From ski bum to social media trailblazer, Jason Mitchell's journey to founding and growing Movement Strategy is a testament to staying ahead of the curve. As a college student at the University of Colorado, Jason saw a disconnect between what he was learning in advertising classes and how his peers were actually consuming media. So, he took a leap of faith and started knocking on doors, offering to help local businesses get on a little platform called Facebook. Fast forward to today, and Movement is a social-centric agency with a roster of A-list clients like Amazon, Nike, Netflix, and Warner Bros.
In this episode of The Marketing Factor, Jason shares a combination of stories from his journey and tactical advice for creating content that feels real in an age of AI-generated posts.
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Below I’m breaking down the top five takeaways from our conversation.
In a world increasingly flooded with AI-generated content, Jason emphasizes the importance of listening to social conversations and quickly reacting to cultural moments to create content that feels relevant and authentic.
"Some companies try to do too much. They say, there's five major social media platforms we need to be on all of them. And then they do a pretty poor job on all of them. And we would say, hey, if you don't have enough resources to fully support all these channels, you should just focus on one or focus on two. It's a lot better to be great at one than even good at five."
It's not about being everywhere at once, but rather about being truly present and engaged in the conversations and communities that matter most to your brand.
In the early days of social media, Jason and his team focused on educating clients about the power of authentic communication and community building.
"It was a lot of educating people about, hey, this is a new way for you to connect directly with your audience. It was a lot of, let's grab all of these domains and start posting in all of these different places. The idea of building community was just emerging."
This insight is more relevant than ever in an age of AI-generated content. By prioritizing authentic communication and focusing on building community with your audience, you can create content that resonates on a human level—something that AI won’t ever be able to replace.
Social media is always evolving, and Jason attributes much of Movement's success to their ability to continuously adapt and stay ahead of the curve.
"We've continued to reinvent ourselves every few years to stay at the forefront of where the industry is going. And so I think my natural curiosity about our industry has led to that and helps with that. And we just have so much expertise now and muscle memory because we continue to learn going through these iterations."
In a world where AI is pushing content to change even faster, it's more important than ever for brands to remain agile and adaptable. By continually experimenting with new formats, platforms, and strategies, you can ensure that your content always feels fresh and relevant.
One of the keys to creating content that stands out from the AI crowd is to focus on crafting compelling stories and characters that resonate with your audience. As Jason explains,
"One of the really important things that we do and talk to our clients about is truly understanding who is your brand on social media. We have developed a whole process around building out a brand character. And we believe that too many companies are quite stagnant with their social media approach."
By developing a strong brand character and voice, and using that as a foundation for telling authentic, engaging stories, you can create content that not only captures attention but also forges lasting connections with your audience.
As AI continues to flood feeds with unoriginal content, Jason predicts that consumers will increasingly turn to trusted influencers to cut through the noise.
"If there's a world where you're going onto social and you don't know what's real and what's AI, well, what do you trust? The thing that you can trust is influencers that you already have a relationship with. So one of the things that I think will happen because of the proliferation of AI is that we're going to see an increase in the trust that people have with content creators and influencers. That industry is only going to grow."
For brands, this presents a powerful opportunity to partner with influencers who have already built authentic, engaged communities. But beyond that, it also suggests that the future of branding may lie in becoming more like influencers—in other words, building brands that are centered around real human personalities, stories, and experiences, rather than faceless corporate entities.