The role of brand journalism in PR by LEWIS

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THE NEW RULES OF CONTENT The role of BRAND JOURNALISM in PR

White Paper The New Rules of Content

Introduction 4 What is brand journalism? 6 A place for brand journalism

How to do it right 14 Brand journalism and PR 16 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the content 18 Conclusion 22

INTRODUCTION

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Never before has it been so easy to tell our stories in our own words, to share the images that shape our lives, to discuss what matters most to us and to deliver compelling news to others around the world. Whether we work for a media organisation, a multi national corporation, a small start up, in the PR industry or whether weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just speaking for ourselves, publishing platforms are now available and accessible to every one of us. With technology comes the opportunity to get our messages across. Readers, viewers, friends, followers, connections and our customers have the power now to become the gatekeepers of the news that they consume. Companies generating their own news and business leaders establishing their own media platform are developments that are here to stay. The debate around so-called brand journalism is no longer about whether thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a place for it or not but rather how can we make the most of it.

WHAT IS BRAND JOURNALISM?

White Paper The New Rules of Content

“News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising” 1 So the tension between news and advertising, between journalism and corporate information is nothing new. The debate on the pros and cons of brand journalism has been running for years. Some traditionalists see it as a threat to the mainstream press, while others see it as an exciting expansion to the media world. But what is brand journalism? It’s a company investing in content and becoming a provider of news. It is more, much more, than a series of press releases and product launches. Brand journalism is a serious attempt to share information and comment about an industry or sector. The end game, to raise awareness and to encourage loyalty, is no different than a broadcaster’s attempts to increase audience figures or a newspaper’s drive to boost circulation. To be credible and to establish a reader’s trust, brand journalism must stand up to the finest values of journalism: • It has to be based on facts • Be fast and topical • New content should be generated often and consistently • It must give value to the reader or viewer • There must be complete transparency about the origins of the content After all good brand journalism is good journalism.

1 Alfred Harmsworth, Lord Northcliffe, (1865-1922) British publisher of the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The Observer, The Times & The Sunday Times.

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Derek Sasson is the Chief Operating Officer at Outbrain, a content discovery platform. In this Businessweek debate with Mark Glaser, Editor of PBS MediaShift, Derek describes the added value brand journalism brings: “Brand journalism exists to provide audiences with value beyond just an advertisement, aiming to provoke dialogue or prompt sharing with others. Marketers are acutely aware that authenticity, transparency and real substance are essential for this to work.” 2 In contrast, in the same article, Mark Glaser makes the point that brand journalism cannot provide the essential objectivity of professional media: “Imagine this scenario: A technology company releases a new smartphone and begins a massive marketing campaign, claiming the phone does amazing things, is faster than any other phone, and has the best network. But consumers are much better served by turning to journalists — real journalists — for reviews of the phone.” Jesse Noyes is Corporate Reporter at marketing automation provider Eloqua, (a LEWIS client). Previously he worked inside the newsrooms at the Boston Herald and the Boston Business Journal. Today he uses his journalism experience to find the narratives that drive business and explain the trends impacting marketers everywhere. He calls it brand reporting rather than brand journalism and he describes his work as: “Bringing voices from inside and outside of the company together to tell a story. It’s the news about that space that they want to read and listen to. It’s not all about the company.” 3

2 http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2011/09/mt-preview6f91ebc2c31a9c19881a12276fac57776287d715.html 3 http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP100155

White Paper The New Rules of Content

Brand journalism is already well established and widely used. It’s no longer the new kid on the block. According to research from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 90 per cent of non-media companies create original content in some shape or form and more are producing the kind of content that engages people.

Tom Foremski, a former Financial Times journalist now reporting on Silicon Valley, has dubbed EC=MC: Every Company is a Media Company. “Every company is a media company because every company, no matter if it makes ball bearings or diapers has to publish in many different channels and formats to be visible. If you aren’t seen amidst all the media noise, you don’t exist.” 4 4 http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2012/04/every_media_com.php

A PLACE FOR BRAND JOURNALISM

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There is no doubt that some of the more traditional sectors of the media industry around the world are in decline. Technology means that we can now consume news and information where we want to, how we want to and when we want to. The attraction of waiting for the evening news update on the TV or picking up the paper for our daily digest of the news isn’t the same as it once was. But brand journalism isn’t to blame and, for every one person who looks back on the ‘good old days’ with rose tinted spectacles, there are many others who find the explosion and immediacy of today’s news sources as something to be excited about. Along with citizen journalism and social media conversations, brand journalism is playing its part in that media explosion. Traditional media will play a crucial role for years to come as most of us will continue to turn to those trusted sources to reaffirm and clarify what we might have picked up earlier online. So it’s not a ‘them and us’ situation! Mark Ragan CEO of Ragan Communications, speaking here to Rebecca Jarvis, the Business & Economics Correspondent for CBS News, sees brand journalism as a creator of jobs for journalists and as a stimulus for industry growth:

White Paper The New Rules of Content

Shel Israel, writing for Forbes, talks about an opportunity that he was given by the technology firm Dell to work as a journalist and to compose corporate news for them. He goes on to describe how the recruitment of experienced news journalists quickly led to the creation of regular news content. Those remaining in the newsrooms of the big media houses now have more content, stories, tip offs and real-life case studies at their disposal than ever before. Brand journalism, along with citizen journalism and social media interactions are all cutting down the wear and tear on the reporterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoe leather. And this growth in available content is shaping the way that traditional media works and allowing access to stories and places that were previously cut off. Here two Syrian activists, who felt compelled to become citizen journalists to tell their side of the story, describe the challenges that they faced:

White Paper The New Rules of Content

There are those who continue to struggle to accept the term brand journalism, after all how can a brand really achieve credibility as a news publisher? Bob Garfield has reported on advertising, marketing and the US media for nearly three decades. He believes that corporate conservatism will always win over against journalism integrity in a company’s newsroom: “That’s why, whether in Austin or Motown, Brand Journalism is such an awful misnomer. I find it ironic that marketers are charged with conducting conversations and no one knows how to tell the truth.” 1 Brand journalism is also a long term investment. You can’t build an authoritative channel in a month. Those with a serious commitment will recruit the best journalists for the quality of their writing, their focus on facts and on their ability to spot a story. Journalists don’t come cheap but the opportunities are there for those C-level executives who embrace the potential and who seize the opportunities.

1 http://adage.com/article/bob-garfield/chrysler-tweet-controversy-shows-brandjournalism-a-lie/149489/

HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

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Be in it for the long game – results from brand journalism are not instant, this is not a quick fix. But the long term impact on your business can and will be impressive as you attract audience loyalty and you become a respected voice in your sector. Invest in writers – working with experienced writers with journalistic heritage will save you time and will add to the credibility of your news service. Journalists know what makes compelling content, what is the essence of a good story and how to tell it well. Know your community - when developing your content be sure to commission pieces which hit your community’s sweet spot. Ask them what they would like to know more about or perform a listening exercise to find gaps in the current conversations. Let content travel - make sure content is embeddable and accessible through different channels and devices. Promote the stories through Twitter, design infographics that can be printed or shared on Pinterest, create discussion on Facebook or LinkedIn and create quotes that can become part of the industry language in presentations and case studies. Consider it public R&D - don’t stick to traditional rules. Brand journalism needs to be as much about the content creation as the content discussion. Consider the publication of the piece as the start not the end of the process. Use the web to engage with communities within your industry. Listen and learn from feedback and take part in the conversation in an advisory facilitation role - don’t try to control it. Take risks: ‘Ban the bland’ - remember if your content is stating the obvious or has everyone agreeing about it then it risks becoming background noise. It’s not about being controversial - but do have a point of view, which aligns to your brand. The more debate you can spark the more likely your content will be remembered - especially online. Don’t get lost - finally, after all your hard work, remember to make sure your content is findable. Optimise for search and promote it on all your channels. Use relevant keywords in titles and content, engage with bloggers and followers to create discussion with real people to increase links to and from the content. This includes ensuring a linking strategy is incorporated into your media relations too.

BRAND JOURNALISM AND PR

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Valuable content can be a PR asset - You will generate more goodwill, trust and positive brand value if you generate genuinely useful information that will help your customers, such as ebooks or guides. This is particularly important if you are in a complex industry where education is required or if you have delicate reputation management issues. Make one of your owned channels, such as your blog, the focal point for valuable content. Establish thought leadership – Thought leaders are closely associated with their fields of expertise. In today’s web-centric world, being an online destination for content on a specific topic – and ranking highly in search engines for related keywords – is akin to thought leadership. Non-promotional, expert content should be at the heart of any thought leadership campaign. Use content to educate - if your PR goal is to build awareness of an issue or change a practice then content is essential. Creating guides packed with useful data and presented in unique formats will get you more attention than a single rallying cry or awareness campaign. Use content to build community - monitor social channels for instances where people show a need for information (ask questions, express a pain point) and then offer your non-promotional content to them. If the content is hosted on an optimised blog, for example, with a clear call to action, they may well subscribe or they may follow you back. Use content to respond to industry trends – content doesn’t always require lengthy production cycles. In fact, speed and responsiveness can be an asset. Prove your brand is a valuable source of timely, expert content by producing video clips, fast infographics or blog posts in response to trending news. You’ll gain traffic, links and possibly even inclusion in news write-ups. Be a source for media - even if you aren’t ready to commit to publishing your own content on a regular basis, you should still try to take a journalistic approach to generating content for other media. Bring experienced journalists into your business to identify story angles, critique your messages and ensure you are creating the right kind of material to appeal to the media. In today’s media landscape, simply conveying the message you want to communicate is not enough. You have to understand the story the journalist wants to tell.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CONTENT

White Paper The New Rules of Content

‘News is people. It’s people talking and doing. Committees, cabinets and courts are people; so are fires, accidents and planning decisions. They are only news because they affect and involve people.’ 1 If brand journalism is to gain and maintain the kind of credibility that’s held by the traditional media companies then the content that is generated has to be just as good. As Harold Evans says, it has to matter to people. Good content makes an impact, it cuts through and gets noticed. The very best content moves people. Twist Image President Mitch Joel describes content that doesn’t make the grade as “vanilla”. Consistently good content will mean that audiences will come back again and again and they will endorse the content producers, in this case the brand. Frequent use will lead to loyalty and to trust and in order to be a credible publisher, to provide credible brand journalism, trust from your readers is an essential ingredient. The Ford Motor Company understood exactly what it takes to make compelling content when it told the story of 93 year old Rachel Veitch who is the proud owner of a 1964 Mercury Comet:

1 Harold Evans, when he was editor of The Sunday Times

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Generating compelling content is made easier by social media. Now we can see exactly what audiences are talking about and what matters to them. By closely monitoring Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube and others we can see, in a live environment, what is attracting the most interest. Used wisely that information can shape our stories. For brand journalists listening to your workforce, the whole of your workforce is vital. Good stories are not exclusively found around the boardroom. Being open minded and alert for the story that might have previously gone unnoticed are skills that can set you apart. When a team of journalists from LEWIS PR descended upon the UK HQ of car windscreen repairer Autoglass no one expected a squirrel to be the star of the show, but this story that attracted national coverage was brought to the attention of the team by a passing comment from an engineer.

White Paper The New Rules of Content

Brand journalism also has an important part to play in crisis management. We all know that a bad news story can blight a brand for years but proactive and reactive journalism can be a game changer if done well. Joe Pulizzi, the co-founder of the Content Marketing Institute, says that brands can no longer afford not to invest in journalism and in telling their own stories.

CONCLUSION

White Paper The New Rules of Content

Brand journalism is here to stay and when done well it adds value to the customer, to the company and to the media industry. Good journalists are now working for brands and they are active in PR. Their experience of what makes news and their ability to cut to the heart of a story means they are an asset that companies should find room for or at least gain access to. Brand journalism wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replace traditional journalism by any stretch. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing a shift in which major media outlets are covering an ever-broader range of topics with an increasingly stretched editorial team. Meanwhile highly specialised content is moving to niche outlets, including blogs and branded channels. This is the opportunity for brands to serve up targeted, expert content designed to meet the specific needs of their audience. And in doing so, these brands become better known, create a loyal community of evangelists and demonstrate their value as an expert source. Done well, brand journalism can be a powerful complement to traditional media relations. Can you afford not to incorporate a brand journalism strategy into your PR?

White Paper The New Rules of Content

About us LEWIS was founded in 1995 by a former journalist and, since then, it has grown to over 300 employees based in more than 25 wholly-owned offices across the US, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Its regional headquarters are in London, San Francisco and Singapore. LEWIS is known for delivering bold digital communications campaigns that enhance revenue, value and reputation for global brands. Digital communications services span PR and media relations, social media marketing, search engine optimization and digital content production.

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