Marketers now consider alignment with social issues as one of the top three benefits of a content campaign, according to a new study from World Media Group. “The Future For Content-Led Marketing Around The World” explores trends in branded content campaign strategies.
When asked which key performance indicator (KPI) provided the best approach for content-led marketing, a majority of respondents, who are marketing decision-makers, cited engagement (34 percent), followed by the opportunity to change perceptions (20 percent). Compared to last year’s survey results, marketers are finding that measuring shifts in brand perceptions and time spent with content are more important than brand awareness.
There’s a greater opportunity for marketers to leverage societal and environmental problems too. Brand activism is viewed by respondents as a critical route to engaging consumers with 18 percent citing “aligning a brand with a trend, issue or topic” one of the best reasons for launching a content-led campaign.
The survey also found that 80 percent of respondents predict their investment in content-led marketing will grow over the next two years. Drivers of growth will include voice technology, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), audio and podcasts. World Media Group also predicts growth in live video and 360 video, but a decrease in short- and long-form video.
Findings are based on a survey of 269 advertisers, media agencies and media owners across nine global regions between September 2-October 7.
