The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Tech Start Ups Startups Unilever

DS15 day 4 highlights: Coca-Cola’s content plan for global platform Journey & Ogilvy Lab day featuring Google, IBM and Unilever

Author

By Natalie Mortimer, N/A

May 14, 2015 | 5 min read

Couldn’t make it down to Digital Shoreditch 2015 today? We’ve got you covered. Catch up on the best talks of the day including Coca-Cola and content from the Ogilvy Lab sessions, which took place on day four of the festival. Words by Natalie Mortimer and Katie McQuater.

Journey Hompeage

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola recently scrapped its European corporate website in favour of its existing global content website titled Journey and Stanislas Magniant communications director, Northern Europe, lifted the lid on the drinks giant’s new “liquid content” strategy.

Magniant called the new site, which aims to communicate the story behind the Coca-Cola brand and its people and traditions, both a challenge and opportunity given the business' behemoth size, but said the new liquid content strategy will help streamline its messaging – a plan it has already mobilised product-wise having recently moved to harmonise its four distinct brands (Red, Life, Zero and Diet) into one marketing strategy.

“[The] brand is so big and powerful it’s hard for the company to break through and make other topics and initiatives it has heard. But there are opportunities as we have lots of untold stories,” he said before explaining the liquid content concept.

“[Content] should not be rooted in one place but flow seamlessly across the paid, owned and earned space, which is why Journey should not be a destination for visitors but a starting point for our content. I say should because that is not the reality yet but that is the hope.”

Interestingly Magniant said Journey is not about driving traffic to the site but to instead drive a stronger brand awareness given the type of content the new website will be delivering.

“As long as the content gets seen we are happy and if it gets seen on other sites even better,” he added.

Ogilvy Lab day

Startups, and how agencies and brands can better collaborate with them, was the theme of today's Lab Day by Ogilvy.

Google Campus

Sarah Drinkwater, head of Google Campus London, discussed how well partnerships can work when established players collaborate with startups, using Jamie Oliver's collaboration with London-based startup Appear Here, making use of disused retail space at Old Street Underground as an example.

"Jamie Oliver recently ran a test of his Food Tube channel in Old Street station - it's allowing an online brand like that to take the brand offline, connecting with people passing every day and making use of the space."

While 80 per cent of startups fail, this shouldn't deter brands from looking to partner with the right ones, she said.

"Get comfortable with risk," advised Drinkwater. "Any partnership you're putting in place, it's worth thinking about it in terms of a test. You would never throw a ton of money behind a campaign without knowing it's going to work."

When considering partnering with a startup, Drinkwater suggested brands and agencies think about three things - what can be learned from the partnership, what metrics can be put in place, and whether you should consider doing a small test first.

Unilever Foundry

Unilever launched its Foundry, a collaborative space for innovation, to engage with "startups pioneering the future", according to director Jeremy Basset, in conversation with Kite chief marketing officer and managing director Tarah Feinberg.

"We wanted to engage with startups in a much more proactive way. We are putting them at the heart of our innovation funnel," said Basset.

The company has an obligation to engage with the startup community, according to Basset, who recognises the importance of Unilever tapping into the innovation "outside of our walls".

"It's about innovation through collaboration. Startups are not just pioneering the future of marketing - they're pioneering the future of our categories," he added.

Marrying the agility of startups with the scale of global corporates is the real opportunity, said Basset, who added that the industry as a whole has a responsibility to engage with the startup community.

"We believe it's not just Unilever that has a responsibility to be partnering with startups - the industry also has a responsibility. Everyone should be engaging in this space."

IBM

New ecosystems are being created from the challenge of business leaders embracing game-changing technology, according to Angela Bates, startup programmes leader, IBM.

"How do business leaders wrap their arms around game-changing technology? In a technology-fuelled soup, bright ideas are gaining traction with both corporates and small businesses," said Bates.

She added that consumers have an insatiable desire for sophistication in all areas of life, leading to additional pressure on organisations to provide something beyond what they currently do.

Keep an eye out for a series of video interviews from the Ogilvy Lab day featuring Ogilvy vice chairman Rory Sutherland and Tech City chief executive Gerard Grech.

Tech Start Ups Startups Unilever

Content created with:

Ogilvy & Mather

Ogilvy & Mather is a New York City-based advertising, marketing and public relations agency. It started as a London advertising agency founded in 1850...

Find out more

Coca Cola

Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink produced by The Coca-Cola Company. Originally intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century...

Find out more

IBM

IBM is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States, with operations in over 170 countries. 

Find out more

More from Tech Start Ups

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +