Hey commuters,
Welcome to Content Marketing in Beautiful Barcelona!
Yes, that's right, a new city for the show today! And I'm joined to speak about comedy and influencer marketing in B2B by Max Gayler from Claap.
The Intersection of Comedy and B2B Marketing
B2B marketing is famous for being boring. Verbose white papers and jargony blog articles…
That’s why I was excited to speak to Max. Hear of Ken Bleacher, the feature teacher? Yep, that’s Max.
Ken Bleacher: The Birth of an Icon
Max then opens up about Ken Bleacher, his comedic persona, describing Ken as an "accidental birth" meant to blend humor with marketing.
In the episode, he shares an anecdote about a successful launch video titled "Make Claaps, Not War," where he played an arrogant newscaster, drawing inspiration from the movie Anchorman.
Max's boss Pierre's encouragement played a crucial role, "You should just do this," leading to the birth of Ken Bleacher, a vessel not only for humor but also for clever marketing.
Ken serves as a branding tool to elevate Claap’s larger mission of productivity tools for sales and product teams, aiming to break down silos and enhance team collaboration.
Advantages of Being Contrarian in Marketing
Max argues that being aimlessly likable isn’t effective marketing. Instead, he champions contrarianism, explaining, “A bad reputation can be your brand," and that being memorable, even for contentious reasons, is more beneficial.
“A bad reputation can be your brand"
Claap has embraced risk-taking in its videos, including one memorable instance where they humorously held a fake funeral for a competitor, leveraging this bold move to gain traction and amplify Ken Bleacher’s persona.
Influencer Marketing in the B2B Space
Max goes on to elaborate on influencer marketing, acknowledging a growing trend of using influencers in B2B, inspired by companies like TLDB, who hired influencers who became integral to their marketing teams.
He predicts this trend will gain more traction, highlighting Claap’s own foray into creating an Instagram for Ken Bleacher and funneling content through personal profiles to enrich social presence effectively.
Max's observation is a good one: "If you speak to anyone who knows about LinkedIn statistics, they'll tell you not to post big announcements on your company page but on personal profiles."
The Practical Side of Creating Comedic Content in B2B
Max prides himself on the hands-on approach to content creation. From filming with a DSLR in a converted living room studio to editing on Adobe Premiere, Max is involved at every step.
He shares tips on practical tools like ScreenStudio for product shots and Adobe Enhance for clean audio, underscoring the importance of making custom thumbnails for YouTube traction.
Balancing Creative Vision with Feedback
Wrapping up our walk, Max reflects on balancing creative vision with feedback and the art of letting go of ego. "You suffer ego death on a daily basis," he notes, emphasizing the importance of trusting your team and viewing feedback as a tool for improvement.
“You suffer ego death on a daily basis”
Have a watch or listen to the full episode, and share it with a friend!
#28: Comedy & Influencer Marketing in B2B