Presentation for BUPRSSA's 2015 PR Advanced Conference: Breaking Boundaries breakout session, Content Creation and Viral Marketing.
This presentation shows how content goes from the mind of a creative to its various platforms and gives some best practices in getting content to go viral.
4. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
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Definitions
The Landscape + Importance
Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014
5. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
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Definitions
The Landscape + Importance
Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014
13. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
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Definitions
The Landscape + Importance
Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014
30. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
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Definitions
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Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014
33. Eaton My IT Empire
Infographics
To be successful, content does not have to “go
viral” in a traditional sense. Instead, brands should
start by defining their business objective, then
deciding how content, the way it’s created and
how it’s distributed meets that objective.
Instead of creating content that is absorbed by the
audience one-way, or simply commented on, Eaton
made the target audience content creators
themselves. An infographic wizard asked
professionals about their IT infrastructure, their
personality and their jobs, then visualized it in a
powerful, shareable infographic.
We increased familiarity with the brand by 34%
and sent them evergreen posters they will be proud
to hang in their offices – generating additional
impressions and top-of mind status.
34. LESSON #1
BRAND VALUE
TRUMPS VIRALITY
• Don’t assume you have to reach millions of people to be
successful – sometimes highly targeted content trumps
millions of views.
• Consider how to make your content an experience, instead
of just a consumable.
• Define clear business value-driven objectives at the start of
your initiative. “Going viral” doesn’t count as a business
objective.
38. MINI USA Lost &
Found
While ‘viral’ content of the past has been focused
on capturing the attention of users and their
friends, today, content is capable of much more.
Brands are getting ahead by creating content that
captures more than a like, comment or share:
they’re capturing leads.
As a way to activate partnerships with other like-
minded brands, MINI USA has created a fantasy
“Lost & Found” where items supposedly left behind
after test drives go to be claimed.
The brand posts “lost” items to its social channels
and partners post them to their unique social
audiences as well. Users then not only are exposed
to interesting content, but actually encouraged to
claim the items for a chance to win them.
In order to claim items, MINI USA captures the
individual’s contact information and thus also
captures them as a prospective car buyer.
39. LESSON #2
CONTENT THAT CAPTURES
MORE THAN ATTENTION
• Consider how content can help you capture more than
soft social metrics.
• Identify like-minded partners that can help expose your
brand to new, strategic audiences.
• Content is most powerful for brands when it is attached to
a clear call-to-action (CTA) that gives consumers an
obvious next step.
42. T-Mobile – Big 7th
Consumers pass along content to help it go viral
when brands strike a chord with the value
proposition of taking that action. In other words,
“What’s in it for me?” For some content, simply
sharing a funny or poignant piece of content that
friends will want to talk about is enough. However,
to grease the wheels, some brands find new ways
to add value to consumers in exchange for their
willingness to share content.
When T-Mobile wanted to own a moment during
the World Series, Jack created an initiative to
appeal to a tradition fans already know and love:
the seventh inning stretch.
Consumers and major digital influencers were
invited to be part of the biggest seventh inning
stretch ever (valuable in and of itself), but then
increased value further by giving them a chance to
appear in a T-Mobile commercial during the World
Series, singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”
Consumers cared and shared, because of the
organic fit of the idea and the high value
proposition that participating, then sharing the
final user-generated commercial represented.
43. VALUE PROPOSITION
PROMPTS PASS-ALONG
LESSON #3
• Think about efficient ways to recognized large audiences.
• Engineer content where the audience becomes invested in
propelling content forward.
• Don’t just post and hope – use relationships with
influencers with established audiences to ensure that
content has advocates from the beginning.
46. LESSON #4
SOCIAL REACH THROUGH
SOCIAL CAUSES
Always #LikeAGirl
There are several ways to encourage pass-along
and, thus, virality ranging from humor to shock
value. One of the best ways to ensure share-ability
to align with a social cause that an audience cares
about.
When Always wanted to win the hearts women
everywhere, it created an emotive TV spot makes a
provocative, yet easy to support statement about
how society raises girls and how they see
themselves.
By accompanying the commercial with a simple
hashtag and launching it widely during the Super
Bowl, when a lot of buzz is about commercials
themselves, Always increased its chances at
virality.
The combination between a highly social period of
time and a socially relevant topic struck gold for
the brand, though some consumers misconstrued
the commercial as an initiative from Dove.
47. LESSON #4
SOCIAL REACH THROUGH
SOCIAL CAUSES
• Social causes can be powerful sharing motivators,
especially combined with the right audience and right
timeframe.
• Because brand association can be weak in viral videos,
differentiation and strong brand ties are important.
• Consider how your content touches people in a way that
motivates them to share your content as a reflection of
who they are as a person.
50. GoPro’s Video
Content
Sometimes, content partners can speak to the value
of brands in a way that is better or fresher than the
way brands can represent themselves. In addition,
sometimes these partners bring new audiences to
brands which they never would have had access to
before.
GoPro could focus its content on the many
technical features of the camera, but instead the
company engages content partners to do what
they’re good at: using the device in amazing
ways.
Through GoPro’s video content, the brand
essentially uses content production experts to
demonstrate the plethora of uses for the device,
bringing unique audiences and perspectives to the
brand’s communications.
GoPro’s content creator strategy, combined with
likable, Internet-friendly topics, including dogs with
sticks, firefighters saving kittens and most recently
dub stepping owls maintains a high level of
ongoing virality.
51. LESSON #5
PARTNERSHIPS
ENERGIZE CAUSES
• Consider what partners have desirable audiences and
something to offer your brand.
• Create sustainable content strategies that engage
audiences in the long-term in a serialized manner, instead
of as a one-off.
• Be open to partners bringing their expertise and personal
style to the table – they often already know what their
audiences respond to.
54. ALS Ice Bucket
Challenge
Sometimes, the technical mechanics of how an
initiative works is as or more important than the
creative idea itself. In an extraordinarily
complicated media landscape filled with
technicalities, it can pay off to have perfectly
balanced initiative inner-workings.
Heralded as one of the most successful viral
movements in 2014, it is important to remember
that the Ice Bucket Challenge was an organic
movement – not one engineered to be as big as it
became.
In a happy accident, ALS nailed perfect mechanics
for the promotion through four things. First, heavy
reliance on video at a time when Facebook is
favoring video and video creation through
smartphones is at an all-time high. Second, an
unusual act that has a low-barrier to entry and high
entertainment value. Third, public pass along and
shaming of friends to get involved. Fourth,
widespread support from influencers with a very
specific request.
The results were astounding – even though many
didn’t donate money, the reach was so great that
many did.
55. LESSON #6
KNOW MECHANIC
NIRVANA
• Think
carefully
about
how
something
will
actually
work,
aligning
closely
with
consumer
technographics
and
behavior.
• Understand
that
viral
is
hard
to
create
–
the
ALS
ini@a@ve
was
an
organic
happening,
not
a
marke@ng
campaign
with
a
master
plan.
• Grab
a
first
mover
advantage
when
you
can.
Be
willing
to
take
risks
–
ALS
was
first
to
market
with
an
ini@a@ve
like
this.
Other
brands
will
try
to
replicate
this
success
and
there
will
be
diminishing
turns.
56. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
Let’s
Chat
#1:
#2:
#3:
#4:
#5:
Definitions
The Landscape + Importance
Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014
59. Creative Process / PIE2
_
P =
I = INSIGHTS IMPLICATIONS à IDEA
PROBLEM à POINT OF VIEW
60. Creative Process / PIE2
_
P =
I =
E = EXPERIENCE à EXECUTION
INSIGHTS IMPLICATIONS à IDEA
PROBLEM à POINT OF VIEW
61. The Creative Process
Experience Principles
Let’s
Chat
#1:
#2:
#3:
#4:
#5:
Definitions
The Landscape + Importance
Six Lessons from Viral
Brand Activity in 2014