Communication essentials: eating content for breakfast

I had an early start to my day today. My daughter and her friend had to be at the school for a golf match at 5:45 a.m. The bus was late so while waiting, the two 15-year-olds in my car watched a lot of YouTube videos and quoted personalities and videos the way my friends and I used to quote SNL skits and stand-up comedians. (Adam Sandler, Denis Leary, Chris Rock…you get the picture.)

As luck would have it, while I was waiting with them, I stumbled across this terrific interview from Bloomberg (also on YouTube). In it, Emily Chang interviewed DAZN chairman Kevin Mayer (as in the former head of Disney+ and CEO of TikTok Kevin Mayer).

The interview is 25 minutes long and well worth the time if you want to watch it in its entirety:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGukP6y5YIs

The reason I decided to share it here is because it poses the question that keeps me up at night – what is next for how we consume content? As Mayer says several times in the interview, it really comes down to what it’s always come down to – time and attention.

We can’t create more time for our audiences. And we can’t control their attention. So we need to be ready to meet them where they are, when they’re ready, and offer content they crave – or as I like to say, will eat for breakfast. (This term also stems from watching my kids in the morning – headphones on, streaming while eating breakfast.)

The hard part in all of this is what are we doing to lead those content efforts to ensure we’re ready for this challenge. Are we leading or waiting? Are we experimenting or stagnating? Are we excited or afraid?

Some takeaways that popped into my head based on this interview:

1. Do you own your content? Companies have had the opportunity to be their own publisher for the last decade. How many have acted on that? Are we putting work into renting the space on a third-party site – or renting space in our consumers’ minds?
2. Is it about them? Or us? Are we letting our own fears and perceptions dictate what type of content we create – or are we thinking about the consumer? If you think the latter, measure that against the last piece of content you experimented with; the last TikTok video you made; or the last influencer you contracted with. It’s hard not to become your own audience.
3. Are you truly global? DAZN may not be as familiar…for now. But this platform is more focused on growing globally through the rights to international soccer leagues, just as an example. What are you doing with your content to appeal to a global audience.
4. Time and attention. Worth mentioning again, especially as it applies to knowing exactly what time and attention you’re working with. For example, when do you listen to your favorite podcast? Catch up on YouTube videos? Stream your favorite show? Do you know enough about your audience and the time and attention they have for you? What are you doing to serve the audience your content for breakfast?

Truthfully, these are questions we should be asking ourselves at least once a year. As annual planning time draws closer, try carving out some time to brainstorm the future of your own content.