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Producing quality content: think like a journalist

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@lsharif@kesslermichelle

Qualcomm is a B2B brand trying to gain visibility in the consumer space with its marketing

How can we make people care about tech internals (i.e., chips)?

Qualcomm’s challenge

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Brands are losing their grip on their own identities

Audiences are more skeptical than ever of brand messaging and advertising

Attention spans are shorter; news cycles are faster,

The changing landscape

The new realities for marketers and brands:

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Attention spans are shorter; news cycles are faster, relevance is harder to maintain

The volume of PR noise is deafening

Media outlets are cutting staff (and sacrificing quality)

It acknowledges that influencers more readily engage with non-fiction content than advertising messages

It deploys journalistic best practices and publishing processes to ensure content creation that is credible and

The solution: brand journalism

Brand journalism is an editorial approach to owned-content creation

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relevant

Brand journalism: A strategic framework

Public-facing content and messaging is under-pinned by our editorial strategy

An effective narrative needs

Facing the audienceInternal

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An effective narrative needs to understand its audience, tell a compelling story and include engaging characters

Our content strategy is expressed as a combination of a communication goal and a broadly applicable premise

Internal strategy

American Express OPEN Forum—a resource and advice site for small businesses. Site includes expert advice, profiles, and videos in topic areas such as leadership, marketing, customer service, and technology.

− Goal: to become the trusted go-to source for small businesses looking for advice.

Johnson & Johnson BabyCenter—a top site for parenting advice, community, and deals on baby gear.

− Goal: to build community around the J&J baby brand, inserting the brand into parenting decisions.

T. Rowe Price Connections—“finding opportunity in the global economy”; feature stories developed around a topic (such as coffee, genomics, robotics, etc.) written by T. Rowe experts and journalists.

− Goal: to pinpoint areas of financial trends and solidify the brand’s role as a trusted partner and resource.

Red Bull’s Red Bulletin—web site and print magazine focusing on extreme sports, lifestyle, culture, etc.

Brand journalism: examples

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Red Bull’s Red Bulletin—web site and print magazine focusing on extreme sports, lifestyle, culture, etc.

− Goal: to create a lifestyle around extreme sports, giving the audience more access than would typically possible.

What is Spark?

Drive discovery of Qualcomm’s vision and momentum,

using the principles of journalismGoal

Premise Make what’s inside matter

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Audience

Characters

Story

Those of us looking for the next amazing thing

The ecosystem of people passionate about Qualcomm’s

vision, and who are bringing it to life

We can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it

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Show people at their moment of passion− Documentary film

Curate & amplify news that is aligned with company brand (“momentum”)

What we do

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(“momentum”)− Link-heavy blog

Create content with an eye to sharing & co-creation (“discover”)− Video & photography

Demonstrate & enrich company’s connection to communities (“ecosystem”)− Live events & social media

The creators

Thought leaders

Veteran tech journalists

Insiders and Qualcomm analysts

The characters

The characters

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The characters

Inventors, makers, hackers, creators

People who are using technology as a force of change

What is an influencer?

Those who impact consumer perceptions and tastes about products or services

Those who act as an intermediary between the company and the public, pointing out pros and cons of designs and functionality, which ultimately influences the companies themselves.

What motivates influencers to share?

The audience

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What motivates influencers to share?

Shiny, new solutions to problems

Social and professional currency of finding something first

Innovation and/or controversy

Fear of missing out

How they discover content

PR outreach

Meetings/exclusives

Friends

A social shareable expression of the Live News feed

Social media strategy

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A channel for engaging with influencers in real time

A distribution channel for Spark content that will drive engagement

Examples

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OwnedMedia

Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Where are we driving them? What are they going to do there?

Qualcomm content marketing: A three-part approach

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Earned Media

Journalists | Bloggers |

Social media users

Who are the people we can reach? How and why will our target group share the

experience?

Paid Media

Online ads | Offline ads |

Content syndication

How do we amplify the content with paid media while

maintaining its journalistic identity?

Qualcomm

content

marketing :How do we provide utility

or delight consumers?

CLASSICAL INTEGRATION

CLASSICAL INTEGRATION

Key takeaways

HYBRIDDistribution

PULLDiscovery

PUSHSeeding

Content engagement

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DistributionDiscoverySeeding

Measurement

Find the best contributors

Maintain an authentic, unbiased approach

Invest in quality content—great stories don’t come cheap

Key takeaways

Produce compelling content

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Run it like a newsroom—hire journalists, not PR reps

Adhere to editorial premise: “What’s Inside Matters”

Create original, compelling content that will start conversations

Key takeaways

Practice journalistic integrity

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conversations

Employ top-of-the-line measurement and analytics to stay nimble and flexible

Continuously explore site and

Key takeaways

Nimble marketing and analytics

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content enhancements

Experiment with content ideas and forms that will move the program forward

Look for social media integration/analytics

Getting processes in place

Educating internal and external stakeholders

Shifting the Corporate Culture

Continuously refining content

Lessons learned

Challenges

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Continuously refining content

Re-evaluating media strategy

@lsharif

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For more information on Qualcomm, visit us at: www.qualcomm.com & www.qualcomm.com/blog

Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Other products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners

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@lsharif@kesslermichelle