Will Cady (Reddit)

Apr 22

This episode of Marketing News Canada features Reddit mastermind, Will Cady. Will is the head of creative strategy at Reddit and locates homes for brands within Reddit’s diverse communities. Cady pioneered Reddit’s Los Angeles brand partnership office and has created executive programs for global 100 brands including Amazon, Toyota, and T-Mobile to name a few. He is a graduate from the Berkley College of Music and has won an Emmy Award for best musical arrangement. You can check out some of his published music on Spotify. In this interview Will breaks down the inner workings of Reddit and highlights the value in quality.

Will begins by discussing Reddit’s infamous five second 2021 Superbowl commercial. The seconds-long spot sported a message highlighting Reddit’s core values of finding communities that celebrate their shared interests. According to Cady, the response to the commercial was overwhelmingly positive. It was successful in grabbing the attention over viewers and staying ahead of the curve. An extension of what Reddit is all about. Playing with the intricate nuances of the “blink or you’ll miss it” concept.

Will explains that Reddit is about depth, more so than other platforms. He says Canadians spend approximately thirty-one minutes on the site on average at a time. Far more than most popular social platforms. They promote a “lifetime value” component to encourage users to stick around, trust, and support one another. One of the best examples of this is the karma feature.

“Karma is Reddit’s version of internet points.” It measures the merit of what you delivered to the community. You can apply an up-vote or a down-vote to any comment. According to Will, this preserves the quality of Reddit. It allows for users to hold each other accountable, and as a result encourages intelligent critical thinkers to stay on the platform.

Reddit has become mainstream and so has their formula. It’s a place where anyone can come to laugh at a simple joke or delve deep into a whole new world of discovery. Something special will happen inside a group or community bringing the language and uniqueness to the surface. This is exactly what happened with the term ‘Stonks.’ The international misspelling of the word stocks has now become an ironic phenomenon originating with an internet meme with a term used to indicate poor financial decisions. Another example is the phrase “explain it to me like I’m five.” This was a sub reddit within Reddit that is now a commonly used phrase.

One of the best ways to get started with Reddit is to download the mobile app. Will says they have spent a lot of investments into generating a fluid user experience. He described being a Reditter as a “journey.” First, you discover different communities and start consuming the content. Next, you look past the content and feel a sense of belonging. It’s an ideal epicentre for individuals who wish to share and join in the discussion and celebration of different mediums.

Fun fact! Reddit holds the Guinness World Record for largest Secret Santa gift giving program. Users spent $1.4 million on gifts for their fellow members. An immense demonstration of loyalty and appreciation towards the platform. Will talks about the ability to better yourself using Reddit over other apps. “On the rest of social media, you’re the best version of yourself, but on Reddit you can actually become the best version of yourself.”

Looking ahead, Reddit will be opening an office in Toronto, Canada. They are stepping up into becoming a global business, and not just a global brand. Consistency is key if you one plans to be affiliated with multiple communities, explains Cady. You need to be inside the community to grasp the fullest understanding.

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