The ICCO Global Summit which took place in Oxford, UK, from 29-30 September, 2016 offered two days of great conversations with colleagues coming from all over the world. MSLGROUP's SVP & Chief Strategy Officer, Pascal Beucler was invited to discuss why Branded Content and Entertainment are a new boundary, and a sweet spot to hit for PR professionals.
Based on Pascal's experience last June at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, as a juror in the newly created Entertainment Jury: this has been a week-long fantastic experience, evaluating how talent and ample narrative formats can elevate content into the cultural mainstream.
3. There is a growing
disenchantment with
traditional intrusive
advertising formats,
whether off-or online
4. Especially among the most influential and sought-after
demographic: Millennials
…and they aren’t starved of
options that cater to their
distaste for ads
Millennials comprise more than 40% of those
who use ad-blockers1
40%
Source: Insvep Marketing
5. Engaging content is what’s engaging people
Whether an event, a show, a video or
a TV series: these are today the ample
narrative formats which are engaging
people and capturing their attention and
interest
Brands must go beyond brand-centric
communication, and offer people-
centric, worthy experiences, fun,
creative storytelling.
6. Great content is the currency for engagement
branded content
• facilitates easy sharing
• informative in a fun way
• can go viral
native content
• helps build relevance
• amplifies engagement
opportunities
• offers high visibility
experiential
marketing
• creates brand awareness
• helps create emotional
connect with the brand
• stimulates buying
7. Echoing the above, here’s what we looked for
at the Entertainment Jury in Cannes:
Quality of content:
never intrusive,
always attractive
8. Echoing the above, here’s what we looked for
at the Entertainment Jury in Cannes:
Relevant to the brand/the
organization: needs to be
suggestive
9. Echoing the above, here’s what we looked for
at the Entertainment Jury in Cannes:
Entertaining in form, for
sure, but it goes beyond just
amusing: the narrative needs
to create a deep, emotional,
relationship between the
brand and people
10. Echoing the above, here’s what we looked for
at the Entertainment Jury in Cannes:
Effectiveness: whether from
a Corporate or Commercial
standpoint, results must be
visible, tangible, measurable
(from Conversation to
Reputation & Commerce)
11. Breaking news: we’ve been uberized!
The only PR guy in this Branded Content &
Entertainment Jury, I felt the paradox where
we stand: no project was submitted by a PR
agency, but many awarded projects included
a strong, decisive, PR component…
Disruptions & Convergence
The age of convergence has been foretold: it’s here
13. This omnipresence of the internet is a golden opportunity
for brands to:
creatively engage with people,
unleashing the power of
emotional connections
develop meaningful,
long-lasting brand-consumer
relationships
Big data Mobile apps
Augmented
Reality
VirtualReality
Communications
14. • The Displaced highlights the power of
experiential content platforms like VR to
immerse people in an engaging manner
• Content like this gives the concept of
brand experience a new dimension
• The reality is virtual; the emotion is real
• It’s not about understanding, it’s about
feeling
• It’s just the beginning of a massive
VR revolution, which will also impact
our industry, both on the Consumer
and on the Corporate side
The Displaced, The New York Times, Entertainment
Branded Content & Visual Storytelling, Innovation in
Visual Storytelling and Branded Entertainment, entered
by vrse.works, Los Angeles
The Displaced
15. Creating a meaningful relationship
Dream Adventures by Expedia The Museum of Feelings by SC Johnson
16. Creating a meaningful relationship
The Field Trip to Mars by Lockheed Martin The Next Rembrandt by ING
…and many other projects have demonstrated the new powers of Tech
18. What was prophesied long ago
is a loud reality today:
the smartphone has become our
most vital link to our world and to
the world around us
it has also, along with other
connected devices, become an
indispensable asset for
marketers across sectors
Source: Flurry Analytics, comscore, Pandora, Facebook, Netmarketshare, Note: US Jun 2015
90% of Time on Mobile is
Spent in Apps
19. the ubiquity of connected
devices can be leveraged by
brands to reach people where
they are, and at a time and in the
format most comfortable for them
the versatility of these always-on
mobile devices opens a
boulevard for creative ideas –
see gaming & medical research
Social
networks
Mobile
apps
Mobile
gaming M-commerce
Communications
20. From brand promotion to brand utility
LA under alien’s attack.
The power of mobile storytelling in interactive 360° mode
Helping scientists advance dementia research with
a product that is fun and interesting for users
The content format enables people to be active agents of
change, while having fun.
360 Google Spotlight Story: HELP Sea Hero Quest
22. Good Content is better content
No longer are brands shying away from
openly addressing pressing societal issues
Today, people want purpose-driven brands,
and businesses are increasingly trying to
make a positive contribution to society with
their “social impact” initiatives
Data: ColumnFive
of consumers say they mainly
share content to promote
causes or issues they feel
strongly about.
Probability of Making the Most-Shared List
Why Consumers Are Moved by
"Good" Content
Content marketing is most successful when it
communicates a message and compels the viewer
to share that same message. In a study of popular
New York Times articles, researchers found the
key to the content virality is to evoke an arousing
emotion, whether positive or negative.
23. Starting/actively engaging in a conversation around
social issues helps brands to:
engage with consumers in a
deeper, more human way
be coherent and consistent with
their purpose
Racial &
gender
equality
Sexual
orientation
Education Environmental
issues
Communications
24. “Just be 100% who I am”
With the Never Alone campaign,
Guinness starts an important
conversation about how society
perceives homosexuality in
traditionally ‘macho’ sporting
arenasThe brand makes a political
as well as moral statement on where
it stands as a business when it
comes to human rights
DIAGEO NEVER ALONE Clios
25. The New Way Nike Is Going After Women
• “Nike’s women’s continues to be one of
our biggest opportunities,” Jayme Martin,
a Nike vice president told analysts during
an investor presentation last year. ”
• The content is packaged in a format
highly consumed by the target audience,
and in a narrative that’s relatableHighly
relevant for Millenials: discovering who
they are and what drives them
• Episode 8 already!
Margot vs Lily by Nikewomen
26. “Who spends more time outside,
a child… or a maximum-security
prisoner?
Free the Kids - Dirt is Good.
Persil, Unilever”
The perfect bridge between
purpose and societal concern
Free the Kids - Dirt is Good
29. 70%
Today,
of companies that deliver
outstanding customer experience
rely on customer feedback
Brands no longer operate independently
when it comes to product development
and innovation
Consumer-driven innovation is at an all-
time high; today, companies are relying
more than ever on consumers and
employees for ideas
Crowdsourcing, co-creation, collaboration
– a norm, no longer an exception
30. Crowdsourcing helps companies:
give consumers more power
and choice
gain more insights for
innovation
Product
ideas
Customer
feedback
Content Product
launch
Communications
31. Always Girl Emojis
• 72% of girls feel that society limits them, by
dictating what they should and shouldn’t do.
Even on their phone.
• They may seem small, but emojis are more
than just funny faces.
• They’ve become how girls express themselves
in text and online.
• But emojis don’t represent girls.
• With this collaboration, Always is receiving
ideas from the target audience that actively
uses emojis: teenage girls
• It also plays a role in furthering the effort to
break gender stereotypes, closely connected
to Always’s brand image
32. Not just a wave: a tsunami in Cannes
The Swedish Tourist Association & User Generated
Content: you call Sweden, « a random Swede » – or the
Prime minister – answers. Hilarious.
Foot Locker: You tweet what you want your fave basket
player to do, and it works.
The Swedish Number Foot Locker x James Harden
33. Not just a wave: a tsunami in Cannes
When the new Burger King “Grilled
Dog” is lauched by the staff himself.
Burger King Training Video Grilled Dogs ft Snoop Dogg
34.
35. From Public Relations to People Relations
Let’s reinvent PR, lead the
change, and keep the lead
in the global
communications industry