25

Oct

So, is it time to blow the comms landscape up, then?

I attended a highly entertaining and thought-challenging session at this week’s Guardian Changing Advertising Summit, delivered by Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of If I Changed The World (and other interesting side-projects).

Her general premise was it’s time to blow some shit up within adland to deal with the dynamic changes we are going through. Here’s five hand-grenades she lobbed into the audience…

1. Stop aligning your strategy with what everyone else is doing. Collaborative competition leads to doomed businesses. Flip it on its head and go for an approach based on competitive collaboration.

2. Under duress or in a crisis? Take these two simple steps. A) Identify what you’re passionate about, strike out everything else. B) Identify the conditions when you’re most passionate about it – hours, locations, clients, people and build something based on that. My take? Do this anyway, crisis or not, in order to be as focused and cost effective as possible

3. You are what you measure, which is as true in life as it is in business. Stop stressing about measurement and design your own metrics for the new world. Be very precise in what they are, then humanise that data.

4. Worry about and focus on the future of money. The future of advertising is intrinsically linked to the future of payments. Technology means we can engage and transact simultaneously.

5. New creativity will be female-informed and data-informed. Art and science are coming together and every comms business needs more women in it. Why? Because women are the majority of the target audience.

Interested in more, then take a look here for the full session.

209 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital

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24

Oct

5 licensing trends influencing growth for brands

The Fifa 2014 World Cup mascot visits Brand Licensing Europe 2012.

Brazilians will name the mascot through a nationwide poll in November 2012.

 

We’ve just completed this year’s campaign for Brand Licensing 2012 which has been the biggest ever licensing event of its kind anywhere in the world outside of the US. The world’s biggest brands were there in force at Olympia from the media, entertainment, sports and lifestyle sectors, with over 280 brand owners showcasing over 2,200 brands, characters and images available for license. Attendees totalled nearly 7,000 people, up 25% year-on-year.

So, why the growth in licensing? Well, our take is that it is a sector that is demonstrating a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit in all types of businesses, from global and world-famous names to the digital newcomers and one-person start-ups. Licensing represents new revenue streams for business under pressure from established business models as well as powerful opportunities to brand-build and there are clear trends which indicate further positive growth and focus on licensing for brand owners.

Here’s five trends that we’ve identified from this year’s show.

1. Licensing is increasing in importance as a revenue stream for global media, entertainment, sports and lifestyle businesses. As established revenue streams, such as DVD sales, TV advertising and paid-media are challenged, licensing offers up an exciting new way to bring in revenue from fans. The world’s biggest brands – World Cups, blockbuster films, hit TV shows, major sports teams and more – are investing in the development of powerful licensing campaigns to extend the reach and value of their brands. For example, FIFA set out its planned strategy for World Cup 2014 in Brazil and how licensing will play pivotal role in building the FIFA brand. FIFA’s revenue splits into two thirds TV and one third sponsorship. So licensing is not about revenue at all. It is all about brand building and how licensed products can develop the brand and fuel fan excitement for teams, players and the event itself on a global basis.

2. Licensing can turbo-charge the profile of new brands for entrepreneurs. One example is City of Friends – uniquely based on the adventures of real-life Norway state police officer Carl Christian Hamre. Hamre created bedtime stories for his young son based on his day job as a police officer and within four years, established CreaCon Group, one of Norway’s largest independent children’s entertainment production companies with businesses spanning television production, licensing, live events, music and digital operations. There are also new business models developing and being applied to the sector. Take, for example, a new launch at this year’s show (and a Braben client) – Shopping4fans which is the world’s first Internet Shopping Club for official products.

3. Licensing is at the heart of how new brands are hyped and extended to as broad a fan base as possible. Examples include Caroline Mickler Ltd showcasing lingerie, sleepwear, apparel, bedding, home furnishings, stationery, jewellery and adult products for Fifty Shades of Grey.

4. Licensing works brilliantly with archive content from much-loved brands, tapping into retro and releasing new revenue. There were multiple classic brands returning this year: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back as a highlight at this year’s show, on the back of a new TV series and celebrating over 25 years since the characters’ first appeared. They were joined by Roobarb & Custard, Batfink, Garfield, Where’s Wally (celebrating its 25th anniversary), Purple Ronnie (celebrating its 25th anniversary), My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly, Power Rangers (another 25th anniversary), R Whites lemonade and Rainbow which is 40 years old this year.

5. There is an exciting future for licensing in mobile gaming. People are interacting with gaming content in a different way on smartphones or tablets. With the forthcoming release of the Kindle Family Fire, this Christmas will see more tablets in UK households than ever before. For example, Disney Mobile boasts award-winning studios that consistently develop chart-topping, critically-acclaimed apps. Meanwhile, new gaming community Taymai is developing a business model where gamers can actually lobby for merchandise to be created and sold for their favourite mobile games.

We’re strong believers in the power of licensing. Our experiences at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe have served to reinforce the exciting possibilities the discipline offers to owners of any brand with fans who want more.

210 days ago Short URL Comments

Content/Digital/Events/Licensing

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15

Oct

Will 4G be the next gear change for media?

I attended the Guardian Media Network’s Future of Digital Media event last week to hear the views of three Guardian thought-leaders – Andrew Miller, CEO, Dan Sabbagh, Head of Media and Technology and Anthony Sullivan, Group Product Manager.

The context was the now and future strategy of The Guardian to transition during this digitally dynamic time.

Andrew Miller described the audience strategy which has been put in place as to grow, deepen and retain Guardian consumers during a time when digital consumption is growing rapidly and exciting but print still accounts for 70% of revenues.

Dan Sabbagh pointed to the imminent introduction of 4G as being the next game-changer for media businesses, a major change in speed which will make everything more immediate. He described its arrival as transformative for media where all types of media will be competing against each other for one thing – consumer attention.

Miller described the tablet likely to bring about increased pressure on the media sector and spoke of plans for Guardian content to feature in social media aggregators like Flipboard. He also acknowledged that other assets owned by GMG will help to fund the necessary transition being made by The Guardian.

Anthony Sullivan cited agile product development as being key to the next stage of this transition. Products are being developed in two week sprints. Gone are the days of building something over a period of months and then launching it.

Mobile browsing is growing fast representing 15-20% of the Guardian’s digital traffic and sport content is leading the way. He pointed to the new m.guardian platform coming soon as highlighting how mobile is taking precedence. The challenge for the future is using data to deliver personal experiences while retaining an editorial voice. The Guardian of the future may offer individual journeys through content but to do so registration will be essential allowing media owners to learn as much as they can about the readers.

Miller said the question he is addressing is ‘what is a news media company in the digital space?’ and is refining costs by using other people’s platforms so that all resource can go into the creation of content.

Sabbagh talked about a balance of exciting opportunities and astonishing pessimism, pointing to a loss of financial confidence in media. He talked of Britain’s world-renowned creativity but lack of world-beating companies to back that up. He pointed to EMI as an example of a company being sliced, diced and ultimately destroyed. The Guardian’s financial position, supported by a trust, led him to express the view that “No rich man tells us what to write and that’s a precious thing”.

My conclusion was the pace of updating and refreshing business models in the media space continues to accelerate and 4G has been highlighted as the next gear-change companies will have to go through.

219 days ago Short URL Comments

Content/Digital/Newspapers

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04

Oct

Why content has the power to influence

Content is king, right? Maybe. But only brilliant content. And what makes brilliant content? Ooh, that’s been challenging people since they first drew on the walls of caves… Hasn’t stopped us though, has it? As Pablo Picasso said, “Disciples be damned. It’s not interesting. It’s only the masters that matter. Those who create.”

With the explosion of smart devices, we can now take in all manner of content in the forms of words, sounds, audio, pictures and video, often in a complex time-shifted combination of all of these. And of course, all this technology means we can also all create in ways never seen before. Never has humankind been so creative…

So, in any communications campaign where influence is the central focus, each of the communication elements needs to be considered, questioned and produced to deliver the desired message in the most influential way possible.

Let’s break each of those communications elements down further then.

Words – what are your written materials like right across the mix. From your site to your boiler-plate, your Tweeting tone-of-voice, your speeches, your sales collateral, everywhere you use words to tell your story… how’s it working for you and is there a tone-of-voice that brings to life the messages you want to? Do you need to bring in talent specifically to produce the written copy for you? Are there words you must use and words you must avoid?

Pictures – how is your visual library shaping up and does it reflect how you want the business to be perceived? From head-shots to product-shots, from the lighter side of the business culture and work-place to fact-packed infographics. Every single piece of visual information has the potential to tell another piece of the story you are building. Who’s best placed to take and produce the photography for you? And how are you sharing through Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest et al?

Video – how are you using video? And where are you using it? On your site? On devices when presenting? On social media? Have you got your own Youtube channel? How does the content of the video tell your story? Video has the potential to be one of the most dynamic ways to tell a story but even the world’s greatest film-makers can spend $500M and make a turkey that no one wants to watch (er, John Carter, anyone?). So, if you’re thinking about video, bring in the experts, don’t scrimp on production quality and values and make sure it’s worth watching and rewatching.

Audio –what about the way your business is presented through audio? Millions of podcasts are listened to regularly and there are many different podcasts out there for all types of businesses. The podcast works for me, I love listening to them across the commute, the walk from station to office, time in the gym or working out. There are many useful podcasts out there and your business might just suit producing a one or even a series…

So when it comes to creating content , I will defer finally to one of the masters of the big screen, Orson Welles, who said: “Create your own visual style… let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others”. That, I would suggest, is the secret to creating content for a successful influential communications campaign.

230 days ago Short URL Comments

Content/Digital

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14

Sep

Why listening sits at the heart of influence

It was Ernest Hemingway who said, “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen”.

Every campaign we work on begins with our team listening and we have refined and evolved how we listen over the years to capture exactly the right information to inform the development of strategy, plans and creative solutions.

We believe it is essential to listen. This blog will share a little more detail on four ways that we listen to help people understand why we place such importance on the listening as a service area.

1. To the business we are working with.

This is about spending time with the client business, its team and its products and services to really get under the skin of exactly what is they want to say about themselves and to also experience how they currently say it. An interesting tell-tale sign on how the importance of comms is perceived by a client business is how much time they are willing to set aside for this. The less the time available, the more there is a need to question why and, as a knock-on effect, the commitment to communications

2. To the media and influencers the client business needs to reach.

This about a qualitative auditing approach to the key individuals who are opinion-formers and influencers in sectors which are critical to the client business, now and in the future. We have conducted hundreds of audits with influencers and media over the years. It is always fascinating, informative and useful to dig into the things they are interested in and understand and benchmark the levels of understanding and interest in the business. It’s hear where you learn the things that the client business might need to also be saying that it hasn’t considered yet. And these audits are always carried out in the real world, not through online surveys, ideally through face-to-face or phone-based conversations where conversations can be tailored and developed.

3. To the client business and its profile online.

This about a comprehensive review of the current online profile of the business, how it is performing across the relevant key social media channels, its profile in natural search, the profile of its team members and its participation in the key online communities where it wishes to do business. An example here is competitor analysis on Twitter to see how a business is benchmarking in a key social media channel. This regularly highlights gaps, opportunities, training needs and more.

4. To the client business and its marketing spend.

PR and communications has the ability to maximise all other elements of marketing spend. This is why PR and communications professionals consistently advise that it be allowed to sit at the heart of any business. This process allows us to make observations on how spend could be tweaked or leveraged to develop greater opportunities to build fame and profile for the business.

Our listening service is a combined effort by our team members who all have a passion and expertise for the client business and sector. We also evolve the methods of listening in line with new developments in technology to ensure, particularly in the online space, that the most relevant information is identified, collected and assessed.

As William Shakespeare wrote, “Listen to many, speak to a few”. The greatest influential communication campaigns can be built on this premise.

251 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital

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05

Sep

A new mind-set for the TV set


For millions, the realisation of TV when you want it, wherever you want it is fast becoming an everyday reality.

Technical innovations from new and established players have caught the imagination of the public this year like no other.

Through the uptake in technology that has enabled us to access video content in new ways and the substantial marketing budgets used to spread the word, a significant and lasting shift in mind-set is almost tangible.

Despite the red button being in existence for over a decade, the London 2012 Olympics prompted 6.6m to use it for the first time, research from Starcom MediaVest shows, typifying the growth in mainstream appetite for TV content once the preserve of the early adopters.

As the world of TV technology and business descends once again on Amsterdam’s RAI for IBC, we surveyed the top TV journalists attending the show – and who will write much of the content that we will read – to understand their perspectives on the shifts we are seeing.

Fascinatingly, the TV set was voted as the most important screen to the future of the industry versus the mobile phone, tablet and PC with 100% of the vote. The popularity of the box in the corner shows no sign of fading. The tablet came a close second behind the TV reaffirming the natural synergy of both used together for ‘dual screening’. The mobile phone and PC were tied in third place.

Perhaps, most tellingly, when asked what form of video content they could not live without, half said linear TV. Through innovation, once seen as under threat, the TV set has managed to reinvent and even strengthen itself as the dominant, default screen.

Earlier this year a UK House of Lords committee proposed that all TV should be broadcast via the internet. This hypothesis was met with a level of scepticism from the journalists we spoke to with almost two-thirds disagreeing.

Both Satellite and the internet came out top as the form of content delivery with the brightest future commanding a third of the votes respectively way ahead of digital terrestrial and cable.

2012 has arguably witnessed a meeting of consumer and industry minds, with both demand for and supply of TV services in harmony of sorts. The bemusing stories of internet TVs being left unconnected may well be consigned to the history books.

259 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital/Research/TV

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22

May

Data v Emotion: A Media360 Thriller

The lowdown from your ringside civilian reporter…

It was like watching two heavyweights slug it out over an epic 15-round bout at this year’s Media360.

In the red corner, the champion fighter, Sugar Ray Emotion.

This is the established warrior of the marketing world, weaving stories into advertising campaigns that are wonderful enough to make grown men cry (see John Lewis) or make airlines pimp up their wings (hello, British Airways). Suger Ray was old school, preaching stories for brands that float from the gut of Creativity and sting with real Emotion.

In the blue corner, the young pretender to the crown, Big Joe Data.

Whatever you might feel, Big Joe has it covered, processed and is so confident in the marketing ring, that he knows what punch you’re going to throw before you’ve even thought of it. He’s huge, the biggest fighter we’ve seen and growing exponentially by the day, eating his way through high-fibre protein diets of Tweets, Likes, Searches and Clicks. Big Joe knows what he sees and learns fast.

The audience was enthralled as these two fighters traded blows across the sessions during the two days, each trying to out-box the other. But Rory Sutherland from Ogilvy and Mather nailed Big Joe with a one-liner when he asked the young fighter if it has been training on the incorrect diet, relying on software for the wrong operating system – the rational mind, rather than the emotional one.

It was left to the team from John Lewis to wipe the floor with Big Joe when they declared their most successful ad of the year wasn’t pre-tested.

The Champion, Sugar Ray Emotion, emerged victorious, waving the flag for all those peacock brands out there and laughing at the penguins.

Until next year, fight fans. When Big Joe Data will be back once more. Bigger, smarter, wiser.

365 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital/Events/TV

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08

May

5 things to look out for at tomorrow’s Publishing +

Publishing +, the PPA’s annual conference, takes place tomorrow bringing together the great and the good of the magazine industry.

Here are five things to keep an eye out for as the day unfolds:

  1. Lord Hunt, Chair of the PCC, talking about his vision for a free, self-regulating press
  2. Brand new insight on payment models for media businesses from Wessenden Marketing
  3. The role of the brand in publishing including the thoughts of Andrew Rashbass, Chief Executive of The Economist Group
  4. Tips on turning data into engaging content from Simon Rogers, editor of The Guardian’s Datablog and Datastore
  5. Creative thought leadership from top execs from BBC Worldwide, IPC, Bauer Media and UBM

Plus, a sneak preview of new ITV show The Exclusives – featuring six wannabe magazine journalists -which goes on-air later this month

Get more details on the conference here and follow all the day’s events using #ppaconf

379 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital/Events/Magazines/Research

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04

May

Tips from Velocity – 7 new laws for a world gone digital

Passion, entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to tell great stories on behalf of clients is what fuels our industry.  So having the opportunity to be part of the Books For Breakfast event this morning and to be with the authors of Velocity, Ajaz Ahmed, Founder of AKQA and Stefan Olander Vice President of Digital Sport at Nike, and listening to their story gave me lots of food for thought.

 

Velocity – The Seven New Laws For a World Gone Digital has been created over a 12 year period as the authors have worked together and experienced the rapid changes in digital technology and how their businesses have had to evolve and thrive from a brand and agency perspective.  It was refreshing to hear how a client and agency has gone through these changes together to the point of writing a book and sharing that knowledge to the wider industry.

 

The speed at which we are all having to adapt and change as technology drives our businesses forward breaths new dynamics into the way we need to work and ultimately innovate, grow and change our businesses.

 

To innovate and change any business you have to understand who you are changing the business for so some of the key points from the book include:

 

  1. Velocity does not care who you are and how good you were yesterday, it’s coming for you anyway, so don’t be a sitting duck.  Find the pain points, see patterns taking shape and evolve immediately
  2. Think about communications in a different way – instead of interrupting serve your audience and make them feel something
  3. If we ask why whatever product or service we create will make people’s lives easier, better or more fun, rather than how it might contribute to the bottom line
  4. Velocity needs you to be streamlined.  Obsess over important details and edit ferociously
  5. Respect human nature, digital is the means not the end. Don’t forget at the far end of an App, Tweet or anything is a person
  6. No good joke survives a committee of six – if you sand down all the edges and desiccate all the juicy stuff, something terrible will happen – Nothing!
  7. The most powerful force is not technology but imagination

 

As we head-off for our long weekend break perhaps you might find some inspiration from Velocity from the bookshop, on your iPad or Kindle.  Happy reading!

 

383 days ago Short URL Comments

Advertising/Content/Digital

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13

Apr

Magazines offer up haven from pressures of modern living

Another week, another spate of new magazine launches. In amongst the obligatory ‘digital-first’ headlines from most new magazine launches, Bauer Media have this week launched a new magazine that proudly has a ‘print-first’ strategy. Called LandScape, the magazine spent a year being researched and is aimed at women aged 35 and upwards, with a keen interest in the countryside and nature. The magazine, published on high quality, glossy paper, will have a print circulation of 170,000

“The magazine is a haven from the pressures of modern living; a chance to slow down,” commented LandScape’s editor, Sheena Harvey. ‘‘It’s a calm and relaxing read and an escape from the stresses of everyday life. It’s also a unique opportunity for advertisers to reach a passionate and discerning group of consumers.”

Research from the PPA, the Professional Publisher’s Association, seems to back up Harvey’s claim. A National Readership Survey shows that 3 million more UK women read a printed magazine than go online. In advertising terms that means that a campaign which used the internet and not printed magazines would FAIL TO REACH the equivalent of the entire female population of Denmark. There you go.

Obviously there are numerous brilliant tablet incarnations of magazines, and more will arrive by the day, but the fact is we’re a country that still loves print magazines. Today’s Deloitte’s sixth annual State of the Media Survey featured in Press Gazette of people who read magazine content in 2011 preferred to do so in print, unchanged since 2010. And 2011 was a good year for magazine subscriptions, with 35% of respondents saying they subscribed to at least one magazine, up from 29% in 2010.

So for all the digital-first headlines, PRs should make sure print magazines continue to be high up on their radar for years to come yet. The PPA suggests that every man, woman and child flicks their way through 20 copies a year and in doing so they spend around £2bn in cover price. So don’t feel old-fashioned in putting your smartphone down for a while and indulging yourself in print. The medium’s well and truly here to stay!

Image

404 days ago Short URL Comments

Digital/Magazines/Uncategorized

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