“Insight-driven storytelling that evokes strong human emotions connects with audiences today. Given the media and political environment that exists globally, audiences are looking for real, authentic and impactful ideas that will empower and lead to change. Brands who understand the pulse of their customers will be able to create strong, powerful bonds with their customers for life.” Said Priscilla Selwine, Executive Vice President Global | Gutenberg
In an interview with MediAvataar India, Priscilla shared her views on striking a balance between audience and marketer’s needs.
Here is the complete Q&A…
MediAvataar: How has marketing evolved over the last decade?
There are three ways in which marketing has evolved over the last ten years.
1. The integration of technology and marketing– with the rapid changes in technology, marketers have now had to adapt to new ways of interacting and engaging with their target audiences. It is an opportunity for brands who are at the forefront of these changes to adopt innovative ways of engagement with their key customers.
2. The increased focus on hyper-personalisation – Customers today expect brands to talk to them as individuals, addressing their specific need at the moment when that need arises. This behavioural change in today’s evolved customers has pushed marketers to embrace technology. They aim to provide hyper-personalised brand experiences by delivering the right message using the right platform.
3. The need for authentic brand experiences – In today’s world, brands are no longer two-dimensional. They have a voice, they have a tone and they have a personality to live up to, consistently. Customers expect brands to provide consistent and cohesive brand experiences across different platforms and to do so in a way that is authentic and representative of the brand’s true self.
MediAvataar: How do you look at digital media being the protagonist in any campaign?
There are three building blocks to any campaign. There is the content/ idea/message that marketers want to communicate, the platform where the idea comes alive and the promotion of the idea itself to get the word out. Digital plays a key role by empowering marketers with data and insights that help us power up ideas and craft campaigns that connect with customers. In some cases, digital platforms become core and central in the manifestation of the idea itself by leveraging technology to bring the idea to life. And last, digital gives marketers the power to reach the right audience at the right time at the click of a button.
MediAvataar: What are the strengths of today’s marketers, and what are the weaknesses?
The ability to understand the changing social, digital and technology landscape is a powerful tool for marketers. They know that in today’s world, this change is going to be a constant that they would have to master. On the flip side, marketers who are not familiar with new emerging platforms and don’t understand the new marketing landscape will struggle to stay relevant.
MediAvataar: Tell us about some of the campaigns that have stayed with you.
From the archives, the campaign that I still believe has the power to bring a change is the #likeaagirl campaign by always. It set out to turn a phrase that was used as an insult into an empowering message. The most recent campaign, the #bulletproofvoices campaign by the United Nations, is attempting to elevate the anonymity of human rights defenders in Cambodia who have been murdered to silence their ideas. I hope the campaign will be able to achieve what it’s attempting to do. Apart from that, I do love the #MaiBhiUmpire campaign that our team created for Kodak during the ICC world cup 2019. The #StayAhead campaign for Mphasis that has garnered numerous awards over the last couple of months is another one worth citing. This campaign draws from the insight that organisations are looking for partners that can work with them to help them stayahead of the next big tech. Both these campaigns delivered to the brief and identified and addressed real-world business goals.
MediAvataar: Content is king! – Your views?
Content is the backbone of any marketing programme. At Gutenberg, we understand this well. We have a horizontal-focused content team that builds strong narratives, taking different customer cohorts from the point of awareness to the last mile of a decision and beyond. We know that by mapping content narratives to the customer journey, we can not only connect with our audience but also use content marketing to deliver results for the brand.
MediAvataar: What do you think connects with the audience?
Insight-driven storytelling that evokes strong human emotions connects with audiences today. Given the media and political environment that exists globally, audiences are looking for real, authentic and impactful ideas that will empower and lead to change. Brands who understand the pulse of their customers will be able to create strong, powerful bonds with their customers for life.
MediAvataar: How should any brand approach integrated marketing?
Integrated marketing helps brands leverage the power of data and insights to build strong brand narratives that take their audiences through the customer journey by leveraging the right media. Marketers can use different media channels based on customers’ behavioural and media consumption insights. They can then put out a cohesive brand message that can be both powerful and impactful. An integrated marketing approach enables marketers to use technology to map the action and reaction of their audience segments through that journey by using metrics that measure this impact. Marketers who don’t apply an integrated mindset to their marketing programmes lose out on the power of the whole. They put out disparate brand messages that don’t yield a unified outcome and goal.
MediAvataar: List five trends that will make IMC more important than ever.
1. Personalisation will be a critical differentiator for brands who want to continue to engage with their audiences.
2. AI and chatbot technology will enhance how brands engage with customers, providing access and engagement at scale as well as permanently altering customers’ expectations on response times from a brand.
3. Data and insights will continue to guide and inform marketers on storytelling and building impactful narratives mapped to the customer journey.
4. Video and voice would be critical to incorporate in integrated marketing programmes, fuelling engagement and conversions.
5. AR and VR will continue to bring out the ‘unexpected’ in brand experiences and help marketers break through the clutter and stand out.
MediAvataar: How is Gutenberg addressing these trends?
At Gutenberg, our teams understand the importance of insight-driven storytelling and use tools and technology to tell a story. We understand that the best stories are the ones that take customers through the journey from awareness to action by using the right media vehicles to do so. We know that technology is continuously shifting the marketing landscape that we use today. We are always on the lookout for the next big tech that will change the way we reach out to our clients’ customers today. With technology, we understand the need for agility to get ahead of that change and partner with our clients to build ideas that address specific marketing and business goals.
MediAvataar: Any advice to all the marketers out there?
The rapid adoption of technology by new-age consumers forces us to rethink how we can use technology effectively. We can then address the marketing needs at different stages of a brand’s lifecycle. We must understand these shifts and push the envelope on creativity and innovation to build strong brand experiences that matter.