Brands are putting more and more dollars into content. Nicole Sheffield, boss of NewsLifeMedia, told AdNews that two thirds of briefs now contain a content element that clients can use in their owned media and amplify in earned media. This year, that equated to one brief a week, she said.
Agencies are restructuring to get in on the action, with pretty much all media agencies now creating content and search agencies rebuilding client websites and hiring content creators in order to make them better products – and better ranking.
The problem is, not all content is created equal. Sheffield said clients are regularly "coming back disappointed" after outsourcing it to agencies (see June 27 print issue of AdNews for a special report on custom media and branded content for more details).
Hiring in house teams can be expensive, outsourcing it to entities that are honing a discipline not traditionally within their remit is also a risk. There can also be a lack of leadership, creating at best a disparate view and at worst, chaos, and ultimately a waste of what is becoming recognised as a corporate asset.
That has lead to companies hiring their own heads of content, ultimately overseeing an entire content department. Robert Rose, chief strategist at the Content Marketing Institute believes it will become an increasingly important role within corporate structures.
“The agencies have to come together and the actual departments of the company have to come together. Where we're seeing companies successfully bringing those things together is where they are actually getting someone in charge of content.”
Someone has to be across everything, without fiefdoms, he said.
“It is not just saying: brand is doing their content, corporate affairs is doing their content, figure it out. It's actually, putting someone in charge, whether it is someone already existing in the business or hiring for it, they are going to be in charge of content as a strategic asset and how we communicate broadly.”
Then the trick is how to make it consistent across all disciplines.
“Go figure how that works consistently and holistically at the brand level, the PR level, demand generation level, CRM.”
That, he said, is where it gets interesting, with brands realising its value and “recognising that content and the creation of it is itself a strategic process. It is an asset worth managing carefully.”
“So once the company realises that and starts to think about all of the different channels by which it is going to communicate that content, now it is a much easier argument to as to why [the head of content role] should exist as a function.”
“Then it is just a matter of 'how do we make it work across all of those different departments?', either with a participatory team from all the different departments or with a separate team that actually communicates to all the departments.”
Robert Rose was speaking to Paul McIntyre as part of an ADMA series of webcasts. Next up is John Kearon BrainJuicer agent provocateur (the French for shit stirrer). Get the details and watch it here.
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.