奧美公關 藏經格

本文作者Steve Dahllof ，現任奧美公關亞太地區執行長

由臺灣奧美公關social @Ogilvy團隊王俊人、李偉綸翻譯

 　　公關人向來很懂得將顧客訊息傳達給新聞編輯台！但是現在，公關已不能再隔山打牛，我們必要勇於直接面對消費者！

　　什麼事情讓首席行銷官夜不能寐？這個答案顯而見 — 現今24小時不停歇的市場環境，絕對是這些人失眠的主要元兇。事實上，不只是首席行銷官，許多高階主管也正努力趕上快速變遷的市場環境。

　　當社交媒體正用崛起的力量掩蓋了傳統媒體的影響力，行銷人員該如何確保品牌、產品或服務，能夠時時刻刻、不分日夜地吸引更多消費者的目光？創造更多的點擊率、或者是更廣的曝光率，以及源源不絕的「好友數」呢？

　　答案就是「內容」！並非「普通的內容」，而是「優秀的內容」！優秀的內容絕對可以讓首席行銷官一夜好眠！只要內容發展得好，並且又可被測量，這個答案絕對是「肯定的」！好的內容可以協助企業創造行銷的推動力，給予品牌一個既能深植人心又具文化關聯性的聲音。一支影片或一個遊戲絕不能發生後立即消失，它必須要能永久流傳，讓人們互相分享，並能創造市場口碑。

　　長久以來，總有很多人在討論，究竟哪個傳播領域才該負責「內容」這件事。廣告？創意？公關？答案很簡單，每個領域對於內容是什麼，都有自己的專業見解。在此，我想特別專注於：為何公關能熟練於創造內容？所謂優秀的內容必要條件是什麼？以及如何衡量成效？

　　在公關領域中，我們總是創造內容給電視或平面的新聞記者。這些人的工作（我們稱為媒體把關者），就是將我們客戶的訊息，經過篩選、編輯的程式後，製作成有可信度（Credible）且具新聞性（Newsworthy）的內容。由於公關已經花費許多年和新聞把關者溝通，深深瞭解其中運作的原理，因此，公關知道如何創造出可信的內容。

　　雖然目前內容把關者的角色還無人獨領風騷，但就我的觀察，公關產業並未好好運用本身的優勢。這很可能是因為公關仍習慣於透過媒體和消費者溝通，將自己局限於不願直接與消費者溝通的小框框內。但是，優秀的公關人必須要跨出這一步！

　　就如同近日某位同事所言：「現在，連溫和的消費者都會開始批評，有時還咄咄逼人。」事實上，只要客戶能相對提供具說服力的內容，通常都能將這些批評者轉變成為粉絲。

優秀內容五大要素

　　當然，隨著內容所帶來的契機，我們同時也面對更多的挑戰和責任。公關產業仍在學習如何創造真正優秀的內容，但問題是每次當我們已經思考清楚時，整個產業的遊戲規則又改變了。因此，在瞬息萬變的情況下，我們更應該瞭解如何創造優秀內容。我認為只要掌握下列五大要素，創造優秀的內容並不困難。

1.關聯性

　　隨著技術發展，新媒體把關員已由消費者和顧客自己擔任。因此，任何的內容被消費者點閱時，都必須經歷他們心中的秒殺問答。這內容對我或我的生活有何幫助？關聯性就是最直接的證據。如果沒有關聯性，我們也要持續提供足夠有趣的元素，直到他們找到具有關聯性的部分。在傳播上，關聯性並不是一個新的項目，但卻是構成內容的必要成分。簡言之，身為內容創造者，你必須時時刻刻問自己：你的內容能為消費者做什麼？什麼內容對他們的生活是重要的？

2.互動參與性

　　內容不能只是單向的訴說！好的內容必須要能快速邀請消費者參與。消費者的角色是什麼？在哪參與？如何參與？如果我們有吸引消費者的觀點，讓他們願意創造屬於他們自己的內容，那我們就成功了一半。

3.創意性

　　成千上萬的內容正在跟消費者爭寵！現在的消費者早已被寵壞了，他們總是要新鮮的、不同的事物。昨天行得通的做法或許明天就沒效果了！我們不得不去將內容轉個彎，賦予不一樣的感覺和獨特的角度，唯有這樣才能將其他人甩在腦後。

4.娛樂性

　　問問你自己吧，你是如何讓內容變得有趣、好玩或是讓人驚訝不已？優秀的內容可以讓人享受其中。身為消費者，我們都希望能在一天的生活中獲得片刻的愉悅。但可別把娛樂和互動參與混淆，雖然可能會同時發生，但在優秀內容方程式中，它們仍是獨立的兩個元素。

5.動態性

　　優秀的內容應隨著消費者的需求、想法、渴望而調整。我們每個人都是不一樣的，那我們的內容又為何要相同呢？「個性化」在2000年初大受推捧，但在內容的世界裡，個性化僅僅是個入門。當然，除了個性化以外，不斷創新內容、擺脫老套也是動態的重點。

上述為優秀內容的五大要素。企業並不需要做到每一項，只要將當中幾項發揮得淋漓盡致，也就可以創造吸引消費者的內容。

優秀內容的方程式

　　那什麼又是優秀內容的方程式呢？事實上，我們所產出的內容符合五大要素倒還算容易，但最挑戰的部分反而是為每個目標族群，在不同情境下進一步調配出最棒的組合。

　　社交媒體最令人著迷的就是消費者永遠都不會隱藏自己的偏好，根據他們的線上口碑、點擊的廣告，你便可以發現他們要的是什麼。因此，創造優秀內容的第一步，就是請社交媒體規劃人員去傾聽並觀察目標客群在談什麼、做什麼。

　　我非常訝異的是，我們居然常常忽略這最重要而簡單的一步。事實上，只要你完成了「線上量化調查」，就可以開始發展活動和創意的過程。就如同另一位同事非常篤定地告訴我：「社交媒體規劃人員必須依消費者心裡所想，進一步擬定內容策略，如此才可確保我們每一項活動的發展都是緊密依靠真實民眾的意見。」

　　從社交媒體的角度瞭解民之所欲，能讓我們用正確的成分，組合出正確的配方。唯有優秀的內容才能真正產生行銷的效果！企業應該去衡量一下：在我們所創造的內容中，有多少可以真正激發消費者的對話？又有多少的話題是跟品牌相關？

　　為了協助企業衡量優秀的內容，我們創造出線上口碑的質化及量化分析系統，包括：網上口碑是正面、負面或中立？活動前中後的口碑量發展狀況？討論的調性如何？社交平臺的互動和回饋又是如何？這些都有助於企業的內容精益求精，更符合消費者的需求。

結語: 迎接內容為王的時代！

　　最後，讓我們來談一下，究竟內容於公關領域的演進會是如何？讓我畫一條時間軸來說明，如果說2010年以前是培養知名度和初試水溫，那2011年就會是肆無忌憚的實驗年！時至今日，2012年絕對是公關靠著內容呼吸和生存的一年，也就是「the year of content」。

　　因此，公關人員有責任讓客戶認清一件事：所謂的內容，已經不單純是傳統公關和媒體關係提案中的附屬品。在社交媒體掛帥的時代，所謂的內容，特別是優秀的內容，將會改寫企業與消費者互動的關係，深深地影響行銷傳播的世界，創造更高的附加價值！讓我們一起迎接內容為王的時代！&

Learn to reach out to the new gatekeepers

 Steve Dahllof, President and CEO of OgilvyPR APAC

The PR industry is well versed in communicating the client’s message to news editors; now it must speak directly to its audience.

─By Steven Dahllof

Ask any CMO what keeps them up at night and the top of the list has to include today’s 24/7 marketing environment.  We’re all struggling to keep up with it.

How do we ensure a product, service or brand draws the increasingly elusive eyeballs, click throughs, coverage and ‘friends’, minute-by-minute, day and night, in a world where traditional marketing channels are being dwarfed by the growing impact of social media?

Enter content.  But not just any content, I’m talking great content.  Can content be the answer to the CMO’s ongoing nightmares?  The answer is a qualified ‘yes’ - if developed well and measured properly.  Great content creates marketing momentum, giving the brand a voice rooted in cultural relevance and with staying power.  A video, game or puzzle cannot hit the market and disappear immediately; it must become evergreen, passed from person to person, creating buzz and talk ability.

CMO’s can sleep better knowing consumers are out there in the social media space passing content around and sharing the brand love.  Great content feeds the hunger of the 24/7 always-on appetites of consumers.

I’ve been in discussion after discussion about which discipline really owns content.  The ad guys?  The creative team?  The PR professionals?  The CRM specialists?  This is an easy one.  Every marketing discipline must own content.  Each discipline brings its own unique perspectives to what content could and should be.  I’d like to focus on why PR is particularly adept at creating great content, what the rules of great content are in this sphere and how we measure its impact.

In PR, we’ve always been creators of content in editorial forms; print and broadcast news.  We know what makes content believable because we’ve spent years with news gatekeepers; editors, journalists and influencers whose role was to select, edit and mould our client’s message into what they believe has news value and feels authentic.  The news gatekeepers decide what content makes the cut.

Well, the gates are now well and truly unattended, yet I do not believe the PR industry has taken full advantage of these wide-open gates.  Perhaps we are so use to media gatekeepers that we have not stretched our legs’ sufficiently in walking directly to our clients’ customers without ‘the media’ controlling the message.  We must urgently overcome this.

As one colleague recently said, “hitherto mild-mannered consumers are now talking back; sometimes as vicious critics”.  Authentic believable content from our clients can take the edge off those vicious consumers and often turn them into fans.

With content opportunities come challenges and responsibilities.  The industry is still learning what makes truly great content, but the problem is every time we think we can define it, it morphs and new elements are added.

Perhaps we can start by identifying what constitutes good, even great, content.  I believe there are five key ingredients.  While each nugget of content does not need to contain every one, the more the better.

1. Relevance: Our new gatekeepers are the consumers and customers themselves.  Therefore any piece of content has to pass the three-second question consumers ask as they click: “What does this content have to do with me and my life?”  Relevance has to be evident immediately.  If it isn’t, the entertainment ‘fun value’ must hold them until we get to the relevant part.  Relevance is not a new term in communications, but it is essential in the world of content.  The old expression ‘news you can use’ is key here; what can customers do with your content, and what makes it significant is their lives?

2. Engaging: Content can’t just talk to consumers; it must involve them - and quickly.  What is their role?  Where do they fit in?  How can they participate?  If we can get consumers to engage to the point that they are creating their own content, we know we are more than half way to success.

3. Creative: There are millions of pieces of content out there all fighting for the same eyeballs.  Consumers have become spoilt; they want it new and different all the time.  What worked yesterday probably won’t work in the same formula tomorrow.  We have to give it a new twist, a different feel, a unique angle that will get them passing it along.

4. Entertaining: Ask yourself, how can you make content funny, playful or downright outrageous?  Great content can create an unabashed sense of enjoyment.  We are all looking for a minute during the day that simply delights us, with no strings attached.  But don’t make the mistake of equating entertainment value with engagement.  They may coincide, but they are two unique and equal parts of the content formula.

5. Dynamic: Content should flex to the consumer’s needs, wants and desires.  We aren’t all the same person, so why should our content be the same?  The term mass personalization gained fame in the early 2000s.  In the content would it is simply the price of entry.  Of course, the other sid3 of the dynamic coin is that it must constantly update and not get stale.

Now we’re defined five ingredients for good content, what is the recipe for great content?  Identifying the ingredients is easy; the tough part is putting them together in the right combination Ð and that combination is different for every occasion and every audience.

The beauty of the social media would is that consumers donÕt keep their preferences a secret.  Through their online conversations, click through and communities, we can discover their preferences.  So the first step to creating great content is using social media planners to listen to and watch what your target is saying and doing.

It is amazing to me how often this simple, yet essential, step is overlooked.  Once you’ve completed this ‘online ethnography’, the development and creative process can begin.  As another colleague recently stated so articulately, “Social media planners ensure we anchor every step of campaign development to real people in a way that uses the consumers’ mindset to build the content strategy”.

Understanding consumer preferences from a social media perspective allows us to hone in on the right ingredients for the task at hand.  Measuring how great content is comes down to measuring that marketing momentum created.  The specifics are important; what are the conversations and how much talkability have we stimulated about the brand?

To measure the marketing momentum, we create and track a word-of-mouth sentiment index of online conversations, the share of positive voice in the category.  The focus is on a critical metric: was it positive, negative, or neutral?  We also look at platform matrix with Facebook interactions (posts, comments, likes), YouTube/Youku views and comments, as well as Twitter and Weibo posts.

So how evolved is content in public relations?  Let me put it in a timeline.  If 2010 and earlier were the years of growing awareness and dabbling, then 2011was the year of unbridled experimentation.  But now weÕre arrived: 2012 is and must be the year that PR lives and breathes content: it is the year of content.

But there is a tripwire, and that is ensuring client understanding of content and the new measurement and evaluation criteria.  Part of our job is therefore to move clients more fully into the content creation space and not treat it as an insignificant add-on to traditional PR and media relations programmes. &