<iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/IYJGm9Gz-M8?rel=0&showinfo=0″ width=”100%” height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”></iframe>
Antoine Dubois, senior vice-president of communication, advertising, social and media at AccorHotels, explains why ‘brandformance’ is key to measuring content success.Antoine has 15 years’ experience in the communications industry, gained across both agency (Leo Burnett) and subsequently client-side. Before joining AccorHotels in 2011, he worked at Disneyland Paris as Content Integrator Manager, Europe and subsequently at national French radio group, RTL.
1 – WHY SHOULD AGENCIES/ADVERTISERS ENTER THE WORLD MEDIA AWARDS?
“These Awards are key for our industry. I think the industry does not highlight enough how important it is to have great international campaigns. It needs to be recognised as an area where an agency can really add value.”
2 – WHAT WILL YOU BE LOOKING FOR FROM THE ENTRIES?
“I’ll check the capacity for one single idea to be relevant, and have an impact, on different countries at the same time. Universal ideas are hard to find but are key for international campaigns.”
3 – WHY SHOULD ADVERTISERS USE BRANDED CONTENT – WHAT IS IT BEST SUITED TO ACHIEVE?
“It is the best way today to communicate with the consumer. These days KPIs are no longer focused around brand awareness. Brand consideration and engagement are now key elements in the game. Brand content excels in generating a great marketing and social score.”
Emma Winchurch-Beale, who joined The Washington Post as international sales director last year, will lead the alliance of publishers for the duration of 2017. Members of the World Media Group include Forbes, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Prior to joining The Post, Winchurch-Beale held the role of client sales director at Bloomberg, managing client and regional sales teams across Europe, Middle East, and Asia. She also previously spent 15 years at The Economist.
It comes as the group has extended the entry deadline for the second annual World Media Awards by a week, until Thursday 23 February.
The World Media Awards – of which M&M Global is the official media partner – claim to be the only ones to celebrate the effectiveness of “cross platform, cross border, content-driven advertising”.
Anouk Bondroit, Managing Director – Vizeum MENA, has over 12 years of solid media experience in client servicing and business development roles across the Middle East. Prior to launching Vizeum to market in MENA in 2012, Anouk held various senior positions within Dentsu Aegis Network. She is now responsible for leading and delivering commercial and operational excellence for Vizeum across the region, delivering Connections that Count for clients. Prior to joining the network, Anouk had worked with leading media agencies such as Starcom, Zenith Optimedia and PHD with local and regional responsibilities across major global clients from various categories such as FMCG, automotive, airline, and luxury.
Q: Why should agencies enter the World Media Awards?
Anouk: First of all it’s great PR of an agency’s credentials, demonstrating that they’re not just talking about it, but creating great real time cases across key, strategic clients. Also it showcases an agency’s edge / USP compared to the competition.
We will want to showcase our consumer centric planning capabilities and ROI- led campaigns, showing the direct impact of sales through our media campaigns combined with strong storytelling to make brands more relevant and ‘’loveable’’.
Q: What will make a winning entry?
Anouk: There are five essential components : Storytelling ; unique (consumer) insight ; 360 degreeexecution of a campaign across both owned and earned media ; ROI : branded content that is ‘’meaningful’’ i.e. the less overtly commercial, the better
Q: Why should brands use branded content?
Anouk: From our region’s perspective, localised branded content is hugely popular and delivering much better in terms of engagement across our campaigns than even global content assets. So, it will be interesting to see who managed to create local/relevant branded content
Q: What are the challenges and opportunities of integrating branded content across different platforms – from print to video, from mobile to TV?
Anouk: You need to have clear client agreement that says digital can lead the comms strategy,whereby branded content (online) can be diffused across traditional media and not the other way around. This also means that advertisers need to have a unified communication messaging strategy across all platforms to deliver on the same.
Q: Do content-driven communications work better for brands in some industry sectors than others?
Anouk: Yes, across some of our categories such as sports retail / luxury, we have noticed higher engagement levels when we have branded content comms.
Q: What should clients look for in a native advertising/branded content proposal? And what should they look for in the team who will be delivering it?
Anouk: Content needs to be adapted to the format in which it will be displayed and always linked back to the campaign objectives. I.e. if we use native advertising, what do we want to ultimately deliver and can the creative deliver on this objective?
Q: How do you measure the ROI delivered by branded content campaigns? E.g. What KPIs should be measured? Is 2 seconds of video content really enough in terms of viewability?
Anouk: The KPI s we mainly use are CPCV(cost per completed view) and reach. Across our key clients, we mainly use Google brand uplift studies to understand if Brand KPIs have been improved during and post our campaign. We did notice across our region that shorter videos are getting higher engagement, especially against our millennial audience vs. young adults. When it comes to viewability, we still need longer copy durations than 2’’ as 2’’ is very tight to deliver a compelling brand message.
Q: What are the biggest challenges in planning and implementing an international campaign across four or more international borders?
Anouk: We usually recommend having a mix of global and local assets if budget permits.
Q: What distinguishes the ‘international’ target audience from the UK – and how granular can you be in your media targeting?
Anouk: For our region, we always use insight company CCS to identify our ‘’local’’ audience as this can be quite different to ‘’UK’’ audience as the region’s dynamics are very different
Q: How difficult is it to reflect the style and quality of a publication with native content – especially when creating international campaigns? Are many advertisers achieving quality journalistic standards?
Anouk: The bar has been raised in terms of style and quality and native content is becoming much more as per ‘’international’’ standards
Q: How do you balance what needs to be carried out from head office and what needs to be carried out locally in international content campaigns?
Anouk: It depends if there are global mandates on the usage of global assets. Usually we recommend having an optimal balance between using the global assets and –if budget permits – also creating local ones.
Q: What is the role of media in helping to execute ideas internationally?
Anouk: Ideally media is part of the idea creation, so the execution will flow from it easily
Q: Summarise yourself in three words.
Anouk: Go-getter, team-player, unstoppable
Q: What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?
Anouk: I have always been fascinated by the world of media and marketing; it is an aspirational industry which suits my character. I also love its fast pace and the challenges that come from its constant evolution.
Q: Describe your ideal client.
Anouk: One that thinks of you as their ‘ partner in crime’
Ian Armstrong, global head of advertising at Jaguar Land Rover and co-head judge of the World Media Awards 2017, explains how the car manufacturer put two famous brands back on the map.
Rendezvous: Jaguar launched star-studded campaign during 2014 Super Bowl broadcast
It was a bold choice. Faced with the dilemma of how to interrupt the 2014 Super Bowl, America’s famous annual sporting jamboree, luxury British car marque Jaguar summoned three of the UK’s most recognisable actors for 60-seconds of fabulously camp and wickedly witty fun.
The ad, named ‘Rendezvous’, featured Tom Hiddleston, Ben Kingsley and Mark Strong prowling in tuxedos and revelling in the Hollywood cliché of British movie bad-guys, all in promotion of Jaguar’s latest F-Type model release.
With an estimated media cost of $8m for the single spot alone, plus production and talent expenses, it represented a major investment – albeit one maximised through use of media agency Mindshare’s The Loop social media ‘war room’. After a night of fame for the brand’s ‘#goodtobebad’ hashtag, had it all been worth it? READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
In the second of a series of interviews with World Media Awards 2017 judges, Blake Cuthbert, chief digital officer at OMD EMEA, offers advice about planning and implementing international campaigns.
Responsible for leveraging and developing the digital capabilities for OMD EMEA, Blake is passionate about helping clients understand how technology and data can unlock business growth.
Before joining OMD, Blake worked at Dentsu Aegis Network agency, Isobar, where he led activity across flagship accounts including Google, adidas and Toyota. Prior to that Blake worked at Tribal DDB where he was involved in the global platform roll out for Guinness, and developing an end to end Social Media roll out for Virgin Media.
1 – WHY SHOULD AGENCIES/ADVERTISERS ENTER THE WORLD MEDIA AWARDS?
“To celebrate the excellent and wonderfully diverse work that this industry creates that affects such positive business change.”
Global Account Director, managing global client relationships and leading teams across MediaCom worldwide.
My single purpose is to help clients grow their business. Media has never been more fascinating, fast moving and its importance has never been greater. The pace of change is creating great opportunity for brands, but also greater complexity. My job is to help clients master that complexity, so they can navigate through an increasingly disrupted media world and capitalise on the new opportunities that grow their business.
I have over 20 years’ experience working in media agencies, the last 17 at MediaCom, London.
Q: Why should agencies/advertisers enter the World Media Awards?
Nigel: Get the recognition your brilliant work deserves.
Q: What will you be looking for from the entries?/What will make a winning entry?/What does great branded content look like?
Nigel: A powerful idea that has achieved scale and made a tangible difference to the business.
Q: Why should advertisers use branded content – what is it best suited to achieve?
Nigel: Access to video production and distribution platforms has opened up to literally everyone and people are consuming content from a wide variety of sources. Consumer expectations have totally changed and all the old barricades have been smashed down. Brands that take advantage of this and create powerful connections to their audiences using content, are the brands that will succeed.
Q: What should clients look for in a native advertising/branded content proposal? And what should they look for in the team who will be delivering it?
Nigel: Branded content needs audience appeal, tapping into popular culture is a great way for the brand to connect with the audience and get noticed. But it’s all too easy to do this and leave the brand behind. Entertaining content has to be relevant and link directly back to the brand. If that’s achieved it will power the business forward.
Q: How do you balance what needs to be carried out from head office and what needs to be carried out locally in international content campaigns?
Nigel: “Head Office” should only care about how campaigns perform in local markets. Yes it makes sense for brands to be globally consistent, but there needs to be freedom to tailor content campaigns locally so they truly resonate with the culture of the audience.
Q: How difficult is it to find a content marketing idea that can translate across borders?
Nigel: Cultures can be very different from one market to another, but brands have the opportunity to tap into some very powerful human truths that are consistent across borders.
Q: What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?
Nigel: The Honey Monster (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCwlCYyom9s)
Q: Name your favourite ever content-driven campaign
Nigel: T-Mobile Royal Wedding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kav0FEhtLug)
Q: Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?
Nigel: Sue Unerman, one of the smartest people I know.
Q: Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Nigel: From a personal perspective has to be WhatsApp. Easy to use, ubiquitous, enables a conversation between like-minded people.
Q: Where is your ideal meeting venue?
Nigel: Anything other than a conference call.
Q: What is your favourite restaurant?
Nigel: The Beach House
Q: What is hot in international content marketing, and what is not?
Nigel: There’s so many small vanity projects that never achieve real scale, these are not hot. Hot is great idea that has scale and actually makes a difference to a client’s business.
Q: Which industry buzzword would you ban?
Nigel: Dark social
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
Nigel: Dark social
Q: Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life?
Nigel: Some people tell me I look like Tom Hanks, but I hate that. I’d prefer Burt Lancaster.
Deadline to enter is 16th February 2017 – ENTER NOW
Jody Orsborn co-founded The Backscratchers, which connects brands and agencies like Red Bull, Spotify, BBH, AMV BBDO and Unilever with industry-approved freelance and team talent for projects. She was chosen as one of the UK’s Top Women Entrepreneurs by CNBC and a ‘One To Watch’ in Tech City News’ International Hall of Fame.
Q: Why should agencies/advertisers enter the World Media Awards?
Jody: It’s a great chance to have your work seen by a jury of your peers and potential clients.
Q: What will you be looking for from the entries?/What will make a winning entry?/What does great branded content look like?
Jody: I will be looking for work that stays with me, whether it brings insight, makes me laugh, makes me pause…I want to be surprised and inspired .
Q: Are there any issues around ownership of branded content depending on who authored it? What does this mean in terms of copyrights, who can share it and where you can share it?
Jody: It depends on how many partners there are. If you are a brand, a publication and pull in potentially an agency and an influencer…things can get massively complicated and the meaning can get diluted while trying to appease all of the different stakeholders. Particularly when you get an influencer or personality involved who have their own brand to promote and protect.
Q: Do content-driven communications work better for brands in some industry sectors than others?
Jody: Lifestyle brands are well-placed for doing branded content , however, I think that financial brands are as well….as they are in a good position to be able to offer advice and tips which can work quite well in branded content. The most important thing is that the content feels natural to a brand and like It feels authentic coming from them. For example, Red Bull doing action sports makes sense. A makeup brand, not so much. The right content and the right partnerships is what works.
Q: How do you balance what needs to be carried out from head office and what needs to be carried out locally in international content campaigns?
Jody: It’s tricky! It’s about making sure that those discussions are happening from the start of any campaign…not as an afterthought once the first campaign is created and then you need to figure out retroactively how to make it work for other regions. It’s rarely ever works that way! International needs to be considered from the start.
Q: How difficult is it to find a content marketing idea that can translate across borders?
Jody: It’s a challenge but is a good reminder that good work should be universal. I recently watched a Korean advert where I couldn’t understand any of the words but the images and story were so powerful (and universal) that it didn’t matter.
Q: What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?
Jody: I’m passionate about all things culture (music, film, books, etc) and wanted it to be what I thought about and got to work on all day. Why would you want to work on anything else?
Q: Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Jody: I will always love Twitter. Still the best way to connect with people and experience culture and events in a communal way.
Q: Where is your ideal meeting venue?
Jody: A coffee shop with couches.
Q: Which industry buzzword would you ban?
Jody: Viral…PLEASE
Deadline for entries is 16th February 2017 – ENTER NOW
With more than 20 years’ experience in media, Jodie joined Publicis Media in 2013 after nearly two decades at Dentsu Aegis. Leading Publicis Media’s Global Network Client organisation out of EMEA, Jodie has had responsibility for the extensive global teams situated across the world, driving organic and new business growth and accelerating the transformation of the global client organisation to be a digitally led, data driven business. Client teams in this portfolio have included Heineken, Mars, Airbnb, UBS, Samsung, and Etihad. Jodie’s current role is focused on driving growth and transformation for global clients run out of the EMEA region, across all brands.
Q: Why should agencies/advertisers enter the World Media Awards?
Jodie: This is an opportunity to recognise effective work created across markets, acknowledging the complexity involved in executing international strategies with consistency and impact.
Q: What will you be looking for from the entries?/What will make a winning entry?
Jodie: Unique thinking and ideation that connects with its audience and ultimately delivers results for the brand. Work that makes me smile, or jealous that I didn’t create it.
Q: What does great branded content look like?
Jodie: It doesn’t look like branded content!
Q: What are the challenges and opportunities of integrating branded content across different platforms – from print to video, from mobile to TV?
Jodie: Ensuring the story and message our consumers engage with is seamless, complimentary and additive across various touchpoints.
Q: What should clients look for in a native advertising/branded content proposal?
Jodie: Intelligent amplification plan using creative native to platform, innovative formats, quality production of assets, subject expertise and contextual understanding of the content/creative. Access to data, flexibility and speed are as important as understanding the brand (brand workshops are highly recommended).
Q: And what should they look for in the team who will be delivering it?
Jodie: The team should include the client, the media owner and the agency. You need a dedicated and experienced team, advanced production offering, audience focused, strong understanding of (client`s) topics and differentiated approach to achieving them and a high focus and understanding on engaging audiences.
Q: What are the biggest challenges in planning and implementing an international campaign across four or more international borders?
Jodie: Respecting diversity of various marketplaces and consumer profiles and behaviours, yet delivering consistency to the greatest extent possible
Q: What is the role of media in helping to execute ideas internationally?
Jodie: Traditional role of media evolved enormously as the tech landscape and consumer behaviour has enabled global conversation and amplification across borders.
Q: Summarise yourself in three words.
Jodie: Energetic, curious, impatient
Q: What is your favourite restaurant?
Jodie: Café Sydney, Australia
Q: Which industry buzzword would you ban?
Jodie: 360
Deadline to enter is 16th February 2017 – ENTER NOW
Television Executive Producer with more than 20 years’ experience. Working for National Geographic for almost 15 years now, he enjoys producing international documentaries from innovative initial concept, through development to final production.
Passionate about storytelling and content creation, he has travelled more than 100 countries, looking for stories that engage global audiences. He has created branded content productions for several National Geographic’s projects developed in UK, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Mexico, Belarus, U.S.A., Turkey, Azerbaijan, Romania, Australia, Canada, Portugal or Spain, establishing high content, production, and creative standards.
Q: Why should agencies/advertisers enter the World Media Awards?
Ivan: Why should any production company submit a film to the Oscars? A mix of ego and wishes of acknowledgment, I guess. Many times, branded content projects fell off the radar and the World Media Awards are a great opportunity to make them relevant again and share the good work with new audiences.
Q: What will you be looking for from the entries?/What will make a winning entry?/What does great branded content look like?
Ivan: For me, branded content is content. Period. It moves you, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry… Basically, it entertains you. It is related to a brand, but it is content.As opposed to traditional ads, it is a content which the viewer/reader/consumer is willing to receive, being something that audiences want to watch.
Q: Why should advertisers use branded content – what is it best suited to achieve?
Ivan: Branded Content transforms traditional advertising into stories which essential structure is built by the brand’s values and become relevant to your audience.These are stories that move, entertain, inform and create awareness and are in tune with brand’s values and philosophy. As opposed to product placement, the product doesn’t “happen” to be into the story, if you remove the product/service/brand, the story would be inconsistent.
As Carl W. Buechner said, “They might forget what you said, but not how you made them feel”. If a brand develops stories that move, it will create an emotional bond which will engage with viewers more easily and will become part of their collective imagination and even part of themselves.
Q: What are the challenges and opportunities of integrating branded content across different platforms – from print to video, from mobile to TV?
Ivan: Being branded content, to integrate it across different platforms,it just needs to adapt itself into suitable formats to add value and become relevant into people’s lives. From a production perspective,it all starts with a compelling creative idea,then the story needs to be adapted to the different platforms and channels, and become transmedia storytelling but maintaining the same “spirit”. Let’s imagine that the idea is a diamond, every face would be on a different platform and all together would create the whole story.For me, what’s more important, is that these contents in different media, are connected (in an obvious but also subtle way) and they are well synchronized among them.
Also, a huge amount of research and Big Data analysis is needed to know which social video platform would work best for which type of branded content and story, making research on form and substance, crucial.
What are the biggest challenges in planning and implementing an international campaign across four or more international borders?
Challenge 1:To create an“universal” idea. Challenge 2:Find the best and mostsuitable Platform, Technology & Media. Challenge 3:Coordination with local markets. Challenge 4: Organization. Challenge 5:Knowing local legal restrictions. Challenge 6:Time (as always).
Q: How difficult is it to find a content marketing idea that can translate across borders?
Ivan: To create content able to travel has always proven to be difficult. In my experience, the more “classical”, the more chances a story has to be international. Also, as Leo Tolstoy said, “Describe your village, and you will be universal”, meaning that it needs to appeal to the most common feelings and cultural reference points for everyone to understand and connect.
Q: Summarise yourself in three words.
Ivan: Feo, fuerte y formal
Q: What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?
Ivan: The need for telling stories
Q: Name your favourite ever content-driven campaign.
Ivan: Popeye the Sailor Man