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Content is king
“the content
or message should always
come first,” says
Aimée Ravacon
, Group
Manager at jg Communication.
“If you don’t know what is relevant to
your audience, you don’t need a website,
magazine or social-media. The content is
what makes your brand attractive and your
audience do, think and feel. It is where com-
munication begins.”
“We work with stakeholders to develop
a content platform based on the company’s
brand strategy and business and communi-
cations goals. Once the platform is in place
– ensuring that the content always supports
the company goals – we put it into play using
the right channels.”
Word of mouth is more important than
ever, whether your story is communicated
face-to-face or digitally. “Content needs to be
worth sharing,” Ravacon says. “But this is also
a ruthless environment where a small mis-
take can spiral out of control. We guide our
clients through a changing communication
landscape, finding the best options to spread
their content and see that it is being shared.”
There is also greater focus on return on
investment, where customers want to meas-
ure the success of their activities. “We work
with clients to set targets for communica-
tion, before choosing channels or starting
production,” Ravacon says. “It all comes back
to starting with your content. With today’s
information overload, it is more important
than ever to get the right message to the
right people at the right time.”
•
How to be in
social media
the corporate view
of social media
has been evolving, from ad hoc campaigns
to a more strategic approach: from “we
have to be on Facebook” to a continuous
presence in social media. “Customers want
a social-media strategy that will last,” says
Fredrik Almgren
, Digital Producer at jg
Communication.
“We see the various channels finding
their own niches. Investor relations might
not be on Facebook, for example, but rather
on Twitter because it is more about news.
Twitter is push; Facebook is dialog; blogs are
for thought leadership.”
According to Almgren, the next two to
three years will bring continuous change.
“And because everything is changing so rap-
idly, it is important to evaluate what has been
done before, and adjust for the future,” he
says.
“Much of our role involves listening to
clients’ day-to-day challenges. We help them
develop and implement their strategies so
they can use social media to reach their com-
munications targets.”
The initial challenge is to identify the tar-
get group. “Then you find the platform to
reach them,” Almgren says. “Then you look at
what subjects this group wants to talk to you
about on this platform.
“Our clients and their customers are now
having a true dialog. With the right tone and
qualities, social media help build a brand and
answer customers’ questions about a com-
pany.”
•
Video is the future
video is becoming a greater
com-
munications tool than ever. People see it
as a premium way to communicate their
messages.
“This is still a fairly immature market
though,” says
Kevin Lee
, Creative Director,
jg Communication. “Some clients are expe-
rienced in using film, and others aren’t. The
less-experienced see video as a replacement
for their written reports, and want to jam in
loads of fact-heavy information. The expe-
rienced ones see video as something that
inspires people, maybe even getting them to
read those written reports.
“Film really is an inspirational medium. If
you are using it to tell the story of a boy and
a kite, you don’t focus on the kite, its weight
and the tensile strength of the string. You
focus on the boy, on his story, on the joy he
gets from getting the kite up in the air.”
Lee points out that there is no shortage
of film out there. “YouTube gets 57,000 new
clips every minute of every day, and every
smartphone has a camera,” he says. “We
expect to see a lot more do-it-yourself films;
quick productions like video blogs or foot-
age from video conferences. We aren’t so
involved in productions like that. The area
where we can provide the greatest help is
with higher-value, longer-shelf-life, story-tell-
ing films that build brands and inspire.”
•
Aimée Ravacon
Fredrik Almgren
Kevin Lee
edita’s year 2011
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