Communication is a tool through which people share conversation, exchange opinions and provide information. Due to the Internet, society is more digitally connected and transparent than ever before. Online forms of communication deliver news in real-time to content seekers via blogs, social media platforms and digital news publications. Such channels have broadened the range of who sparks the conversation, what information is offered and how the perspectives and decisions of readers are influenced.
The GMCS group’s mind was shaped by exploring this concept from a discussion at the London School of Economics and visits to the Comcast/NBCUniversal and Ogilvy & Mather offices.
LSE Lecturer in Media and Communication Dr. Nick Anstead led the seminar for Thursday’s Global Media and Communications Seminar session. In his address, the New Political Communication: Hopes and Fears, Dr. Anstead provided a historical account of communication in the political realm, with emphasis on the internet as a new technology and it’s importance. Dr. Anstead outlined the dangers of the internet as “‘clicktivism,’ censorship and coarsening,” because the content shared cannot be easily controlled by the government, uneducated readers can misinterpret information and it can spark activism. He theorized there is a “sensible middle ground” to this debate. The four most intriguing theories Dr. Anstead outlined included:
- Risk Aversion and Calculation (Stromer-Galley, 2000): Since politicians view the new technology of internet as “risky” an incentive is needed for them to utilize these forms of communication.
- Increased Use of Data Management (Howard, 2006): Political campaigns which use big data to understand their audience and transfer this knowledge into targeted campaigns have the advantage to influence swing voters.
- New Elites (Hindman, 2008): The Internet has caused an emergence of influential political bloggers that use online forms to communicate, similar to traditional mediums.
- Shifting Opportunity Structures (Cammaerts, 2011): Digital communication presents a new advantage to how a political party crafts its communication strategy and what impact or benefit it will have on a particular audience.
Dr. Anstead concluded: “Outcomes are generated by an interaction between characteristics of new media and older facets of political life — institutions, wealth, and, especially, power. We need to need to look for different ways to measure impact of new communication technology. The information society — and the norms and expectations that come from it — is an everyday reality and will do much to shape people’s expectations of politics and government.”
The executive strategy team at Comcast/NBCUniversal London provided an in-depth introduction to how marketing is executed for film. The area of digital integration was the most interesting perspective . NBC Universal Vice President of Digital Marketing Chris Massey provided an overarching strategy of digital engagement. Devices (i.e., mobile, tablet and computer), social media platforms, content (i.e., trailers, interactive, images, etc.) and measurement (i.e., clicks, likes, shares, analytics, etc.) are the areas of importance for digital strategy. Massey described the TrueView, the five second ads that play prior to a YouTube video, as a new technology that challenges the advertisers ability to capture a viewers attention in a short time span. He noted the use of digital technology is about using creativity to engage audiences to drive the desired message and response.
Ogilvy & Mather UK CEO Cheryl Giovannoni welcomed the GMCS group and provided background on the agency and their award winning office. The executive team discussed the role of the structure of the account team and role of the ad agency. As some may know, the account team consists of a planner, account manager(s), creative, digital and production. The goal of the ad agency is to bridge the strategy gap between the client and their target audience. They shared a variety of case studies but the one most appealing was the Dove “Real Beauty” Campaign. One of the innovative digital methods they employed to engage women was creating banners ads based on positive messages shared via social media posts. Algorithms were used to capture these posts and repurpose them into banner ads. In one week’s time, this campaign generated 253 million impressions, in addition to producing 171 million banner ads and leveraging publicity along the way.
To conclude the day, Working Title Films secured tickets for the group to enjoy Billy Elliot The Musical, which they produced!
