Social-first: Scalability and creativity in the age of vertical content

A conversation with Javier García, CEO of ok,z, on how brands need to move from simply “being” on social media to actually “speaking” its language.

For a long time, brands’ presence on social media has been a secondary extension of their major campaigns. The process was almost always the same: produce a core piece for traditional media and then “adapt” cuts into vertical formats to fill the content calendar. However, in an environment where entertainment leads, this formula is no longer effective. Nowdays, both the algorithm and the audience can instantly detect what isn’t native.

The integration of ok,z into Good Rebels responds to a clear market need: bringing together business strategy with the creative agility of vertical formats. ok,z doesn’t just produce content; it understands the codes, the pace and the culture of platforms like TikTok, where relevance is won within the first two seconds.

@okz.social

Durante años en ok,z hemos tenido una obsesión: hacer contenido pensado desde cero para redes. Nada de adaptar campañas. Nada de cortar spots. Contenido social-first, contenido que funciona en redes sociales porque hablamos el mismo idioma que los usuarios. Empezamos una nueva etapa… ok,z se integra en @Good Rebels para reforzar nuestras capacidades en creatividad social, contenido nativo y creator economy. Más equipo. Más ambición. Más rebeldía creativa. Seguiremos haciendo lo mismo que nos trajo hasta aquí: ayudar a las marcas a conectar de verdad con la gente en redes. Solo que ahora somos más Rebels.

♬ sonido original – okz.social

We spoke with Javier García, CEO of ok,z, to understand why social-first is not a matter of technical format, but a shift in production mindset that is redefining how brands genuinely connect with their communities.

Q: Javi, for years brands simply adapted their TV spots into vertical formats, reposting content that wasn’t originally designed for social media. Why is social-first not just a format, but a different production mindset?

A: For me, social-first is a mindset rather than a format; it’s where the user truly lives and the closest touchpoint between a brand and its potential customer. Ultimately, if we create content designed for television or banners, the objective is completely different.

It’s not just about adapting to the moment, but to the placement where the brand is actually competing. When people go on social media, they’re usually looking to be entertained, to consume humour or even to learn something. That’s why brands need to blend into the type of content consumed on each platform.

With that in mind, we approach social-first as a methodology. We explain it to clients like this: “what you want to say needs to be adapted to how content is consumed on social media.” On these platforms, users are already familiar with a completely different set of codes and dynamics.

Q: ok,z has mastered the language of entertainment platforms. What are those ‘invisible codes’ that separate content that feels like advertising from content that feels native?

A: I think the first element that differentiates social-first content, and makes users stop perceiving it as advertising and instead see it as something fully native, is how the visuals are handled.

We understand that brands and their guidelines demand high technical quality, but without falling into overproduction. What I mean is that there’s a clear difference between filming with DSLR cameras and filming on a smartphone; the latter allows us to play with effects and transitions that bring much greater agility and narrative pace. In the end, the language of mobile is what best fits the social media ecosystem.

Quality is non-negotiable, and shooting on a smartphone doesn’t mean compromising it, it means adapting to what algorithms favour. But beyond visuals, the pace needs to be extremely dynamic.

In short, the key is combining technical quality with the native language of each platform. We need to communicate in a way that feels natural, without sounding forced or overly commercial. It’s about taking what needs to be said and building a piece of storytelling that adds value, whether through entertainment, information or education, and then integrating the product message the brand wants to convey.

Q: Many see vertical content as purely an ‘Awareness’ tool. From your experience, how is social-first driving direct conversion, social commerce and other objectives?

A: I agree that social-first content initially emerged as a purely Awareness-driven tool, that’s undeniable. However, today, when we apply this methodology to Performance, we see metrics such as CPA or CPR improve significantly.

Why is that? It comes back to the same principle: when we speak the user’s language and tell a story before delivering the commercial message, we genuinely capture their attention.

This is where the well-known three-second rule comes into play. If you start a video by saying “I’m selling this insurance” or “this service is on promotion”, you lose the user instantly.. When people are on social media, they’re looking for entertainment or content that adds value.

So first, we need to align with what the user wants to consume, and only then introduce a more conversion-driven message.

That’s why social-first isn’t just about awareness; it optimises every stage of the funnel, including consideration and conversion. It allows us to present product and service details using native formats that audiences naturally engage with.

Q: In terms of scalability, what’s the secret to maintaining a high volume of always-on content without losing creative relevance?

A: Relevance is critical. That’s why the first step with every brand is to define the optimal publishing volume: whether to prioritise frequency or focus on selective quality, depending on specific objectives.

Our methodology is based on identifying two or three key insights each month that act as the backbone of the narrative. From these pillars, we develop a diversified content ecosystem that ensures both consistency and audience retention.

For example, if we identify a strong insight around supermarket offers, we don’t limit ourselves to a single post. We turn that concept into multiple assets: from adapting emerging trends to executing tactical mini-campaigns. The goal is to transform a communication opportunity into a multi-format narrative that maximises impact.

Q: Can you share a specific example of a brand that has transformed its content strategy to social-first and achieved strong results?

A: We often highlight Cash Converters as a success story, a brand that has significantly improved its results. The key has been committing to content fully adapted to platform-native codes and leveraging the value of humour.

@cashconverterses

Por si había alguna duda 🫵🏼 #CashConverters #Hopecore #humor

♬ sonido original – Cash Converters España

A great example is the “Cash a lo bestia” content series, inspired by US television formats. Translating that aesthetic into the store and the brand made perfect sense, and this approach has created a strong connection with their target audience, which is young and digitally native.

Q: If a marketing director is afraid of ‘losing control’ over their brand’s aesthetic by going social-first, what would you say to encourage them to take the leap?

A: The first thing I’d say is that one thing doesn’t cancel out the other: maintaining quality is not incompatible with being social-first. You can have a very high technical standard, what really needs to adapt is the value you deliver.

We always say: “we respect your brand guidelines and what you want to communicate, but based on your objectives and your red flags, we need to find the best way to add value.”

And this doesn’t only apply to B2C brands. We often work with more institutional brands where certain formats, like humour, may not fit. In those cases, we explore other approaches, such as educational content, which can be just as effective for users.

Q: Speaking of that connection with users, what role does brand humanisation play in all of this? To what extent does putting a face or a more human tone to the brand make the difference between content that feels like traditional advertising and content that truly feels social-first?

We see a clear difference between brands that speak in the first person as “brands” and those that speak the way users do. That’s why, in all the content we create, we include actors who aren’t widely known. The goal is for them to represent the target audience, so that viewers can see themselves reflected in the content.

This humanisation is essential for all brands, whether through their own employees or actors. The key is to ensure that potential customers can identify with the content we publish, creating a closer connection and enabling them to genuinely empathise with the brand’s message.