Last week I spoke at the Wired Content 3.0 panel discussion about “brands, convergence, content, distribution and the always-on consumer” at Advertising Week Europe, which took place in London. Here are some of my thoughts from the discussion. Join in on the conversation at #adweekeurope.
We’re living in a new era of hyper-connectivity where the previous models and conventions made about brand content consumption have been dramatically disrupted. Today, Multi-screen consumers are marketed to almost from the moment they wake up until they log-off in the evening. At the same time, competition for attention is fierce and brands must take every opportunity to make sure they stand out. But alongside these challenges are vast opportunities. New technology and constant connectivity opens the gateway to more creative and relevant content for consumers. Today, brands can transform their whole image in just the time it takes to watch a Vine, (which is 6.5 seconds according to the good people at CNET).
As a mobile operator, we’re seeing the ‘always on’ customer requiring less of the traditional in terms of mobile phone services. Users, particularly youth segments, want simplicity. In other-words no-frills, just low cost Voice, SMS & Data bundled packages.
An interesting example of this is the ad-funded model. This has been the default way of making money for many internet services, from Facebook to YouTube, but this model can also be applied to other areas – like mobile networks. Netzclub is a mobile phone operator in Germany which we own – the difference is that it generates incremental revenue from advertising through a mutually beneficial relationship with customers. Through ad-funded tariffs the customer gets money off their phone bill or receives additional minutes, text or data in return for advertising. So consumers pay less and advertisers benefit by engaging in a direct one to one relationship with the customers on their mobile.
However, regardless of the device or service somebody uses, the ultimate focus for brands should always be strength of the content they produce. Format can vary greatly but, if it is to make an impact on the saturated consumer, its quality can’t. Long form content such as 20 strangers kiss for the first time, an ad for clothes retailer Wren Studio, received 71 million views.
Similarly, Nickelodeon released the final episode of its comic series “The Legend of Korra” via its online platform and not its traditional TV platform. The episode required at least 10,000 reblogs to be broadcast on Tumblr, which encouraged engagement and interaction from fans. Brands can no longer take a top-down approach, content must be used to spark conversation and drive engagement – that’s where true value lies.
Great content is only truly great if it is relevant. Mobile customers leave a digital footprint of where they are and where they have been – these footprints present more than 1.5 billion real time tracked network activities. These rich data points mean greater relevancy for consumers and more intelligent insights for brands. All anonymised and aggregated, the data provides insight into various demographic and behavioral elements as well as location. For brands and agencies this level of insight is central to understanding and targeting users to make content more relevant and effective. At Telefonica we’ve seen a 200%+ increase in response rates when ads have been targeted to time, location and content – something that benefits both brands and consumers.
Marketing is evolving by the day. But some things remain constant throughout. While harnessing data to target users can be very beneficial, it meaningless if the content they receive isn’t powerful and engaging.
Create great content, and make sure it reaches the right people. Achieve these two goals and you’re guaranteed to make a lasting impression.
