Content Tips and Top Picks from Adam Nunn
Adam Nunn is Global Business Lead at PHD Global Business, London, as well as a globetrotter, adventurer and a judge for the World Media Awards which are now open for entries until 25th January 2018. You can enter here. Here are his thoughts and advice to potential entrants on what makes for great cross-border, content-driven advertising campaigns and a little bit of insight into what makes him tick.
About content:
LBB> What are you hoping for most when you judge the World Media Awards?
AN> To see some great, inspirational campaigns that are rooted in a clear, simple insight and demonstrate real creativity.
LBB> What advice can you give potential entrants for creating a winning entry?
AN> Keep the entry short, simple and to the point. Be clear on the insight, how the activation supported it and the results
LBB> What are the most important factors to consider when creating content-led advertising?
AN> Make sure that it is a story/subject that the brand has the credibility to associate with and ensure that the length/lengths work and aren’t simply because ‘we need a film’. If working with a media partner, make sure that they are a proper fit with the brand and not a forced marriage. Allow the content to tell the brand story – resist the temptation to fill the content with unsubtle logos.
LBB> What is the role of the media agency in content-driven advertising?
AN> Identifying the right audience and the right place for it to be amplified, exposed to the brand target and then managing the campaign properly so that it is viewed and reviewed to make sure it remains on track. It’s not a fire-and-forget opportunity – it is still media planning, just different formats.
LBB> How do you measure success when it comes to content-driven advertising?
AN> By having a very clear understanding of what content should be doing for the brand before the first storyboard has been developed. If there isn’t a clear role as to why the content exists, and a clear gap that it has been designed to fill, then don’t run it.
Ensure that there are tracking and brand studies etc. before and after the content has appeared which ask and answer very clear questions.
LBB> What are the killer questions an agency/media owner should ask a client to ensure that their content brief is fit for purpose?
AN> Why is a piece of content the answer?
How will you measure success and business impact?
What budget do you have to support its amplification?
LBB> What three pieces of advice would you give a brand about to embark on a branded content campaign that needs to work across multiple countries/regions?
AN> Identify a ‘universal’ brand truth that can translate. If your brand clearly stands for something and the content addresses this topic, then it will convert successfully. If you don’t have a clear brand truth that local consumers understand/see as relevant etc., it doesn’t matter how good the output is, it won’t do what it needs to do.
Know how it will be measured.
Be prepared to adapt the approach in markets if it isn’t working – local nuance either in the content or the amplification is key.
LBB> What do you need to look for in your media partner(s) when planning an international content-driven advertising campaign?
AN> Someone prepared to come on a journey with the brand and not be too rigid in the application of their guidelines. It is essential to have a partner that knows what is possible and what isn’t, but for whom the default answer isn’t always no – there need to be some compromises up for discussion somewhere.
About you:
LBB> Your dream holiday destination?
AN> South Africa, especially Cape Town and the Kruger National Park
LBB> Your favourite band/artist?
AN> My younger brother Rory Nunn. And The Rolling Stones
LBB> What was your first single/music download?
AN> Belinda Carlisle - ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’
LBB> Your favourite film?
AN> The Station Agent or Empire of the Sun
LBB> Your favourite TV series?
AN> The West Wing or Band of Brothers
LBB> Your favourite app for work? And for leisure/personal use?
AN> Trip It for work and Sonos or Endomondo for leisure.
LBB> Who are your creative heroes and why?
AN> Cecil Lewis – WW1 fighter ace, author and founder of the BBC – a man who lived life to the full but was also a real visionary in his establishment of an amazing creative and media institution
Robert MacFarlane – author, walker and amazing user of the English language – and a great Twitter feed
Sir John Hegarty – do I need to explain?
The creative team behind the Guinness ads of the 1990s – especially Surfer
The team who came up with the Sony Bouncing Ball ad – and follow ups – amazing usage of colour, timing and music
LBB> Your favourite restaurant or bar?
AN> Instant, Budapest – one of the best ruin bars in the city
LBB> Your favourite meal?
AN> Growing up in the south of France has left me with a lifelong passion for Quercynoise cuisine! Confit de canard with pommes de terre sardalaises and a glass of Cahors red
LBB> Your favourite drink?
AN> Gin and tonic
LBB> Your guilty pleasure?
AN> Walking my dog whilst listening to podcasts in the Kent countryside
