This is a fun and quippish quote but poignant nonetheless. As marketers, it’s very easy to get swept up by the proverbial brand communication platform. While necessary, our style guides and storyboards can sometimes get in the way of truly relevant and meaningful conversations with our audiences. We’re engrained in delivering perfectly crafted, grammatically on-point messages and sometimes lose sight of what’s important: the customer.

While we’ve come a long way since the inception of content marketing, we can still make strides toward more deliberate and intimate marketing practices. In honor of the companies that are getting that second date, let’s take a look at some campaigns where they opened up the car door, picked up the check and truly listened to what their customers had to say:

#1—Reebok 25,915 Days

This video followed the reverse path of a woman throughout her athletic career. While Reebok’s mission was clearly demonstrated, not a word was used to bring this message to life. The messaging instead honored all consumers in their athletic endeavors.

#2—Save the Children's #HelpIsComing 

Although not easy to watch, this video presented an unrivalled portrayal of a little girl’s transformation in the swell of the Syrian Civil War. The video brought new levels of empathy and awareness to Syrian children and quelled all topic ignorance. It even ended with one very bold and challenging statement, “Just because it isn’t happening here, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.”

#3—Netflix' Socks 

While this is quite possibly the scariest indication of where we are in terms of technology evolution, this is one of the most clever and quirky marketing campaigns I’ve seen in a very long time. Recognizing their customers’ increasing binge needs, the ever-popular Netflix created a special "smart" sock that detects if the Netflix watcher has fallen asleep. It then sends a signal to the television, which immediately pauses the watcher’s show.

#4—Cisco’s World Wide Web Day on Instagram

Cisco reached into its nostalgic pockets and came up with this monumental throwback commemorating the launch of the revolutionary WWW. They posted a simple and casual shot of a woman reaching up to the clouds on Instagram with the words, “We remember the feeling just like it’s 1991. Happy #WorldWideWebDay!” The image and words connected with thousands of Baby Boomers and Generation X readers who have been there from the beginning.

#5—Flair Interactive's 10 Easy Questions to Ask When Creating a Marketing Strategy

Flair Interactive's founder Lisa Kirschner offers a list of critical questions you should be asking when creating a marketing strategy. Understanding that most marketers are starting their conversations now about 2017 fiscal and calendar year budgets, we made the groundwork easy with ten helpful steps that you can easily implement.

Need help creating your marketing strategy? Contact us or purchase our pay-as-you-go support hours so we can help you create a solid strategy that gets real results.