Jason Silva, host of National Geographic’s Brain Games, started off Content All Stars by pushing the audience out of their comfort zone so that they were ready to gain a fresh perspective on the power of awe to prompt innovation.
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Jason Silva Kicks off Content All Stars with a Shot of Awe
Embedding Technology in All Aspects of Your Content Strategy
It could be my bias, but I’m hard pressed to picture a content strategy that isn’t a digital content strategy. Even organizations that deliver via multiple channels (yes, even print-centric ones) must weave tech into their business plans and way of working. Yet there are still far too many organizations limping along on cumbersome content management systems or kluging together a patchwork of fixes to address emerging distribution channels and evolving marketer expectations.
As a long-time tech journalist, I admit that I look with envy at some of the pure-play digital media companies and their emphasis on smartly integrating technology across all aspects of their business. Consider Vox Media, which takes an approach to technology that is journalism-centric. Wait, no, digital journalism-centric. As Ezra Klein said when leaving the venerable Washington Post to join Vox, today’s journalists are “held back” by systems created to deliver print products. And I’m sure there are many who would echo the sentiment with regards to other systems designed for analog channels that have been adapted to accommodate digital.
Given that many organizations are still reliant on the bulk of their revenue coming from non-digital content, it isn’t surprising that their tech strategy follows suit. Yet the increasing emphasis on digital-first-strategy isn’t limited to journalists longing for tools that will allow them to quickly deliver data-driven stories optimized across multiple channels. Marketers are seeking data-driven solutions optimized across multiple channels as well. Clearly, developing tech strategies that align with these expectations is a must-have. Easier said than done.
But there are those who see technological disruption as an opportunity for innovation. At our new Content All Stars event, Jason Silva–who may be best known as host of National Geographic’s Brain Games (though he is gaining international notoriety as a futurist and digital philosopher)–is looking forward to exploring the technological forces that have blown up the media and marketing landscape and created an infinite opportunity for new ideas to be built up from the rubble.
The Weather Company is certainly no stranger to new ideas either. The company leverages data to drive content and marketing experiences in ways few others have yet envisioned, much less delivered. At Content All Stars, Vikram Somaya, GM of WeatherFX, will take the stage with Bob Ivins of Mindshare, who has the distinction of being the first-ever Chief Data Officer at a media agency. These two will discuss their partnership in exploring the frontier of how data can deliver real-time insights that create bottom-line value.
We’ll also hear from three of the disruptive thinkers on the Vox Media team–co-founder Melissa Bell, Chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff, and VP of Editorial Lockhart Steel (who joined the company after Vox Media acquired his Curbed LLC). They will discuss the company’s distinct approach to integrating technology into every aspect of its business, starting at the core with the creation of content through content management, delivery and monetization.
Join us at Content All Stars to gain insight into how technology can transform your media and marketing efforts and how you can transform the way you think about, develop and implement technology to power-up your content strategy.
Creating a Successful Content Marketing Strategy
Ninety percent of B2C marketers are using some form of content
marketing. However, according to the Content Marketing Institute, less than half of those marketers have a documented content strategy—despite the fact the most effective content marketing is based upon one. That said, creating an effective content marketing strategy is no small undertaking. There are numerous challenges and things to think about and prepare for, even if you are well on your way on your content marketing. We plan to address many of these issues at our new Content All Stars Event (September 18th in New York City) as we bring together best-in-class marketers and our members from leading digital content companies to share what works and explore what’s next.
Creating Powerful Content
Without a doubt the most important—and most challenging—aspect of any content strategy is building a content engine that will drive success. Few do this better than Red Bull, which not only takes its marketing message to the extreme in terms of its action-sports content, but also in terms of content creation, having founded Red Bull Media House in 2007. The company’s content-based marketing is second to none, as Managing Director Werner Brell put it, “We have been creating media assets from the beginning.”
“The mindset for launching Red Bull Media House was a natural progression of the company…For all of the athlete projects and events Red Bull created, which subsequently built this brand, cameras have been there. Everything has more or less been put on film. We have been creating media assets from the beginning,” said Brell. While his approach is largely to create original content to which Red Bull has exclusive license, the company also partners with media companies, ultimately maintaining “a laser focus on creating the best in action sports programming, centered around storytelling, high production value and overall progression in all aspects of sports event broadcasting,” said Brell. At Content All Stars, he’ll offer insights into the company’s trademark approach to content creation. “At the end of the day,” Brell pointed out, “it’s entertainment. You have to play by the rules of the audience, and they want to watch something engaging on an emotional level.”
Engaging Audiences
Undoubtedly, content creation – great ideas that tie your brand to your target audience or consumers — is the foundation of content marketing. And while Brell’s company has taken the proverbial bull by the horns, not every brand finds itself in the position to create its own media house. However one thing that all marketers can (and must) do is understand their audiences in order to create content experiences that attract and engage them.
As the company’s VP of Content and Global Creative, Ann Rubin 
said, “We strive for everything we do in marketing to have some utility, some purpose…for the [audience] beyond the brand message.” In its “Made with IBM series”, the company set out to tell its customers’ stories of transformation to offer actionable insights for others. Beyond creating compelling and popular content, the project brought the company closer than ever to its customers as the process of storytelling became a collaboration. At Content All Stars, Rubin will speak candidly about how IBM focuses on customers and content to transform its marketing into more than a one-way message.
Driving Results
Attracting and engaging audiences through content will take marketers a long way as they seek to build brand awareness and customer relationships that engender trust and lasting affinity.
An important and challenging area of marketing measurement is social media. Yet Claire Tavernier, Managing Director of the UK’s Channel Flip Media and founder of StoryTechLife, believes that social can help demonstrate high levels of engagement and that “these engaged viewers do have more value in the long run.” She will offer concrete examples of how social increases engagement that builds value at Content All Stars.
Yet the most effective strategic marketing plans must leverage these laudable goals to achieve measureable results. Data offers not only a way to know your customers beyond general demographics, but the ability to make highly-granular correlations such as “when the dew point is X, the temperature is Y, and the rainfall is Z…Here are the 15 products you should be selling right now,” according to the Weather Company GM, Vikram Somaya. At Content All Stars, he’ll team up with fellow data guru Bog Ivins, CDO of Mindshare, to show how data can not only provide consumer insights, but actually demonstratively drive consumer behavior.
Are you a Content All Star? If so, request an invitation to attend this first-of-its-kind event, September 18th at NYC’s Conrad Hotel to develop a content strategy that delivers meaningful results.
Content All Stars: Making the Most of the Media/Marketer Partnership
The most successful brands and media companies have one big thing in common: They know their customers and treasure the on-going relationship they have with them. They also both understand the power of content to connect with customers and offer them genuine value by engaging their passions, interests and concerns. Without doubt, the best content experiences arise when media and marketing teams work together to share knowledge about their audiences, insights about what’s worked and what hasn’t and are clear about goals and what’s achievable.
Recognizing the power of media and marketing teams is what we’re doing at our first ever Content All Stars event, which will be held in NYC’s Conrad Hotel September 18th. We are bringing together the best and the brightest from brands such as Red Bull, IBM and Goldman Sachs who will join media brands that include ESPN, Comedy Central, Vox Meda and The New York Times to explore this dynamic relationship by highlighting campaigns and partnerships that have pushed creativity and technologies, showcase novel perspectives from people outside our industry and tackle some current issues around trust and transparency that our industry is grappling with. Some of what we’ll cover:
The most successful brands and media companies have one big thing in common: They know their customers and treasure the on-going relationship they have with them. They also both understand the power of content to connect with customers and offer them genuine value by engaging their passions, interests and concerns. Without doubt, the best content experiences arise when media and marketing teams work together to share knowledge about their audiences, insights about what’s worked and what hasn’t and are clear about goals and what’s achievable.
Content and Customer Conversations
One-way messaging is so last-century. Today, content is a conversation with consumers and has the power to create meaningful and lasting connections. At Content All Stars, you’ll hear from Ann Rubin, VP of Branded Content and Global Creative, about how IBM transformed its ad campaigns into a collaboration with customers and truly transformed its marketing.
Data Drives Insights and Action
Data: Everybody’s doing it. But there are few who can elegantly illustrate how first-party data can actually move product off the shelves. Content All Stars features two of the smartest people in data—Vikram Somaya, GM of Weather FX and Bib Ivins, Chief Data officer of Mindshare—who will discuss their collaboration on turning customer insights into tangible marketing success.
Engaging Audiences: Essential, but not Easy
Attracting audiences is a challenge that media companies have faced since the Gutenberg press. Now that the digital media world is moving past a pure numbers game and wants not only audiences at scale, but truly-engaged audiences, it has never been more important. At Content All Stars, Bloomberg, ESPN and Refinery29 will reveal how they are not only attracting audiences, but interacting with them to create valuable audience-engagement.
Social Strategies that Deliver
Social Media has just got to be more than a mad scramble for friends and followers. At Content All Stars we’ll hear from Allison Kingsley, the VP of Digital Development at Comedy Central about how she takes a strategically social approach. And Channel Flip Media’s Managing Director Clare Tavernier will discuss how she factors social into her engagement strategy to drive quantifiable results.
… And we aren’t done lining up speakers yet. If you have a suggestion, email Michelle Manafy. Learn more about our keynotes or request an invitation. Check back for program updates.
We look forward to seeing you at Content All Stars!
Meet the OPA Content All Stars Keynotes: Soledad O’Brien, Jason Silva & Sarah Lewis
It is an exciting time here at the Online Publishers Association. Under the leadership of our new CEO, Jason Kint, we’re feeling renewed energy and enthusiasm for the digital media industry and the power of compelling content experiences. We are so happy to have an opportunity to celebrate the powerful collaboration between savvy marketers and trusted media brands at our new Content All Stars event September 18th at the Conrad Hotel in NYC.
We’ll deliver an all-star lineup of speakers to energize and engage attendees with their stories about the power of content to create trusted relationships with audiences, drive consumers to action and communicate what’s personal about brands. Read on to hear about three keynote speakers who are guaranteed to deliver insight and inspiration:
Soledad O’Brien was recently described as “a one-woman media storm,” O’Brien is an award-winning journalist, documentarian, news anchor, and producer. In June 2013 she launched Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production and distribution company dedicated to uncovering and producing empowering stories that take a challenging look at the often divisive issues of race, class, wealth, poverty and opportunity, through personal stories. O’Brien’s critically-acclaimed documentary series, Black in America and its follow-up, Latino in America, are among CNN’s most successful domestic and international franchises and she continues to produce Black in America for CNN. In addition, O’Brien is a correspondent for HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and a Special Correspondent for Al Jazeera America Tonight. She is co-founder of the O’Brien Raymond Starfish Foundation, which focuses on providing disadvantaged women with a higher education.
Watch Soledad O’Brien on the Daily Show with John Stewart
Watch Jason Silva’s TEDGlobal talk on Radical Openness
Watch Sarah Lewis’ TED talk on Embracing the Near Win
If you’ve participated in an OPA event before, you know what to expect: A room filled with the brightest and most creative minds in digital media and marketing enjoying a day filled with conversations, presentations and debate about the tools and tactics that will drive the continued growth and success of the digital content industry. If this is your first opportunity to join an OPA event, request an invite now. Space is limited.