The 9th edition of VidCon US was held in Anaheim, California from June 20 to 23. The event, organized by Viacom, brought together more than 35,000 creators, brands, agencies and online video-lovers. Adviso was there to soak up all the new industry trends and take inspiration from the best content and influence marketing strategies on the market.
More recently, fake news took the web by storm in a number of ways. Whether with words, images or video, media and audiences need to be doubly careful when it comes to online content. Just think about all the shark photos flying around social media after the flooding caused by hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017.
The question is, is it the responsibility of the creator or the advertiser to ensure the legitimacy of online content? The answer, as you can probably guess, is a bit of both.
The arrival of these platforms in the digital ecosystem has brought about interesting opportunities for the talented creators who use them and the brands that collaborate with them. But with these new opportunities come new responsibilities.
How can you create relevant content for an area in constant growth?
Understanding your audience is a critical step as you define and develop a content strategy. Not only does it involve determining the age and origin of your community, but also learning about their digital consumption habits so you can offer content that brings real value. Beyond demographic data, there are ways to learn more about their favourite brands, their passions and the life events they are dealing with. To define the behaviour, motivations and goals of your target market, Adviso recommends creating personas. Then you’ll have all the information about your customers at your fingertips.
To do this, we recommend working with tools like comScore and Facebook Audiences Insights. They are teeming with relevant information about the digital consumption habits of users and will allow you to draw interesting conclusions on the types of content that might get them excited.
If the first goal is to reach your audience, the second is to satisfy them. Your brand and your product tell a unique story that belongs to you, so communicate your message wisely! Who are you trying to speak to? What do you want to say to them? How will you express it? Your message should always be adapted based on these elements.
VidCon highlighted the prowess of Patagonia, which generated awareness among its community of the environmental disaster caused by pipeline oil spills. By creating the mission #CrudeAwakening, Patagonia joined a conversation about current events that aligned with its brand values, and shared its message in an impactful way. The result: engaging content, a multitude of mentions and even a change in local legislation.
If your content’s subject matter requires you to take a position, ask yourself the following question: how should my brand communicate to defend this idea? And don’t worry, handing over the reins to a person or complementary brand who knows the issues better than you is a totally reasonable option. The key? Associate yourself with a partner who will know how to align your message with the idea in question as naturally as possible.
In Quebec, the National Bank decided to reach out to YouTuber Émile Roy to get generation Zers interested in personal finance. The YouTube channel Gère-toi, created by and for young people, offers content that’s at once educational, informative and above all different than what they’re used to consuming from the financial industry.
Soon after it launched, the videos successfully reached a ton of people and sparked animated discussions on real issues. It’s a great example of content that’s well-adapted to its target audience and of messaging that’s connected to a brand image.
