Arnold Huffman is the Founder and CEO of Digital Yalo, a digital content, communications and channel strategy agency. There he is building a team focused on creating compelling content that is informative and entertaining. Arnold’s background includes marketing, business development, and alliances in high tech and software.



In this episode, Arnold talks about finding marketing inspiration from other art forms and how these applications can help you create a fresh perspective.



Questions During Podcast



More content is being produced than ever before. How do brands break through the vendor fatigue?



You have to be differentiated, not only in your value prop but how you say it, how you present it and how you push it out. This requires atypical thinking to get outside of the rinse and repeat many marketers get stuck in. Look at the problem from a different angle. We use film, art, music, and sports to help inspire our clients thinking and to produce an atypical result. It also helps distill the hopes, dreams and ideas for a campaign or a website or an event into a singular emotional concept. Emotion delivers the best results, because it gets noticed in the market.



What is the best content you have seen in 2018? Why did you like it?



* Banksy Art Shred* Budweiser’s Cleveland Browns campaign



How do you see digital marketing, content and experiences evolving?



More impactful storylines and more interactive technology integrating into marketing campaigns will elevate your campaign. You may not make the best or most interesting product or service, but that doesn’t mean you can’t push it’s agenda with an interesting story.



White paper or video? Podcasts?



I’d produce all of them. You need written content for SEO and to be found. You need video for engagement. Content is like a mall. You never know which door of the mall someone will enter through or have a preference for. Marketers need have all the doors ready for people to enter and engage.



What can brands learn from emerging disruptive brands?



Watch HOW those disruptive brands get your attention. There is a very short window to grab attention. It’s like an iceberg. The apex of the iceberg is above the waterline and that is the window you have to get someone’s attention. Don’t weigh them down with all the details of the product or service. That happens later in the marketing funnel once you have them interested. You should constantly bubble the best of the best from the bottom of the iceberg to above the waterline to make an impact. Elevating your vibe will differentiate your company and gain attention.



Who or what do you listen to or read to get inspiration?



I listen to a lot of music. Gene Simmons of Kiss is a branding master and is an excellent inspiration. Kiss’s shock and awe, gets your attention and engages you. As far as marketing inspiration and boundaries, I read every page of Fast Company.



What do people ask your advice on?



People ask my advise on changing the game and looking at sales and marketing from a different perspective. This is why I find inspiration in film, art, music and sports to energize ideas from other industries or applications.



If you didn’t have any responsibilities at home or work...