By Laura Lawrence | December 20, 2022

Let’s start this out like a story you’d hear from your grandparents around the dinner table on a Sunday afternoon … 

I remember when there was no internet. As any child who grew up in the ‘90s, my Friday nights were completely consumed by the TGIF programming block. The line-up consisted of four family-friendly TV shows that covered a 2-hour timeslot, chock full of commercials that we couldn’t skip or fast forward. Even then, long before Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok became the cool kids in town, marketing understood the assignment: Make it personal. 

Commercials had a small amount of time to make a big impact, and what better way than incorporating relatable, familiar visuals in which to place their product. As an adult I can still pick out images from those commercials. Whether it was a kid popping Bagel Bites into the microwave or a group of friends dominating a game of Mouse Trap, I was there in that moment.

The obvious reality that relatable content is effective in marketing has not changed. What’s changed is the way we deliver it. Now, it’s even more accessible to consumers by way of social platforms that have, in my opinion, exploded with potential in the last couple of years. 

So, what is lifestyle content? Lifestyle content is a marketing strategy thats places the consumer with the product in a way that is familiar. And it’s not confined to retail. Lifestyle content can be applied to a wide range of industries. For me, this is where it gets really fun.

I love museums. (Yes, you’re learning a lot about me!) Some museums run amazing social platform accounts in an effort to bring more visitors through their doors. The big challenge? How to create a personal connection online with their followers first. The key? You’ve got it! Lifestyle content. I recently saw a Tiktok by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that used relatable humor, specifically parenting humor, to reach a wider audience. The video currently has 290K likes and over 2 million views! When we add relatable content to a physical space, such as a museum, it changes the way consumers view that brand and makes it more likely for people to visit.

If we can apply lifestyle content to spaces, that means we can get really creative with how we use relatable marketing strategies towards a plethora of brands. 

How can you add more personal flare to expand your reach? Here are some ideas:

• Humor — Can’t think of anything? Visualize your audience and a life situation that would apply to them. Then, find a way to incorporate your product into that content. 

• Nostalgia — Use concepts that might spark some serious throwback moments!

• Aesthetic — Create a specific aesthetic that you know would appeal to your audience.

We’re no longer limited to prime time television slots. Instead, the internet and its social platforms make it possible to place products at the feet of our audience in a very quick and direct format. And because we’ve become a society that stays connected, more than ever are we searching for signs of familiarity that make us feel seen. Maybe it is that feeling of nostalgia, like a Friday night in 1994.