The secret to winning on social media lies in the name: these channels are meant to be social spaces. So the starting point for any brand should be to build an audience that cares and wants to engage, says The Attention Seeker’s Nathan James.
Nathan James from The Attention Seeker was working with “social media” before it was even called that.
Back in 1999, James was at a British telecom company that had developed a precursor to YouTube – a platform where “people could upload videos and share them,” he says.
The experience gave him an early understanding of what social platforms were really built for: creating digital communities.
What many brands get wrong is thinking social media is just another channel, like TV, to stick their ads on, he says. “But actually, it was invented for people to connect and talk to each other.”
This perspective still shapes his work today as The Attention Seeker’s executive creative director and head of strategy.
James runs the company’s production team, creating content for clients in New Zealand and overseas, including the US and UK.
This involves building the strategy for how these brands show up, especially on social media.
For him, a “solid strategy” is the difference between content that’s meaningless and content that drives action. And that comes down to two things: “Entertain people and then start a conversation.”
Take a tip from TV shows
To embrace the human element of social, long-form storytelling rooted in clear brand positioning works, he says. One NZ’s ‘Finding Jade’ campaign is a good example.
“People are creatures of habit. If you think about Marvel films or Star Wars films, they’re all the same, but people still watch them over and over.
“They love things that make them feel comfortable and familiar. What we call the ‘TV show’ format allows audiences to know roughly what they’re going to get every time,” he says.
‘Finding Jade’ builds on an ongoing narrative while reinforcing what One NZ stands for: connection.
Ultimately, when brands create content people want to follow along with, they’ll keep coming back for the next episode, James adds.
Make it feel social
Once an audience has been built through consistent, story-led messaging, it becomes easier to start a conversation.
“If you don’t have anyone commenting, you don’t know where to go. Commentary is where you figure out what content makes people like you,” he says.
James says those interactions are what makes these channels feel genuinely social – “people care about you, you’re talking to them and they feel part of it.”
That’s the mindset he regularly encourages clients to adopt. “Social media isn’t middle or bottom of the funnel, it’s top of the funnel. You’re not just going to go out there and start pushing products. It’s not going to work.”
YouTuber MrBeast is a case in point. “He built an audience first and goes, ‘I’m going to sell burgers. I’m going to sell chocolate.’ And he just makes bazillions of money.”
In James’ playbook, successful social content is about building an audience that likes you first… “So then you can sell them shit.”
This story is from NZ Marketing magazine issue 88, Sept-Nov 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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