Saas Marketer - We’re All NPCs

I’ve never worn Crocs.

There, I’ve said it. And guess what? I have no intention to.

I’m sure they’re very comfortable, I’m not disputing that; in fact, I saw a video the other day that scientifically explained why Crocs are so comfortable, and it makes a lot of sense (I’ll link it below), but to be honest, I’m just not convinced. I like soft materials, like slippers. I love a good pair of slippers.

Although, maybe with time I’ll change my mind. I once saw my grandad put on his pair of dark green Crocs. I chuckled and said, ‘I didn’t expect you to be into Crocs, grandad!’

Without missing a beat, he looked me in the eyes, his face serious, dark, and, at the same time, enthusiastic. The room had turned into a black nothingness; all of the sounds surrounding us had gone mute, muffled by one giant, all-encompassing, donut shaped pillow, with only me and him standing in its centre. After a few moments, he said in a soft tone: ‘These are the best things I’ve ever bought in my life.’

And then life went on. I still think about that moment to this day. Don’t know why, maybe I’m destined to buy some Crocs some day.

Can B2B Keep Up With Weird TikTok Trends?

📱 The World of TikTok Trends

McDonald’s’ Grimace shakes. Nyquil chicken. Eating laundry products. And now, real life ‘NPCs’.

These are all TikTok trends, and they’re really, really fucking weird. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Nyquil chicken and the eating laundry products aren’t even the weirdest ones; there was a time on the internet when people were actually eating Tide pods, so they’re nothing new (I didn’t think I’d ever write that).

In actuality, the weirdest trend right now is, by far, the real life NPC one. For those who don’t know, allow me to quickly explain what it is: TikTokers will go on a livestream and pretend to be an NPC (a non-playable character) from a video game. Audience members will pay the TikToker and they’ll say something to them; they have floaty mannerisms and spout catchphrases like an A.I. would.

It’s all very very odd. I don’t get it. I read somewhere that one of them is earning $7000 a day. It’s weird and, I’m going to be honest, it feels very dystopian. This is where we’ve gotten to: people pretending to be robots. Remember when all the sci-fi stories were cautionary tales about robots pretending to be human?

I know I sound a bit like an old man who’s overprotective of his lawn, but… come on, man.

🤔 Okay, But, How Does B2B Fit Into Any of This?

B2B marketers are often in their own little bubble. They’re so focused on trying to remain professional and cheery that the general vibe in the B2B world has admittedly started to grow bland and unemotional. You could maybe argue that it’s always been a bland, that the annoying format of all the B2B LinkedIn posts have always been soulless and desperate, but there are some brands that are having fun with it!

The Knowlton team are constantly putting out funny sketches that grab your attention; Konrad Sanders always has a funny post to share with some class advice; Dan Toomey from Good Work has a fantastic, funny brand which makes it hard not to like him. Hell, we even wrote an article a few months ago about B2B brands getting weirder!

But if there’s one thing that most B2B brands aren’t good at, it’s keeping up with current trends that people are actually keeping up with. I haven’t seen any B2B brand on LinkedIn take advantage of an NPC trend spoof; I’ve barely seen anyone make fun of Elon Musk rebranding Twitter to ‘X’ (I’ll cover that next email because, Christ); and I’ve only occasionally seen people talk about the latest ‘Barbenheimer’ trend, but not enough.

At the Cannes Lions festival this year, it was revealed that CFOs don’t believe brands to all that much, and CMOs are finding it hard to convince them that they actually, really do. And I’m just gonna say it: maybe the CFOs are right to think this.

Maybe, just maybe, in the B2B world, CMOs aren’t pulling their weight, and that they’re not doing everything they can to keep up with modern trends. Like it or not, B2B marketing comes across like your mom who has to stick on her glasses, keep her phone at a distance and use her index finger to scroll through the funny meme you’re showing her. They’re just ever so slightly out of touch.

😀 It’s Okay, Though!

It’s okay though, it really is! Because all you need to do is keep your finger on the pulse of trends and embrace the weirdness. The people who work in B2B are people too, they know what memes are, so don’t worry about it, they’ll find it funny. No one’s gonna think you’re weird or unprofessional for it.

If people do think that, are they really people you want to work with?

Read on the web >>

As always, thank you very much for reading! If you liked this and want to see more or simply haven’t seen us before, feel free to head on over to our website where you can view all of our previous stories!

See you next week 😎

Keep growing,
SaaS Marketer

P.S.
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