User generated content is slowly turning into talent generated content. People that truly have talent are finding that they also have an audience. The ones that are not so talented (the users) might still have a few pairs of eyeballs on the content that they produce, but slowly the talent is prevailing.

Many brands are experimenting with giving users tools and material with which they can participate in creating advertising for the brands. With mixed results. The brands that are getting the best results are the ones that have realized that more freedom for the users is better.

Companies that have large marketing budgets are paying large sums to advertising agencies to try to figure out what would entice the consumers to buy their products. Due to media fragmentation the agencies are having more and more trouble finding the audience. General apprehension towards advertising is making it harder for the agencies to find the big idea that will work. The bottom line is, traditional marketing is not what it used to be.

Let’s take all this a bit further (actually quite a bit).

Talent generated marketing.

Instead of hiring an advertising agency to create one-size-fits-all, lowest common denominator, mass marketing, let the talent create the marketing. They know what the right message is. They know the people that are enthusiastic about the brand. They ARE that person. And they have friends that are that person.

Instead of paying the agency a million, pay the talent. Use digital tools to measure and figure out which people are your best talent and pay them. Not one times a million. A thousand times a thousand. Instead of one large expensive agency, a thousand small agencies. Small agencies that know the product and best of all, really know what works for the audience.

Create your own private army of agencies.

The tribe is having dinner. They have got a nice fire going. The men have been out hunting all day. They have brought back enough meat to last for a while, so everybody is happy. Life seems good.

The eldest is telling an educational story to the younger tribe members. Something that will help them next time they are in a sticky situation with a ferocious animal. All the listeners are tired after a hard day of surviving so only some are focused on listening. Others are already nodding off.

Along comes a marketer. Running and shouting. Waving his hands. Jumping up and down. Doing everything he can to get him and his message noticed.

What do you think might happen?

The tribe thinks they are being attacked by the relative of the animal they just had for dinner? They think that the tribe next door has launched a surprise attack to steal the fresh meat?

It really makes no difference what the tribe actually thinks. The fact is, the marketer is going to get punished. Punished bad. Really bad.

The tribe is not going to ask questions when they feel someone is threatening them. They are going to do everything they can to defend themselves and their possessions.

Marketers in the digital age are increasingly facing the same situation. The tribe is minding their own business in their own little social network. Doing things that they find important. Things they are passionate about. But marketers are still using their mass media tactics. Running and shouting. Jumping and waving their hands. And getting punished.

Now, how will a smart marketer get the tribe interested in what he has to say?

Approach the tribe in daylight. Offer them some handpicked berries. Or anything else that they might find valuable. Give them something and start building a relationship.

The next time it’s going to be much easier. They are going to start to trust the marketer and might even ask him to join them for dinner. Maybe the marketer will be the person that gets to tell the story. If the marketer is really wise he is going to throw in a few questions to get the tribe involved in product development. “Should I call my new thing iron or rion?”

Digital is bringing back the tribe and the only way for a marketer to survive is to build a relationship. A real, honest to god, relationship. No shortcuts. No way to cheat or fake it.