1、Understanding the future for content-led marketing around the world RESEARCH REPORTNOVEMBER 2019Understanding the future for content-led marketing around the world 2The Future For Content-Led Marketing Around The World survey was conducted on behalf of The World Media Group,a strategic alliance of t
2、he worlds leading media brands who are committed to promoting award winning journalism and the role of international media.The objective of the Survey was to provide an update on the 2018/2019 Report and to expand the exploration of trends to provide a picture of how international content-led campai
3、gns are commissioned and implemented.The survey was circulated between 2 September and 7 October 2019 to advertisers,media agencies and media owners with international communications remits,and promoted via the World Media Groups social media channels.269 responses were received,providing views from
4、 around the globe.Asked to describe their primary role,the largest number of respondents 44%confirmed a planning/strategy role,with 11%working within client advertisers teams and 42%in agencies.This survey was conducted to provide insights for the strategic development of The World Media Awards,orga
5、nised by The World Media Group to celebrate great international,content-led advertising strategy.The World Media Awards are judged by an independent Jury of advertisers,agency representatives and content experts working within media owners.The World Media Awards are recognised by the WARC Media 100
6、successor to the Gunn Media 100 which tracks the performance of campaigns,brands,and agencies in advertising media competitions around the world.2019 Award winners include leading international brands such as Fox Networks,Audi,Credit Suisse,Amgen JAPAC,Deutsche Bank,and Formula 1.The 2020 Awards inv
7、ite entries in sector categories:Automotive;Corporate Influencer;Financial Services;Luxury,Lifestyle&Fashion;Media&Entertainment;Tech&Telecoms;and Travel&Tourism,as well as entries for the best Brand/Media Owner Partnership.In addition,the Awards recognise an individual working for an international
8、advertiser in the Content Leadership&Innovation Award.Breakdown of respondentsAfrica 29%South America 27%Australasia 29%South East Asia 36%Middle East 45%USA&Canada 41%Central&Eastern Europe 50%UK&Western Europe 86%Who do you work for?How would you describe your primary role?Advertiser 11%Agency 42%
9、Media Owner/Content Studio 34%Consultancy 13%Creative/Content 17%Planning/Strategy 44%Sales 19%Other 20%In which of the following regions are you involved/responsible for making decisions?Respondents selecting as many as appropriateIntroduction andMethodologyThe deadline for 2020 entries is 6 Februa
10、ry 2020.For more information,please visit www.world-media- the future for content-led marketing around the world 3The clear conclusion to be drawn from the 2019 Future of Content-Led Marketing Around the World survey is that advertisers,agencies,and media owners expect to see a growth in content-led
11、 marketing,with 80%of respondents to the survey predicting growth over the next two years.The content formats that will drive this growth include voice technology,AR,VR,audio and podcasts,personalisation.These are the formats that most respondents expect to use more in the next 12 months than they h
12、ave in the past 12 months.From the verbatim responses predicting the most exciting trends in content-led marketing,whilst the new technologies available to marketers are mentioned,there are also many assertions that the real opportunity for brands is to align themselves with issues and to be seen to
13、 be addressing societal and environmental problems.Brand or content activism is seen as a key route to engaging consumers.And engagement is key:cited most frequently as the marketing objective that a content-led approach is best for,followed closely by the opportunity to change perceptions.The KPIs
14、that marketers are setting for content-led campaigns better reflect this desire to engage than responses to last years survey suggested.Respondents are measuring shifts in brand perceptions,and time spent with content above other metrics.Creating and implementing a content-led marketing campaign can
15、 be a complex task.Our respondents work with a greater number of partners an average of 4.5 on content-led strategies vs an average of 3 partners on communication strategies without a content element.Responses to the survey from advertisers,agencies,and media owners also suggest some differences of
16、opinion in terms of who is best to lead on the different elements.A higher percentage of our advertiser respondents think they are best placed to lead on media strategy 43%than the percentage of total respondents who thought this 14%.Similarly,26%of advertiser respondents vs 15%of total respondents
17、think that advertisers are best placed to lead on social and PR strategy perhaps reflecting an industry trend toward the“in-housing”of media by brands.Working with a media owner who can offer a trusted,credible editorial environment is seen as key by over half 57%of the survey respondents,the most c
18、ited quality of a preferred media partner on content-led marketing campaigns.With 87%of our respondents having responsibility for content-led campaigns targeting multiple countries,the survey offers an insight into how brands are approaching international strategies.The majority,71%,adapt the global
19、 storytelling for local markets rather than applying a single global strategy,and 61%adopt a mix of English and local language.The most frequently cited key to successful international content-led marketing was to identify global values,themes,and trends,and find the relevancy for each local market.
20、Summary43%of advertiser respondents think they are best placed to lead on media strategy 57%of survey respondents cited that working with a media owner who can offer a trusted,credible editorial environment is key87%of our respondents have responsibility for content-led campaigns targeting multiple
21、countriesUnderstanding the future for content-led marketing around the world 4For the second year,this survey has confirmed the belief that investment in content-led marketing and advertising strategies will continue to grow.79%of all our respondents believe that content-led marketing campaigns will
22、 continue to grow over the next two years.A lower percentage of respondents this year 2%forecast a decline versus last year 4%.Forecasting growthDo you think that content-led campaigns over the next 2 years will grow,stabilise,or decline?Grow 79%Stabilise 19%Decline 2%We asked our respondents to tel
23、l us what they felt were the most exciting trends in branded content campaigns:the most frequently cited developments were voice technology,podcasts,video personalisation,AI,augmented reality AR and virtual reality VR.There was also a consistent theme in the responses stressing the opportunity for b
24、rands to align themselves with key issues and trends,to demonstrate a brands commitment to societal and environmental challenges this survey would suggest that“brand activism”or“content activism”is set to grow.The next big thing in content-led marketingWhen asked more specifically about the types of
25、 content they had used in the past 12 months,and the types of content they expect to use in the next 12 months,the responses indicate the greatest growth in use of voice technology,AR,VR,podcasts and personalisation.We can see an expected growth in live video and 360 video,and a reduction in short-f
26、orm and long-form video.Understanding the future for content-led marketing around the world 5 Last 12 months Next 12 months Difference 32%35%32%57%58%56%47%64%69%62%81%93%86%90%90%92%82%82%97%85%89%89%83%90%88%84%73%74%77%70%85%85%78%82%74%77%76%76%64%64%76%62%+57%+54%+51%+33%+30%+28%+26%+10%+8%+8%-
27、11%-3%no change-12%-13%-14%-16%-18%-18%-21%-23%Voice technologyARVRAudio/podcasts PersonalisationLive videoChat bots WebinarsHow-to guides360 videoEventsAnimationsShort form video InfographicsLong form videoCase studies Editorial style content Memes GIFs Social media posts White papers What type of
28、content have you used in the last 12 months and which do you think you will use in the next 12 months?Understanding the future for content-led marketing around the world 6Personalisation at scale,blending of content and commerce,more AR/live content experiences.A diversification in voices and public
29、ations will lead to a much richer landscape for both brands and publishers to exist in.The more that brands(and the publishers hoping to serve them)understand that consumers are becoming less and less“brand loyal”,the more exciting work can be done,constructing multi-faceted and layered approaches a
30、nd identities for consumers to engage with.How video/film will be a central part of the execution and how story telling will be a fundamental part of all campaigns.Content that is platform agnostic-not created for a specific platform,but able to adapt to be consumed wherever.The idea that we create
31、specific content types suited to specific platforms is becoming obsolete.We know that over 70%of brands can disappear and consumers would not care.You need for your brand to be in the 30%,and to be meaningful(making a societal contribution and providing well-being to the consumer).An increase in con
32、verged content across multiple platforms -more use of video and infographics for social sharing -use of content for employer branding differentiation as the rise of profits for purpose increases.Brands as trusted knowledge safe havens:facts-based content campaigns will increase the attractiveness of
33、 brand websites as credible expert knowledge hubs amidst the perceived message overload across multiple channels.The continuing drive for brands to be seen to be doing something for the environment and wider society eg.inclusion,diversity,sustainability etc.Content activism-content as a tool for add
34、ressing social and environmental problems.Alsoas personalisation increases and audiences reach saturation point,the quality of content and the usefulness of it will need to keep up with higher and higher expectations.Formats like VR and Chatbots-will no doubt reach tipping point and become universal
35、ly available-EEG technology will also come on stream-taking away the friction of pressing a button or a switch-leaving more space for content to tell a truly immersive story.Co-branding/partnerships with video/social media/gaming platforms Retail/In-store branded content,at a time where all the focu
36、s is on digital but brands like Sephora are more innovative than ever with brick-and-mortar content happenings.Media metrics performance changing the way creative is shaped for campaigns.What are the most exciting trends you expect to see in branded content in the next two years?Understanding the fu
37、ture for content-led marketing around the world 7Asked what a content-led campaign is best for,“Brand engagement”was the most popular response,with 34%citing this benefit,closely followed by“Changing perceptions”at 20%and“Aligning a brand with a trend,issue or topic”at 18%.Whilst there was consensus
38、 between all correspondents on these top three objectives for content-led marketing,its interesting to see a divergence of opinion between advertisers,agencies,and media owners on how effective content-led marketing is at delivering on some other objectives.Agency respondents were the only type of r
39、espondent who suggested that content-led marketing was good for lead generation 4%of agency respondents,and more advertisers than agencies or media owners said“increasing purchase intent”.Aligning Objectives and KPIsWhat do you think a content-led campaign is best for?Respondents selecting one All r
40、espondents Advertisers Agencies Media OwnersBrand engagement 34%35%35%33%Changing perceptions 20%22%23%20%Aligning a brand with a trend/issue/topic 18%17%15%17%Building awareness 11%13%9%15%Thought leadership 10%9%8%11%Increasing purchase intent 3%4%1%3%Lead generation 1%0%4%0%Other 3%0%5%1%Signs of
41、 a maturing market In the 2018/2019 survey,we discovered a mismatch between what our respondents perceive to be the best outcomes for content-led marketing and the KPIs that are set to evaluate success.Whilst brand engagement was the most popular objective,the most popular metric was an increase in
42、brand awareness and engagement metrics were cited less frequently.For this years survey,there is a better match between what content-led marketing is perceived to be good at,and how content-led marketing campaign results are measured.Whilst brand awareness is still an important metric at 27%,the mos
43、t popular KPIs are a shift in brand perceptions at 31%,and time spent with the content,at 28%.For the most recent content-led campaign you worked on,what was the main KPI?Respondents selecting oneShift in brand perceptions 31%Time spent with content 28%Increase in brand awareness 27%Likes/shares 6%I
44、mpressions6%Purchase intent 2%Understanding the future for content-led marketing around the world 8Unsurprisingly,responses to the survey demonstrated that content-led marketing campaigns can require more complex partnerships than“traditional”advertising.Our respondents work with an average of 3 par
45、tners where there is not a content component,and 4.5 partners on content-led marketing.To dig deeper into how content-led marketing campaigns are implemented,we asked our respondents to suggest who was best at leading on specific aspects the advertiser,the media owner,or what type of agency or consu
46、ltant?There was clear agreement that the advertiser brand team or in-house agency were best placed to work on overall campaign strategy-53%of respondents voted for this,with the next most popular choice being the media agency at 23%.Its interesting to see that the brand/in-house team,media owner con
47、tent studios,and creative agencies received an almost equal number of votes as best for content strategy 23%,22%,and 21%respectively.Content creation studio and media owner content studios then take the lead on content creation-37%stated content creation studios are best for this,and 31%suggested me
48、dia owner content studios as best at taking the lead on this.Unsurprisingly media agencies are seen as best to lead on media strategy with 75%of respondents suggesting this,but interestingly-when the advertiser responses are looked at separately-more advertisers say that they are best to lead on med
49、ia strategy than the average of the total respondents.43%of advertisers think brand/inhouse should lead on media strategy versus an average of 14%of all respondents thinking this.Implementing content-led marketing who leads?A content-led campaign can require a more flexible approach with multiple pa
50、rtners involved.In your experience,who would you say is best placed to lead on the following aspects:What do advertisers believe brand/in-house are best at vs.what average of total respondents believe?Brand/in-house Creative agency Content creation Media agency Media owner/content studio PR/social a