Social media fatigue? Agencies must spark conversations, not noise

In 2024, social media emerged as the dominant marketing channel for brands globally. However, as platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) shape consumer interactions, they also demand nuanced strategies to avoid common pitfalls.

Living in a digital age, audiences are continuously flooded with innumerable ads on a daily basis, amounting to approximately 6000 ads per day. On account of this, ad fatigue is an inevitable outcome that is further compounded by the audience becoming highly woke and aware in the present age.

Hence, Shradha Agarwal, co-founder and global CEO of marketing and communication company, Grapes Worldwide, feels that just bombarding people with ads and campaigns is a futile exercise as it does not seem to fascinate them anymore.

Shradha Agarwal, co-founder and global CEO, Grapes Worldwide.

“Consumers look beyond and seek brand propositions that resonate with their interests and ideologies. They are usually attracted to unconventional and out-of-the-box ads that come with the ability to leave a lasting impression on them,” she noted. To cope with changing dynamics, brands should, therefore, prioritise consistency in messaging across the channels—be it billboards, newspapers, TVCs or digital—to iterate strong recall value among the viewers.

Pull, don’t push

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, many campaign strategies stumbled due to a variety of missteps. From irregular posting schedules and failure to adapt to algorithm shifts to neglecting emerging platforms and missing the mark on genuine audience connections, the challenges were numerous. Moreover, excessive self-promotion and repetitive messaging often alienated audiences, while a lack of robust analytics tracking left critical opportunities for improvement untapped.

Adding to the complexity, brands frequently treat social media as a one-way broadcast, focusing on pushing messages rather than fostering meaningful engagement. This approach often resulted in campaigns that felt like isolated monologues rather than dynamic conversations with their audiences.

Kapil Gupta, CEO and co-founder, OMLogic.

From inconsistent posting schedules to failing to adapt to platform algorithm changes, brands risk alienating their audiences with repetitive, overly promotional content. Authenticity has become the buzzword for marketers, yet few manage to achieve it.

Poor audience engagement, ignoring analytics, or over-relying on fleeting trends has turned many campaigns into monologues rather than meaningful conversations. Putting his finger on the issue, Kapil Gupta, CEO and co-founder of Delhi-based digital marketing agency OMLogic feels that the key problem with every social media agency is that they treat the digital landscape as a playground for 20-year-olds.

“While they may be cool but they don’t understand the strategy and overall communication. That’s a different game,” he noted. “They need to cut the corporate robot speak because nobody logs onto Instagram for a hard sell—they are there to escape, laugh, or cry over cat videos. They should blend in and be authentic without trying too hard, speaking their language, not like a marketer slapping on “#relatable.”

This basically means that brands need to stop planning parties without asking the guests. And while agencies love dreaming up viral campaigns, they should also check if their audience actually cares.

Common pitfalls: Echo chambers and missed opportunities

Agencies and brands often operate within an “echo chamber”—crafting strategies based on internal ideas rather than audience feedback. Vishal Mehra, CEO of Popkorn Creative Agency, reflects, “The pressures we face can lead to campaigns where insights or research are not as strong as they should be.” This disconnect was evident in McDonald’s “WcDonalds” campaign by Wieden+Kennedy, which tried to promote DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) but came across as forced.

 

 

 

 

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Brands and agencies often fall into the trap of crafting strategies in isolation, prioritising internal brainstorming over genuine audience insights. To escape this self-reinforcing cycle, it’s crucial to actively tune in to what matters most to consumers.

One effective approach is to track online conversations and user-generated content, offering raw and direct insights into audience preferences and opinions. This ensures campaigns are shaped by authentic sentiments rather than assumptions.

Another key tactic is partnering with influencers who have strong connections with the target audience. These collaborations help create content that feels relatable and grounded, bridging the gap between the brand and its community.

Additionally, brands must remain responsive to societal issues. By taking meaningful, well-considered positions on causes that resonate with their audience, they can build deeper, more trusted relationships.

Ultimately, fostering an open and ongoing dialogue among brands, agencies, and consumers leads to strategies that are adaptive and audience-centric, ensuring greater relevance and impact over time.

Breaking out of this bubble requires brands to actively listen to their audience. Monitoring user-generated content (UGC), engaging in social media conversations, and collaborating with relatable influencers are effective strategies. For instance, Zomato’s campaigns, like their “dating app humour” series, resonated because they mirrored their audience’s language and behaviour.

Authentic engagement: From monologues to dialogues

Social media fatigue is real, and the solution lies in creating campaigns that educate, entertain, and inspire. Kapil Gupta advises against “hard-sell content” that alienates users seeking escapism on platforms. “Cut the corporate robot speak,” he says. “Nobody logs onto Instagram for a hard sell—they are there to escape, laugh, or cry over cat videos. Blend in—be authentic without trying too hard.”

Ravikant Banka, managing director and founder, Eggfirst.

Ravikant Banka, managing director and founder of Eggfirst stresses the importance of a well-rounded content calendar, balancing promotional material with interactive and educational posts. He suggests incorporating real-time interactions, such as live Q&A sessions and polls, to foster trust and attentiveness.

Brands need to keep things fresh as repetition kills engagement. They can mix it up with memes, polls, behind-the-scenes, and user-generated content that makes viewers make them wonder, “What’s next?” This means they need to engage, and don’t just post.

Give them something to do—challenges, gamified content, or interactive stories. Make them feel like part of the brand, not just ad targets. A case in point is Nike’s ‘Your Move’ campaign that excelled by inviting followers to share their daily fitness routines, turning passive viewers into active participants.

Banka of Eggfirst suggests that agencies can address social media fatigue by focusing on authentic audience engagement and meaningful content instead of frequent posting. A well-rounded social calendar should balance product promotion with diverse content types, such as educational posts, trends, testimonials, and interactive formats.

According to him, real-time interactions, like Q&A sessions and live events, build trust and demonstrate attentiveness, supported by effective customer listening mechanisms for swift responses. “Leveraging cross-industry expertise, agencies can craft memorable social content using humour, wit, local language, leveraging UGC in engaging formats like reels and stories, complemented by smart hashtag strategies. By blending creativity with insights, agencies can deliver campaigns that connect meaningfully with customers while steering clear of repetitiveness, ensuring long-term relevance and resonance in the ever-evolving social media landscape,” he added.

Campaigns that offer lessons in engagement

Data-driven insights have become the backbone of impactful social media strategies. Mitesh Kothari, chief creative officer and co-founder of White Rivers Media, explains, “Data isn’t just a metric to chase—it’s the compass that guides relevance Agencies that harness analytics to understand audience behaviour can craft campaigns that feel personal, timely, and resonant.”

According to Grapes Worldwide’s Agarwal to achieve this purpose, brands can leverage the benefits of data analytics to curate compelling campaigns highlighting brand ethos while meeting the preferences and interests of the audience at the same time. After all, Google Analytics and Instagram Insights do provide invaluable information about audience behaviour, preferences, and engagement patterns. “To further amplify the reception, brands should also focus on storytelling to evoke interest and make the ads memorable for them,” she advised.

Beyond tracking metrics, agencies must act on insights to refine campaigns. A/B testing, sentiment analysis, and multi-touch attribution modelling enable brands to understand what resonates with their audience. Banka adds, “Customer journey mapping aligns touchpoints with campaign objectives, ensuring a cohesive strategy.”

Campaigns like Google’s #ShopWithGoogle, featuring “Diwali Shopping with Dadi,” demonstrated how storytelling can create multi-platform engagement. The campaign’s emotional narrative resonated across YouTube and social channels, showcasing the importance of cultural relevance.

Nykaa’s ‘Ganji Chudail’ Halloween campaign also struck the right chord with its witty content. Leveraging humour and relatability, it tapped into trending conversations and became a meme-worthy success. Similarly, Zomato’s tongue-in-cheek posts have repeatedly showcased how humour and relatability can drive virality.

Creating campaigns that foster meaningful, long-term conversations requires meticulous planning. Kapil Gupta likens it to baking a perfect cake, where each ingredient—storytelling, interaction, and timing—is crucial. Tata Tea’s “Jaago Re” campaign exemplifies this approach. By focusing on societal issues like voting and corruption, the brand moved beyond product promotion to spark genuine dialogue.

Vishal Mehra, CEO, Popkorn Creative Agency.

Zomato’s frequent use of topical humour and Netflix’s witty takes on cultural moments demonstrate how timely, well-crafted content can achieve organic virality. However, virality isn’t the end goal. As Vishal Mehra notes, “All campaigns, irrespective of their platform, require the basics: clear goals, consumer understanding, and a strong value proposition.”

To thrive in the fast-evolving digital landscape, brands and agencies must treat social media as a two-way street. Active listening, backed by robust analytics and cultural insights, can turn campaigns into conversations that resonate.

As Kapil Gupta concludes, “Social media’s a giant convo. Your brand’s job? Listen, then respond meaningfully.” The challenge for agencies is to step out of their echo chambers, embrace audience feedback, and craft strategies that prioritise authenticity over gimmicks. After all, the brands that win are the ones that talk with their audiences, not at them.