Category: Latest thinking

Interview with Johanna Krantz

We asked Johanna Krantz, Commercial Director of the EMEA region for Reuters, what trends she had seen in content-led advertising before she joins us as a jury member for the World Media Awards 2019.

WMA: As a judge, what are you hoping to see in the entries to the World Media Awards?

JK: I’d like to see smaller, maybe more niche/vertical (B2B) agencies/clients enter and showcase their ideas and executions as they’d be different to the larger, perhaps more money rich, B2C campaigns we see regularly.

WMA: For brands in the technology and telecommunications sector, what are the particular challenges when targeting an international or cross-border audience?

JK: To get an overall message across cultures effectively, i.e. a message that resonates internationally, not just in one market. It needs a human aspect or an emotional pull…

WMA: For entries in this category, are there any particular elements you would expect to see in a winning entry?

JK: Coming back to the above, it needs a human aspect, where it’s connecting people rather than just selling a brand (solution or service).

WMA: Why do you think there has been a growth in content-led advertising communications?

JK: I believe people want more from their experiences, not just being sold something. They want to learn, gain something for the cost of their attention. Most people don’t mind if the ad/content is sponsored so long as they get something from it.

WMA: What do you think are the most important factors to consider when creating content-led advertising?

JK: If you have the right media partner, you will get relevance and most likely the best type of content resonating with the user.

Story-telling is a buzzword at the moment but it IS important, and mainly so because people demand it as they want more and more from their experiences. Once they relate with the story (if it’s genuine), they’ll connect with the brand.

WMA: What do you think is the key to truly engaging content?

JK: A human pull, or a political stance; current examples are Iceland (palm oils/orangutans) and Nike (Colin Kaepernick).

WMA: How do you measure success when it comes to content-driven advertising?

JK: Social listening, search, site traffic.

WMA: What advice would you give a brand about to embark on a branded content campaign that needs to work in multiple countries or regions?

JK: To think ‘big,’ and not on a message or idea that is too local, and most importantly to research the markets in detail. What sets the markets/regions apart? What pulls them together?

WMA: What distinguishes the “international” target audience from “domestic” audiences – and how granular can you be in your targeting?

JK: This depends on the markets and the sectors/industries involved. Technically, you can be as granular as you want, but does it make sense to do so in terms of messaging? Again, this depends on the messaging.

WMA: How do you balance planning and implementation of cross-border campaigns between “local” and “head” office?

JK: The locals should have substantial input on differences and peculiarities, but it needs to be pulled together by HQ who have a fuller overview and a “heads up” approach as opposed to a more penetrative or specialised view.

WMA: What do you need to look for in your media partner[s] when planning an international content-driven advertising strategy?

JK: DO they align with your brand ethos? Does their content support your brand messaging? Have they got previous and successful experiences?

Don’t forget to check out the categories for 2019 and how to enter the awards.

Interview with Richard Stokes

Richard Stokes, Global Head of Content at Wavemaker, will join our experienced jury for the World Media Awards 2019, but prior to that, we caught up with him to discover his take on the key trends affecting global content-led advertising.

WMA: Why do you think it’s important to benchmark and celebrate great international advertising strategies?

RS: As everyone who’s worked on international clients knows, getting really brilliant work approved and delivered across national boundaries and cultures takes, in equal measure, great strategic thinking and blood, sweat, and sometimes, tears. So, it’s really important we recognise these efforts through these awards. 

WMA: As a judge, what are you hoping to see in the entries to the World Media Awards?

RS: I’m looking forward to seeing some fresh thinking, that in turn creates brilliant and meaningful content which consumers actively seek out/share/love. And of course, clear business outcomes of this effort and investment.

WMA: For brands in the travel and tourism sector, what are the particular challenges when targeting an international or cross-border audience?

RS: Simply that what might attract one nationality or culture to visit, say, a particular country or attraction could be very different to another nationality. The insight into culture nuance in this category is vital. That makes this a really tough category to nail when we think about international campaigns. 

WMA: What do you think is the key to truly engaging content?

RS: We’re frankly overwhelmed with content choices. So, to create truly engaging commercial content (that has a business outcome) takes real skill. It has to be as good as non-commercial content – so we stop interrupting what people are interested in, and become what people are interested in. How? By having an innate understanding of the audience and what moves them. 

WMA: What is the killer question an agency/media owner should ask a client to ensure that their content brief is fit for purpose?

RS: Why are we doing this? What do we want our audience’s reaction to be when they consume this content?

WMA: What distinguishes the “international” target audience from “domestic” audiences – and how granular can you be in your targeting?

RS: I don’t believe there is an ‘international’ audience per se. We should apply all that we know of an audience group and ensure we personalise content to the greatest extent possible. Even, as a minimum, to a segment or tribe that can exist across markets. 

WMA: What do you need to look for in your media partner[s] when planning an international content-driven advertising strategy?

RS: Audience insight, ability to target discreetly, interesting data sets, of course, a scaled audience of viewers/readers/users, potentially the content studio to partner with to create the content in the style of. 

Don’t forget to check out the categories for 2019 and how to enter the awards.

Why Quality is winning the war on Attention

Sempl Conference Slovenia – Thursday 29th November 2019

Emma Winchurch-Beale, in her role as President of the World Media Group presented the Moat Quality Benchmarks within the context of Brand Safety at the Sempl Business & Communications Conference in Slovenia today.

 

Predicting the Future Paris – 15th November 2018

Predicting The Future

On 15th November the World Media Group and The Internationals hosted a Breakfast Briefing in Paris by focusing on: macro consumer trends, media and the future of journalism.

Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor, The Economist – kicked off with his top 10 consumer predictions for 2019, a copy of his presentation can be downloaded HERE:

Few of the insights which really stuck out for me were: the predicted growth of Nigeria (larger than USA by 2050!), the decline of Silicon Valley as the sole power house for digital innovation, facial recognition in Chinese public toilets (yes, it is a thing), The Trump Show – Season 2.

Matthew Knight, Strategist Partner, Foxlark Strategy – talked about how the rise in demand-led, service-led and solution-led businesses will lead to brand marketeers moving from being in reactive mode (a race to the bottom) to a more intuitive and purpose-driven way of behaving, and the shift from brands being ‘storytellers’ to becoming the ‘story which people tell’. Download a copy of Matthew’s presentation HERE:

The final session was fascinating. Emma Winchurch Beale was joined by a panel of 4 award winning journalists to discuss the future of journalism. The panel included Daniel Franklin, The Economist; Jennifer Shenker, The Innovator; Geraldine Amiel, Bloomberg and Simon Kuper, Financial Times.

This was a wide-ranging discussion touching on:
• The implications of social media on freedom of speech as both a blessing and a curse; the need to re-establish the credibility of journalism with the public; the impact that Trump is having in making free speech more difficult in countries like, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia; journalists being under greater pressure to improve accuracy.
• The evolutions of publishing models 1) media brands which connect with the Top 1% 2) ‘Club’ brands with a loyal following 3) the rest – which have no ‘post advertising’ funding model.
• Digitalisation for most quality publishers has been an opportunity to expand reach, but the need to deliver the same ‘editorial values’ across more and faster channels is a challenge.
• Digital has given editors a greater understanding of what stories engage readers (big surprise Corporate Takeovers isn’t one of them), however, it is still a duty to ensure that even the most un-sexy but important stories still get written.
• The shift in the premium media brands business models in recent years from being ad driven to being subscription led with readers paying for content whether it be on or offline.

Belinda Barker, 15th November 2018

The Value of True Journalism in an era of Fake News

V času, ki ga zaznamujejo lažne novice in govorimo o zatonu tradicionalnih medijev, je bolj kot kadarkoli pomembno kakovostno novinarstvo. To je ena izmed izjav Emme Winchurch-Beale, direktorice mednarodne prodaje pri Washington Postu in predsednice World Media Group, strateške povezave nekaj najprestižnejših medijskih hiš na svetu.

Z Emmo Winchurch-Beale smo se srečali v Milanu, kjer je ravno končala delovni zajtrk, na katerem je beseda tekla o pisanju za digitalne medije. Čeprav zastopa prodajno in marketinško stran, ki si rada prikrito utre pot med uredniške vsebine, na mednarodnih dogodkih, kakršen bo konferenca SEMPL konec novembra v Portorožu, zagovarja pomen kakovostnega novinarstva in postavlja v ospredje vodilo Washington Posta, enega izmed najprestižnejših časnikov na svetu: »Democracy Dies in Darkness« (Demokracija umre v temi). Washington Post, ki je tako rekoč sinonim za afero Watergate, se z odkrivanjem resnice o izginotju svojega komentatorja, savdskega novinarja Džamala Hašodžija, v tem času najbolj neposredno bori za svobodo tiska in je v marsičem vzorčen primer tega, kar se dogaja v medijski industriji. Časnik se je ne glede na bogato tradicijo in bogato zbirko 47 Pulitzerjevih nagrad kakor večina drugih boril z upadajočo naklado in si s težavo utrl pot do naročnikov digitalne izdaje. Leta 2013 ga je za 250 milijonov dolarjev od družine Graham prek svojega podjetja Nash Holdings kupil lastnik Amazona in najpremožnejši človek na svetu Jeff Bezos. Jasnega in verodostojnega odgovora na vprašanje, koliko je zaradi novega lastnika omadeževana neodvisnost medija, ni mogoče dobiti, velja pa, da se v uredniško politiko ne vpleta, čeprav ima z izvršnim urednikom Martinom Baronom redne sestanke. Po številkah lahko sklepamo, da so (še vedno) na nekakšnih medenih tednih. Časnik je drugo leto zapored končal z dobičkom, več kot podvojil je naročnine na digitalno izdajo in povečal prihodke od oglaševanja.

Washington Post je v zadnjih letih nanizal nekaj dobrih rezultatov in nakazal, da tisk še ni rekel zadnje besede. Kateri so glavni dejavniki, ki so prispevali k uspehu?

Veliko je k temu prispevala investicija v tehnologijo. Poskušamo biti navzoči na vseh pomembnih spletnih omrežjih in platformah, s čimer dosežemo več občinstva in oglaševalcev kot kadarkoli prej. Dobre rezultate kaže tudi platforma Arc, sodoben založniški sistem, ki je bil prvotno narejen za Washington Post, a ga zdaj že uporabljajo nekateri drugi mediji. Okrepili so ekipe in reorganizirali delo tako, da sodelavci delujejo v ekipah, ki vključujejo različne tipe piscev, ljudi, ki skrbijo za družabna omrežja in druge spletne platforme, pripravljajo videe … Vsekakor so novinarji morali postati bolj vsestranski. Izolacija ni več mogoča, nujen je holistični pristop.

Eden izmed pomembnih dejavnikov, ki je številnim medijem, zlasti ameriškim, pomagal do novih bralcev, tudi naročnikov, je gotovo ameriški predsednik Donald Trump. Trumpov učinek (Trump-bump) na večjo cirkulacijo medijskih vsebin je dobro znano dejstvo. Začel se je kmalu po izvolitvi in trajal kar nekaj časa. Vendar bi v primeru Washington Posta rekla, da so bile ključne predvsem Bezosove investicije v tehnologijo in sprememba načina poslovanja. Brez tega bi bil časnik morda profitabilen tri leta, potem pa bi tudi Trumpov učinek pojenjal.

Komentator Vanity Faira je zapisal, da je boj New York Timesa proti Washington Postu in obeh proti Trumpu morda zadnja velika vojna tiskanih medijev. Smo res priča zatonu velikih zgodb? Ste si ogledali film Zamolčani dokumenti (The Post)? V njem je zelo dobro ponazorjeno zgodovinsko rivalstvo med časnikoma in hkrati pomen svobode tiska. Mislim, da se danes dogaja podobno. Trump preprosto prezira svobodo tiska, ves čas si prizadeva, da bi ukradel agendo in preprečil novinarjem opravljanje njihovega dela. Večina ameriških časnikov ima ljudi, ki ves čas preverjajo informacije, seveda tudi vse njegove izjave, za to pa potrebuješ svoboden tisk. V takih časih je zlasti pomembno naše geslo: Demokracija umre v temi.

Washington Post in New York Times sta strateško povezana v World Media Group. Kaj to pomeni za njuno zgodovinsko rivalstvo? Povezovanje v World Media Group ni nič novega in ni odgovor na izzive digitalne družbe, ampak obstaja že dve desetletji. Zdaj je pomembno predvsem kakovostno novinarstvo. Časnika imata izredno kakovostne ekipe, ki lahko vsako zgodbo osvetlijo z različnih vidikov, močno dopisniško mrežo po svetu in pomembne mnenjske pisce, ki ponujajo različna stališča. Še vedno sta tekmeca, toda še zdaleč nista več sama, zdaj imata veliko konkurenco. Facebook in Google, v zadnjem času tudi Amazon, poberejo večino oglaševalskega denarja. Naša skupna prednost, kakor tudi pri drugih založnikih v World Media Group, je občutek varnosti, ki ga – tudi pri oglaševalcih – vzbuja dobro, kakovostno novinarstvo.

Pravite, da je bolj kot kadarkoli pomembno kakovostno novinarstvo. Zakaj prav zdaj? Ker v času lažnih novic preprosto ne moreš vedeti, komu lahko zaupaš. V World Media Group se veliko ukvarjamo z ozaveščanjem in izobraževanjem na tem področju, lani smo pripravili dogodek o tem, kako doseči, da bodo ljudje razumeli razliko med lažno in resnično novico, o preverjanju dejstev, raziskovanju pred objavo … Podoben dogodek smo imeli o evropski uredbi o varstvu osebnih podatkov, pripravljamo srečanja, ki sodijo v okvir vodenja mišljenja (thought leadership), denimo o raznolikosti, ki se deloma nanaša na gibanje #jaztudi, o novinarstvu leta 2020 in o prihodnosti novinarstva nasploh. Prav tako smo pred tremi leti začeli podeljevati priznanja na področju vsebinskega oglaševanja, s katerimi nagradimo najuspešnejše kampanje. Prijave so prostovoljne, sodelujoče ocenjuje neodvisna komisija, sestavljena iz agencij, oglaševalcev in založnikov. Prostovoljne donacije nato namenimo organizaciji Novinarji brez meja, saj se zavedamo, da je to bistvo in začetek vsega – neodvisno in kakovostno novinarstvo.
Kljub vsemu se zdi, da to dvoje ne gre skupaj – prodaja časopisa in oglasnega prostora s promocijo kakovostnega novinarstva.

Ne moreš prodajati publikacije brez dobre vsebine. Spoznali smo, da je moč javnosti determinirana z vsebino, ki jo ustvarjajo mediji. Z oblikovanjem dobre vsebine pridobimo več občinstva, in če imaš več občinstva, imaš boljšo možnost prodaje blagovne znamke. Hkrati je pomembno, da dobro poznaš svoje občinstvo in ustvarjaš vsebino zanj.

Poudarjate oglaševanje, usmerjeno v vsebino. Kaj to pomeni v praksi? Vsi založniki, povezani v World Media Group, imajo posebne studie, v katerih razvijajo različne načine pripovedovanja zgodb, plačujejo pa jih oglaševalci. Zelo pomemben postaja kontekst oglaševanja, saj zagotavlja boljše rezultate, to dokazujejo tudi raziskave obnašanja uporabnikov. Za vsebinsko oglaševanje in ustvarjanje konteksta, ki poudari sporočilo blagovne znamke, družbe namenjajo vse več oglaševalskega denarja. Tudi Washington Post ima studio, ki povezuje multimedijsko pripovedovanje zgodb s tehnologijo Red, s čimer zagotavljajo, da pride vsebina oglaševalcev do pravega občinstva ob pravem času. Studio uporablja najsodobnejšo tehnologijo, s katero odkrivajo, katere so za občinstvo najzanimivejše vsebine, kakšen je najučinkovitejši način pripovedovanja, vse to pa kombinirajo s tehnologijo učinkovitega ciljanja. To je pripeljalo do zaslužkov, ki se merijo v osmih cifrah, studio, ki stoji za blagovno znamko, pa je v dveh letih in pol dobil več kot ducat nagrad.

Je ta studio povezan z uredniškim delom časopisa? WP BrandStudio je popolnoma ločen od dela uredništva. Večina članic World Media Group ima za to posebne ekipe, oglaševanje je še vedno strogo ločeno od novinarskega dela. Uredniške ekipe teh studiev [pri nas jim pravijo kar oglasna uredništva] delajo podobno, vendar ne sodelujejo z novinarji, ki jih zaposlujejo uredniške skupine.
Kako so plačane vsebine ločene od tistih, ki jih ustvarja uredništvo? Večinoma so vsebine dobro označene in jasno ločene. Transparentnost je zelo pomembna. S tem se vrednost vsebine ne zmanjša, le bralec se zaveda izvora.

To se verjetno razlikuje med tipi medijev? Vedno sem delala pri publikacijah, pri
katerih so strogo ločevali oglaševanje
od uredniškega dela. V revijah, ki se ukvarjajo z življenjskim slogom, je to nekoliko
laže premešati. Če gre za resne novice, je prav, da je ustrezno ločeno od plačanih vsebin.
Je po spletu teže doseči ciljno publiko kot pri tradicionalnih medijih? Pravzaprav so pravila podobna. V obeh primerih je treba ustvariti dobro vsebino. Vendar se lahko v digitalnih edicijah hitreje prilagajaš odzivom občinstva in tako rekoč iz minute v minuto obnavljaš novice. Tudi pri oglaševanju je s točno določenim proizvodom laže doseči želeno občinstvo.

Kako je na doseganje ciljne publike vplivala evropska uredba o varstvu osebnih podatkov? Je vplivala, vse članice World Media Group so se morale prilagoditi temu, pripraviti prilagojene pogodbe in soglasja. To je posel nekoliko zapletlo, a se zdi, da je to nekaj neizogibnega in se bo gotovo pojavilo še drugod po svetu. Tudi v Kaliforniji pripravljajo podobno zakonodajo.

Kako je na vaš posel vplivalo dejstvo, da čedalje več milijonarjev kupuje svetovno znane časnike? Mislim, da na naš časopis to ni bistveno vplivalo, verjetno pa se to razlikuje od primera do primera. Jeff Bezos se ne vtika v uredniško politiko, poskuša predvsem pospešiti razvoj tehnologije, zaradi česar imamo prednost pred konkurenco.

Kako poskušate pritegniti generacijo, od katere je odvisna prihodnost medijev – mladino? S kreiranjem novih vsebin in hitro odzivnostjo. Smo med najhitrejšimi pri dostavljanju mobilnih novic. Pri milenijcih nimaš veliko izbire: če jih z vsebino ne dosežeš na hiter in premeten način, jih boš izgubil. In obratno: če ti to uspe, se bodo vračali. Čeprav Washington Post zaradi močnih stališč dojemajo kot političnega, smo veliko več kot to. Imamo še veliko drugih platform, recimo The Lily za sodobne ženske, Voraciously za ljubitelje kulinarike in Games za ljubitelje igric.

Kako pa vi berete novice oziroma spremljate medije? Zgodaj zjutraj po spletu preletim zbirko novic z vsega sveta, ki jih pripravijo pri Washington Postu. Na vlaku berem lokalni časopis in preverim novosti na naši aplikaciji za novice. Čez dan spremljam novice prek obvestil, ki jih dobivam po pametnem telefonu. Na poti domov ponavadi prelistam brezplačnik. Zvečer le redko spremljam poročila, sem pa pozorna na opozorila o novicah.

Koliko časa po vašem mnenju preostane tiskanim medijem? Ne vem, a še vedno generiramo pomemben delež prihodkov od tiska. Pri nekaterih članih World Media Group so sicer okrnili tiskane izdaje, toda za zdaj nič ne kaže, da bi povsem izgubili časopise. V vsakem primeru še vedno vidim ljudi, kako berejo časopise, in mislim, da si bodo to še naprej želeli, vprašanje je le, koliko bodo pripravljeni plačati za to. Dolgo je bilo samoumevno, da časopis stane na primer en evro, potem je ta cena v povprečju z različnimi izdajami padala – do brezplačnikov. A jih še vedno berejo. Navsezadnje smo to, kar se dodaja tiskanim izdajam, videli že večkrat. Tudi radiu in avdioposnetkom so napovedovali bridek konec, pa še vedno poslušamo glasbo, vendar po telefonu. S podkasti je avdio doživel razcvet.

Understanding the Future for Global Content-Led Marketing

The World Media Group has launched a new global survey, ahead of the World Media Awards, to explore the key drivers for content-led marketing communication. Where will the next growth bulge come from? What are brands looking for in the perfect content partner?  What will be the buzz techniques in 2019 – will it all be VR and memes?  Take our survey to share your views and we’ll share the results with you – plus you have the opportunity to be entered in to a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon gift voucher. Please complete the survey by Friday 30th November.

COMPLETE SURVEY

Interview with Alex Wood, Europe Editor at Forbes

Q&A with Alex Wood, Europe Editor of Forbes and also a judge for the World Media Awards which are now open for entries UNTIL 7TH FEBRUARY 2019. You can enter here.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to benchmark and celebrate great international advertising strategies?

Alex: Advertising is part of our everyday lives and living in the digital world we inhabit today, there have never been more creative options out there for marketers to access. Awards like these offer us the opportunity to celebrate the risk-takers and forward thinkers in the industry.

Q: As a Judge, what are you hoping to see in the entries to the World Media Awards?

Alex: Personally, I’m hoping to see campaigns that touch consumers emotionally through strong storytelling as well as innovative uses of new technology.

Q: For brands in the telecoms and technology sector, what are the particular challenges  when targeting an international or cross-border audience?

Alex: 2018 has challenged consumer trust and confidence in technology. We used to live in a world where technology was seen as an unquestionable a force for good, and now things couldn’t be more different. Data and privacy lie at the heart of this and with GDPR and the proposed changes in the US, balancing the needs for smart targeted campaigns against rapidly changing consumer expectations of privacy across difference countries is one of the biggest challenges.

Q: For entries in this category, are there any particular elements you would expect to see in a winning entry?

Alex: I would expect to see careful consideration of both cultural and regulatory differences between target consumers from different regions.

Q: Why do think there has been a growth in content-led advertising communications?

Alex: Storytelling is an inherent part of human nature and is almost as old as our species itself. Content-led campaigns are a natural response to a world where many of us feel overwhelmed with messages throughout our days.

I see the growth in content-led strategies as a positive move for the industry that brings us back to heart of good advertising – telling a compelling story.

Q: What do you think are the most important factors to consider when creating content-led advertising? [eg: story, relevance, length of content, type of content, media partner]

Alex: For me context is key. Brands need to respect and understand that consumers want different types of experience on different devices at different times of day to suit their natural schedule.

Also – from my experience of both running my own media business and now working for a global brand like Forbes, brands need to work with a partner that understands their audience and will guide them to produce the most compelling and engaging content.

Q: What do you think is the key to truly engaging content?

Alex: The key to truly engaging content is understanding your audience and touching them on a genuinely human level. I love it when brands produce genuinely useful content that is so insightful and entertaining that users share it just like any piece of editorial – for me that’s the sweet spot.

Q: How do you measure success when it comes to content-driven advertising?

Alex: For me it is dwell time and sharing. I see many other brands spending significant amounts of budget on promoting sponsored content through third party platforms. I believe if you get the content right – you shouldn’t need to promote further.

Q: What is the killer question an agency / media owner should ask a client to ensure that their content brief is fit for purpose?

Alex: “What do you want the consumer to feel after consuming this content?”

Q: What advice would you give a brand about to embark on a branded content campaign that needs to work in multiple countries or regions?

Alex: Instruct a partner with genuine on-the-ground local expertise. Don’t recycle and rehash content across regions even if they speak the same language.

Q: What do you need to look for in your media partner[s] when planning an international content-driven advertising strategy?

Alex: Instruct a partner with a genuine global reach with local offices and expertise. Hiring freelancers in different regions is not enough.

Truth to power: Adtech has to stand up for journalism

The future of the press is in doubt. If you need an example of just how powerful fake news has become, remember August, when even seasoned journalists accepted at face value a spoof campaign ironically titled “Don’t believe every tweet”, featuring bogus quotes from Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey.

The changes in journalism have not gone unnoticed by governments. At the risk of sounding flippant, journalism must be truly in crisis when politicians acknowledge that they need to support quality reporting to maintain democracy.

But that’s what we’ve been seeing – culture secretary Jeremy Wright has said he would not rule out a tech tax for Google and Facebook to fund public interest journalism. That’s similar to what the News Media Association, a newspaper trade body, has called for, suggesting that the duopoly pay a licence fee to publishers when their content is used.

But governments can only go so far. And with trust in societal and political institutions on the decline, we need good journalism more than ever.

This is a particular concern for the adtech industry – without media brands, we wouldn’t exist. However much advertisers talk about creativity, people don’t subscribe to The Economist for its advertising.

We all know that, while media consumption is in flux, the press is and always has been part of a much larger cultural ecosystem. It’s not something that exists in isolation.

Those of us in media and advertising implicitly know that quality media outlets can charge a premium for their advertising, but now there’s explicit evidence that context matters. Research by World Media Group, the body representing top media brands, shows that great journalism boosts ad performance (full disclosure: I sit on its board as an associate member).

Quality media placements also solve advertiser headaches around ongoing brand safety challenges. While savvy marketing officers have always been wary about where their brand appears, social media has opened up a whole new world of risks.

As a sector, our grubby supply chain has chipped away at the revenue received by news brands. It’s too easy to say it’s their fault for not reacting fast enough. That sounds like victim blaming. We’ve not helped them by acting like the school bully and eating their lunch, leaving only crumbs behind.

The bottom line is that the way the industry has reacted to the rise of the tech giants will have cost journalist jobs. Right now, journalism is under threat. In the UK, there are 6,000 fewer journalists than there were a decade ago, and newspaper revenue has more than halved.

The UK government is so concerned that in March it launched the Caincross Review, to explore what protection is needed to ensure the future viability of the industry.

Advertisers too need to stand up for a free press. If we want the privilege of decrying the latest abuse of power, in business or politics, we need to fund those who uncover it for us.

Quality journalism is not cheap, it’s not free, and it’s a public service that isn’t funded by the state. As it’s crucial for democracy, we must fight for it. If we care about fairness, we need professional journalists.

Published in CityAM 22/10/2018

By Mark Bembridge

Mark Bembridge is chief executive of ad tech firm Smartology.

Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast Briefing

19th October 2018

The World Media Group hosted an engaging and informative breakfast briefing featuring:

  • Manisha Mehrotra, Diversity & Inclusion Manager,Bloomberg
  • Jan Gooding, Global Inclusion Director, Aviva
  • Karen Fraser MBE,Head of Credos, Advertising Association
  • Mark Runacus,Founding Partner, Wax/On
  • Fiona Daniel, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, HSBC UK

Issues discussed included:

What is the business case for improving Diversity & Inclusion within media/advertising industry?  

  • A business with a strong Diversity & Inclusion strategy will have a more productive and engaged work force.   
  • The outcomes of a diverse and inclusive culture can have a powerful effect on a company’s ability to innovate and therefore a stronger performance on their bottom line.

 

What trends are you seeing across organisations when it comes to Diversity & Inclusion?

  • To improve inclusion you need a holistic approach, isolated programmes will be less effective.  Focus on attraction, retention and promotion throughout the organisation, and try to avoid token siloed efforts.
  • To make significant cultural shifts takes time, it will take years not months to make real change, for example Group M has had a diverse agenda for 8yrs.

 

How do you get beyond political correctness and have honest conversations?

  • It helps to focus on inclusivity and diversity; you need to have both to have an innovative and creative environment.  Remember inclusivity is about ALL of us and diversity is about valuing the differences we all bring.  Avoid focusing on silo issues e.g. it is as important to talk about BAME issues with non-BAME groups.
  • Encourage inclusive leadership = active listening, informed empathy, open sharing and allocate time and resources to allow business leaders to focus on inclusivity.

 

What are the day-to-day challenges of improving D&I?

  • Inactivity is a real challenge.  Because it takes commitment, time and effort to have an inclusive work force, the resources required can be a deterrent.  It is easy to make excuses ie only xxx applied for the role, however we believe it is up to all of us to attract and retain a diverse staff.  It is in everyone’s best interest to create a culture that values diversity and leverages diversity as a core strength. 

 

What steps can be taken to ensure that employees/teams recruit, retain and promote inclusively?

  • Recruitment at the graduate stage is less problematic but progression is a challenge.  
  • It is important that within any organisation that there are relevant role models.  
  • Examples of effective initiatives are: offering free role model training, offering equal parental leave, make hiring and hierarchy policy clear, open and honest.
  • There are specific issues at both ends of the age spectrum – only 5% of people are over 50 in the ad industry and less than 2% are women over 50. As a maturing society that represents a significant skills gap.  At the younger end of the spectrum, while lots of effort has been made there is no joined up planning and there is a significant drop out rate.  When speaking about generations in the workplace we have to ensure that we include all generations and actively connect across generations. 

 

For a little more insight:

Watch (only 2mins): https://vimeo.com/238463684

Read: Why I am no longer talking to white people about race? By Reni Eddo-Lodge

Share: #WMGD&I

The Value of Trust Breakfast Briefing

Our highly successful breakfast briefing – The Value of Trust was held on 7th June 2018 and featured 2 panel discussions focusing on rebuilding two aspects of Trust: Building the Media Agency of the Future; and Post GDPR – how trustworthy is your data?  Click on the videos below to watch the key points raised.

Building the Media Agency of the Future

Post GDPR – How Trustworthy is your Data?