Once again this year Stroom was present at Emerce Eday. Emerce's largest annual event. With mainly international speakers ranging from Google to BBC to NASA. We were there and are happy to share our insights.
Key learnings Emerce Eday:
First forms of branded content
Nowadays, branded content plays an increasing role in brands' marketing activities. Sometimes it seems like everything is sponsored these days. The question travels how credible are influencers, newspapers and talk shows anymore when everyone can buy off their spot at the table? And aren't brands forcing us into a corner to like what they want?
If we go back to the 1970s/80s, we see one of the first forms of branded content there. PGP, better known as Procter & Gamble Productions had its own production label at the time. It was about daytime TV that few broadcasters had yet found a good content for.
England's Unilever jumped into that gap. They made mainly TV series to reach the messenger (in those days, women). The shows were about everyday and household life. Of course, all the matching products from soap to brushes were deliberately promoted in the immensely popular series. Thus the early stages of branded content.
Culture plays big role for brands
It is striking to note that PGP had a strong stake in creating and making visible American culture and "real life" on TV. Over the years, brands have become increasingly involved with media in forms of music and images.
Consider Bill Cosby, one of the first influencers when it comes to product endorsement. The actor was featured daily on his show and partnered with Jell-O. The actor and the brand were indistinguishable. Cosby was Jell-O and Jell-O was Bill Cosby.
Offline events = online ambassadorship
If you get a chance to hear how NASA handles content about Mars, Jupiter, Meteorites, etc. you should attend. NASA is not allowed by the government to work with sponsored coverage. On average on social media with an audience of 1 million, you only reach 2% of your follower base, with organic posts. So how do you build a community when you have to compete against the algorithms of the Facebook and Google?
NASA's key learning is by personally engaging your audience, you create super brand fans who influence others as well. By giving people face-to-face glimpses of VR experiences on Mars, speeches and explanations of launches, NASA is able to engage audiences with "no" money.
Because when the government is shut down for any reason, NASA has to stop reporting. A few years ago, such a "government shutdown" lasted 10 days. Ten days of no reports on meteorites and Mars.
That's when NASA's community created the #ThingsNASAMightTweet. People took over the messaging; monitored meteorites, took on topics and worked night shifts for NASA.
Our main learnings at Emerce Eday are old theories applied to today's practice. Actually nothing new under the sun, but good to hear again.