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Five obvious-not-obvious lessons for more effective content marketing – from the world’s experts

Over the past five years, the World Media Awards have gathered and celebrated the very best international, content-led marketing campaigns – benchmarking the best work by global brands and tracking the increasing levels of creativity and effectiveness. As we head towards the deadline [20 May] for this year’s Awards and prepare for the judging, we’ve been asking our 2021 Jury what they believe are the essential ingredients for great content marketing.

1. Start with the consumer insight

This might seem to be obvious, but as Katharine Swarney, head of marketing communications for Nissan France says, “Start from a customer insight or truth to make sure you connect with your audience. Knowing your audience will also guide all media decisions”. Our Jury co-chair, Fabio Mancone, chief branding officer for Lombard Odier Group, adds that insights need to be about more than the consumer to be of real value – it’s also about where the brand can connect. As he says, “Successful content strategy connects customer value with business value. It starts with deep audience understanding, in having empathy, and connecting with passion points and interests”.

2. Develop a meaningful narrative

What do we mean by a “meaningful narrative”? Ruby Wight, creative lead for campaigns and partnerships at Burberry defines this as “An underlying story that resonates with the audience and the world they live in today”. Matthew Wellington, global investment director for The Financial Times agrees that it’s all about connections – and he’s also clear on what it’s not, “Advertising cannot be dictatorial; shouting at people doesn’t work. Content advertising offers a space for companies to showcase what makes them special – what unique benefits and advantages they bring to the audiences they intend to reach”. Our jury’s advice is to focus on this narrative first, and the content medium second. Denise Burrell Stinson, head of Brand Studio for The Washington Post says, “Sometimes people get stuck on using cutting-edge creative formats like 360 visuals or video just for the sake of using them, when another approach would have worked. But if you stick to a story-first approach, I believe you increase your chance at success”.

3. Get the right balance between the unexpected and the “on brand”

79% of those who responded to The World Media Group’s Future of Content Marketing survey in 2020 believed that investment in content marketing would continue to grow – and despite all the challenges of the past year, 23% of the advertisers who responded to our 2021 survey were increasing investment. So even if you have a meaningful narrative, how do you ensure it stands out from the crowd? Ruby Wight believes that to achieve that cut-through, you need “An execution that feels different from what is conventional in the category, something that feels unexpected and new.” Katharine Swarney urges advertisers and their creative teams to approach the brief with an open mind, adding that, “Some of the best content I have ever done came from creative proposals that seemed completely crazy at first but through development went on to become outstanding campaigns”. But just as Denise emphasised story over format, our jury would stress that crazy-for-crazy’s sake is not going to give you that cut-through on its own – Katharine added that, “you need to be authentic about your brand values and not try to act like a brand you are not”.

4. Add value for your audience

It’s all about making those connections between the audience’s interests and needs and where your brand can add value. “Adding value to a consumer’s life is key; treating your audience with respect; surrounding them but not in a way that feels forced; being clear what problem you are solving” all add up to the right approach, according to Elliot Moss, partner and director for business development at Mishcon de Reya. A number of our jury stressed the value of context – as Fabio Mancone put it, your storytelling should “seamlessly fit into the spaces the audience comes into contact with it”. If you can get the balance right between delivering the unexpected, embedding this in authenticity, and offering real value, then you should achieve your ultimate objective which should be, according to Ruby Wight, to start a conversation, “When your audience sees this content they should want to forward it to a friend, immediately!”

5. Ensure the whole team understand the objectives!

Being clear on your objectives before you start is our final tip – content marketing can raise brand awareness, change brand perceptions, stimulate purchase, reinforce brand loyalty…. And each objective requires a different approach. Denise Burrell stresses that the whole team [client, agency, media owner] need to be on the same page, “All people on a creative team should embark on their projects with a clear understanding of KPIs and what their piece is meant to achieve. Is it shifting audience sentiment, or raising awareness of an important event?”.

I’ll leave the last words to our Jury co-chair, “Successful content strategy connects customer value with business value. It starts with deep audience understanding, in having empathy, and connecting with passion points and interests. It then finds a credible role for the brand that adds genuine value to your audience’s life whilst at the same time, tells the brand story in a way that drives outcomes for the business.”

If you feel you have achieved that over the past year, then we’d love to hear from you! Find out more about how to enter the World Media Awards HERE.

Five learnings from lockdown to carry into 2021

On Thursday, World Media Group members came together for our annual Think Tank, a lively event that offers members the opportunity to ask top international editors about their predictions for the year ahead. Unable to meet in our usual festive venue, the last gathering of the year predictively happened on Zoom!

The event was chaired by Dan Stewart, International Editor of TIME who was joined by Tom Standage, Deputy Editor, The Economist, Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief, National Geographic and Katherine Dunn, Associate Editor, Fortune Magazine.

In a year like no other, we asked members to share any positive learnings from 2020 that they planned to carry with them into 2021. Five key themes emerged:

1. Work smarter

According to Daniela Stawinoga-Carrington, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 2020 has been about “focusing on what is truly important both personally and professionally.” We were all forced to rethink our priorities, adapting to the challenges of remote working, often while juggling family responsibilities. Now that we know we can all work from home and still be as productive, we can use that flexibility to benefit our work/life balance. Samantha Adams, BBC Global News, says she’ll continue to “work smarter, with less commuting and do more checking in with my network.” Robbie McCawley, Electronic Arts, has honed his video conferencing communication skills. His key learning is to “use fewer words and more simple language to get to my point across quicker.”

2. Support mental health

2020 has opened up the conversation around mental health, allowing people the permission to talk openly about how they are feeling and to receive any support they need. Everyone agreed that mental health must remain front of mind as we head into the new year. “Talking about mental health, checking whether colleagues, friends and family are ok, and caring for each other is something we need to hold onto for 2021,” said Mark Rose, BP. His other advice for improving your mental health? Stay off Twitter!

3. Use technology for good

Although we’ve been forced to spend more time in front of our screens this year, there’s clearly an upside – from reducing our carbon footprint to re-establishing relationships with friends and colleagues. Rob Alexander, Headland Consultancy, plans to “continue to embrace meeting technology to connect with friends and clients around the world and reduce my flying carbon footprint.” Sital Banerjee agrees that he’ll continue using technology to connect with his network and peers more regularly in 2021.

The innovation and adoption of new technology has impressed Darren Plimmer, Fundamental Media: “It’s been great collaborating so easily with colleagues globally despite being stuck in the spare room at home. The Zoom pub quiz, however, can remain in 2020!”

4. Have faith in trusted media

While trust in the media has taken a downturn in past years, the Covid crisis saw consumers returning to quality media outlets for accurate information and advice. This has been reflected in an increase in subscriptions across many of the World Media Group brands Jemima Villanueva, The Atlantic, would like to see “the increase in demand for trusted quality news sources and a willingness to pay for it” continue on into 2021.

Katya Ionova, Business Insider, agrees that one of the key outtakes for her has been a notable change in “the real value of trusted news sources,” and she hopes to see this reflected in reports such as Edelman’s Trust Barometer next year.

5. Encourage community spirit

2020 has inspired empathy, a deeper sense of community and a willingness to look out for others on both a personal and profession level. “People seem to have looked outward more this year, caring more about things beyond their patch,” said Alison Harbert, Investec. “Let’s hope for more of that in 2021!

Jack Dyson, SAP, agreed: One positive outcome is a greater focus on corporate purpose and appreciation for community over individual. Not just in Covid and climate change, but also inclusion and equality, education…and being a better neighbour!”

This sense of greater purpose was reflected in the editors’ predictions for the year ahead, where a large part of the discussion centred around 2021 being the turning point in the debate and action on climate change. While there was some negativity about the effect individuals and companies could have without governments taking on the bigger emissions issues such as agriculture and steelmaking, there was a definite sense that positive momentum is growing. As Fortunes’ Katherine Dunn put it: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good – just start.” Wise words for all of us as we endeavour to carry the many positive learnings from the Covid crisis into 2021.

Experts Share Top Tips for Creating an Award-Winning Campaign

Yesterday, members of the World Media Awards judging panel and the creators of this year’s Grand Prix winning entry for Sonos came together for our Awards Masterclass to discuss what it takes to create an award-winning content campaign. Here are 10 top tips from our expert panel to ensure your content campaign rises above the fray and makes its mark on the judges.

1. Outline your challenge with laser focus

“Make sure the challenge is absolutely precisely outline before leading on to the creative solution and the media partner or channel choice. Clearly articulate the challenge, because that lays the foundation of everything that follows.” –  Christoph Woermann, CMO, Corporate Bank, Deutsche Bank.

According to Christoph, two entries that demonstrated this perfectly were Volkswagen: For the Many,Not the Few – The ID.3, winner of the Automobile category, and Levi’s: What Does Performance Mean to You, winner of the Luxury, Lifestyle & Fashion category.

2. Deliver your pitch with passion

“Make us believe it’s a winner from the minute you start speaking. First, tell us what the challenge was and how you solved it. Secondly, talk about the power of media and message, and how the entire campaign becomes an interesting experience for the consumer. Thirdly, prove it’s a credible solution with relevant KPIs. Lastly, tell us why it mattered. Why would a consumer genuinely enjoy experiencing what you’ve created?” – Kate Ivory, Group Managing Partner, Head of Strategy, OMD EMEA

Kate described Tourism Australia’s pitch for ‘From Country. To Company’ as one that was delivered with passion and power, creating a story that was really compelling to listen to.

Brooke Steinberg Global Planning Director, Vizeum, who is part of the award-winning Sonos pitch team agreed:

“Have fun. You’re showcasing work that you’re proud of, so express that, whether it’s verbally, in written form or in a video.Find ways to showcase your passion and the great times you’ve experienced working on the project.” 

3. Put the judges in your shoes

“It’s all about storytelling,” said Jamie Credland, SVP, Client Strategy & Marketing, The Economist. “And to tell a good story, you need to take us on a journey of here’s this insurmountable challenge, this difficult, terrible adversity you’re facing, and the smart ideas and hard work you came up with to overcome it.”

Jamie gave the example of Astana International Finance Centre’s winning entry for ‘My Kazakhstan’, which starts by asking, “What do you know about doing business in Kazakhstan?” immediately putting the judges into the shoes of the agency and the media owners who were working on this huge challenge.

4. Less is more

All the judges agreed that the Sonos team, represented by Brooke Steinberg, Global Planning Director at Vizeum and Gabriella Manzini, Global Account Director, Vizeum, had absolutely nailed their three-minute video pitch for Sonos’s ‘Brilliant Sound at the Intersections of Culture and Cool campaign. Gabriella’s advice:

“Be concise; you can’t tell the whole story. You can’t talk about every single execution. So really draw out the key steps that helped you to tackle the challenge – the insight, the execution. And the results really have to reflect what the challenge was.”

Christoph Woermann’s advice is to strip away anything you don’t need. “Always think, less is often more. Less text, less variety, less goals to achieve. Less is more. Focus, and you will be a winner.”

5. Brand, agency and media partner relationship must be seamless

Our experts were impressed by the completely seamless, integrated team of brand, agency and media partners on the Sonos campaign .According to Johan Jervoe, Chief Marketing Office, UBS, that doesn’t happen overnight. Creating a well-oiled content marketing machines takes time:

“It takes for your own brand team to understand what works, where you get content, who the expert is. It takes time to understand what the insights are and how that translates into aesthetics. And then measurement – finding the right media partner, the right channels and the right format on those channels.”

Jamila Saidi, Head of e-Commerce Marketing, DIT UK Gov, cited another seamless example in Samsung’s campaign “TV is Making History Again’:

“A combination of three things really made the award stand out above and beyond the others: the brand synergies with CNN and astronaut Scott Kelly; the integration of the message, the messenger and the channel delivering it; and the timing – the 15th anniversary of the moon landings.

6. Use audience insights to solve human problems

According to Jamie Credland, the human element of audience insight is often overlooked. “When it comes to an audience insight, these are people with business problems, personal problems, family problems, all kinds of challenges in their lives. And the best campaigns were the ones that tried to bring that challenge to life.”

He gave the example of Tech Mahindra’s winning Corporate Influencer campaign, ‘In the Future’ which talked about the number of people who believe analytics is absolutely key to their business, yet only 10% felt their company currently did it. “That talks to a certain anxiety among senior executives – treating the audience like human beings is really, really important.”

Kate Ivory agreed that Tech Mahindra had cleverly used the insights to develop a real solution, an efficiency index that allows executives to test the organisation’s performance against industry leaders. “They identified a problem, and they created a tool that was of genuine value back to the consumer. That’s the power of insights – to genuinely develop solutions.”

7. Be authentic.

Jamila Saidi reiterated the important of being authentic:“People see through the fluff, when you’re doing something for the sake of it or when you’re jumping on the bandwagon.”

It ties in with having your pulse on your customer base and really understanding your audience. She used Electronic Arts’ FIFA20 ‘Play Wrong’campaign, winner of the Media & Entertainment, category as an example”

“They did a fantastic job with their segmentation, really tapping into their audiences to understand them (it was a very different audience than they’re used to), which made everything so much more authentic, locally relevant and really believable. This made the storytelling even more compelling.”

8. Remember, judges are people too!

An important tip from Jamie Credland: ‘Tactically, when you’re writing your entry, remember, judges are people too and they respond to stories in the same way that your consumers do. So,get the judges emotionally engaged with your entry, and you’ll go a long way.”

9. Be prepared to throw it all away

Kate Ivory’s advice to ensure you’ve created an award-winning campaign:

“When you’ve gone through the process of creating your campaign, you’re about to hit go on buying the media, creating the content, just step back. Put yourself in your consumer’s shoes, the person that’s going to experience every element of this, and ask yourself, if you’re them, is it of any value? And if it isn’t, be prepared to put it in the bin and start again, because there’s too much clutter out there.”

 When the judges are going through the award entries, it’s the ones that offer real value that float to the top.

10. Be brave

As winner of this year’s Content and Leadership Award, it’s fitting Johan Jervoe gets the last word on how to create exemplary content-driven campaigns. Johan’s advice: “Be brave!”

VIEW WEBINAR

Five success factors for brand-media owner partnerships in content marketing

Choosing the right media owner platform for your content-led advertising campaign is key to success –  respondents to our recent “future of global content marketing” survey cited it as the 4th most important success factor, behind the story, authenticity, and creative execution.  We’ve invited our jurors for the 2019 World Media Awards to outline what they believe every advertiser and agency should look for in a great partnership with your media owner platforms.

In summary, the five key success factors they propose for choosing your media owner partner for global content-led marketing:

  1. A media owner with alignment on brand values
  2. A media owner you trust on brand safety
  3. A media owner with international standing, and local strength
  4. A media owner with a wealth of audience data and insight to inform your strategy
  5. A media owner with the human factor: the team must be flexible and solutions-oriented

And here’s why they say that:

Angela Everitt, Director of Creative Strategy EMEA at the Economist, suggested “brands should look for media partners that align with them on values and goals” in order to partner more effectively and thereby maximise the impact of the campaign. The importance of values was reiterated by several of our judges, with Johanna Krantz, Commercial Director EMEA at Reuters, questioning “Do they align with your brand ethos? Does their content support your brand messaging?” The values of a proposed partner, are undoubtedly an essential aspect to consider, and Jim Piercy, Creative Director for Custom Studios, EMEA/APAC at the Wall Street Journal, took this a step further, saying that beyond anything, what a successful partnership requires is trust: “Brand safety is an increasing concern, and clients need to feel comfortable with their partners and their partner environments.”

Being able to trust your partner also enables you to be confident that your brand image isn’t going to be damaged by the collaboration.

Carine Gailliez, Content and Media Director at the Renault Group, highlighted the importance of the insight that a partner can bring to a campaign, with a strong focus on metrics, saying that above anything it was essential that a partner could provide “data to drive insight, data to understand the mindset of the audience [and] data to think, adapt and activate” the advertising strategy. Richard Stokes concurred with this notion, stating that he was interested in “audience insight, the ability to target discreet and interesting data sets”.

For global content-led marketing, Pierfrancesco Petrosillo, Head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising, valued “the ability to combine an international standing with a local strength,” an idea that Tanya Robinson, Global Brand Director at the National Geographic, echoed when she that one question you should always ask is “what is their footprint in your international campaign and how can you use their distribution to your advantage?”

It is clear that a successful partnership relies on aligned brand values combined with local insight and supported by data, but the human element is also a factor. Alison Tyrell, Head of Content (Marketing and Media) at Spark Foundry, suggested that along with these ideas, you need “flexibility and a solution-orientated team,” before continuing to explain that “working with ‘no’ people is a bottleneck to progress.” Beyond the resources that a partnership can provide, it’s also essential to ensure a conducive working environment where ideas can flow freely.

Brand and media partnerships are an inescapable element of many successful international content-driven campaigns and we aim to celebrate these at the World Media Awards 2019 – with a category specifically for “Best Brand Media Owner Partnership”.   If you think you’ve already cracked it and have a campaign from 2018 that demonstrates how a strong brand-media owner partnership can deliver great results, then we look forward to receiving your entry!

Enter the World Media Awards at www.world-media-group.com/awards by 7 February 2019.

What makes great content-led advertising?

What makes for great content-led advertising? And what makes for great international content-led advertising?

As we begin to look forwards to the challenges and opportunities of the new year, I think it’s also important to take a moment to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. Twelve months of effort and determination is no small thing, and we all deserve a chance to congratulate ourselves for the work that we’ve done!

The World Media Awards were created to celebrate the ingenuity and strategic planning involved in implementing international, content-driven advertising strategy and, as we move into 2019, we are looking for the best work from the past year. Caroline Foster-Kenny, CEO EMEA at IPG Mediabrands and one of our three co-chairs on the World Media Awards Jury believes that “Creating a multi-market campaign that really resonates is lightning in a bottle. It takes big thinking, painstaking research and close collaboration between local teams.” It is for all these reasons that the World Media Awards seeks out the best and brightest international content-led marketing campaigns from across 2018 in order to celebrate the hard-work, creativity and dedication of the team behind each one.

Having convened an independent jury of senior and experienced marketers, we have the perfect opportunity to find out what they believe are the hallmarks of great content-led advertising. Our judges have numerous suggestions of what might indicate an exceptional campaign, but there were several ideas that recurred throughout their responses: originality, human truth, and tangible results.

There’s a world of content out there and it is more important than ever for a campaign to have that spark of genius that helps it stand out: as Tanya Robinson, Global Brand Director at the National Geographic, puts it “entries that make you sit back and think – that give you an “AHA!” moment since they’re unique and well-researched.”

Alison Tyrell, Head of Content (Marketing & Media) at Sparkfoundry also agreed that she was looking for “Out-of-the-box thinking… Something that demonstrates they found an alternative and different route to solving their challenge – as quite often solutions (whilst possibly effective) can be lazy and lazy doesn’t shift the standard we set.”

Original and creative work has the potential to have a genuine impact on the target audience, above and beyond meeting the KPIs. And often the key to this is another of the judges’ suggestion of what makes a great advertising strategy – engaging the consumer on an emotional level.

Alex Wood, Europe Editor at Forbes suggested a combination of originality and tapping into that human truth – he is hoping to see campaigns that “touch consumers emotionally through strong storytelling, as well as innovative uses of new technology.” However, designing an advertising campaign that connects with the target audience emotionally comes with added difficulties when thinking about a cross-border marketing strategy. Brodie Reid, Global Manager, Brand & Content, at Tourism New Zealand explained that “the very tricky challenge is finding a truth or insight that is relevant globally… Those truths are very hard to find on an international level.”

The best way to demonstrate that a content-led advertising campaign has successfully engaged with these global truths and connected emotionally with the target audience is by measuring the results of the campaigns against the objectives laid out during the initial planning stage. Richard Stokes, Global Head of Content at Wavemaker, said that he would be looking for  “meaningful content which consumers actively seek out [and] clear business outcomes of this effort and investment” whilst Thibaut Portal, Global Media Hub Leader at Pernod Ricard, suggested that winning campaigns would demonstrate “ideas or strategies that directly impact in a tangible way the business of a company by opening new business streams.”

Content-driven marketing campaigns have great potential to drive both brand awareness and engagement. As Jim Piercy, Creative Director of the Custom Studios EMEA/Asia at The Wall Street Journal and one of our co-chairs, said “When done right, content is a great way to drive a deeper engagement with an idea, a product and, by extension, a brand.”

 

We look forward to seeing how you have overcome your own challenges and created strategically clever, award-worthy campaigns.  And of course to celebrating your success!

 

Enter the World Media Awards at www.world-media-group.com/awards by 7 February 2019.

Content Tips and Top Picks from Adam Nunn

PHD’s Global Business Lead and World Media Awards judge shares insights into his content philosophy and his personal tastes.

Adam Nunn is Global Business Lead at PHD Global Business, London, as well as a globetrotter, adventurer and a judge for the World Media Awards which are now open for entries until 25th January 2018. You can enter here. Here are his thoughts and advice to potential entrants on what makes for great cross-border, content-driven advertising campaigns and a little bit of insight into what makes him tick.
About content:
LBB> What are you hoping for most when you judge the World Media Awards?
AN> To see some great, inspirational campaigns that are rooted in a clear, simple insight and demonstrate real creativity.
LBB> What advice can you give potential entrants for creating a winning entry?
AN> Keep the entry short, simple and to the point. Be clear on the insight, how the activation supported it and the results
LBB> What are the most important factors to consider when creating content-led advertising? 
AN> Make sure that it is a story/subject that the brand has the credibility to associate with and ensure that the length/lengths work and aren’t simply because ‘we need a film’. If working with a media partner, make sure that they are a proper fit with the brand and not a forced marriage. Allow the content to tell the brand story – resist the temptation to fill the content with unsubtle logos.

Content Creating Tips from Visit Faroe Islands’ Guðrið Højgaard

After winning the Travel & Tourism category at last year’s World Media Awards, the CEO of Visit Faroe Islands is returning as a judge.

Guðrið Højgaard is Director of Tourism – CEO at Visit Faroe Islands and a judge for the World Media Awards, which are now open for entries until 25th January 2018. You can enter here. Having won the Travel & Tourism category at last year’s World Media Awards, here are her thoughts and advice to potential entrants on what makes for great cross-border, content-driven advertising campaigns; plus a little bit of insight into what makes her tick.

LBB> Why should agencies/advertisers enter the World Media Awards? 

GH> Firstly, because the world’s leading media companies are partners in the World Media Group network (who host the awards); plus, this is a ‘content-driven award’ rather than just ‘one more advertising award’.
LBB> What are you hoping for most when you judge the awards?
GH> To see how companies approach challenges with great communications.
LBB> What advice can you give potential entrants for creating a winning entry?

VIEW FULL INTERVIEW

 

Four questions to answer before creating and distributing content

Content is the most elastic word currently in use across the industry. It is used with increased frequency but with an inverse sense of clarity regarding its definition. Alex Altman, Managing Director at MEC Global Solutions & co-head judge of the World Media Awards defined four key questions we need to ask ourselves before creating and distributing content. Read the full article

3 key learnings from developing global content-driven marketing campaigns

So the deadline has passed and all of the entries are now in for the first World Media Awards. Thanks to all of you who have entered in our inaugural year and for the support of everyone who has helped us make them happen.

With nothing to do now but wait to see which campaigns have made the shortlist (to be announced mid February), Eva Barrett, Global Head of Brand Marketing Communications at Philips – and a World Media Awards judge – has given us her insight into how to plan for a successful cross-border content campaign:

Be clear on your audience

Before embarking on your content marketing campaign identify and understand your audience. Develop a clear brief for your media agency that outlines your key objectives and your audience. Ask for detailed insights into your audience’s media consumption behaviors, which publications are the most relevant for your audience and detailed analytics.

Understand the key priorities within your business and how they could develop into stories

Research, research, research. What are the most compelling areas within your business that allow you and the journalists from the publication to tell a story that your audience will find engaging and interesting?

Work directly with the publication

If the publication understands your business and your strategy they’re going to develop better content for you. Invite them to your key events, research and development meetings, they are journalists and they’re looking for a great story.

I’m sure we’ll see evidence of these three fundamentals of content-planning in the entries. Good luck to everyone who has taken the time to submit their work – we’ll be in touch very soon to let you know who’s in the running for one of our stunning awards.

The lowdown on creating award-winning content campaigns

Content. It’s a small word for a massively important element of marketing that has been embraced by advertisers and publishers alike.

Read the full article by Belinda Baker, outlining the key points of how to create award-winning content campaigns.

Belinda is owner of BSB Media and director of the World Media Group, which is currently running the World Media Awards for international content-driven advertising campaigns.