Why content creation and creativity didn’t stop during lockdown [Talking Influence]

The traditional working methods of creatives have been upended by the pandemic. Social distancing guidelines and months of lockdown have created a difficult landscape for content creators, meaning strategies have been forced to be reassessed.

While the sheer luxury of physical human interaction and collaboration seems like a thing of the past, creativity thrives in tough times and has the awesome ability to adapt in powerful ways. The current environment has demonstrated how crises can bring out the best in humanity and how willing people are to help and support where they can.

It has certainly been the case for those in the world of content creation, proving that change doesn’t have to be a bad thing and can be an exciting opportunity to venture into new avenues.

Creators are storytellers

The demand for content, whether for marketing or entertainment purposes, remains high, which means the work of content creators is more important than ever. As we all try to navigate the new normal, so too do brands.

The reality is that brands and creators need to assert themselves as storytellers more than ever. Consumers are looking for inspiration and it’s those who move forward and stay relevant that flourish.

In fact, the brain is more active engaged when people are interacting with hard news, and so arguably there’s never been a better time to connect with the public. The same goes for entertainment and production. TV, film and social content are forms of escape and relief that many rely on in these uncertain times and so content demands must be met.

Therefore, innovation must also be exercised and it is those who have sat front row and engaged with consumers during the crisis who will be the ones who will succeed in the long run.

Creative, responsive and inventive work

Content creators and brands have been forced to be inventive and responsive to their environment when tackling new projects during the pandemic. Not all creatives are able to produce new content for projects, but they can take full advantage of pre-existing content in the form of video, music, and images to overcome many social distancing barriers.

The crisis has also opened up other avenues for creative ideas that might not have held up before COVID. For example, the British illustrator Ben O’Brian worked alongside singer and songwriter Jade Bird for create illustrations for a social media campaign to promote his work with Microsoft Surface to virtually “cancel” one of his tour dates.

Another example of creative and inventive work comes from FReelance music contributor Logan Baker who, noting specific growth in culinary content, realized that it was possible to develop a resource for creators to help them improve their cooking videos. He created a free pack of 50 sounds with different cooking, cleaning and utensil noises that you might hear inside a kitchen of his secluded home which are available for download on our website.

Logan plans to do a multi-part series, offering different effect packs to producers. He is currently working on sounds in the garden, using objects like a rake to do the effects.

Solutions for the advertising industry

The need for solutions in the face of adversity is not limited to creatives in marketing and advertising, but also applies to those in television production. Despite the recent announcement British television production guidelines, some scenes continue to be a challenge to film. TV production, like influencer marketing, invests in creative ways to navigate broadcasting from home. For example, Luc Halls Studio sourced stock content for background images of a performance by Dua Lipa from her London apartment as part of Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show: At Home Edition.

These production restrictions also ring true in the marketing industry where the London-based production company, cut + run, has also shown its worth amid the crisis and has adapted its workflow by leveraging existing content to complement client campaigns and even creating short video promo ads, marketing its own services using only video footage. ‘archives.

A major trend we know about in how brands and creatives are responding to and creating content during the pandemic is the rise of authentic, real visuals. Brands need to update and refresh their communication materials to ensure messages reflect the new normal, to show their value. There is now a need for brands and creators to be informative and helpful with their content in both influencer marketing and the wider marketing industry. Consumers are not just looking to be entertained during this time, but they are also looking to engage with relevant content.

As a result, content creators are looking for resources to drive this theme and support initiatives to stay relevant. It was difficult to capture this actual content due to lockdown restrictions. However, the ability to visually represent our world as it is today is crucial if brands and creators are to connect authentically with their audiences.

This was the approach used when Queen and Adam Lambert recently united virtually to raise funds and honor those on the front lines during COVID-19. The group created a new version of their iconic “We Are The Champions” called “You are The Champions”. A music video has been created featuring Brian May, Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert performing the reworked classic, along with footage of those working on the front lines and beautiful clips of some of the world’s most famous landmarks licensed through our library of sequences.

Using pre-existing content and creating content from home

Unintended changes in our daily dynamics force us to adapt and innovate the way we approach things, forcing us to face our limitations and identify new ways of working. Using pre-existing content and creating content from home has become even more vital for the creative industries in the current climate. It enables brands and creatives as well as those in the production industry to entertain and inform households by enabling creators to produce and complete projects from the safety of their own homes.

More and more creatives are now recognizing stock as a diverse, high-quality resource, as well as a resource that has been key in allowing them to show their value while maintaining a steady flow of content during the crisis. As we emerge from lockdown and look forward to a post-COVID-19 future, this new recognition anticipates continued growth in creative content production allowing the stock to become more of a staple in the creative industry.

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