Page 6 - Communicate

Q1 2018 | ADVERTISING

Where should you put

your money in 2018?

Story, voice, AI, and measurement according to Kantar Millward Brown’s predictions for the year

that allows a fragmented audience to decide what
they ‘let in’, share and reject.”
This is especially important as today’s largest
consumer bases, millennials and Gen Z, spend
most of their time in the digital ecosystem – one
that is a cohesive whole and not fragmented by
platform or channel. As the report says, “It is un-
like anything that older generations who watch TV
and read magazines have seen before in that it is
synchronized, sequenced, snackable and sharable.”

2. BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT TAKES CENTER STAGE.
Not an ‘ad’. The need for a new kind of storytell-
ing and audience’s aversion to ads gives rise to a
new form of advertising: branded entertainment.
“Branded entertainment usually involves a short
or long-form film, owned and funded by a brand.
It tells an overt or implicit story about the brand’s
purpose or values, and can be a documentary or
fiction. Distribution is via TV/streaming networks
or through theatrical release in cinemas or online.
Branded entertainment can also include sponsored
content created by publishers (native content),
lobal research agency Kantar Millward Brown or even product placement,” explains the report.
Greleased its annual Media and Digital Predictions Think of The Lego Movie or the DC Com-
for 2018 for the tenth consecutive year outlining ics and Marvel franchise. Closer home, in Dubai,
the biggest trends, challenges and opportunities branded entertainment has gone even beyond to
through the year. theme parks. Unsurprisingly then, brands, media
With the rapid growth of technology, and owners and agencies are setting up their own branded
consequently, media, advertising and marketing entertainment divisions. Blurring the boundary
is evolving at a faster and more unpredictable between advertising and documentary formats,
pace than ever before. “The challenge with non- agency AMV BBDO recently produced a short
traditional forms of advertising is how to prove film for Guinness telling the story of the Compton
effectiveness; whether the objective is to make Cowboys. And to showcase examples of branded
people more aware, change perceptions, or take entertainment, the Brand Film Festival has been
action,” says Jane Ostler, managing director, me- set up in London and New York.
dia and digital at Kantar Millward Brown. “The In light of this emerging trend, Ostler advises,
impact and return on investment can be compared “Marketers should explore the potential for their
directly with other brand and behavioral metrics, brands to provide long-form entertainment as a
but brands must be clear about their objectives different way to reach audiences, without using
and consider how to measure effectiveness early paid-for media channels.”
in the process.”
3. VOICE SPURS ADOPTION OF SMART DEVICES.
1. ADVERTISERS WILL START WITH THE STORY. Hey Siri… Users with failed ‘Hey Siri’ attempts
Again?! While ‘storytelling’ has been a common might not think so, but if Amazon’s Echo and Alexa
buzzword in advertising and marketing circles, are anything to go by, the future of voice-fueled
it is now taking on a new meaning with social smart devices is bright. Although the adoption of
platforms literally creating ‘Stories’. connected devices, despite its huge potential, has
Rather than thinking of executions and formats, remained low, “voice control may just prove to be
advertisers will now start with the story and then the panacea that smart device manufacturers have
look at how to tell it across channels. The report been looking for,” says the report.
states that “this content will be digitally-led, and A recent survey conducted by Kantar Millward
often long form but created in a way that sparks Brown found that just over one in five people online
a multitude of creative assets that can be custom- in the US claim to have a voice-enabled system
ized to Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. and like Echo, Google’s Home or Apple’s HomePod.

6 I Communicate