Why You Should Think Like a Producer, Not a Marketer

To win attention on social media, think like a producer, not a marketer. A marketer asks how to push the product. A producer asks how to make something people genuinely want to watch, and then quietly lets them know the product exists. That single shift in mindset is behind one of the biggest marketing success stories of the last century, and it still works today.

Where soap operas came from

When television first took off, there was a problem: plenty of viewers, not enough content. So networks asked businesses if they wanted to make something to show those audiences. The main rule was to keep it interesting and not push products too hard, or people would stop watching.

Most companies passed, sticking with traditional ads. But one soap company said yes. Instead of filling airtime with claims and hype, it produced genuinely entertaining shows that happened to mention its products now and then. Those shows became known as soap operas, and that company grew into one of the biggest household-goods businesses in the world. Its dominance traces back to a simple decision: make content people want, and let the product ride along.

The producer mindset

The lesson is not "make a TV show". It is the mindset. That soap company thought like a producer. Its first question was not "how do we advertise?" but "how do we make something people will actually choose to watch?". The selling was almost an afterthought, tucked gently inside the entertainment.

A marketer's instinct is the opposite: lead with the pitch, the claims, the call to action, and hope people tolerate it. On social media, where nobody has to watch anything, that instinct loses. The producer's instinct, earn the attention first, wins.

How to do it today

The modern version of that soap-company trick is simple: produce genuinely funny, entertaining content for social media, and let your audience discover your product inside it. There are billions of people on these platforms, and what they most want is to be entertained.

So before you post, ask the producer's question, not the marketer's. Not "how do I sell this?" but "would anyone actually choose to watch this?". Make something worth their attention first, and weave the product in lightly, the way a good show handles a sponsor. Give people what they want, and you get what you want along the way.

Meet Brian

Making content people actually want to watch, with your product woven in lightly, is exactly what Brian is for. He is our AI-powered comedy marketing machine, built to help you think like a producer.

Take Brian for a spin and start producing, not just marketing.