance marketing could be next as it continues developing its advertising business. At 3131, we think the bigger takeaway is simple: the media landscape isn't just adding new platforms. Consumer behavior is creating entirely new advertising environments. The brands that understand those environments early will be in a much better position to determine where AI advertising actually belongs in their media mix. Definitely one we'll be watching. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g7ms2xxq #DigitalMarketing #Advertising #AIAdvertising #MediaStrategy #MarketingStrategy #3131Media

Getting people to talk about your brand is easy. Getting them to remember the right thing? That’s the real challenge. Our new article breaks down the fine line between calculated creative risks and pure rage bait: - The American Eagle Effect: When high-stakes attention actually converts. - The Cost of Missteps: How the wrong kind of outrage damages brand trust. - Attention vs. Strategy: Why high engagement doesn't always equal success. Don't chase backlash. Build something worth reacting to. 👇 Click the link to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gksFFjZh #MarketingStrategy #BrandStrategy #3131Media #DigitalMarketing #ContentStrategy

One of the most interesting campaigns we’ve seen recently wasn’t digital at all. To promote The Last House, Netflix built a fully furnished billboard on Sunset Boulevard… and had someone actually live inside it for three days. It wasn’t just a billboard, it became a news story, a social conversation, and an experience people wanted to stop and see. It reminded us of something we talk about often: The best marketing doesn’t interrupt people. It gives them something worth talking about. Too often, we optimize campaigns for impressions, clicks, and CPMs. Those metrics matter, but the campaigns people remember usually create a moment that extends far beyond the media buy. Whether it’s a physical installation, an unexpected activation, or a creative idea that earns its own attention, memorable marketing is still the most efficient marketing. Technology changes. Algorithms change. The platforms will keep evolving. But a great idea that gets people to stop, share, and tell someone else about it? That never goes out of style. What’s the most memorable marketing campaign you’ve seen this year?

For years, marketers have focused on getting people to their websites. But as AI search continues to evolve, your website is becoming less of a destination and more of a data source. The question is no longer just, "Can people find us?" It's increasingly becoming, "Can AI understand us?" That changes the conversation. SEO isn't disappearing, but the way we think about optimization is. Structured data, accessibility, and accurate information may become just as important as keywords and rankings. One thing is clear: the brands that adapt to how AI retrieves information, not just how people search, will be better positioned for what's next. It's an interesting shift, and one we think every marketer should be paying attention to.

Social media may be one of the most visible parts of marketing, but it's only one piece of a much larger strategy. Brand positioning, messaging, SEO, paid media, websites, public relations, email marketing, and customer experience all influence how customers perceive your business. The strongest brands don't rely on a single channel. They build an integrated strategy where every touchpoint works together. Which marketing channel has delivered the greatest impact for your organization? #MarketingStrategy #BrandBuilding

We’re excited to welcome Mika Manaster to 3131 Media as our Director of Client Growth! Mika brings a wealth of industry experience along with a genuine passion for building strong partnerships and helping businesses grow. Her people-first approach makes her a natural fit for our team, and we’re thrilled to have her on board. Please join us in welcoming Mika to 3131! 👏 #MeetTheTeam